Vetyver

A very classy, well mannered take on Vetyver with slight grapefruit and pine aspects nicely playing their role while inviting some light woods to help the drydown. Intelligent fragrance for spring and summer. It stays linear with no major development from start to drydown and the performance is OK. Overall a pleasant and manly Edt with a positive, bright character. Bought it in 2006 in St Paul de Vence and the juice is still the same, a sign of good quality (and the right storage).

Coincidentally I stumbled upon some Fragonards for men in a little shop. I bought one from each untested. This was one of them. It ́s really a lovely dry vetiver with a little touch of pine and cedar. Love it.

Brought it from Fragonard museum at Grasse 2 years ago. It was love at first sight. Great for summer. love love

I had a set of 6 ml vintage minis/ travel bottles of Fragonard men's fragrances. This was one of my favorites in that set, sold at the Fragonard museum in Grasse. Ironically, I ended up gifting a similar set to a friend, who then took them with him when he traveled to France, coming full circle. This is a very natural, earthy and rooty vetiver, with just the right amount of grapefruit to open. Grapefruit is one of my favorite citrus notes, but it can be tricky. In this one, the grapefruit is kind of loud, but not sour, and calms down fairly quickly. I think it is the subtle smokiness that makes this one a favorite. Warm, woody, and with a distinct balsam fir note. Not piney so much as balmy. A true balsam fir, reminding me of those little balsam fir pillows stuffed with needles, or the original balsam fir insense sold in Maine and Germany, but nuanced.

My bottle is from the earlier release, the "squashed hexagon" style (rectangular shape with pointed sides) with black cap. Starts out very "old school woody" smelling. Reminds me of the original Gucci Pour Homme but with vetiver added. Very easy going vetiver. No challenge here, but quite enjoyable. The balsam fir, benzoin, and incense notes work well with the vetiver, bringing out a green soft spiciness that tames the typical harsh edge of vetiver. Sillage isn't all that strong. Start out bold but quickly dries down to a narrow field. Longevity is rather lacking on skin, but get some on your clothes and it lasts longer. I like it. I wouldn't pay full retail, but if you can find it for about 2ml/$1 I'd say you wouldn't be disappointed.