Le Vetiver

This is a nice vetiver for sure! I got this as part of my vetiver-exploration a while back and I am not regretting it. Le Vetiver opens in an explosion of citrusy vetiver with a warm spicy touch. I get vetiver, citrus, mint and green notes. The vetiver is very strong right from the start and the accord could be described as very aggressive, or harsh even. I personally like the opening but it's not something I'd want to wear as a scent, some people might take offense. Once the dry-down starts, so does the magic. This gem transforms from a harsh and pungent vetiver to something a lot more (generally) agreeable and sweet. A spicy, or peppery even, and green vetiver accord with hints of mint hits next. I get some labdanum and more sweetness together with musky soapiness. But it must be said that the blend is very subtle and the fragrance is an accomplished accord rather than a number of notes. The blend is tight, reigning in the individual notes, even the strong ones, and creating a very nice harmony. The soapiness is really clean and nice but not in a powdery gung-ho-barbershop way, rather a well groomed and manly, spicy, and woody way. When I first smelled this I immediately knew I had smelled it before, but not where. I guess someone my parents socialized with wore it in the 70/80's. It is not a modern or commercial smell in any way but neither an old smell (though it does have a quaint Old Spice quality). I'd say classic or just settle for timeless masculine. Delivery in terms of bottle was very nice as stated below. The only thing I was disappointed with was the cap of the atomizer/sprayer, very loose and wobbly which makes for the occasional squirt instead of spray.

I love Oud, Musk and Patchouli. I kind of also like the Vetiver note if it is well blended to produce certain types of fragrances, in particular dark fragrances. "Le Vetiver de Carven" is a bright, almost fresh, old school Vetiver fragrance. I should not like it, but I LOVE IT. The opening is bitter fresh, a bit flowerly, not zesty, and gives you a feeling of cleanliness. The fragrance then evolves with boozy pepperish patchouli notes, surrounded with an omnipresent Vetiver. The dry down is very pleasant. You still get the omnipresent Vetiver but in a more balsamic and musky environment. Nice performance with 2 hours projection, more than an arm lenght sillage in its peak, and a longevity of 8+ hours. Let us see what the maths tell us about this EDT: Scent opening: 8.0 (my judgement) Scent dry down: 8.0 (my judgement) Longevity: 8.0 (average for the existing notes) Sillage: 8.0 (same as longevity) Uniqueness: 7.5 (ther are more than a couple similar fragrances, although not as fresh as this one) Wearability: 8.5 (Summer, Autumn, Spring, Night and Day) Versatility: 7.5 (yes to socializing, events, restaurants, and office type of situations) Quality: 8.5 (my judgement) Presentation: 6.0 (simple and very old school bottle, not tacky; good sprayer) Price: 10.0 (100 ml for $13.99 + VAT) Overall rating for this fragrance: 8.00/10.00 Do I recomend it? Absolutely, in particular to Vetiver scent fans which is not my case.

As others have mentioned, Le Vetiver is just a really fine soapy-fresh vetiver fragrance that I find perfect for the office or professional settings. It's backed with a perfect amount of citrus and minty aromatic tones, and is more of a grassy vetiver with some mild earthy tones. So Le Vetiver is likely to please both the vetiver lovers and vetiver haters out there, so well-done! I stumbled across Le Vetiver in the Spring 2016 and couldn't resit buying a bottle: 1) because I was big fan of Carven Homme, 2) big fan of vetiver scents and 3) it was something like $22 per 100ml so not much to lose. It's a steal at twice the price IMO. So now the confusion...I have Carven Vetiver (original, but post 1997 formulation), Carven Le Vetiver (smells much more like the original 1957 formulation that I've smelled), and now Carven Vetiver (2014 re-launch) that smells quite similar to Le Vetiver so I can only assume this fragrance has been discontinued, but I am not certain. Regardless, if you enjoy these kinds of aromatic-fresh vetiver scents then pickup a bottle of Le Vetiver if you find it on the cheap. Otherwise, Carven Vetiver (2014) will do just fine because it is very, very similar IMO. Carven Le Vetiver is the scent of a Gentleman.

Bought recently,and didn't know quite what to expect. I'm a great fan of the predecessor to this, and have read many reviews regretting those formulations.I've never experienced the original 'vintage' scent so can only compare it to the 'modern' equivalents. This is very much a parfum in the initial opening, richly citric and with that underlying strength which differentiates it from weaker Eaus, colognes etc. I'm not skilled at recognising combinations of notes and accords, but do get mint and gin along with orange. The citrus opening fades (a little too quickly for my liking-I would have preferred it to hang around a bit longer) and dries down to a smooth and subtle vetiver/labdanum base. I find it settles as 'green'.My skin usually holds scent well and a good spray of this lasted for several hours on me. Beautiful box, typical Carven combination of white and green, which given Carven's habit of changing their boxes/bottles with unecessary frequency, will probably be very collectable in 10 yrs time. It's not a young scent, very grown up and assured. A success I think.

Do not be fooled by the low price of this masterpiece ! As opposed to most other vetivers, which are a little brash and stingy, Carven's is smooth, almost creamy, with just hint of sweetness. Opening with citrus/orange and a minty gin note, going through a lovely heart of geranium, vetiver and labdanum while the drydown with its patchouli gives off a great woody and slightly soapy base. If you're a fan of Guerlain's Vetiver, but would like a lighter, sweeter and more casual version this is an excellent alternative. Some people say that this is discontinued, if so you should grab this one ASAP 'cause you'll have a hard time finding a scent that is more perfect for office settings or for a casual spring day.