Book

Commodity is an interesting line of fragrances. It's not like Demeter in that it does not attempt to create a photorealistic imitation of common scents. Instead, it captures the basic essence and air of the item being portrayed. Everyone knows books don't smell like cucumber, vetiver, sandalwood, for example, but this fragrance nonetheless captures the impression of woodsy paper, and the freshness of opening new books. This is a fresh fragrance with no citrus, which is refreshing, as I feel that a lot of fragrances overuse citrus and thus I have been trying to steer away from that genre. Instead, the freshness comes from the blast of cucumber, and the herbal notes likes lavender and eucalyptus. Some people say this smells like pickles. I completely disagree. Pickles have a vinegar smell, whereas this one has very little tanginess, and any tanginess I detect smells nothing like vinegar, only cucumbers. After all, cucumbers are a fruit, and they can be sour tasting, especially in the juicy, seedy center. Overall, I love this scent. It makes me feel clean and happy and sophisticated. Cold and fresh, but with enough warming herbs and amber to make you feel at home. It's like a modern library with big windows, and just enough comfortable furniture and Tiffany lamps to make you feel at home.

This is a great office fragrance! It's nice and light and inoffensive. Not only that, but I can't imagine this scent not pairing well with almost ANYTHING in my collection (if by chance I wore something strong the night before). The strength is perfect for an office scent, but don't make the mistake of over spraying. In the first hour, it's strong cucumber freshness, great for after a shower. The second through 4th hours are strong vetiver, dying down as the scent starts to dissipate. Unfortunately the total life of this fragrance for me today was only about 6 hours, but I did go a little light on the trigger. I really love the cucumber in the opening. The dry down really does resemble old books, but without all the allergens :) The vetiver is really quite nice!!! This is like Encre Noire's optimistic brother. Encre Noire is strong, moody, emotional. Not necessarily grumpy, but not in the mood for games. Commodity Book is similar in regards to the vetiver, but much more cheery. What is it about vetiver that smells so confident? There's something about it that makes it perfect for office wear.

God I adore this product! At first whiff the cucumber, sandalwood, and bergamot are what hit you hardest. Many people say it doesn't smell much like books but if you took an old paperback from a hidden shelf and maximized the scents each characteristic, I feel like it would be incredibly close. I bet if this was toned down and mixed with wool it would be spot on. It's fresh, clean, and comforting and warm at it's center. My favorite thing about this scent is that as it dries down throughout the day it becomes sweeter and warmer. The amber becomes more and more apparent as it becomes less peppery. It makes me feel like reading myself to sleep and those last moments before I close my eyes and dream of the story. It's unobtrusive definitely, but still strong enough to wear a good six to eight hours, and by then it's an all new scent completely consisting mostly of cucumber, vevitiveir, and a soft whisper of lavender, eucalyptus, and amber at its end.

I bought the sample pack of Commodity colognes when they ran their Kickstarter campaign. Out of all of their original 10 in the "Black"/masculine line, Book was in my top 3 (Whiskey is still my #1 though). For me, this is very cool upon application. Cucumber is the strongest. It almost teases a sweet aquatic, but then it moves pretty quickly to warm woodsy notes. Balsam/vetiver/etc. There's a slight chemical smell to it. Either way, I find this incredibly versatile, and although it's a little more on the masc side, I find the cucumber really evens it out for a smart unisex scent. It's a rather oblique interpretation of "book" (I would expect heavier binding glue/paper notes), but at the same time I could imagine myself in some type of fresh-smelling magical library out of a fantasy novel. If you check out any three of Commodity (Black), make Book one of them, alongside Whiskey and Gin.

Just picked up a Ten 10ML travel spray when visiting New York. From Sephora. As soon as I got my nose to the sprayer I was extremely intrigued. The Sandalwood I could smell. Which can give off an interesting sweet and milky vibe too it. Almost in the tone of fig. I wore it during my whole trip here in New York. Let me tell you the experience. At first spray. I smelled the cucumber and bergamont. But in the opening in the background I got this sweetness coming in slowly developing. The sweetness reminded me of the same opening of CH Men with the grassy sugary texture but much lighter. I can say this is unique yet inoffensive. And received many compliments at a party that was held at Atlantic Records. Does it remind me of LE LABO santal 33 this is a 90 percent equivalent at a cheaper yet not cheap smelling. Scent : 9/10 Longevitiy 7/10 Sillage : 8/10