Mistral Patchouli

I own ten different bottles from the Atelier Cologne range, and although Mistral Patchouli might not be my favourite, it is the one that I wear the most. I am a massive patchouli fan yet in true Atelier style, the name is a slight misnomer. I can definitely smell patchouli, but it is soft, light and floating on the breeze. The most detectable note is anise which is made to sparkle with the pomelo and is sweetened with the benzoin. The vetiver sits quietly at the base adding stability and longevity and adds to the magical sense of earthiness and airy freshness. Fragrant Geranium sits resolutely at the heart, holding everything together. Although I liked this perfume right from the start, it took me a long time to love it because it reminded me so much of Annick Goutal's Mandragore (and Mandragore Poupre) which I have loved for a very long time. I found myself constantly comparing Mistral Patchouli to Mandragore. I have now lived with Mistral Patchouli long enough to appreciate it for having its own identity. Mandragore reminds me of ancient mushroom filled woodlands, of morning mists and of magical blood moons. Mistral Patchouli lifts me up out of the trees and carries me to the coast. It is the land meeting the sea, where wind touches water. I absolutely adore the name given to this perfume, ”Mistral Patchouli”. It rolls wonderfully off the tongue and evokes a sense of romantic adventure. The mistral is a strong wind that blows from southern France into the Gulf of Lion in the northern Mediterranean which is usually accompanied by clear, fresh weather, and it plays an important role in creating the climate of Provence. The name mistral comes from the Languedoc dialect of the Occitan and means "masterly". Masterly Patchouli? Yes, most definitely. I must also comment on the colour of the bottle label. I don't think I have seen a more beautiful shade of blue, it is a wonderful royal azure blue and makes my heart sing. Interestingly, I have just checked the Atelier website and Mistral Patchouli is now called Patchouli Riviera which is not as romantic to my mind. Also, the listed notes now omit star anise and now mention pink pepper. I am intrigued to learn whether it has been reformulated. Fragrantica lists black pepper in the original, which I must admit I have never detected. If Patchouli Riviera does not contain anise then it will be a very different fragrance from Mistral. I need to obtain a sample. Fortunately, if it has been reformulated, I have 250 mls still left of the original. Sometimes it is good to buy backup bottles.

This is my signature spring scent and in my top 3 of all Atelier Colognes fragrances (with Emeraude Agar for fall and Oud Saphir for winter). It sure helps that I am a huge anis aficionado, a love which started with the Anis de Flavigny bonbons in my mother's car and came to devotion when trying out Pastis, Ouzo, Raki and Absinth while travelling Europe as an adolescent. It smells a bit like a cold Pastis with a good squeeze of pomelo in it. I usually do not like perfumes which smell like food or beverages, but I am happy to make an exception for anis. The smell of anis evokes solitary travelling and discovering new places to me. I think it was the perfect choice for Atelier Cologne to choose Anis to evoke the French Mistral sea wind, which is a sharp, cutting wind instead of a gentle summer sea breeze. M.P. is not a sweet, licorice or Sambuca alike anis, but tart and sour. It reminds me of a spray of cold sea water on my face when sailing in late spring. Luckily the fragrance does not try to smell like the sea itself, as these sea scents usually smell very chemical. M.P. smells very natural. Rather than a perfectly photo-shopped image of the sea, M.P. evokes a man's confrontation with the sea with a few brush strokes in green and blue.

رویال عطر مرجع عطری برای خوشبو ها بویی که در اپنینگ عطر حس میشه، یه نعنا هندی لایت به همراه مرکبات ترش و آبدار هست. یه حس خیلی ضعیف شیرین کاکائویی در اوایل مانند لینستنت گرلن اکستریم هم اون دور دورا داره بالا و پایین میپره ولی در همون حد حس ضعیفه نه چیز بیشتر . چون ترکیب بادیان رومی و نعنا هندی و پوست کاکائو در اون عطر وجود داره و شاید 5 درصد منو یاد اون آکورد انداخت. حسی که از این عطر دارم بسیار خوشاینده. رایحه مرکباتی به نوعی خیلی شفاف در کنار نت های سبز و همچنین نعناع هندی قرار داره. بعد از 5 دقیقه سبز تر و تلخ تر میشه. رایحه پچولی در این عطر قوی نیست . بوی نمناکش، همچنین بوی خاکی مانند و تند و تیزش به کل مهار شده و یه بوی سبک رو ارائه میده . حتی حس کثیف مانندش هم بسیار بسیار ضعیفه. پس نمیشه متصور شد چون کسی از نعناع هندی بدش میاد پس نباید سراغ این عطر بره. نکته ای که باید در خصوص عطر اتلیر کلون مسترال پچولی عرض کنم اینه که در چارت نت های این ادکلن اثری از مرکبات نیست. در حالی که به واضح ترین شکل ممکن حس میشه ! آقای کریستوف کرواسل که به هراه همسرش متولیان برند اتلیر هست، هم این عطرو خیلی دوست داره و در روزهای گرم تابستانی استفاده اش میکنه . نظرم خودم هم بسیار مثبته . واقعا خوشبوست . و احتمال زیاد میخرمش اما فقط نسخه 200 میلی اش رو . چون خیلی به صرفه تر خواهد شد.

I have both mistral patchouli and patchouli riviera, both in 200mL bottles, and I bought my bf a 200mL bottle of mistral as well. This is how good it is considered in my household. It smells like a sweaty man in the kitchen, but in a good sexy way. It’s salty without the oceanic watery-ness, but dry, spicy, dirty, almost animalistic. It’s one of the sexiest simple fragrances I have for men, it gives that lustful sweat kind of vibe. You really need to apply this on your skin instead of on clothes to get the beauty of this. I personally prefer the old version, it’s stronger and dirtier (I cant think of a better word, but you know, the patchouli kind of dirty), and cheaper on the market. The new one is more citrusy and fresher, easier to wear but not as sexy. But regardless of which version, this is hands down the best creation from Atelier Cologne. Update: broke up with the bf I mentioned above, but buying a new bottle for the new guy. I NEED this on my man period. Glad the new guy also loves to work in the kitchen lmao. UPDATE: no longer buying perfumes for men or putting any of mine on them. They simply ain’t worth it ladies, keep the good things to yourselves.

I am really, really impressed with this fragrance. The opening is so clean and refreshing. It reminds me of crushed nettles and mint floating in a glass of lemonade water at an English garden party. I also like the way the patchouli has been "emasculated" here to make it light and breezy. I like a good robust patch - but the patch here is what it is - a "eunuch" patch, and may be a nice introduction to patch for folks who find it a bit too pungent. It is not often that you find a fragrance (even in the niche arena) that smells totally natural. I can't detect any synthetics here. And because it smells so delightfully light, natural and breezy I feel this is a perfect sea breezy scent for a scorching summer. I find some salty marine frags (like Creed Millesime Imperial for example) to have slightly metallic fishy vibe. This does not - the salty vibe here is derived from the star anise and I really like it.