Patchouli Nobile by Nobile 1942

Lemon, Incense, Pepper, Jasmine, Labdanum, Patchouli, Cedar, Guaiac, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Tonka Bean.

Patchouli is a love-it or deal breaking note to many enthusiasts. It's earthiness and connection to bygone days is simply unpleasant to the folks who eschew it and a reason to love it for those who do.

I suppose my perception of a smooth patchouli can be found in a few Reminiscence releases, with the more bold and unadulterated renditions readily available in numerous others. Naturally, there are houses other than Reminiscence that create upscale patch perfumes, but the majority showcase a more stripped down and in your face version of the note. Patchouli Nobile leans more toward upscale than it does anything else and its presence has been tuned to display a more conservative stance.

What tempers the note best for me and directs a patch dominant scent from rugged to refined is the addition of Labdanum and spicy smoke. The success is in the ratio of these players augmenting the patchouli note. Right out of the bottle, Patchouli Nobile has the potential to be just another middle of the road patch release. What you get is a blast of alcoholic patchouli accented with mild spice and hard to perceive citrus. You also cannot know from the first few minutes that the overall volume dissipates to a conservative level within 5 minutes.

Patchouli Nobile begins to display its more elegant, genetic footprint once 10 minutes has elapsed. Labdanum, subtle smokiness and woods quietly make their entrance. They remain for the life of the wearing and reign in the coarseness that an all-patchouli fragrance sometimes exhibits. This is uncomplicated, very wearable and evolves a nice sensuality once the heart and base accord get involved.

Patchouli, for all its connotations, is an extremely versatile note in the hands of a parfumeur. It's included in most perfumes to some degree and it's one I've always liked when blended correctly with others that I'm fond of. Patchouli Nobile succeeds because it recruits the help of other, very pleasant notes. It succeeds because it morphs into an earthy and sexy aroma that can be worn by either gender. Lastly, it succeeds because it is blended and tuned for contemporary sensibilities.

Sillage is average, yet longevity is very good, affording the wearer 3-4 hours of vitality before morphing into a personal space scent. Thumbs up from Aromi for Patchouli Nobile and as always, a sample wear is highly recommended.

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 ...

CarolFebruary 11, 2014 at 12:47 PM
I seriously do not need another patch, but boy does this sound tempting!
AromiEroticiFebruary 11, 2014 at 3:21 PM
Hi Carol. It's a nice patch and I do own ones I like better, but good is good. If you like, I can send you a decent sample. Hit me up at davebrusco@hotmail.com and LMK.

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