Eau de Cartier Essence de Bois

I bought this blind for four reasons: I love oud, I respect Cartier quality, the reviews on here, and I got a killer deal on eBay. All in all, I am not disappointed in the least as this is a great fragrance. As others mentioned, Bois is a very easy to wear oud, Its light, slightly flowery with hints of lavender and citrus. One doesn't associate oud with freshness, but Cartier pulls it off, and its done really really well here. As a side by side comparison with Tom Ford Oud Wood, they start off remarkably close. Then they go in different directions. Oud Wood is heavier, woodier and has that distinctive medicinal muskiness to it. Its darker and way more potent. Bois turns fresher and lighter. My only problem with Bois is the silage is weak, in 2-3 hours and it's gone. I use it as an all over body spray out of the shower and top it off with one spray of Oud Wood, which is pricey and this makes my bottle last longer. For anyone who likes oud, Bois is worth adding to your collection. I just suggesting getting it at a deal because you will go through it quickly. $100 for a 3.3 oz spray is steep for how long it lasts, but overall, thumbs up.

A woman finds a handful of perfumes in her lifetime that blends perfectly with her skin, her personality, and her appearance. This fragrance is one of those for me. I have loved the oud note since I can remember (my first fragrance purchase was Paloma Picasso - which I haven't revisited in a long time). I adore the woodiness of this, and to me, it is also a bit smoky, or at the very least, blends well with smoke. I fell in love with it the minute I put it on, and my fella felt the same way. That said, I am disappointed with the longevity. It's perfect and beautiful for about 4 hrs, then *poof*, it's as though I never put it on. Not such a big deal, as I could spray this on again at work (I got the cutest miniature bottle when I purchased) and not offend or overpower anyone in the office. The latter statement came as a shock to me, as I own Basier de Dragon - a little goes a long way and for a long time. All in all, I absolutely love it. I think I'll buy a lotion to improve longevity.

Oh no! Scentrist. I am sorry it did not turn out so well for you (>_<)! I have a different experience and mine is quite delightful. In my opinion, this is a fresh take on oud wood. It smells like Eau de Cartier and then replace the patchouli and cedar with oud wood. Essence de Bois is a little dry and the oud here still gives me the impression of cedar. It's definitely much more woody but everything else is still the same like the rest of this Essence series which means it's still light, citrusy cool, and musky clean. One sad part, it lasts just under 4 hours on me. The Essence de Bois may be unisex but I'd say it gears toward men because of its dry woody base. People may find it a bit on the boring side, but I love it. I enjoy a swift of this throughout a day. It's my kind of oud that I'd wear all year round without feeling too heavy.

10 times better than Oud Wood some fragrantica members have compared Essence de Bois with Oud Wood by Tom Ford. I understand the comparison. It's a woody oud fragrance with a lot of elegance. But Essence de Bois is a lot more than Oud Wood could ever be. The violet and the hint of lavender give Essence de Bois an elegance, which cannot be matched that easily. They make EdB rafined and stylish in a manner, which is hard to describe... especially,, when you consider, that it doens't cost a lot. This fragrance is for people who prefer reading the book to watching the movie adaptation and would never wear sneakers to an elegant shirt. I blind bought this fragrance (based on the online comments) a few years back and have never looked back. 10/10 (that much style for so little money is incredible).

I bought this as a blind buy for something light for the summer along with Eau de Vetiver and Concentree. Something about Oud on me feels so sensuous, it works with my body chemistry well and projects like crazy on me. It could last longer of course, but when I want I can bring out this bottle to layer with other oud or woody based fragrances I own. Or I can wear it solo and reapply every 3 hours or so. I only get the yuzu note for about a half hour, then for the next few hours it is straight oud & patchouli. Perfect simplicity. It's lovely and affordable, so spritz, spritz, and spritz some more. *NOTE* My husband's skin drinks this fragrance up in 30 minutes. This just proves how different everyone's body reacts to fragrance, and why I try all that I can.

I absolutely love it! I got a sample flask, but will be getting a proper bottle. It is a delightful woody fragrance sweetened with the scent of violets. Though I wish the perfume would last longer, it still very nice. I can't stop sniffing my skin to get more of it. The original Cartier's Eau de Toilette, is a more unisex fragrance and fresher feeling than this one. I like it too, but not as much. I'd say they are quite different scents actually. The Essence de Bois is more dreamy, the woody notes make it a bit more masculine while the violets make it more sensual. A great combination for me.

I LOVE THIS, I absolutely love this EXCEPT the longevity and the sillage-it's almost non exsistent! I went through almost a 1.5 ml. in 24 hours. There isn't a note here I don't love-it just seems perfect to me, and could be my Holy Grail of a perfume if not for it lacking in sillage and longevity. WHY Cartier, why?! I want to bathe in this, spray it on all of my clothes, pillows, myself etc....It would be a dream come true if they would make it last and project longer. I'm *thinking* of a bottle-maybe. Edit 7/17/17- I did it. I bought the big bottle. I just couldn't resist, sigh...

