Vetiverissimo

I've been testing this one for a few days. It's a simple and very pleasant vetiver that bears Bruno's inimitable stylistic signature. It's relaxed, comfortable, and could easily be worn for either casual or formal occasions. I also think this is wearable in any season. The vetiver here is recognizable from Lampblack, but without all the other ingredients that make that fragrance so inky and sooty. (And no grapefruit, either.) This is comparatively stripped down, but since the odor profile of quality vetiver is so nuanced and complex, it's still intriguing and satisfying, not simplistic. On my first wear, the opening immediately reminded me strongly of Lampblack; it struck me as a dirty, earthy, and rooty vetiver. On my second wear I experienced a gestalt flip, and it struck me as wet, dark green and a bit grassy. There are other notes in a supporting accord here -- the vaguely listed "spices, woods and resins" -- but to my unsophisticated nose nothing specific is identifiable other than perhaps a bit of clove. I do not detect any cedar, honestly. At any rate, the supporting accord fades away somewhat more rapidly than the vetiver. Overall longevity has been maybe 6-8 hours. This is not a loud fragrance, but it projects decently for a couple of hours. On my test wearings so far, there has been no smoke a la Sycomore or Encre Noire. OTOH, when I washed my hands with a rose-scented soap, the combination of Vetiverissimo on my wrist with the rose on my hand somehow seemed to generate some smoky hints, and it reminded me strongly of Le Labo Rose 31. Vetiverissimo is a great candidate for layering with other fragrances, for those who are into that. FIVE remains my favorite Fazzolari fragrance, but Vetiverissimo is excellent. It doesn't try to do anything wild or groundbreakingly avant garde; it is just simple, comfortable, and satisfying to wear.

I don't know why I'm even doing this. For those of you who don't know, I have spinal muscle atrophy. It is in advanced stage, so I cannot move my arms. I use voice control for all of my reviews and essentially everything else. But for some reason, it is not working very well today! It's going to take me an incredibly long time to write this review. However, my dilemma is this: I have nothing else to do. Lol I think I'm ready to say it. This is my favorite Vetiver. Nice job! It was the intention of the perfumer to create what he considers the best overall vetiver around. I think he achieved that. There is nothing overly complicated going on here. There is only a small amount of cedar and some other resins and spices. Nothing to name specifically. This is all to let the vetiver shine. And shine it does! I don't see the source, but to me it smells like vetiver from Bourbon. Haitian perhaps. It is clean, fresh and almost citrusy. It is not dry or smoky, so that lets me know it is not a japanese origin or something similar. I'm sure there is a mixture throughout the overall composition, but on skin, it sits clean, bright and aromatic. And it does last all day! That's my favorite thing about it. It does not require a re-spray. It's very high-quality. A little goes a long way. Yes it does only come in 30 mL, but that is more than enough to last you a long time. Remember, that also makes the price rather fair. It may not be the most intellectually stimulating fragrance, but it is enough for someone like me to be satisfied. This fragrance is not one of those mass market pieces of trash. This does have a spirit to it. That comes from the creator himself. I think anything Bruno does has something special about it. And I think that special is him.

It took five wears before Vetiverissimo clicked. I came to it with a preconceived set of expectations, unfairly using Universal Flowering's Daddy - a damp, shroomy, decaying vetiver - as my primary frame of reference. My nose didn't quite know what to make of it at first. But then I heard Emma Vernon mention a clay note on Perfume Room, and suddenly it all fell into place. This isn't a damp forest-floor vetiver. It's a dry desert vetiver, like the scent of sun-baked earth in the long buildup to monsoon season. On the surface it seems simple, maybe even one-note, but there's a lot going on underneath. Flashes of subtle spice and resin add texture and dimension without ever pulling focus from the vetiver itself. The composition feels carefully considered. I'd wear this year-round, but feel like it will shine it summer heat. It's so weightless, almost effervescent (if a wood can be effervescent) and it feels perfectly suited to - really native to - my new home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In fact, this is the scent I've chosen to commemorate that move! Smells like: Bruno Fazzolari's Tucson studio Looks like: Desert clay spinning on a potter's wheel Sounds like: Praying for rain

Over the course of about a year now I’ve really started to branch out and explore new perfume houses. I’ve bought up a ton of discovery kits and inevitably they always have a vetiver focused scent. Every single time I am left either unimpressed or scrunching my nose at the paper stick but I try them on my skin regardless in the hopes that maybe they’ll impress later on. So when I blasted my wrist with Vetiverissimo and the other with Memo’s Irish Leather I fully expected to just ignore this and enjoy what Irish Leather had to offer. After about five minutes from leaving my house into the grey cold overcast day I am repeatedly sniffing Vetiverissimo. Irish who? I am absolutely HOOKED on this. As many have stated it smells like clean dirt, and it reminds me of wandering around a greenhouse nursery. There’s dirt, there’s woods, there’s a beautiful green and an ever so subtle sweetness. I had no absolutely zero faith that I would ever like vetiver but this is so gorgeous. I am so glad I gave this a chance because it’s a complete reversal from what I initially wrote off as just another vetiver.

I’d echo a lot of what’s being said here: a nice clean, woody Vetiver. Very reminiscent of the lovely Vetiver original from Guerlain, were they to scrape out the citrus and replace the tobacco with clean white woods(cedar, sandal). The ingredients here are much higher quality than the current iteration of Guerlain’s Vetiver and it is a bit darker, though not as funereal and scratchy as Encre Noir(another favorite), even if there is a BIT of ISO-e type synth wood in here, and even so it is incredibly subtle, lending only a shear lift to the woody aspects of the scent. Overall it is neck and neck between this and Heeley’s excellent Vetiver Veritas... I find the Heeley slightly more true to the material of Vetiver, though as such, it cycles through some less pleasant phases (menthol, smoky and earthy, respectively) on its journey around the nice soft grass note that anchors both of these fragrances. Overall, I’d say this is the most wearable, gentle Vetiver reference of the current niche.

Addendum to original review below. When I first tried it I thought there might be some clove but otherwise not much spice. Now it is abundantly clear to me that there is actually a fairly prominent Allspice note in this fragrance. I realized this after trying Berdoues Hoja de Cuba, which seemed like a less sophisticated, less subtle version of Vetiverissimo. Fragrantica lists only three notes for that frag: allspice, tobacco and vetiver, but I couldn't detect much tobacco in it. Shortly after that I sniffed some actual allspice in a jar, and that clenched it for me: Vetiverissimo's spice is allspice. It doesn't hit you over the head with it like Hoja de Cuba, though. It is much more subtle and better blended with the vetiver. Aside from that, my original review stands. This is a very easy to wear and relaxed fragrance, appropriate for any number of occasions or seasons. I will be bummed when my sample runs out.

Such a gorgeous vetiver. I don't know what else to say. I understand why it is not cheap. This smells like pure quality. I find it perfectly unisex in the way that Chanel Sycomore or Lalique Encre Noir is, although this is grassier and softer spoken. The drydown reminds me a bit of the original Private Collection: green, austere, elegant. That said, I'm not sure if I can rationalize the price per ounce personally. If I wanted to splurge, I would probably choose Au Delà Narcisse, which is more up my alley as a floral chypre. Vetiverissimo isn't as harsh and uncompromising as Encre Noir, especially as it dries down, but it is in no way sweet. Just that beautiful inky, earthy, black-tea and crushed leaves kind of smell, the fragrance of outdoors. Update: Just used the last of my sample. I'll miss this. A very clean, cedarlish vetiver. Less like a perfume than a very clean woodworking shop.

This is absolutely delicious. Obviously smells like vetiver, and some woods, but not the fakey synthetic “men’s” products woods. They are very real, very root-y, earthy. I just adore this scent. This is a personal tidbit, but it reminds me of my mother. Even though it’s dirt-y it isn’t dirty. It’s fresh, light, easy to love, not harsh. Excellent for somebody like me who likes very real and not overwhelming scents. So so nice! I can’t stop sniffing it.

Smells like more than vetiver. It’s like a sunny summer day, sitting by a pool, with the hot sun baking the wet wooden deck. Reminds me of sunscreen in the best possible way. Intoxicating and earthy. I wear it to work, going out, intimate settings, extremely versatile for my taste. Have received many compliments. But not what I previously understood vetiver to be. Will always have a full bottle. I could bathe in it. Layers well too. 10/10

A nice vetiver IMHO because it doesn't play up the sour citrus notes that I just can't stand. Even Chanel's, Sycomore, beautiful as it is, has that annoying tanginess about it that makes it intolerable for me. Vetiverissimo is a straight-forward, naturalistic and smooth rendition of vetiver that shows the perfumer's appreciation for the raw material. I prefer it over Diptyque or Chanel.

Ordered a travel size of vetiverissimo the day after I sampled it. This is the most grounding fragrance I’ve ever tried and really lifts my mood in the most gentle way. So comforting and high quality. I’ve enjoyed vetiver as a mid or base note in several fragrances in my collection but I am delighted to have vetiverissimo, which is really a meditation on vetiver.

