Il Mondo di Odore

Cedar, Sandalwood, Amber, Patchouli, Vanilla, White Musk, Tonka Bean. The house of Guerlain has Guerlainade and to my nose, West Third Brand has what I can only call Brandinade. Naturally, it's econo-class and considering the price point, it stands to reason. Ambre Notti has the DNA I've become familiar with when sampling West Third Brand. Their signature rendition of Vanilla is incorporated in quite a few of their releases. I will say that their vanilla note isn't sickly sweet or have space clearing presence. It's no where near as dense or permeating as other implementations. It's identifiable and mellow and this gives it some versatility. What does disappoint me however is the Amber; or should I say the lack of its personality. In Ambre Notti, the accords seem to be blurred. I get the vanilla and I also experience a fullness overall. I suppose I would have liked better renditions of everything listed here, but it is what it is. The totality is fine. Th...

Lemon, Muguet, Amber, Labdanum, Olibanum, Incense, Patchouli, Vanilla Bean. Grit & Poise goes on a bit oily for starters. I just thought I should point that out. The vanilla is prominent from the initial application. There's also some balsam and resins in there for good measure. The opening accord is actually very nice; not overtly sweet and to me, gender neutral. Like others from this house, there's not much in the way of transitions and goes on fully developed. I'm not sure if Poise & Grit separates itself enough from the many others in this genre to grab hold of the wearer. It's a pleasant wear, but so are thousands of others. This has the base to accommodate some interesting things for a prelude, but it chooses not to. The base is "safe", yet sometimes making no waves is as bad as making the wrong ones. I suppose Poise & Grit feels "incomplete" to me and at the same time smells nice. Suffice it so say that if you like your V...

Vetiver, Black Pepper, Spice, Mandarin, Iris, Bergamot, Benzoin, Coumarin, Tobacco. Just looking at the name, without seeing or experiencing the notes, led me to believe this would be a feminine and seductive type scent. A masculine called Triple X??? Once applied to skin, I kind of grinned because this implements a few, dominant notes I enjoy, depending upon how they are tuned. What is noticeable on me, during my wearings, is the Peppery Citrus and Tobacco. I have no idea why they decided to call this XXX, but the scent itself is good, masculine and rather long lasting; a trait that seems to be genetic for West Third Brand. Once enough time has elapsed for the base notes to reveal themselves, I begin to detect an earthiness, along with a mild, underlying soap that fits quite well with the drydown. Not what I expected, but enjoyable nonetheless. Sometimes, two stages of development is a nice reprieve from the completely linear fragrances I've been testing as of late. Th...

Sandalwood, Cedar, Vetiver, Amyris, Patchouli, Coumarin, Citrus Peel, Benzoin, Vanilla. My journey through the product line of West Third Brand continues with Old Bourbon. I'm persuaded, at this juncture of sampling their creations, that they have their own base foundation that everything springboards from. It's like the house soup. 'Bad thing you ask? Not really, since most I've tried so far are bottle worthy. I wish they would cut down on the Benzoin-Vanilla duo in the base and not use it in practically everything. It's starting to get redundant. On the other hand, it's a comfortable wear, with good longevity and price point, so what you have is a bit too much similarity come base and extended drydown. Old Bourbon however does not conjure up aged-soaked barrels of the libation on me. The coumarin implemented here, more than likely, is a sub that resembles sweet vanilla more than anything else. Old Bourbon has subtle woods and earth on my skin, but mo...

Tobacco leaves, Patchouli, Red Amber, Tonka Bean, Vanilla Bean. Well, this is the first West Third Brand offering to leave me ambivalent. I've been impressed, so far, with this house and I suppose the law of averages dictates some misses along with the hits. Voyage d'Tabac isn't a bad release. It just does nothing for me. I get a bit of all the listed notes here, but it's blase' on my skin and I can muster no excitement in my description of it. Some may find this very suitable, however I find nothing that stands out and I attempt to avoid owning fragrances that don't exude some type of energy when I wear them. Voyage d'Tabac smells pleasant enough; aside from just laying on the skin. In 10 minutes of application, the Vanilla and resin begin to rise from the base and integrate with the Tobacco that's been evident from the opening. I can't say I experience much else and the totality of Voyage d'Tabac is simply reminiscent of too many othe...

