Danse Sauvage

Danse Sauvage is a fabulous fragrance! So great, I had to get a bottle! Cognac, rose, vanilla, plum, saffron, pepper, chili, cedarwood and oud are some of the notes I detect and are quite fascinating, I might add. At first sniff, you get the pepper and this sweetish chili saffron that is simply amazing! I love the subtle plum that opens the composition, with a warm cognac accord hovering softly as the fragrance lingers. I’ve heard this compared to the original Spicebomb, and while I can see a faint resemblance, the similarities are limited. Others have mentioned Straight to Heaven, but I don’t find that comparison. Its boozy, brandy-like note differs significantly from what's present in Danse Sauvage. A few fragrances that do come to mind within a similar genre are Iunu and Rogart, both from Molton Brown’s Navigation Scent Collection. Danse Sauvage shares with them a distinctive sweet, balsamic spiciness that is rich yet never overpowering. Overall, this is a gorgeous scent in my opinion, bold and weighty, yet beautifully balanced. It’s spicy, oudy, woody, and peppery, wrapped in a generous sweetness that feels indulgent without becoming cloying. I also find echoes of Parfums de Marly’s Nisean here, particularly in the dark, oudy, sweet-balsamic character. That said, Nisean is noticeably less sweet than Danse Sauvage. Both are excellent fragrances in their own right. Performance is above average, longevity is moderate, sillage is great! I like it just as I do African Rooibos! Both have made a nice complementary presence in my collection, especially African Rooibos! :)

I got sample of Danse Sauvage with another perfume purchase. As DS was in my wish list I was really pleased. Danse Sauvage is really a very lovely fragrance - some peppery notes blending really well with a sort of dark amber fruitiness. But I couldn't stop thinking I was wearing YSL's Tuxedo - one of my favourite fragrances and in my collection. So I thought I'd do a side by side comparison. I've got Danse Sauvage on one arm and Tuxedo on the other arm right now. For the opening salvo, although I can detect differences, to my nose I'd say they are something like 80-90% similar. DS has a darker slightly more intense feel and a definite deep amber in the base, Tuxedo is a bit lighter. As the dry down progresses the differences start showing up a bit more. DS develops and gets deeper and I'd say we're down to 70-80% similarity. (Update : on reflection I think the similarity is higher than that. There are some differences but I just can't get past thinking "Tuxedo" when I smell the arm with DS - and that's too close for me). DS is really beautiful, no question about it. But at around twice the price of Tuxedo I'd have to question whether I want to spend this much on a fragrance that is too similar to one I already have. Give them both a try - both DS and Tuxedo are fabulous fragrances. I'd say DS is deeper, slightly more substantial and intense. It definitely ought to be more expensive - I think it has the edge on Tuxedo in terms of 'quality' and depth - and Tuxedo is I think a high quality perfume.

So good. It opens heavy on the cedar, which made me a little nervous I was smelling like a hamster cage at first (although I do love the smell of cedar), but it mellows out rather quickly to a very slightly sweet, peppery, patchouli, amber concoction. I can just barely smell any oud; it's there but it's not dominating. This smells so similar to V&R Spicebomb, so if you like that, you might find this different enough to warrant a bottle of DS. I'm not sure I can justify it, but I do love this fragrance. Heavenly for a sexy fall/winter scent. I can see that some may find this too masculine for their tastes - I own a few colognes so don't mind a unisex bordering on masculine scent.

My first and only experience with chris Collins is a pleasurable one. Danse sauvage is a beautifully composed fragrance. First and foremost, this is a lesson in the art of cedar. I find that dusty cedar note screams from first spray - backed with a bit of booze and the ripeness of plum. I find it to be very pleasing - and not too sweet - maybe a 3.5/10 on sweetness. The scent plays well on skin - and seems to perform well. This is, without question a winter scent. Other scents in this category would be: Gucci pour homme 1, etat libre dorange rien and Bentley absolute. While I think this is probably a little overpriced, the quality is unquestionable and the outcome is beautiful.

A blast of cedar when first sprayed, then plum and booziness comes out. These three notes meld as it dries down. I don't get too much black pepper, which works for me. It really is a lovely fragrance for a fall or winter evening. It's solidly woody, which I like, but with a twist. Unlike a lot of other boozy fragrances, that note really lasts quite a while with this one. It has decent projection but the lasting power is where it really shines. I like it also because it is a boozy and woody fragrance that avoids being overwhelmed by vanilla/tonka or tobacco and isn't overly sweet. That alone makes it unique.