Vetiver Fatal

Vetiver Fatal was an unexpected surprise when I first tried it a few years ago! To me, it's just a gorgeous syrupy vetiver with plummy jam. I love vetiver fragrances--everything from the fresh greens to the dark and dirties--but the ladies in my life (mostly my fragrance borrowing daughters) aren't quite as fond of them, although they will occasionally borrow my Original Vetiver. At the time, I recall wanting a bottle of Chanel Sycomore, but I decided Encre Noire was a suitable alternative (for my vetiver fix) along with picking-up Vetiver Fatal since I liked the notes, it received good reviews, and I wanted to round-out my vetiver collection. I have been very happy with my purchase. This fragrance smells fantastic but it may disappoint if you're expecting a "Fatal" (namesake) vetiver fragrance. The opening (which fills a room) can lean a bit on the feminine side for the first few minutes, but the drydown is really nice albeit light on the vetiver, to some, because it is the smooth/clean variety versus dark, dirty, rooty vetivery. The ladies absolutely adore this scent! In fact, my daughters often absconded with my bottle and it may be one of their favorite Spring/Summer fragrances. Performance is excellent in that this fragrance lasts 8-hours on my skin and projects a bit above average (really pushes out the first hour). Vetiver Fatal is an excellent fragrance that men and women will enjoy smelling. While I will probably continue reaching for dependable vetiver scents like Grey Vetiver, Terre d'Hermes and Guerlain Vetiver when I'm in a vetiver mood, occasionally locating my bottle of Vetiver Fatal is a refreshing change of pace. In retrospect, perhaps they should rename this juice "Vetiver Fatal Attraction" because I certainly get excited when I smell it on the ladies.

Vetiver Fatale is beautiful. it's a very bright, uplifting kind of fragrance. Initial notes are a sweet, citrus punch from the lemon and bergamot notes. These then get sweetened pretty strongly by the Rich Plum note layered with orange blossom and violet leaf on the side , and the woody Cedar n Vetiver keeps the fragrance lean and clean so to speak. This slightly citrusy plum and Vetiver combination is the heart of the fragrance and it stays this way for a long time. I dont get any oud note per se but if it's there, it's probably the synthetic kind used as a fixative for the rest of the notes. The dry down is more woody and the sweetness from the plum becomes more of a hint. Projection is good, pretty nice and strong for the first 3-4 hours. Longevity is around the 7-8 hour mark on skin for me in this winter weather which is great because this is not a "Heavy" frag and wearing it is an effortless joy. Two other sweet vetiver fragrances it reminds me of to varying degrees are Byredo Bal D'Afrique and Hermes Vetiver Tonka. Bal D'Afrique is very similar except it uses Black currant to VF's Plum. Vetiver Tonka is slightly sweeter with it's use of caramel and praline notes added to the tonka bean with none of the fruitiness. On me atleast, Vetiver Fatale performs better than the other 2 for longevity. If you like either Bal D'Afrique or Vetiver Tonka, check this out as chances are you will love Vetiver Fatale. Also if you are looking for a Vetiver frag but dont want to go down the Citrus- Vetiver route like TF Grey Vetiver and Dueto Citiver or the Woody - vetiver route like Lalique Encre Noir, Atelier Cologne Vetiver Fatale is definitely worth a look. I love this fragrance and cant recommend it enough.

The "Fruity" Vetiver... Vetiver Fatal by is a wonderfully sweet, plummy vetiver. It's not dry or too harsh like a lot of other vetiver fragrances, instead it's lush and sweet and fruity. Very nice! It opens with a beautiful mix of citrus and violet leaf, giving a very "wet" impression, but is swiftly joined by a very sweet, juicy, almost "stewed" plum accord. The use of plum here is very nice as I don't see this note a lot in fragrances. It combines with the vetiver and stops it becoming too dry or too green. The greenness is still there, but it's sweeter (like a sweet, ripe plum), and in no way is it artificial. Basically the impression I get is of a field in May where plum trees are growing nearby, and you can smell the grass and earth and hay, before going over to the tree and picking the fruit, which is full of (natural) sweetness, no artificial sugar, just a pure natural one... and it's like closing your eyes and smelling the plum, before putting it in your mouth and tasting the sweetness. This is the impression I get from this one. The smells of the sweet fruits of nature. I think that maybe if you dislike very sharp, green fragrances and are looking for something a little "sweeter", then try this one out. I also think that if you have been trying vetiver fragrances and didn't find the right one for you, then give this one a try. I think that even a vetiver lover would like this one as it is a very playful, casual fragrance, but which can be worn in formal occasions too (basically anywhere). A lovely fragrance which reminds me of nature at it's finest. Good stuff!

As raw_umber reviews below, Atelier Vetiver Fatal is indeed like the whole plum tree, fruit, leaves, wood, and root. There is some bergamot and orange blossom at the very top but that is shortly subdued by a dusky plummy note. The plum note isn't all that fruity - it has some of the bitterness of the plum skin in it and it is blended with herbal and woody notes that I imagine as the plum leaves and wood. Gradually the plum tree subsides and leaves a base that is a deliciously rich vetiver. I find vetiver almost impossible to describe (and all the descriptions I have read somehow seem to miss the mark), so if you are new to perfume appreciation you just have to get some vetiver oil and smell it yourself. At first I found the name "Vetiver Fatal" strange, since it made it sound as if this should be some sort of ultimate VETIVER powerhouse, which it is not. Now I imagine that the intent of the name was closer to a siren song of sweet fruit and flower beckoning the sailor closer, only to be dashed on the rocks of vetiver (I love vetiver but it is not a sweet friendly smell - fortunately it is more like being bound with padded handcuffs by a naked X (your choice of gender) than actual rocky pain). Later note - now I am again wondering about who is in charge of naming perfumes at Atelier. They make another one called Silver Iris that is all black currant, pepper, and patchouli, about as unsilvery and non-iris/orris a scent as possible. They should give their nose a raise and fire whoever chooses names.

I ordered this and Santal Carmen from samples. I was not so excited about Vetiver Fatal when first sampled, now it is my second favorite Atelier after Musc Imperial. It is a very unusual vetiver, I have many. The only fragrance that reminded me of this from over 300 reviews is He Wood Rocky Mountain. Because of the vetiver, violet, musc. But this is so more refined with better quality notes. This is more fruity than Rocky Mountain. It is in the genre of Creed Vetiver Geranium, but better, a fresh fragrance with more... The plum and violet go so well together. It's a bit on the sweet side, not too much. The main players are vetiver and violet leaf, which are an unusual vetiver combo. Then you have the bergamot, orange blosom, and plum which give it that light Atelier Cologne feel. So it's an unusual fruity vetiver that's not too sweet, very well done. This is a signature worthy fragrance. I like this better than Creed Vetiver Geranium, the freshness is similar, but Vetiver Fatal has more aromatic sophistication. This is like Atelier's Our Saphir, but Oud Saphir falls short in trying to be a more serious Oud fragrance. Vetiver Fatal is not pretentious, and comes off better and more sophisticated than the simple fresh vetiver it claims to be. I got the impression of lime for the nice fresh citrus here, but non listed. The citruses are secondary, this is more than an Atelier citrus freshy. Rating: 8.5/10 God bless. John 3:16