I got a sample of this and it was love at first sniff, so much so that I ordered 3 full bottles the same day I received the sample. It's a fresh scent, but the patchouli and oud in the base give it substance and it lasts quite well on me. I spray it on my skin, my clothes, in my hair and on my pillow. I've gone through one bottle already and have made a good start on the second one. Love it!

I truly love this scent. Its super clean. Super easy to wear in any occasion. Downside, is its longevity. 4 hours max, then it turns into a nice skin scent.

I love love love this- my new favorite- but I smell cedar instead of oud

sharp classic fresh spicy sweet unique nice modern

Eau de Cartier Essence de Bois opens with sparkling yuzu and bergamot, pencil shaving-like dry woody elements and green violet leaf. Although I voted the woody notes as oud, I agree with previous reviewers that the wood here reminds me more of cedar. The dry woody note, and the green and citrus elements juxtaposed side by side, creates the image of a piece of wood emerging from quiet clear water. The scent is transparent and refreshing, yet nothing ozonic or aquatic. Later, sweet violet looms out and blends the two opposites. The fragrance becomes a sweet incense scent with a green citrus nuance, calm and zen till the end. The sillage is soft and the longevity is at least 8 hours on me. Essence de Bois manages to first present two different aspects seperately to intrigue, then blend them together seamlessly. I'm also fond of its serene nature, understated yet stands firmly on its own. I'd recommend it to those who are looking for a clear woody scent, or a refreshing fragrance in general.

I agree with some of the reviews here in regards the longevity of this cologne, it last fairly 4 hrs. on me, by the end of the work day is not longer there, but is good while it last. I pick the oud and the yuzu for the most part and what I like about it, is that is one of those fragrances that you can indulge with it and spritz as much as you want and it won't bother no one and as someone said here, after a nice hot bath you just cant refresh yourself profusely with it before going to bed, and it would be just nice. I got a compliment so it does get notice during the active hours of the fragrance.

This is tied with Chopard's Musk Malaki for my favorite perfume to wear straight out of the shower. It's just so soft and clean, but without being CleanTM, or Soft©. Many of those very bright, sharp, clean scents feel clinical to me. This has a human element to it. It definitely reminds me of the fragrance trends of the early 2010s, aka the same fragrances from the aughts+oud. Still, it's a lovely perfume. It's perfectly unisex, and is kind of ageless. Anyone will smell good in this. It's spry, but self-assured.

I've spotted 'Essence de Bois' for a while, since I know I would have worn it as a layer too, to improve depth or give new life to some of my perfumes. My skin emphasizes the violet overshadowing other notes, that emerge much more on a male skin, I realized. It's a good, delicious scent that virtually/actually increases my collection, giving rise to new olfactory combinations.

It is very friendly oud fragrance. longevity is moderate on my skin and the projection is lower than average. Despite the fact that the projection of this fragrance is not that good, since oud is uncommon scent, people can detect it easily. Very safe and enjoyable. Versatile and suitable for all seasons. Good for work. Probably I will buy a bottle for my casual usage

I absolutely love the original Eau de Cartier, and I have tried all the flankers, including this new version. The notes seemed interesting, and indeed it was a nice, warm woody scent throughout the opening and the development. There was a bit of a bitterness that I noted. It was nice, but that is all I can say about it really.

I've tried a few time , but not something I would buy as a Full bottle, it starts with the woody notes with a soft oud and changing to a nice smooth violent scent, not a projecting and longevity beast (6h). Great for office though for mature people in my opinion I would buy if the violet could me more agressive 6/10

It's a little more masculine than feminine but it's a little sweet almost like a muted sweet tart on the opening. For some reason I smell tea, making it a fresh scent. I don't get spicy at all, but a tade musky. I don't know what oud smells like but it smells good to me.

Smells very similar to Black Afgano, Starts off a lot brighter but quickly settles into a Oud-y, slightly spicy fragrance. L'eau de Black Afgano Easier to wear and cheaper than BA but not as much depth. Worth checking out if you like that dark/ mysterious genre.

Refreshing? Really? Umm....no. On paper, this has all the right characteristics to suggest a fresh, light, clean fragrance. Move it to my skin, and the story is much different. I did check, and this was a freshly opened bottle, so I cannot say it was rancid from a reaction. Once it applied, it began a sour and somewhat acrid smell that felt animalic. In a word: sweat. The opening on me became the odor of perspiration, which was disappointing. As it unfolded, it only became worse and and more acrid. Intolerable. And there it remained. Could I say it was "fresh"? Beneath the post-workout aroma, it may be there but too subtle for notice. I tolerated it as long as possible thinking that it may dissipate, but no such luck. This was totally disappointing for me, not an EDT I'd recommend at all.

Nice opening...that lasts for 20 seconds. It then fades to a sweet powder like smell that just does not go the distance at all. This is the second Cartier fragrance I've tried and the second time I've been let down.

This is all violets with some yuzu. Oud is not present at all. I agree that it's very weak also. 2 hours or so if you are lucky then it's gone. Lalique L'Hommage and Rocky Mountain are similar but composed better.

