Le Smoking

From the DSH website: Brown oak-moss, castoreum, incense notes, leather, Peru balsam, tobacco absolute, Bulgarian rose absolute, carnation, Chinese geranium, grandiflorum jasmine, honey, marijuana Accord, orris root, bergamot, blackberry, clary sage, galbanum, hyacinth, neroli. **YSL Retrospective Collection** “Le Smoking”, named after YSL’s first Tuxedo for women design, is a sophisticated green chypre tabac fragrance. Le Smoking-The Tuxedo: c.1968-1975 The Tuxedo for a woman was revolutionary and avant-garde at the time that YSL began introducing the style into his collection. Inspired somewhat by the smoking jacket and women’s liberation, the Tuxedo was a continuous muse for every subsequent collection right until the last. Based, of course, on the Blond Tabac (fine cigarette) note as well as the new ‘marijuana’ cigarette and Moroccan incense, Le Smoking is a gender-bending classic that’s great on both men and women.

In my misspent youth I had a brief fling with smoking, which I purposely kept to cigarettes too expensive to hook me--namely, Balkan Sobranies which were unfiltered, with the honeyed sweetness that only really fine tobacco can offer. I also indulged in Pinch Whiskey, another expensive treat, which came in a bottle as beautiful as the finest perfume, and which I smelled more than swilled. They were heady and divine. Those are words I'd use to describe Le Smoking. It starts strongly of unlit tobacco and fine whiskey, then evolves into what feels to me like an afterglow, adding night-blooming flowers and dry spice. It purrs and growls at the same time, and conjures desire and consummation. It is much too distracting to be a casual, daytime scent. It is voluptuous, and dangerous, and commands one's attention.

Le Smoking is a beautiful old school men's chypre through a sheer modern lens. I can see both men and women loving this perfume. The feel of this perfume matches the inspiration: vintage YSL gender bending fashions. Unfortunately this quickly becomes a skin scent and longevity is 4 hours. Otherwise fantastic! If it had better performance would be FB worthy. I am finding I really like a lot of the DSH perfumes, but I struggle with sillage and longevity on many of them. Good performers in this line include Le Serval, Cimabue, La Vie en Rose, and Fou d'Opium that I have tested. When sampling from Dawn's website in the future I will ask for only her "strong" offerings.

This is a sensual, earthy and smoky scent! I love the retro, old-world feel to it. Le Smoking starts off classically as a chypre- bitter and green with begamot. There is oakmoss with some floral notes with a delicate hint of aromatic sage underneath. I sense spices with a realistic peach accord. Tobacco is my love, I get to smell it immediately. The tobacco is dark, earthy and is then sweetened by a soft peach accord. The drydown is a blend of sweet tobacco. My vial is filled only half way, I must hold off on it until I get my flask!

Its not really a smoking scent, it's mostly leather with juniper, there is also some candy as well and some slight spices. I can sense some vintage element with and some citrus somehow, ebony is there as well and I believe sandalwood. They have categorised this fragrance under women is because of that candied note blender with ebony. Vintage personas u have to have a sniff.

Bergamot, Blackberry, Clary Sage, Galbanum, Hyacinth, Neroli Middle notes: Bulgarian Rose Absolute, Carnation, Chinese Geranium, Grandiflorum Jasmine, Honey, Marijuana Accord, Orris Root Base notes: Brown Oakmoss, Castoreum, Incense Notes, Leather, Peru Balsam, Tobacco Absolute These are the notes listed in Theperfumecritic.com

I like this. It starts out very green and bracing but dries down to a not too sweet incense scent. I think both men and women could wear this. Def vintage smelling so if that's not your thing this may not be for you.