L'Hantise

I rediscovered this after receiving a sample in one of the Perfume Guy’s Scent Club kit and have fallen in love. To me it reminds me of my youth spent by the ocean in the bushes and trees along the coast. Woody, slightly salty or stone. Smooth and fresh and whimsical. Might be one of my new faves!

Uniqe and very well-blended. All of the notes coalesce to create something of a licorice / star anise vibe. A largely mature, intellectual and contemplative fragrance.

It's a very green and herbal fragrance. The wood isn't very prominent, nor is the patchouli. When worn, I mostly smell what's reminiscent of tomato stems with not much depth. It's nice, but I don't think this perfume is particularly unique and it's definitely not "ethereal".

If a near-medicinal woody, herbal, fragrance could be the subject of an obsession, L'Hantise would be it. This fragrance is a green so dark it's almost black, like a forest in the middle of the night without a moon in the sky. The name, L'Hantise (which translates as "haunting" as well as "obsession") fits so well, because I can't stop sniffing this while trying to figure out what I am smelling. Vetiver and patchouli, for sure, tinged with tart fruits, but what are the herbal notes? Am I smelling the muguet? I can't tell; there's nothing overtly floral in here to my nose. Does it smell like Chopin? My synesthesia doesn't work that way, so who knows? In any case, call me obsessed.