Tobacco, Anise, Orange, Cedar, Sandalwood, leather, Clove, Musk. Fans of Versace's Dreamer may just want to give this a spin. It's in that wheelhouse, but not a spot-on clone. This is one of the better clove implementations I've come across as of late and it adds a nice dimension to Marche De Tabac's opening accord. There are moments where I think I'm getting whiffs of mint, but I believe it's the way the clove is interacting with the Tobacco, Anise and Citrus notes. Be aware that this also goes on a bit oily and if you think that may be an indicator of good longevity, you would be correct. This creation is also linear like the others I've worn from this house, but I still haven't sampled one yet I've disliked. Upon application, Marche De Tabac salutes you with the house note of Tobacco accented with hints of Orange, subtle Licorice and Clove. It's a rather dense accord that stays very full with about average sillage. The projection is ...

Moss, Tobacco, Cedar, Leather, Patchouli, Musk. Vintage Leather by West Third Brand is truly all about Leather. The opening spray greets you to leather accentuated by tobacco ( surprise, surprise !!! ). The extended drydown avails the wearer a supple, Aramis facsimile and whatever assists come from the other listed notes are merely props in the leather play. I suppose the most surprising quality Vintage Leather afforded me with was its longevity. From the initial spray, it didn't possess that recognizable tenacity I normally get from a scent that has serious hang time. However, Vintage Leather did not care about my opinion and decided to hang around all day after 3 spritzes. If there is a downside to this release, it's because it's a one-trick pony. To Darwin's dismay, there will be no evolution in aroma or accords. It simply is what it is and what you smell coming out of the bottle is what you'll enjoy in the drydown; albeit at a much lower volume and pro...

Sweet Tobacco Leaf, Honey, Cocoa, Tonka Bean, Tobacco Flower, Dried Fruit, Exotic Woods. Well folks, I can't say I know what Tobacco Flower is, or what exactly is meant by Dried Fruit or Exotic Woods, but I will say I like Tobacco 1812. West Third Brand is an Indie House I'm investigating as of late, due to hearing good things and their economical price point. Naturally, I don't expect every release to be to my liking, but so far, they are 2 for 2. Tobacco 1812 is sweet indeed, but not cloying or off putting. It's about as sweet as I'd want it to be without crossing the line in a tabac offering. The Tonka, Vanilla and Honey may not be integrated perfectly, but the blending is good enough. In part, Tobacco 1812 reminds of a vanilla candle. Only in part mind you, as possibly the backdrop of the fragrance. Vanilla is what blooms the most on my skin during every wearing. The tobacco, at least on me, is minimal at best, but I do get the suggestion of it. The sa...

Agarwood, Patchouli, Red Rose, Sandalwood, Benzoin, Jasmine, Teakwood, Balsam, Cardamom, Vanilla, Musk. I've decided to focus, as of late, on indie houses that are garnering some attention. I've heard some positive things about West Third Brand and decided to investigate for myself. I've chosen to begin with Oudh Noire due to oud being a problematic note for some. I've applied 2 sprays of Oudh Noire about an hour ago. The opening is bright without any heaviness whatsoever. You can smell the triumvirate of Oud-Rose-Jasmine immediately and as the life of the scent progresses, the only changes I detect are this opening accord dissipating into a personal space scent and the introduction of mild wood, balsamic and earth tones. Oudh Noire has a light nature without conceding its soul. West Third Brand seems to rely on the opposite approach taken by upcoming artisan perfumers who build their creations with density. Still, I find myself getting decent longevity. The u...