Oakmossery

This is my first proper sampling of 4160 Tuesdays Oakmossery, a revival of chypres (with a hint of fougere) from the mid-20th century, greenly loaded with fresh oakmoss, with additional notes of lavender, labdanum, patchouli, sandalwood, and fruits, though the experience is not sweet. It’s fresh, green, floral, resinous, with nuance and some density, but it feels balanced between some opening brightness and murky depths. It manages to be smooth, not sharp or screechy, from opening until dry down. There’s also a familiarly fresh DNA to it that vaguely reminds me of other 4160 Tuesdays offerings, but not in the sense that it’s redundant with any I’m familiar with; I take it more to be a signature of its quality. Overall, it’s one of my favorite recent releases from the house. Its concentration is EDP and pricing is type of most of the line, $195/145 for 100/50ml, via US boutiques like Perfumology, where I obtained my sample. It performs quite well, particularly for a fairly fresh fragrance, also. 8 out of 10

This is my new favorite perfume. It's somewhat similar to 4160 Tuesdays' Paris 1948 scent, a similar chypre, but lighter on the peach and of course heavy on the oak moss. The truth is in the name. As their website says, "For all who mourn the loss of the elegant, unsweetened, full bodied chypres of the mid 20th Century," i.e the post-oak moss-ban reformulations, you may want to give this one a try. I've tried samples of other 4160 Tuesdays and this perfume is a lot less gourmand than their usual. I would not say it's a masculine scent, although could be worn by a man. Of course if you consider oakmossy scents to be masculine, you will think it masculine, but the florals and hint of peach soften it, and it's very well blended into one scent. I've never tried Aliage, but I am a big fan of other Estee Lauder classic perfumes, and this does have a similar feel to those (although with no aldehyde note).

This is a very reasonably priced chypre that's strong on the oakmoss, and with peach blossom and some other florals behind it. It's much like Mitsuoko except with less emphasis on the florals and much more on the oakmoss; unfortunately, it's not quite as powerful or as long-lasting, but it's still quite reasonable in those respects. I love Mitsuoko but have always found it too feminine for me to wear, so having this more unisex fragrance is much appreciated. This is something I would regularly love to use if it were easier to find--it's beautiful but not overwhelming.

This is a really true chypre fragrance to my nose. It’s a dark forest breath of fresh air in a sea of florals mixed with woody notes. The sandalwood is so strong in this but it’s not dry, this is a more sour sandalwood. The moss is a strong player and the other notes blend it into a really likable scent. Would suggest sampling, not a blind buy worthy fragrance. It’s dark, it’s refreshing, but it’s not new. I will not be buying a full bottle but will enjoy the sample until it runs out!

A simple but very beautiful chypre cologne. It opens with a soft, bright peachy floral backed by a big slug of pure oakmoss. After a few minutes on the skin, the bergamot/ peach opening fades and you're left with a subtly sweet, woody labdanum/oakmoss drydown that lasts around 5 hours with close projection. A high quality chypre for occasions where subtlety is preferable. My favourite from this house.

A purple-hued Mitsouko tribute with a distinct berries and cream vibe thanks to syrupy blackcurrant swimming in sandalwood lactones. I love the sleepy, smooth lavender that lays like a blanket over the whole affair.

Its liquid is clearly of oakmoss with a bit of confusion from the peach. I love both and expected to love both together but at first it’s a bit of disharmony. When first applied, there’s a blast of alcohol to avoid, then, once dry, the peach and oakmoss compliment one another. But perhaps too well. The scent expands into the air around you pleasantly but when smelling skin they’ve blended in a way resulting in a muddle where neither is particularly defined. I find myself wanting more bite and edge from the oakmoss, more presence from the peach. I think the lavender may be overwhelming the two. I still love the idea of this, I’m not sure the execution is what I’d imagined.

Scents from this house always break new ground. And Sarah has made some of my favorites (The Orange Tree, I adore you!) But this is too musty and dirty for me. I don’t want to have this smell hanging out with me.

Somehow it doesn’t work well on me. It’s kind of thin, not what I was expecting. I get less oakmoss than I thought and a lot more almost citrus cologne feel. That being said, it's still pretty nice if you aren't expecting an oakmoss blast, which was what I was hoping for. I adore oakmoss in it's natural form.

If you love earthy - chypre type scents, this one will please you. Opening notes are refreshingly authentic and balanced.