As a big fan of Bruno Fazzolari's fragrances I am very happy to be the first to review Vetiverissimo. Like all of his others it is a high quality fragrance. It has a very nice woody vetiver smell. It is a much smoother and more wearable version of Lalique's Encre Noire. I ordered a bottle and look forward to wearing it this winter.

I thought I hated vetiver until I tried this. Now I am obsessed with it. I want to plant it in my yard. I want to know everything about it. It smells amazing and indescribable. I have a small sample, but will have to buy this one.

I layer this with Tihota for the most grounding and anxiety busting hug.

Finally sampling latest 2018 release from Bruno Fazzolari, Vetiverissimo, fittingly, a vetiver-dominant fragrance. It immediately reminds me of one of the best-known vetiver fragrances, Lalique Encre Noire, but much smoother and less ashy. The quality of Vetiverissimo is palpably higher, as well, as it feels denser and less transparent. I feel it hits on a lot of the facets of vetiver, as well, from the dry woodiness to the earthiness and certainly some smokiness as well. I don’t find it dirty per se but certainly it still hints at the earthiness and rawness of the signature vetiver note. It definitely leans more clean and smooth than, say, Lampblack, another vetiver-heavy and well-known fragrance in Bruno’s catalogue. As with his previous releases, Vetiverissimo is well-crafted, and I find it to be a nod to vetiver fans, certainly. It feels like it has a certain strength, too, and abovementioned density. Available at standard pricing of $125 for 30ml at the house’s website and a handful of US boutiques (Twisted Lily, Luckyscent, Fumerie, Tigerlily, etc.), pretty close to the pricing of most of the house ($110-$125 except for the Luckyscent exclusive, Fontevraud, which was $145 for the same size). A vetiver that’s easy to like, even for someone like me that tends to be rather discriminating regarding vetiver, balanced and well-performing. 7 out of 10

When it comes to vetiver, you just gotta roll with the fact that it isn’t an easy smell. It’s brown or gray, and it’s always going to be a bit austere and a bit stinky. Vetiverissimo leans *in* to the toughness — but in a friendly way. It’s a woody, bitter, enjoyably stanky vetiver. It’s a little too sheer and sleek to be “fuck yeah” perfumery. It’s more like a gin martini — it takes only the merest, subtlest garnish to elevate the main ingredient into a real drink. I fell in love with Guerlain Vetiver’s combination of citrus greenness and vetiver earthiness over a soft vanilla base, but there’s also a place in the world for simpler, straight-up vetiver. In Vetiverissimo you get a punch of vetiver up front that just fades smoothly out of sight as the day goes on. Like all dark minimalist vetivers, Vetiverissimo is probably redundant with Encre Noir, the OG minimalist vetiver (which is still shockingly cheap for how good it is.)

This a very clean dry vetiver themed fragrance. it has a paper dry vetiver teamed up with a soft as a pillow musk and some shear woody iso-E super. Make no mistake, there is a very noticeable musk note and the iso-e is just as noticable. Velvione i believe. Paired with that dry vetiver all I can think about is being warm and relaxed. This fragrance is so simple and nice. BUT, it gets interesting in the drydown where it opens up to some of the softest, driest woods you're going to find. There is also a subtle and slightly peppery note that compliments the dry musky vetiver. Again, as soft as a pillow or cloud and as dry as ash. This fragrance is totally unisex. I can imagine a man or woman comfortably sporting this on almost any occasion. That said, the Drydown is the winner in this one. When testing spray and walk away for an hour. Don't judge it on the opening, which is nice but nowhere near as nice as the drydown.

To me this is a perfectly unisex scent, much more reminiscent of the real thing than the headachey"vetiver" note you'll find in cheap men's cologne. Earthy, waxy, rooty, almost floral. Just a tiny bit soapy, but more like an luxurious handmade natural soap than an old-timey one, so I don't mind at all. I'm tickled by Animalthing's review, because this scent reminds me of my mother too (she's a cool Gen. X mom with timeless taste so fellas don't get scared.) I'm a fan!

I swear this dies down to a rose note! Nice dry smoky vetiver.

Powerful woody vetiver, a little carroty as ILikePeeps says, but with a scratchy tobacco-like note (a synthwood + cardamom maybe?) taking it too bitter-aromatic for me, though it never tips into vetiver acidity. I also find it hay-like and dry in the middle — probably the cedar — without much softness to it. Enjoyable though and some will relish the more wolfish tone of this amped-up vetiver if they can afford to stump up for it, but it’s not for me.