Five O'Clock Au Gingembre by Serge Lutens

Bergamot, Tea, Ginger, Cinnamon, Woods, Patchouli, Honey, Pepper, Dark Cocoa, Amber.

What I've found extremely interesting ( and enjoyable ) about the opening of Five O'Clock Au Gingembre is that everything but the cocoa and amber come rushing out of the bottle on the initial blast.

The citrus, spice and earth tones are readily apparent, fairly substantial and display clarity.. There's a suggestion of wood which I presume is coming from the combination of patchouli and amber, but I could be remiss. The spicy ginger and soft tea note are centered during the initial stages and the accent provided by a dark rendition of cinnamon is a nice touch. There's a semi sweet quality with resin in there as well and as the scent progresses, the resin becomes a bit more noticeable. I suppose this is the result of amber working it's way into the heart accord and within 10 minutes, all obvious notes have merged to form a personality.

I imagine that some people feel this is a gourmand scent and because of the gingerbread associations, it's understandable. For me, I can't say I feel the "food" vibe when wearing Au Gingembre. It is reminiscent of gingerbread, but it's simply not overt enough to make me feel like I'm wearing a dessert. There's other intangibles at work here to make this more versatile than that.

The cocoa rendition is never obvious on my skin in any of the wearings and I think it's tuned perfectly. It adds a dimensional quality once the base and drydown commence. It lends a nice substance to the amber as both rise to the occasion and transform Au Gingembre into a spicy amber with resins. The ginger remains throughout the life of the scent and simply evolves a quieter spirit as the fragrance progresses.

Sillage is good and longevity is 5 hours plus on my skin. Au Gingembre isn't an eccentric frag and can be considered mainstream when compared to the Serge's other releases. Thumbs up from Aromi for the Serge and his gingerbread fantasy.

Comments

DK Men by Donna Karan

Citrus, Juniper, Pineapple. Ambergris, Almond. Sandalwood, Lavender, Musk. I felt compelled to revisit DK Men ( Fuel for Men ) after perusing through some older samples and then reading my previous review from 2009. Wearing DK Men again has caused me to revise my original post. I liked it three years ago and have a new found appreciation for this extremely smooth fragrance. My perception of it has changed slightly, but my opinion is still extremely favorable. This time around, I get less of a petrol vibe and much more of a fruit and suede theme. The pineapple note is integrated so well that I am surprised I couldn't previously esteem its deft implementation like I can now. The magic of DK Men is in the blending of chosen notes. The citric opening is very good indeed in spite of its quick dissipation. The pineapple and amber quickly pick up the slack. They are rich, full bodied and manage to keep a respectable presence while offending no one. The volume is intelligent. ...

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...

La Chasse Aux Papillons Extreme by L'Artisan Parfumeur

I read many reviews before or after I do my own and I seem to be at complete odds with the house of L'Artisan. I have previously said on basenotes that for me, L'Artisan Parfumeur is the most over-rated house I have come across. La Chasse Aux Papillons Extreme does nothing to sway that opinion. Yet another linear, floral dominant scent that does nothing to stir me up or inspire me in any way. This house has "pleasant" nailed down to an art form......but damn...can't we go beyond that? The only attempt at polarization so far has been Dzongkha ....and I found it a jumbled mess. At these prices, move me, anger me, hate me.......but please don't bore me. Extreme in a nutshell is a toned down tuberose with assorted "blossom" thrown in the mix. Is it bad? No, it's an acceptable floral scent that's very timid and just lays on my skin smelling like....well....a toned down version of tuberose with blossom this or that added to it. I'm almost a...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog