L'eau d'Epine

Wow! Initially a minimal modern art piece with undertones of crude 'Indy' perfume about it but it soon becomes apparent that L'eau d'epine has some get up and go. Really classy touches to it, I'm quite enamored to tell you the truth. I've not sampled Hermes Galop in ages but this kinda puts me in a similar mind space, it's shocking, green rose theme is impactful but conversely, barely in the realms of existence, ethereally transparent as it can appear. The opening has that tidal effect, it sucks back, like you get the lightest top note effect but then it washes back in becoming more potent and present, This usually happens with these resin/incense perfumes when they go down a fresher or greener route and you certainly get green from the galbanum and spikes of chemically clean aldehyde, punching through. The effect of the rose chiming is translucent before finally settling to something resembling a sanitised leather accord. I think it's great.

On a stifling summer day, I grabbed this on my way to work. It's a delicate, incensey, green rose, perfect for when the weather makes most perfumes seem oppressive to me. It has enough complexity to make it interesting and it smells pretty unique. The closest thing that springs to mind is Dioriviera, which is a monstrously strong version of this with lots of fig. I think this perfume may contain stemone, which is what might be reminding me of the Dior.

Irish Spring - pine & soap. Love it!

Opening is a super green rose, it smells like a freshly cut stem. An even greener scent that Rosamonda JUS. After a few times you get the incense. Really classy and kind of unexpected, unisex and would be super elegant on a man. A really cold smell and, to me, it's one of the most remarkable in the collection as the incense is subtle, I did not smell it the first time I sampled it and yesterday it finally hits me.

This is very fresh and clean, so fresh that it opens up my nose a little bit like a nasal spray would. Vetivery, piney, a tad aquatic, and surprisingly very rosy, which has a slight sweetness to it. I know there’s incense in here, but I can’t really smell it. Longevity and projection are moderately good. This reminds me a bit of Relique d’Amour by Oriza L. Legrand, though they are not by any means identical. They share that cold air smell, I think, but RDA is more powdery, aloof, and dreamy, whereas LDE is sharper, rosier, and a bit more generic (compared to the extremely unique RDA). I’d still say this is worth a try if you like RDA and the smell of roses. There’s something sharp about this that turns me off and gives me a bit of a headache. Although I’d say this scent is unisex, I associate that sharpness with men’s “blue” fragrances, and therefore, I find this too masculine for me. Through sampling this perfume, actually, I’ve recently realized I’m someone who simply prefers overtly feminine scents, and most unisex-labeled stuff just smells masculine to me. I gave my 5 ml sample to my boyfriend, whom I think it suits better.

Dries down to a jammy labdanum-olibanum pairing. The opening was beautiful but becomes a little predictable after the top notes fade. It's mildly spicy and piney, and the rose breathes fresh life into it all. Well done but nothing too remarkable.