Русский Лес (Russian Forest)

My bottle is an EdC and is certainly light – but very nice! Subsequent wearings after my initial review confirmed my suspicions that this excellent juice is really an aromatic chypre that punches way above its price. Splash freely to get it to last all day. After collecting chypres since buying this, I really see how well Russian Forest slots so well into the genre, holding its own with aplomb with its slightly unique soil accord. Terrific opening of herbs and citrus! Detecting spicy florals are peaking through before some more sweetness comes through as we go into the heart. This is a clean unisex floral bouquet affair dominated by spicy carnation, touches of lavender and jasmine sambac. There's a waxy quality I associate with flower absolutes, with an amber support. Flowers and greenery. Quickly, the sharp opening fades into a skin scent as hints of funk rise from the base – a distinct honey character that could be something like civet and "soil"? Beeswax. Like sticking your head in a jar of wildflower honey. Subtle vetiver in the background providing support, subtle hints of patchouli and iris. Regarding "woody notes" as listed above, I do detect a coniferous presence (pine needles in the top accord?) and there may be a bit of cedar, but it's not particularly upfront. The dominant accord in the base is a gentle amber, with musk lurking nearby, though there could be a supporting fir absolute in there too. Overall the accord is very light compared to the opening, in typical EdC fashion. Later, the mineralic character comes to the fore, and it's quite nice! Not rock like geosmin, more humus-like, fresh damp undergrowth soil – oakmoss probably. This is a unique part of the composition! Would love an EdT.

The vintage version is a naturalistic scent of mixed forest and forest flowers, the base is sweetish-mossy. The modern product of Novaya Zarya is already difficult to find, and the recently available 21st century version from a Ukrainian manufacturer sounded like 2D against 3D vintage.

I purchased this on eBay Spring 2016. At first, it's light and refreshing, but gets icky as it warms up. Smells like I used baby wipes on my hands and neck. Not particularly green or fresh. Smells more floral than woody. Didn't get any "soil tincture". Light green juice in a charming glass bottle with an illustration of people in fancy dress walking a sun-dappled forest path.

If like me, you found this while searching through the fragrances listed with a soil tincture & want nothing more than to smell like you've rolled around on the forest floor - you would most likely be disappointed with this. I don't smell any dirt, or anything even slightly 'woody' - this is a super light powdery floral without much else going on.

For an aromatic cologne this was not what I was expecting. The longevity is what you'd expect (very poor) but the scent was surprisingly more warmer than what I thought it would be. RL is musky throughout with a strong powdery floral presence, more field of flowers than fresh coniferous forest.