Vetiver

Vetiver was a love at first sniff for me. I first encountered it almost seven years ago now, in a local grocery store. The store had a section at the front devoted to gifts, like jewelry or scarves, and also a lot of the elizabethW line. I used to wait in that section for my bus ride home after I had finished my shopping, and when I first applied the tester lotion of this to my hands, I was in heaven. I had never smelled anything like it - and actually, I still haven't! I have never smelled vetiver so sweet and fresh. Most vetiver fragrances I have smelled since are very dry and earthy - still wonderful, but they are nothing like this one. This is the most easy to please vetiver I have ever smelled. The citruses really play a strong role in this perfume, making the scent lively and bright. Vetiver is definitely still present, providing some herbal heft and weight, allowing this fragrance to have a presence and last decently well. I don't find it masculine at all; in fact I am surprised by the comments saying this is barbershop. If this is barbershop, then I need to visit the men's section more often! To me, Vetiver is 100% unisex. I so wanted to buy a bottle of this, but they only had a large bottle for close to $60, and that was a staggering amount for me then. So I contented myself with my weekly visits, spraying myself and applying the lotion in store. Two years later I was visiting California on my own for the first time, and encountered the elizabethW store at the San Francisco airport! And they had a petit eau de parfum bottle of Vetiver, just 0.5 fl oz and $22 - just perfect for me. I picked it up and wore it during my trip, and to this day Vetiver reminds me of being near Pebble Beach in freezing, windy November: smelling independent, wild, and free.

I wore this fragrance regularly in the mid 2000s (2004-05ish) when Anthropologie stocked it. I wasn't overwhelmed by it at the time and in fact remember it being a fairly ordinary scent that, after a few months of regular wear, became so familiar that I would forget I had it on (I suppose that could be construed the mark of a good perfume). Just the other day, I caught up with a long-lost friend who, entirely unprompted by me, mentioned that "alluring" signature perfume of mine she conjures every time she thinks about our last year of undergrad. I suppose it's due to this unexpected compliment, but I have such nostalgia for this fragrance at the moment! Though my fragrance "to buy" list has swelled beyond my means, I am going to add this one to the top with the highest hopes that it captures something about that time for me as well. And now some helpful remarks to those folks contemplating purchasing Elizabeth W Vetiver. I concur with Bigsly that this scent has a moderate sillage and is slightly more ambery than its description implies. I also echo Sweetnspicey's point about its masculine aspect. I used this when I was considerably less mature and tended to douse myself, my clothing, and most anything else in close range (no wonder my friend remembers it so vividly). In turn, it lasted all day on my body and would become imbibed in the fibers of clothing until the next washing. Yet it's not offensive if you over-use (I think). So if you take a heavy hand to the atomizer, it's unlikely you'll offend anyone (I hope). And for the price, it's a total steal!

I love Vetiver by Elizabeth W. It's a a very vibrant unisex fragrance that get's compliments from men as well as women. It's my go to signature scent as a woman who is not afraid to get her hands dirty in nature or with carpentry and show up in a work meeting in the human services field the next day. This scent embodies and accomodates this kind of versatility. I find that the vetiver is present with complimenting citrus, grass, and a slight musk tonality. I would not have thought patchouli without reading the reviews but now that I have....I can smell this as well in a whisper. Not in an overpowering too earthy tone that Patchouli evokes for me speaking to early 80's timeline but rather a warm fond memory that is whispering in the back ground.

I encountered the hand soap and lotion in the bougie bathroom of a country club and immediately ordered it from the website. It smells clean, fresh, comforting and unisex. Reminiscent of the original Irish Spring soap from the 90’s, come to think of it. Whatever, it’s really good, and I think will be an easy reach for my workplace which teeeeechnically doesn’t allow fragrances. I think I can get away with this one ;)

Vetiver is a very nice unisex perfume. It smells very aromatherapudic and it has decent longevity. My husband wears it and I spritz it on from time to time. Vetiver vibes with other fresh spicy woody perfumes like C&E Nantucket Briar and The Thymes Lotus Santal. If you like nicely balanced aromatherapy scents, then this perfume is for you.

