Cuir Pampas

Two things to two get out of the way: the first is that I am a total sucker for a good leather perfume. I can't help it. I have to actively consider that a leather perfume I'm smelling might not be as good as I think it is simply because of my bias. The second thing is that if you are unfamiliar with Argentina, you need to know a small handful of facts. The country is massive, with enormous portions existing as temperate grasslands (pampas), arid deserts, the high and rocky mountains of the Andes, tropical forests, and more besides - the first part is important for what's coming up. The other thing to note is that they love meat, particularly beef, and the gaucho culture - i.e. Argentine cowboy culture - is deeply ingrained in the spirit of every Argentinian, both of which mean that there is leather everywhere, on everything, and used for anything it can be. As an evocation of this breathtaking landscape, and naturalistic and vaquero culture, Cuir Pampas succeeds very well. It's a leather perfume in the way that I love my leather perfumes to be, but it also does something quite different. The opening is weird. It's peppery spicy, but it also has a bit of an aquatic feel to it, which might be the green mate note according to the brand, but it's less tea-like than it is the smell of a freshwater lake to my nose. But, wasting no time and rising up immediately from the heart of the perfume is a smoky and animalic leather. This is real, tanned leather, bathed in the smoke from a hardwood campfire. It's big and bold, but not the least bit unrefined and difficult. Part of this smokiness is due to a deep and dark vetiver accord. The vetiver has some of the green aromatics to it that we're used to, perhaps a touch of saltiness, but it's quite earthy and smoky - like the vetiver has also been thrown onto the hardwood campfire. Trying to push its way through these muscular notes of leather and smoke is something herbal and grassy, the pampas. It stays forcefully pinned to the background, made meek and unidentifiable until the leather and smoke start to give way and disappear, and then the background voice is heard. It's a dried and aromatic prairie or steppe grass that is very hay like, but softer, powderier, and a touch more floral. The heart's message continues into the final skin scent thanks to a peppery cedar and animalic labdanum, but it's the grassy hay accord that strikes, surprises, and pleases the most. We've had the leather and vetiver combo hundreds of times before, that's not anything new, but I don't recall the last time I've smelled a perfume where leather, vetiver, and hay shared such integral parts of the story. Primarily, what makes Cuir Pampas unique, then, is the very seamless and cohesive way it has made leather - a man made and thusly mostly-artificial smelling material - part of a very naturalistic landscape. The leather is just as much a part of the pampas as the grass. It's not terra incognita, but it is nonetheless quite unique and very well done. I see this going into my collection very soon.

Cuir Pampas is so far my favorite from Frassaï. (Previously had been Victoria.) It's all the things I love about Vicuña Wool from Luigi Borrelli, with none of the things (prominent, scratchy vetiver) I don't. All the rough, scratchy edges are worn down, and it's more pleasant overall. Frassaï is an iffy brand for me: all of their scents thus far have has some kind of synthetic bite that I wasn't fond of. Verano Porteño was the worst. Cuir Pampas, however, is much more natural-smelling, smooth, but with the perfect dose of bitterness. I'm not sure if it evokes Argentinian Gauchos in the early morning or not, but it does lean slightly masculine, but not so much that lovers of unisex frags such as myself would feel uncomfortable wearing it. It's quite comfortable, in fact. I got great longevity (evening until middle of the night) from my sample.

Recently, the new Frassai fragrance "Cuir Pampas" arrived at home, I already wear it today. For me, with fine leather and warm mate, it is a fragrance composition of the highest quality. Stylish and exceptionally beautiful. Fragrance 9/10, longevity 8/10, sillage 7/10, Flacon 8/10

Beautifully green sweetgrasses and wet leather. It is herbal and spiced, but very rounded and gentle still. It reminds me of waking in a waxed canvas tent when things are still damp. A unique landscape.

A really pleasant smooth leather with aromatic and herbal touches. Opens quite sparkling with lemon with a hint of dry black pepper spice. In the mid, smoke pulls nicely with the vetiver on my skin and I get a cute dose of raspberry with some green spiciness which I think is the curry leaf or curry tree note? In the dry down the resins blend beautifully with vanilla and the vetiver. It is quite difficult at times to pinpoint each individual note as it is blended really well—and there is a plethora of them. Overall I find this fragrance to lean more masculine but there’s just enough fruit and floral notes and the sweetness of resins and vanilla in the dry down to make it suitable for feminine too. Very bold, herbal and aromatic, slightly animalic leather with resins, dry hay and vetiver and smokiness—a hint of juiciness in the background. It’s a strong fragrance, the mid notes persist for loooong I was quite surprised. Really long lasting, quality fragrance. I think I might give my sample to my husband though as I do feel it’s a touch masculine for my taste at this moment.