Grisens by Phaedon

Pierre Guillaume is behind the Phaedon releases and he seems to be on a mission of sorts the past few years. Trust me when I tell you I'm not complaining because he puts out innovative fragrances. The ones I have sampled so far have been well made, but I wouldn't expect less.

Grisens is not one that falls into the innovative category, but it's one, excellent incense perfume. On me, it's dusty dry and isn't of the conventional, smoky variety. I can find only 2 listed notes that make up Grisens and they consist of Incense and Sandalwood.

Grisens is about a grey incense that, from what I've read, is indigenous to the island of Awaji. About a century and a half ago, this island became the hub for Japans incense needs. Apparently, the winds on the island of Awaji result in only seasonal work. This "disadvantage" resulted in the blossoming of what once was the cottage industry of incense. The winds are also reported to be advantageous in drying the incense, so it became a win-win situation for not only the island, but Japan as well. 'Funny how things work out sometimes.

In spite of only listing Incense and Sandalwood, I also detect an excellent, musky vibe going on underneath in addition to subtle spices. Grisens is slightly earthy, resiny and woody. It also reminds me of Incense that hasn't been lit.

Sillage is very nice and longevity is commensurate. Both of Pierre's recent endeavors ( Huitieme Art and Phaedon ) have left me feeling very good about the other releases under both banners. I will no doubt sample them very soon. An enthusiastic thumbs up from Aromi for Phaedon's Grisen.

Comments

Newport by Caswell Massey

Bergamot, Mandarin, Lemon, Lavender, Geranium, Muguet, Rose, Ambergris, Cedar, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Musk. After wearing Newport by Caswell Massey a few times and then reading what others had to say about this recent formulation, I found some of the opinions harsh. I have no way to compare it to the heralded vintage formula, nor can I use memory as I've never tried the original. Enter the current version. I do agree with some reviews that this rendition does not bring about the sense of beach and salt, but there's a long line of fragrances that fail to represent their depictions. However, Newport isn't so far off the mark that it's a complete misrepresentation. I can imagine wearing Newport ( or something similar ) in a beach setting. It smells classic due to the way Citrus, Lavender and Geranium are implemented. It's assuredly retro, but it seems to have that intangible I like that keeps me sniffing. Newport, at least on my skin, is top heavy in the sens...

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

Lanvin L'Homme

Lord knows the world has enough fresh woody citrus fragrances. It's a hackneyed genre of masculine perfume, having been done to death by countless designer firms cranking these things out since the 1990s, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. Lanvin L'Homme, released in 1997, is one of the early woody citrus releases, but it (along with Essenza di Zegna) stands out because it's one of the best. That may sound like it's not saying much, but Lanvin L'Homme really is excellent. I won't get into a long treatise about all of the notes contained in this and how they evolve. Lanvin L'Homme is sparkling, spicy, woody, transparent and dry. What I love about this scent is how brilliantly it uses vetiver - the vetiver gives Lanvin L'Homme a woody, dry and somewhat bitter smell, but it also manages to create an effect of sustaining the citrus top notes for several hours. This results in a fragrance that smells fresh and cheerful from beginning ...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog