Roadster

Cartier Roadster EDT: Mathilde Laurent 2008 "Aromatic Fougere" Mint, Vetiver, Vanilla, Patchouli, French Labdanum,Bergamot (Source: Fragrantica of course--they rule!) I am the same same jackass that wrote the quite negative review on Cartier Declaration. I purchased the gift kit--full sized bottle with travel. It seems I was having a negative 'B.O.' reaction to the Cumin. I make Indian Food and Mexican food all the time and love cumin. Sometimes a bottle of dry cumin spice can be strong and kind of "murkier" than the cumin that I so love. So what are we driving at with this overexplanation?! Well. . . . I now love Cartier Declaration. I also bought Pasha and also Roadster EDT. Oh yeah, I just did a blind buy of Cartier Eau 'd Vetiver. It contains Mint, Licorice, and Vetiver--That's it! I am particular on Vetiver but I know they will get it just right. I now have total confidence in Cartier. So much confidence that I also know they will get that pesky Mint just right. Darn--so much talk of toothpaste and dental rinse when it comes to Mint. Uh. . . . right. It's official: I am a wild fanboy of Cartier. It fits my personality and can offer a spectrum of blends: Declarative--like Cartier Declaration, subtle like Roadster. I have great passion for Cartier. Their philosophy fits my approach to fragrance. Not since Dunhill Pursuit has the whole service panel of joy buttons been pushed all it once. Roadster is so different to me, at least. Somehow I smell a non-sweet(Labdanum?), and ever so slightly animalic quality though not in the notes list. I guess the Vetiver has some "root" and maybe the Patch is not run-of-the mill. I just love that funky Patch. Also, I think the Labdanum is making some kind of accord with the others. Also, there is a green, grassy/weedy or even slightly like hemp in the blend. It dries down pretty fast as it is an EDT after all. I think the Mint must be supersonic. Uh wha? I flunked the IQ test on the cap. I kept trying to open the very tip. Just grab the dome and gently rotate it. Duh. One point here that is most important to me. Mathilde Laurent may be one of the greatest perfumers of all time. So different, grounded in tradition yet so advanced . Not even I can find the words. I encourage everyone to re-visit Cartier or try it for the first time. I just was not up to speed and able to grasp Cartier Declaration. Wow. Wow. Wow. Daring, elegant, expansive yet having a certain amount of restraint. Pasha is similar in that you may not get it or dismiss it as something familiar. Maybe it is just that. I did not get Pasha at first and it evolved over time, temperatures, and body PH. I spray it all the time because the open is absolutely tops. I am now a Cartier boy with Dunhill supervising it all.

Ok, so I just got this and am immediately very intrigued and loving this fragrance. First thing to note is how amazing the presentation is with the bottle and cap design. What's weird is that this has a magnetic cap that nobody's talked about yet in any of the reviews I've seen, maybe because it's very lightly magnetic, it's not a strong magnet like the magnets on, for example, Dior Eau Sauvage or Sauvage lines, but that's because the cap also locks into place and doesn't work the same way traditional magnetic caps do. Cap is designed to look like the crown on Cartier's Roadster watches and just looks really elegant. Overall 10/10 bottle design, it's also a really nice heavy bottle, Cartier always knocks their bottle designs out of the park and I've noticed that watch/jewelry designer houses (Cartier, Bvlgari and Van Cleef & Arpels namely) have some of the most gorgeous bottle designs. This scent is an immediate love. I haven't determined the longevity, sillage or anything like that but this is definitely a more masculine release that you can wear year round in my climate here in Minnesota. It has this photorealistic mint note that's absolutely my favorite of any mint note I've smelled in any fragrance. Absolutely masterful work with the way this one smells. If this has as good of longevity as I suspect it will have and continues to project like I'm feeling it most likely will, then this is going to the top of my all time favorite designer fragrances. I'm going to thoroughly enjoy wearing this one in the spring. I'll probably pop back in here sometime in the next year to give a real review of this and give a more defined take, but I'm very excited about this one to the point where I had to at least put these initial impressions out and hopefully others can get their hands on this at a halfway decent price. For a discontinued gem, this is still available for reasonably cheap and that's why I rated this as a "good" value, I actually think this is a fantastic value for having been discontinued and it's amazing that this probably used to go for around $30-35 just a few years ago or so. Get it though, especially if you like mint. Think expensive minty aftershave and shaving cream, that's what this smells like.

What can I say about this fragrance? Probably one of the best designer fragrances ever released and arguably the best mint rather niche or designer (and yes I am considering Geranium Pour Monsieur from Malle). The opening is a big mint..bombastic, spicy, cooling as if you just bathed in an expensive mint soap, the cooling effect gives way and the vetiver takes center stage, but is accompanied by a very smooth and natural vanilla. The fragrance is relatively sweet and spicy with the bold mint still floating around and this is where I think this fragrance outright destroys every other mint on the market. This lasts from maybe the first 30 minutes down into the 4 hour mark. The vanilla calms down and the mint though very presence now plays second fiddle to the sharp and bold vetiver (think Terre d'Hermes). This vetiver carries the fragrance to its end. There is still a gorgeous mint, a slight glaze of vanilla but this becomes about the vetiver about 5 hours in (consistently testing). I would add there is a bit of added sweetness by the labdandum but it is just enough to not let the vetiver become a nuisance to the wearer. I am not one for bottle presentation as you can't see this one buried amongst its friends; however, the bottle is beautiful and very durable and maybe the most unique in my collection. This is extremely versatile, a signature for anyone who enjoys mint and vetiver and an outright classic! First ballot hall of famer this one is. Scent: 5/5 Durability: 5/5 (lasts forever and projects very well) Versatility: 5/5 Value: even at retail 5/5 but can be had for much less Overall: 5/5 top ten designer in my opinion could be top 3!

This smells like the house of the rich couple who lived across the street from me as a child in a subdued pink Victorian house in the middle of downtown. They had two English bulldogs. This is absolutely niche scent, would be easily in that category in a stronger concentration with lower availability and higher price. The open is cool and spicy and green and literal and natural. And dry like the most dry chardonnay imaginable. I love cartier style too. The bottle does matter. This bottle looks great next to my other Cartier bottles which all are the highest quality presentation. It is crushed mint plant leaves, stems, stalks, the whole thing. The vetiver and spicy patchouli notes are strong. The patchouli blends smoothly and seamlessly with the mint. As if one mintchouli plant got stepped on and mashed into earthy vetiver. And for me the vanilla is persistent. I do agree with some other reviewers about the use of labdanum in this - I could do without it. It adds an authoritative heaviness and seriousness that I personally would prefer to be a fresher, or more floral, or peppery note. My goodness Mathilde, what this would have been if that were a geranium note instead! I am not especially certain anyone would think it is sexy but it smells strong and powerful and rich and authoritative. And beautiful.

Yes, there's mint in it, no need to mention it anymore i guess, especially since there seem to be people out there that can only smell the mint and nothing else. I don't really get that, I think it's quite a sophisticated scent actually. Even though some people claim the opposite, to my nose the mint and patchouly are very well balanced, hints of wood and vetiver give it a refined touch, the vanilla adds a kind warmness to it, making it great to wear on dinners or business related events. To me the scent is classy and cozy, not too heavy, not too light either, well balanced and comfortable to wear, also not offensive because of the moderate projection. Works very well on summer evenings, and might work just as well in every season, in that aspect it's quite versatile, even though it's perfect on more formal occasions, i don't think you need to be all dressed up to wear it either, so it might be a great signature scent. In short: Classy, cozy, warm, kinda fresh, and pretty versatile. - Scent :8.5/10 - Sillage :7/10 (not too strong, but just perfect for this type of scent) So imo 10/10 - Longevity :8/10 Total: 8/10 I really love it.