Essence de Patchouli by Alyssa Ashley

Geranium, Rose, Orris Root, Patchouli, Gaiac Wood, Cedar, Coumarin, Labdanum, Vanilla, Musk.

There's a slightly different twist on Alyssa Ashley's rendition of Patchouli than others of this genre I have smelled. The ratio of Orris, Coumarin and Geranium give it that something "extra and different" to set it apart. It's just enough to distance itself from the rest of the pack.

The initial application makes you realize that this is Patch, but rendered sideways. Mrs. Aromi, in her infinite fragrance wisdom, declared it to smell like.......(with furrowed brows) "In your face.......powerful.......STUFF"...........As usual, my better half dislikes it immensely...........and that means I'll probably either like it or love it. In this case however, I lean toward non-chalant "like" with "love" far away over the horizon.

Essence de Patchouli is patch accented with balsamic, floral and woody tones that coexist with its inherent earthiness. This is neither feminine or masculine and rides the rail of "shared" rather effortlessly. I detect a spicy, latex quality within the top and heart accords that's a bit quirky, but certainly not off putting. It's actually what gives Essence some of its personality.

The Vanilla and Musk, listed in the base, incrementally gain momentum as the wearing ensues. On my skin, they never overtake the composition and it's this that disallows Essence from leaning too far feminine. The balance of notes is well done, as is the overall performance. I'll never love this particular rendition of patchouli, but I do like it and recognize a good release.

Sillage is semi strong, but reigns itself in within 10 minutes. Longevity is approximately 5 hours on me. Thumbs up from Aromi for Alyssa Ashley's Essence de Patchouli and a strong recommendation to sample before purchase.

Comments

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...

Oriental Lounge by The Different Company

Bergamot, Curry Leaf, Pepper, Red Rose, Tonka Bean, Labdanum, Satinwood. I suppose the first thing I noticed about Oriental Lounge is that as a man, this is a bit of a stretch to pull off. Since the core of Oriental Lounge is a powdery tonka and amber duo, it really does lean a bit too far feminine for me to wear. However, it would smell just as lovely on a woman and more appropriate as well. I bring this up simply because it's marketed as shared. I was wondering about the curry leaf. Actually, this "note" brought nothing to the table with the exception of possibly enhancing the pepper note just a bit. Even so, the pepper note itself was low key ( at least on me ) and both blended nicely with the citrus opening. From the onset of Oriental Lounge, it's unmistakable that this fragrance is.......well.....an oriental. From other opinions, I read some gripes about longevity, but it lasts on me quite awhile. This fragrance is uncomplicated and without much movemen...

Chanel copying Guerlain. Why?

Last month, I had the pleasure of trying Comète by Chanel, the latest addition to their prestigious Les Exclusifs line. This fragrance follows the release of Le Lion in 2020, another standout in the same collection. Like Le Lion , Comète is a beautiful perfume that captures the essence of Chanel’s refined elegance. However, both fragrances bear a striking resemblance to classic creations by Guerlain, leading me to ponder the direction Chanel is taking. Chanel has a great fragrance history. Not as hallowed and old as Guerlain but for past three decades it has far outshone Guerlain. In my view, no other perfume house has come close to Chanel’s excellence in this century. This makes their recent approach of echoing Guerlain classics somewhat perplexing. Have they run out of fresh ideas? Is Roger Dove at the helm of their fragrance division, or have they perhaps...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog