10

Bogue 10 starts with sparkling citrus and then immediately transitions into a big, juicy, chlorophyll-y leaf that’s conventionally called “fig” in perfumery. it’s like biting into a succulent. In a few minutes, the juicy fig leaf is joined by the dry herbal crackle of marigold. and then the floral chorus comes in — a tender, breathy, summer-vines fragrance, mostly ylang and jasmine I think, floating over the green leaves. The green theme stays pleasantly bitter and cool all the way through; I think I’m getting citrus peel and astringent bark along with the leaves. Behind the greens there are some subtly warmer woods waiting in the wings. There’s a bit of creamy, lightly spiced sandalwood. Then, maybe an hour in, there’s a sweet, gentle golden resinous phase with a light touch of civet; but it’s far more mellow than skanky. And finally we land in a “sweet-green” place, pale celadon in color, where juicy fig leaves meet classy spa lotions. You might also think of it as a “green sap” smell, where resin and leaves blend into a clean lush verdant delight. Very relaxing and summery. yep, Bogue 10 is an Antonio Gardoni scent all right. His preoccupations are bitter, green, or medicinal herbal notes in big, complex compositions. “Retro” classical scents, only with more plant-potion punch than the classics ever had. I’m a long-time Gardoni fan. I loved his Maai (the world’s most dramatic growling jaguar of a chypre, amid jungle-green camphorous florals). I fell hard for the now-discontinued Gardelia (an amazing dark rich 1940’s-glamour time capsule, What If Tabu Were A Gardenia) and I adored Mem (an elaborate meditation on lavender, all earthy herbs and creamy skies). The only miss from Gardoni in my book was Noun, which was “medicinal tiger balm” taken to an unbearably potent extreme. 10 is Gardoni Does Fig, and I am once again in love. A natural comparison point is Neela Vermeire Ashoka, which is also a sweet-green, summery fig scent. But Ashoka is much more minimalist and much more about coconut milk and sandalwood. Ashoka is a relaxing, lovely “simple pleasure”. 10 is a maximalist tour de force, a fast-changing symphony of notes, and thus maybe a touch less comfortable, but more astonishing. I find them both impossibly beautiful.

I bought a sample of this maybe 2-3 years ago, and I couldn't even try it on my skin. It was loud, screaming at me to close the vial, and I promptly wrapped it back up and forgot about it until very recently. As I've grown into fragrance, flexed my olfactory muscles and expanded my repertoire, this has become one of my favorite and most unique fragrances. It's a lot more "fresh" to me now than it was then, and this time I dared to put it on my skin. Upon settling into my skin, it's like it went straight up my nasal cavity and opened my third eye. I couldn't stop smelling myself. So deep and grounded, almost buzzy with resinous woods, but never too much. It's so gorgeously blended, lighter green notes floating everything gently off the ground, and making sure the muskiness never stifles the delicate nuance of this beautiful fragrance. I'm glad I gave it a second chance. It's unique, sophisticated, and sexy, one of my all time faves. Definitely leans masculine, but could be an intoxicating, powerful signature scent for anyone.

This is a most unique creation from Bogue. Leans more bitter than much of Gardoni’s work, thanks to a beautiful Bergamot peel note, softened by a milky green fig leaf and pushed in one direction with herbal notes along the Lavendar-Tagetes spectrum and pushed in a creamier sweeter direction by sandalwood, Ylang and vanilla. The whole thing is sweetened and warmed by familiar civet-amber notes(favored by Gardoni) and given a characteristic sour pop with orange and petitgrain. Lily of the Valley is a nice surprise in this one! Overall the character is fresh, bittersweet, original and just downright incredible. 20 takes this formula and tweaks it into a more familiar Bogue mold but is equally nice, if less original.

Need to flesh out ideas more, but immediately gave vibes of Fzotic Five but with greater complexity and bitter floral slightly sweetened barbershop powdered dry-down (à la Versace L'homme, vintage). Less sharp after initial blast, but similar "neon" effect to Fazzolari. Working towards a thumbs up. *Sample procured personally through Luckyscent

Indeed one of my favorite perfumes ever. This smells like something you will never experience otherwise. Opens with stunning benzoin and fig, fleeting into a sweet oud and florals. Developing informs you of a story. The smell of beauty and confidence, but not exuding - rather, quiet, personal, and strong.

Powdery-floral, slightly fougère chypre wrapped in chalky fig leaf, with a subtle, addictive civet note in the base. Reminds me a little of the Floris classic No 89, now in a Gardoni outfit. If I hadn't been a fan of his work for a long time, I'd have been hooked by now. Really good!

A kaleidoscopic scent. A wall of green rotting leaves like a jungle carpet. Strong and penetrating. More of an EdP than EdT.

A green aromatic fougere in a classic cologne style created in celebration of a decade of this unique niche perfume house. The scent opens with notes of citruses, green notes (mostly fig and petitgrain) , and lavender. It moves to a floral heart highlighted by jasmine, lily and tagetes. The perfume settles on a powdery benzoin base with hints of other woody notes and resins. The slight masculine leaning scent has moderate sillage and good longevity. Overall the feeling is like taking a walk on a fall evening in a floral garden. Tradition meets modern in a scent reflective of the style of this house. Enjoy!

The opening is gorgeous. Like a WAY more innovative Geranium Pour Monsieur. Unfortunately on my skin it settles quickly into a slightly sour civet floral that I think would smell amazing on certain people's skin, but sadly I'm not one of them. Kind of a bummer since the opening had me at hello. It's awesome, though, no doubt. Definitely sample it-- it'll rule on some people, I'm just not the guy for it.

Musc Ravageur meets a botanic garden first then goes to a musty attic. For the drydown I gave it a “similar to” accordingly

This has a similar issue as OE does for me. The focus on fig is an interesting twist but I find it too unfocused. Critics of Gardoni's work seem to find a medicinal quality in everything he touches (I mostly disagree) but I completely get this here. The sweetness of the opening and the depth of the late drydown are gorgeous but the scratchy camphor and aromatic overload that make up for most of the wear don't land. Will revisit in later spring and summer. Has this cooling effect so I'm looking forward to see how this reacts on skin on a sweaty day.

Take all greens and flowers from a botanical garden and crush everything together to o fresh aromatic juicy bitter mass, you get this gorgeousness that shows you another plant each time you turn around. At times you get the feeling a little green stink bug strives to come out from the crushed leaves. A splendid chypre-like concoction that reminds me of the perfect version of Magie Noire Lancôme

It's an old-fashioned fougère, with a greasy, powdery quality no longer found in modern fougères. It has that classic carnation note, the flower for "masculine" perfumes especially in vintage formulations. It's frankly amazing—so amazing that it reminds me of my uncle's perfume from 40 years ago...so I have a generous sample to smell from time to time, but I couldn't wear it.