Confluence

I have searched long for a truly fantastic fir/pine fragrance. Most have disappointed me. Many start off with a promising woody accord but, inevitably, the forest gets invaded by a host of intruding notes that end up chopping down the trees. Well guys, Confluence does it right. Absent are any notes that would make this "perfumey" or "mass appealing"- no tonka, no vanilla, no ambrox, no cashmeran, no amberwood. There aren't even any aromatic accords that would push it into designer territory. No, this is a true pine forest, complete with sap oozing from the bark, dry pine cones, and plenty of fir needles. The initial blast is mild but I find it only strengthens as time goes on. The coniferous experience deepens and widens out but never fills the room. It remains a personal scent but I can smell it on me for many hours. This is my perfect, most realistic, natural, and pleasant forest experience. Thank you, Shawn, for keeping it pure! The price, quality, and artistic concept of Chantillon Lux is just superb.

First off this is amazing, one of my favorites of all fragrances! Secondly, this probably wasn’t Shaun’s intention, but if I was a perfumer and trying to create an ‘amber’ scent this is it!! Actual Amber is crystallized ancient Pine Sap. This fragrance has tons of pine sap and then mixed with lovely resins and woods! This smells like you just finished sawing a batch of Douglas fir for some furniture, and happen to have a bowl of resinous incense in hand. The main players are the Spruce/Fir and the Elemi resin. You must try this, and like I said THIS is what Amber scent should be imitating, this is superb!!

Another bottle of Shawn Maher's second signature fragrance, which I really liked. A massive attack of coniferous greenery. There's a lot of it here. All combined with warm, slightly sweet, and relaxing resins. Thanks to the generous dose of elemi and a faint hint of olibanum, we have the additional impression of a fresh summer coniferous forest after a rain. A scent perfect for meditation and relaxation – on the one hand, warm, woodsy, and sweet-resinous, and on the other, crisp, slightly citrusy, and light. Longevity and projection are average/good.

I'm usually not a fan of coniferous scents, but this is done with a deft hand and a balanced nose. I love it and am ordering the FB as we speak. Never seen coniferous notes be balanced so well and so pleasingly. I had many compliments on my sample, a sample by the way that gave me four wearings! Outstanding value. If you are on the fence with this house just pull the trigger and get the discovery set--you will NOT regret. So many beautiful scents. Just can't say enough about Shaun Maher and his creations. Pure class and talent.

Such a bargain for realistic representation and quality ingredients. Shaun Maher should be applauded and followed in his journey. I will post a more applicable review of this fragrance upon further wear . . .as of this moment; spectacular!

beautiful if you like pine and incense scents; sweet; mainly fir and palo santo with olibanum and elemi resins

Maher should have jumped on the forest bathing bandwagon and promoted this fragrance as such, it is a superior scent to much else following the trend.

Did I get the wrong sample? On my skin this reads nothing like the notes and reviews suggest. It smells exactly like a hippie store and not in a good way. The only occasion I might wear this is on Whole Earth Festival or to a Grateful Dead concert. Yuck.

At it's heart, Confluence get remarkably close to capturing the smell of conifer/pine forest air. You know the feeling, standing surrounded by gorgeous pines, cedars, juniper, spruce, and breathing deeply. In all stages, Confluence maintains a completely natural feeling, and stays surprisingly light given the earthy ingredient list. It never feels too sappy, woody, sweet or resinous, there is always an undercurrent of airiness and brightness throughout the life of the fragrance. It opens very citric, with a little sharp but not too sharp coniferous blast, and a sweet warmth underneath. The citrus notes quickly dissipate and fall back, leaving room for the glorious heart which is a breath of gentle conifer forest airiness, on a sweet, dry earthy summer day. Besides the opening citrus and blend of coniferous notes, nothing in the notes list jumps above the blend. I don't get standout palo santo, but can see how it's sweet, dry, almost rubbery smoke character provides some backbone. The cedar and frankincense notes listed don't add any smokiness, but rather a gentle, sweet, light incense on the breeze. Nothing charred, campfire-y, or acrid, just smooth incense mixing with light wood. Conceptually, the "confluence" of this fragrance is between warm, bright citrus woodiness & cool, green, slightly shaded conifers. All swirled together with sweet, yet not sticky resin and very gentle incense. It's brilliant, and I think it smells amazing throughout the whole lifespan. Performance is a laid back affair, with sillage sitting a bit closer to the skin after the first hour, but I get consistent, albeit subtle whiffs over the course of 8+ hours, and it remains as a woody iso-e skin scent to 12+ hours. If you are up and moving around, the persistent longevity does help kick up the scent. Which makes sense, as this a fragrance that basically is a love letter to the great outdoors. It practically beckons me to kick myself up immediately to the nearest natural area, if not physically, at least mentally. Which to me makes this is a huge love. The only possible gripe I could muster is the medium reserved projection/sillage (not a dealbreaker). Another wish is for the green and conifer notes to last a bit longer into the drydown, because they are that glorious. However, all is well, as what lies underneath is just as rewarding in it's subtleties. The base that ties Confluence together is cohesive and enjoyable with it's warm woodiness. Last thing I'll say that is refreshing, is the transparency, pricing, and care that is taken with the Chatillon Lux brand. Shawn Maher wrote a whole blog post about Confluence where he outlines the concept and all the notes, and the intention behind it all. It definitely paints a standout picture in contrast with designer scents that mostly rely on vague, yet stylish marketing imagery and fluff.

I finally tried this out the bottle, after having had it for a few years, and I have to be honest, I am a little bit let down -- it's not how I remembered it. It was a little more woody, a little more dry -- this has a bit of a herbal, balsamic, borderline metallic element to it. I'm not loving it, I must say, but I might need to return to it a little later and give it a bit more love. As of now, it's in the 'not keen' category, but I will return and update...

This was the scent I was most keen to try out, and I'm glad to have finally gotten to it. Palo Santo, with its alluring woody-citrus notes, along with other conifers, definitely need to live in this and give it the attention it deserves. To be continued...