For my nose it's more masculine than female although I like tend more to wear this kind of fragrances rather than very floral-females ones. (It is probably the lavender, we aren't very good friends in perfumes.)

It is very herbal & orient spicy, quite strange connection, and it smells on me really manly. Maybe it smells better on a man than on a woman. Heart note is so much aromatic that it kills me:)

The projection is just to week. It is almost impossible to like it. It becomes a skin scent after 43.4 seconds. This is an EEC (Eau de Eau de Cologne).

This supposed "unisex" fragrance, is honestly more for man than for woman.

So Cartier has now gotten into the oud game with its latest EAU DE CARTIER flanker, ESSENCE DE BOIS. Having sniffed their approach for the other flankers, involving lots of violet leaf buttressed by...more violet leaf (in the CONCENTREE) or orange (in the ESSENCE D'ORANGE), I was expecting a dusting of wood on top of a vast field of violet leaf. To my surprise, ESSENCE DE BOIS features more oud than violet leaf, and there are several other contributing notes which together conspire to make this much more than just another EAU DE CARTIER flanker. They really toned down the violet leaf, actually, making the bois elements more dominant, so that I'd call this an independent fragrance from its namesake. The other reason for regarding ESSENCE DE BOIS as a fragrance in its own right is that it strikes me as heavier than its predecessors: more of a perfume than a cologne. So I agree with those who find this iteration less refreshing, but I myself do not have a problem with the musk in this composition. To me, ESSENCE DE BOIS smells like a pretty decent woody oriental perfume, completely and utterly unisex. Yes, I do believe that the oud is the tame, Westernized version, intended for neophytes, which I am, so to me it smells good! (-;

This has been my go-to perfume all this summer. Although it leans more on the masculine side, I do not give a hoot. This juice smells so darn good. Very refreshing on hot days. I get the oud upon first spray, and it reminds me of the oud in Tom Ford's Oud Wood a bit, but not as harsh. Then the violets come in to play, along with the citrus notes. The drydown smells clean, like you just freshly showered with your man's body wash. I love that! The downside is that it has no lasting power. 3 hours tops on me, it seems I'm always re-spraying come lunch time, because it's non-existent. All in all, it's a happy scent for me, that I'll continue to wear this summer. Would I purchase again? Probably, because it's that damn good.

This was my first foray into an Oud-prominent blend, and I'm afraid the note might not be right for me. This would be extremely unsual for me as any wood or resin note usually melds with my soul like chocolate to milk. After application all I could smell was badly burned molasses - not pleasantly toasted like a caramel note, but a bitterly burnt to a black-flaky-crust smell. Is this the true Oud note, or is it just being warped by something in the composition that doesn't agree with my chemistry?

Though I'm not into unisex fragrances I must admit this one is a wonderful creation! IMO this scent is more targeted at guys rather than the ladies. Its woody, spicy, ambered notes are awesome, I also notice a hint of vanilla and tobacco (or should I say oud?) plus a trace of anise, a perfect combo to wear either on warm or cool nights. As much as I tried, I cannot smell those citrus notes mentioned by Cartier's staff. All in all, Cartier noses continue to create unique fragrances!

Ok, this is very nice powdery aromatic fragrance, it fills your nose delightfully, but... this is not unisex! It's a feminine fragrance. Similar to Bulgari's BLV but more feminine. For me it's not citrusy at all, my favourite is still the concentrace version. However I still recommend it because it's very nice, a feminine aromatic ;)

I do not concern myself with different scents in an edt, but rather the effect on my body chemistry. Standard edt's dialate the blood vessels somewhat, whereas unisex fragrances dialate vessels the most. The unisex creates a most pleasurable sensation. Use sparingly, so as not to overwhelm others.

Smelled a little cheap hint of oud, but it was seriously short lived and disappointing in regard to projection and longevity. If someone was lucky enough to get this to last a few more hours they might have a decent scent for the price. Or maybe a bedtime after shower scent for just chillen.

Just trying this on for the first time and I am smitten! Not your usual heavy fragrance with huge silage which suits my silly asthmatic lungs. A very gentle oud and citrus so far, but I can smell the florals coming in nicely. Very refreshing but in a very gentle way. LOVE IT!

So lucky that I stocked up on this ! I got 4 unused 3.4oz bottles. This is my signature scent with Tom ford Extreme pour femme. I a male and wear this tom ford which is better blended than the pour homme 1

This is masculine.....between this and Eau de Cartier concentrate, I'll choose the latter This one disappears, disappoints and has nothing appealling.

Opens nice but .... does not last even 1 hour on my skin, dries to a smokey faint scent just does not worth the money. shame on you guys

Extremely subtle and lacks projection/longevity... But when it's there, it's a beautiful soft scent that is calming and charismatic.

Carlitos I'm surprised by this, it's so strong on me. It's so awesome for the price. Mancera aoud Violet but way cheaper

its a very good fragrance but i wish it lasted longer... its a summer edt so it fades away quick