Book

This has been bothering me for a while and I'm excited that I've experimented enough with this fragrance that I can finally say it: That is NOT dill pickle you are smelling. That is eucalyptus. Gorgeous, startlingly photorealistic eucalyptus. However, doesn't smell much like books to me. What I get instead, after an introductory flash of watery green, is a dry, gentle eucalyptus. Not sinus-clearing, like eucalyptus oil, but more like cracking open one of those stiff, waxy leaves and inhaling. The scent memory this evokes is intense: reaching up to the leaves trailing over the sidewalk, the patch of stringybarks by the lake, all the bark and leaves scattered by the path. Those leaves you secreted away in an old book, to crack open when you want to remember the land you left behind... It helps that the wood notes here -- cedar, cypress -- bulk out and accentuate that eucalyptus note. The effect is of the whole damn tree: the leaves, the wood, the dry air around it. It's impressive stuff, but maybe they should've just called it Eucalyptus Tree. After a bit, the perfume dies down to a trail of musk and sandalwood, which you then realize has been bolstering the heart notes the whole time. Performance is only okay, though. Sillage dies down to intimate quicker than I'd like, and the whole thing could be said to last 4-6 hours.

I think that pickle note is weather/skin ph level dependent. Used it on hot day and it was my homemade pickle in brine smell lingering in background (still liked it). Cooler weather opened up whole different story. Slightly smoky, woody scent. Freshly printed newspaper early morning that is still warm and has slight smoke smell, paper glue and birch sap used together for school projects in grade 4th. Not your regular mainstream cute perfume and not a safe buy. It is more like a memory in bottle, something that you would wear for yourself as a sensory experience. I find it slightly more masculine leaning yet very wearable for a woman unless your preference is strictly florals/gourmand. Unsure where people are getting old book scent because it lacks that slight musky, sweet vanilla undertone that comes from paper breakdown. To me, it is fresh print. Moderate longevity. Eucalipytus is very subtle and does great job balancing and blending scent.

I was so excited to find this at TJ Maxx for $30; as an avid reader and aspiring writer, I was intrigued. I always have a lot of trouble refusing to buy a Book, and this was no different. It’s DELISH. It smells like a book! And also reminds me of Burberry Beat, which I used to wear rather often before I started wearing almost exclusively unisex or feminine fragrances. This is an interesting return to a very classic and masculine aura, without any of the tiresome aquatic and “sporty” notes you find in all of the more jejune fragrances marketed toward men. And I am KVELLING over how great it looks on my vanity next to Pure, by Distillery General, which I layer it with often. It’s very similar packaging, and it SMELLS great with it too! Pure is a very rich floral fragrance and it complements the woods like an absolute dream and honey I am a-SNOOZIN’!

this is incredible. santal 33 but softer and greener. the woods, cypress and eucalyptus remind me of bushwalking in native forests, i think the inclusion of euc is genius. the bergamot is present but not too forward, which i like. it lends a little freshness and citrus to the fragrance without turning it into a citrus perfume. the musk makes this fragrance soft, when i feel santal 33 can be 'sharp' - though this may be due to pepper which Book doesn't have. after a few minutes, the amber, bergamot and eucalyptus come to the front. the amber is a lovely, warm, slightly honeyed surprise! i thought fragrances like this didn't suit me after santal 33, but this is amazing - softer and greener (the euc still blows my mind), while still having the iconic woodsy notes. will consider a full bottle!

On my skin, this opens with sweet sandalwood. Which is awesome. When it settles down a bit, I can really sense the cypress note, but is blended so good, that it doesn't bother me. Then the cedar comes in, but sandalwood stays the most dominant, it is definitely a king here. Even though I understand people to find it more masculine, I find it really beautiful on my skin. It has similar sandalwood note as Santal 33, but on me, it is not as sharp and aggressive. It kind of stays sweet and silky, which I love. While fresh, it is also musky and velvety, it's the perfect balance. Book- is more creamy and soft, while Book+ is maybe too sharp, this one is really Expressive, as it wants to be. Probably goes on my wishlist.