This has been one of my favorite perfumes for many years, and it's Elizabeth W's best-seller. It's very woody, rather dry, a bit spicy. It's the perfect perfume for people, like myself, who lean towards masculine fragrances. The scent is so natural and unique. I think it would smell lovely on a man as well.

I stole a spray from my stepmothers bathroom and sniffed my shirt the whole 2-hour drive home, then continued to take purposeful whiffs of it.

To my surprise, elizabethW Vetiver smells mostly like patchouli! Seriously, I would never have identified this as a vetiver fragrance in a blind trial. How can patchouli not even be listed among the notes when it is so very dominant here? Fortunately (since I bought a bottle blind...), I like patchouli and find this unisex and savory take quite appealing. The vetiver is really covered up though, so I would not recommend this creation first and foremost as a vetiver solinote (as the name suggests). There is a bit of spice in here as well, so I'd call this a woody oriental with a big patchouli presence. I like it. Another natural-smelling, budget niche creation from elizabeth W!

This is a masculine fragrance that smells somewhat aftershave-like, somewhat classic/mature male cologne-like, and also somewhat like CK's Euphoria. This is not unisex, but leans masculine. Based on the fragrance notes mentioned I assumed it might smell like the typical clean/soapy/slightly woody dupes of bal d'afrique, but this is all woody, rich, heavy. I do get patchouli, and there's something causing a subtle sweetness that's not from the fragrance notes listed, so there must be other notes. I checked out the website and it seems like there are other notes. This is very smooth, aromatic. I'd like this on my dad, but not as a 32 y.o. feminine-presenting woman.

I hope this review is allowed as I’ve only ever had the body cream of this, and until this day didn’t know it came in perfume! I first picked it up at Gump’s in San Francisco, when I was there for a conference. I immediately fell in love with it, and kept reordering, from wherever I could get it. At this point, after years of use, we’re on a bit of a break. Still, I would recommend this scent to anybody, man or woman. The fragrance brings me back to SF, standing on Fisherman’s Wharf, enjoying the sunshine and the sea.

After I’d ordered a small bottle of this but before I’d received it, I checked basenotes reviews on this. There are only 3, and they’re all negative. One review only said “Can you say barbershop? I knew you could.” And that nails it. This isn’t earthy or woody at all, it’s clean and smells like shaving cream. It’s a masculine take on vetiver, buried underneath lavender and bitter orange. It seems also like there’s anise. Classically masculine, not for me.

This one is rather blended, and I'd call it unisex. It does seem like there are some citrus notes here, but I can't tell what they are. Instead, it seems like there are a bunch of fruit notes, possibly even a little rhubarb, but it's not sweet. There is also a green, powdery, floral quality, but again, it's all blended together. It's not a "blob," but if you must have good note separation, avoid this one. The vetiver becomes more obvious over time, but is never strong, and there also seems to be a touch of amber/vanilla/balsam. Ingredient quality seems good and it lasts well with at least decent projection ("sillage"). I used two sprays to the chest, but the atomizer puts out a very fine mist, so I don't think I used much. I don't detect any iso e super, thankfully, so this is nothing like a fragrance such as Sycomore. The fruit accord here actually reminds me a bit of the fruit accord in Rochas Moustache (I have the older, concentrated version of that one). Over time a soft vetiver note becomes more and more noticeable. It's nicely done but if you are seeking an Encre Noire vetiver type fragrance look elsewhere. This is for those who want a tame "vetiver fragrance" that has more than a tiny trace amount of it.

I used to have the liquid hand soap and lotion of this fragrance in the early 2000's when I first became introduced to niche houses before niche was a thing. From what I remember, Vetiver was sweet and woody. Absolutely intoxicating. Luxurious scent for hands that's for sure. I wonder if they changed the formula or if the body care is still available.

I don't detect vetiver in this so much as spice. It reminds me of CK's Obsession for Men, but brighter...and better. For me, it's a bit carefree, artistic and very unisex. There's a soap and barber quality to it. Smelling this makes me want to get in touch with my creative side and brings me back to a time when the horizon held so much possibilities.

This is a major comfort scent for me... i do get the impression of aftershave but it strangely brings to mind important maternal figures and older women to me. cozy, earthy, and slightly camphorous <3

this scent used to remind me of Christmas but now I enjoy it as just an earthy safe and very handsome fragrance