Le Voyage Oriental

I admit it has taken me quite a while to write up the exceptional shape-shifting fragrance from someone just starting out what I hope will be a long successful journey through the fragrance universe. If you are unaware, Maxim’s father is Sergei, one of the top creators in the world today. I own and have sampled the vast majority of his creations. I especially love his collaborations with Rajesh Balkrishnan. Each of them is a rare gem and I believe Rajesh may have added more than a word to two to inspire Maxim-- as did dad too I would surmise. What I was quite surprised about is how sophisticated a scent this is. Not only are the ingredients top notch, and not only does the opening blast of citruses bear some comparison to some of the most famous citrus scents (and that many pay too much for, in my opinion), it has touches of greatness in and of itself. I would almost call it a green citrus because I smell green here though I cannot say for sure why I do. In any case, this opening slowly gives way to clove, vanilla, musk, nutmeg, and pink pepper. This is a leap across not quite a chasm of different genres of fragrance. By the time we arrive at the bass notes, we have again taken another leap--Thai Oud and Vetiver. These final notes tend to be profound and deep instead of what is traditionally called the Base Notes. These are triumphant notes. As I said at the opening, this fragrance’s journey is long lovely, dark, deep, light, and citrusy. Some might think it is trying to do too much. I am more of a Browning fan: “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp or what’s a heaven for”. To me, this is pretty close to a heavenly scent. It can be worn any time of year, day or night. Unisex. I’d be surprised if people don’t ask you what this scent is. I encourage you to support new perfumers and vote for this one as rookie of the year.

A joyous and vibrant creation from this young new perfumer, the perfume truly takes you on a voyage of exotic lands as it transitions in your skin. It opens with sparkling citrus fruits, then transitions to a spicy musky heart and settles on earthy vetiver and oud. The masculine leaning scent has moderate to strong projection and good longevity. A very promising and auspicious debut in line with the style of the house, but with a slight modern twisty edge. Enjoy!

I was generously given a sample of this to try. After trying some of the new colognes and the step in the right direction with Scheherazade being a big improvement to the last releases I was hoping that LeVoyage would restore some of that Bortnikoff magic that we've been seeking. While I can't say I love any of the new stuff as much as I do Santa Sangre, Oud Maximus/Sinharaja/Maximus/Mysterious/Triad/VN/Lao this is definitely a wonderful experience. Upon first spraying I thought this would be a gourmand application of the cologne line, but I was wrong. The opening touts a almost orange dreamsicle accord to my western nose. That orange vanilla ice cream bar with photo-realistic juicy Tangerines. This is exciting. As it started to try down I get a very gorgeous kind of clove effect taking center stage moving from gourmand dreamsicle to a clove musky sweetness. Deep dry down that gorgeous light wood effect that almost smells like chips just starting to release there smoke. This sits lightly as the base for the day, and is one of my favorite part of all Bortnikoff's offerings. This is a solid Like for me.

Versatile citrus scent safe for all seasons. Has a sophisticated charm and feel-good vibe to it. The citrus is green and full (juicy) but not sweet, done just right The projection is decent for the first hour. The fragrance journey has three distinct phases: citrusy start, musky-vanilla mid and a woody-darker dry down. There is a smooth and slight powdery feel to the excellent blending. Overall very pleasant and office safe. Shukran Habibi!

I like this new scent from Bortnikoff. Placing on the want to have shelf. Rbalkris nails this on the head, though I’ll add that the citrus is definitely RIPE alongside the “sparkling”. Look forward to adding a FB to my collection when the extra cash is laying around.

Citrus, spice, and vetiver. Bright and earthy in the opening. The spice seems more like clove and cinnamon with maybe a hint of nutmeg. I would again say this is more along the lines of a classic "Eau de Cologne" 4711 type with its citrusy freshness with vetiver and oud added. The oud is quite subtle and more woody than anything else. It seems more versatile and easy to wear in comparison to many of their other offerings. 7/10

Sparkling tangerine with a sweet syrupy vanilla and a perfectly balanced barn yard oud. This is a great scent that balances the skank and sweetness in pure harmony.

light, fresh, vapid. Its perfectly ok, but Scheherazade and Sultan are better imo, and the older bortnikoffs are even better

all I can smell is fat electrician ... it's not even funny at this point