Arsene Lupin Voyou Eau de Parfum

Update: I have most of the Parisian collection. They are all great, but Lupin Voyou was my least favorite when I purchased them in cold weather. Now in warmer Springtime, it's a favorite! The fresh spices and citrus really pop in warmer weather. I got this as a blind buy along with Heros and Chamade. Chamade is my #1 in the series, then a tie with Derby and Heros. Then Voyou was the one disappointment at first. I thought I would fast from fragrances for 48 hours, then try Voyou again. Yes, I appreciate it more now. The woodiness is like cedar pencil shavings, more so than sandalwood. It's not very woody, but more spicy aromatic, heavy on coriander, and sage in the open. In the mid I get some cardamom, and the slightly sweet, Guerlain/ lemonade. The citruses are very nice and noticable in the open, the most in the Parisians, except Frenchy. Its the most old fashioned, but it's unique, and performance is best in series. I bumped up my rating today. I was expecting a nice sandalwood, I dont pick out much sandalwood. I get some pencil shavings at times. I get lots of the unlisted oakmoss, and some aldehydes, that are in all the Parisian series. Then I get a lot of coriander and sage, a bit of cloves.. It reminded me a lot of Pasha by Cartier, but more natural, less synthetic. So this is more of an old school fougere than Chypre for me, without lavander. I get the citrus more with Voyou than the others. It does get more woody in the mid. The Dry-down: The dry-down after generous sprays is great. I smell the spicy green cardamom, vanelic benzoin, artamisia all in a nice balance, complex and enjoyable. This is an EDP, with the best longevity of the 4 Parisians I have. In the open- mid, the coriander, and sour moss were overwhelming alll the other notes; Then it keeps getting better, with the dry-down being by far the best part. 10-12 hour for longevity. Rating: 8.5/10 God bless. John 3:16

My second review right up after the unsuccessful L'homme Ideal Sport and boy do I love this juice! It really is incredibly outstanding compared to the other scents I had or smelled so far. I'm not that great at identifying the individual notes as haven't smelled a lot individually but as others have mentioned it is that luxurious creamy sandalwood posh sexy resinous accord with a touch of rose. I definitely smell quality ingredients in there, don't understand when others say its synthy? It lasts and lasts and lasts, I applied yesterday at three p.m., lasted really well during my 8 hour shift, the first 6 hours was really noticeable, I could still smell it and had applied it only onto my wrist (like 4 sprays) as I'm testing it and don't want the others to perceive it as much yet. Had Dior Homme Intense on my neck and to be honest I could smell Voyou on me more coming from the wrist, and could not stop sniffing it every now and then. I woke up at 11am now, it's been 20 odd hours since the application and I could still detect this on my wrist for sure, so it definitely lasts longer then the Dior Intense which I thought was a beast. Will keep this newly found gem for cooler months, fall, winter, or cooler evenings in the summer/spring perhaps as my special occasion signature as it is pricey and I'm not that rich yet having the Uni debt and all that. Was lucky enough I got a great deal from Ebay for this for 130 Euro a brand new bottle /I believe in the first box, now it comes in a different one/, would not have bought it otherwise. Awesome stuff that it is so unknown that no one will really wear or know it and it is there for you, your special secret gem :D

Fortunately, Cochlea's review below corrects the erroneous parfume pyramid stated above by the website managers. There is nothing common or generic at all in this complex frag which is IMHO a 3-act masterpiece (BTW Aqua di Parma with the superb but expensive Note di Colonia needs 3 frags to play a similar game with Verdi and Puccini, my preference going to Puccini). Lupin Voyou opens with angelica-like absinthic citrus with growing notes of coriander, which makes the transition of slowly fading citrus (>2h) into a soft spicy scent figuring also cardamon and clove tree, attenuated by a growing but strange sort of sandalwood which plays a vanilla-like game, sometimes occupying the whole scene, modulating a discrete sage and a majestic (Bulgarian) rose. This rose will lead, after 8 hours or so, the third and last act. Here again, the sandalwood amplifies the rose and patchouli, but only after the cistus labdanum got to its full expression. It is quite a long journey, at least 12 hours, to climb from the sunny coast with its lemon trees to the gentle woods, and then back down the rocks full of labdanum to finally arrive in the rose gardens ! So many frags and sequences, I've almost been lost on my way, like some other reviewers here. But that's the game of Lupin, who just like his English cousin Robin Hood, enjoys putting the world upside down. Makes me think at an Australian world map. Thanks JP Guerlain !

Guerlain Arsene Lupin Voyou is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. It is a lovely upscale creation that has become one of my favorite scents of all time. It is a very smooth and dry fragrance with accurate main accords of "Balsamic, Warm Spicy, Aromatic & Woody". To my nose sandalwood, rose and patchouli are ever present with other various notes showing themselves as time goes by. Initially, you also get invigorating accents of bergamot and coriander. Later on, sage and cardamom show up to add depth and intrigue. Finally, a warm benzoin accord shines through in the base to wrap up this truly mysterious and complex fragrance. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: Moderate Sillage: Moderate Versatility: B Value: C+

I feel compelled to set the record straight that sandalwood does not smell like mentholated vaporub. Ever. Even Australian Sandalwood (Santalum Spicatum) with its aromatic edge and eucalypt-like effects doesn't smell like vaporub. (And I know that Guerlain only use Santalum Album in their compositions anyway. You can't source enough spicatum to make perfumes in bulk if you're a large-scale commercial enterprise like Guerlain.) I can only assume that the person below is confusing the sage and wormwood notes with the aroma of sandalwood.