Cuir

Esteban CUIR is a totally gorgeous blend--much more of a floriental than a leather, according to my nose. What a pleasant surprise--I had been expecting one of those blunt-instrument worn-saddle leather perfumes, when in fact CUIR offers a panoply of rich notes, only one of which is leather. The first component I detected was patchouli, then violet, then amber... Once I realized how complex this gem was, I decided to go on a fact-finding mission. According to the house's website, these are the notes: Notes de tête : cardamome, lavande, menthe fraîche Notes de coeur : violette, baies roses, clou de girofle Notes de fond : patchouli, vétiver, cuir, ambre Great longevity and good sillage, too. Yum, yum, yum! I'm in love! On my wish list!

To me this is a woody, musky, slightly sweet and powdery vanilla-floriental, not a leather scent. Maybe there’s a subtle leather note, but it’s more a well-worn leather garment that’s absorbed a lot of good perfume over the years than it is raw leather. As it dries down, I smell sandalwood in the base, along with musks, vanilla, and just the slightest hint of a leather note. Sillage is moderate, and longevity is good, at least 6-8 hours. I’ve tried several perfumes from Estaban and, so far, I’ve liked every one of them. Cuir is upbeat in feel and easy to wear. It would be an excellent go-to perfume for just about any occasion.

Leather has never been my thing, but it's not possible for me not to love Cuir by Esteban, the leather here is so feminine, alluring and inviting that I forget completely about my relations with leather accords before and simply fall in love with this gem. I can feel spices and lovely, comforting amber together with this leather which for me does smell like saddle a bit and I love it.

Smells like fine suede,leather gloves with a drop of the perfume I love the most. Evokes the memory of my favorite EdT J'ai Ose. This is like a whisper of Guy Laroche and lasts for hours, in fact much longer then Cedre (EdP). So strong and yet so smooth. Soft leather, slightly floral with woody-oriental undertone. Very elegant and so nicely done. Edit/ now that I know Cuir better, I can see the simmilarities with Femme Rochas, same soft leather, animalic, oriental feeling... Femme is more complex, but it doesn't make it better. Having both is not bad at all. Cuir is so good!