Petroleum

Petroleum is pretty bizarre indeed being entirely built and conceived on juxtapositions. Resinous and intense but at the same time sort of fresh and "ozonic", deep and obscure but surrounded by aldehydic notes, dark and animalic yet "clear" and somehow light. All the elements are handled in an almost "unseen" way. The oud/rose combo is nowhere similimar or somehow close to any of the previous interpretations of the accord, It's amphasized in its woody freshness avoiding the burnt-sugar and medicinal effect. Rose is detectable but masterfully blended with the rest. Deepness is provided by a consistent dose of resinous notes while civet juxtaposed to aldehydes and ozonic hints gives birth to a destabilizing and pleasantly dissonant accord during the musky/ambery drydown. The base. This is the real point of strength of Petroleum. Petroleum is not just wearable, is extremely wearable and a true standout. The fragrance has a nice projection but it never become overwhelming or claustrophobic. It has a remarkable presence but, fortunately, is not overpowering as I expected. Lately I've noticed a mineral quality to it that adds even more complexity. Surely a winner for me and among the best releases of the year but I believe this is going to be a polarizing fragrance because of its ozonic undertones which, together with aldehydes, create a bizarre juxtaposition with the rest. Paradoxically there's no challenging power coming from the supposed petrol note (which is definitely more mineral/natural smelling than the gasoline-like accord of, let's say, Fahrenheit, Nostalgia or even Knize Ten). The ozonic aspect, instead, adds a slightly weird and destabilizing nuance that may result off-putting to someone. IMO it perfectly blends with the rest adding a compelling, sort of off-centre, aspect. Overall Petroleum has a very distinctive character and, just like many of the HDP compositions, it perfectly achieves an incredible balance between traditional perfumery and modernity. Full bodied but somehow weightless. Rating: 8.5/10

I think the note lineup sums this one up pretty well. And in order too! So to me, this is one of those deals where the scent trail is fantastic - but don't go sticking your nose right up to your arm! That's when the musk and aldehydes attack. If I were female and I purchased this due to its "unisex" label, id be one pissed off lady! In my opinion, I would feel very awkward about this being worn on a woman - but that's just my opinion. At any rate - it kind of reminds me of a smell you'd encounter before having surgery - something that is memorable and not for the faint of heart. I'm going to give this a few tries before giving my final thoughts (I know you guys are so disappointed :) - however, I can say for certain that it's far from love at first sniff for me. And just while I'm still here thinking about things - and this isn't going to make sense - think about the smell of cloves. There's something in this similar to that - very polarizing. Ok second edit... Promise I'm done after this. To me, this is a more intense version of musc ravageur - but instead of cloves, aldehydes. Make sense? No? Good. Me either. Final decision! I've had some time to feel this one out. At first spray I thought, "what in the hell have I done?" Now I'm thinking -"you're the man bro. Keep making good decisions." I definitely feel the petroleum vibe here. It has a mechanic shop type dirtiness to it - with some vanilla thrown in. I can see this as being a sexy scent given the appropriate environment. It had the potency of interlude man and musc ravageur, but a vastly different scent from both. I don't think this is a smell that someone would feel indifferent about - one side or the other. Choose the right side! Great addition to my collection. 7/10

This is one of the strangest and most nostalgic things I've ever smelled in my entire life. It actually makes me quite emotional. My fathers dirty toolbox, his worn in newly washed working clothes that still smell of oil, leather, burnt tires and sweet salty sea air. The scent remind me so much of my father. I remember riding at the back of his working bike through the culverts of the hospital in the town where I grew up. I was about six years old back then. He worked at the hospital keeping big machines running, the only thing I really saw from his job was when he took an hour off to follow me to the dentist. And he smelled clean but strongly of oil and zingy metal. When he got off work he spent a lot of time fixing cars and street racing, that's my second big connection to this perfume. The leather smells just like the sunken in car seats with four point seat belts, and it's combined with a soft burnt rubber scent, almost sweet. All of these cold, dirty, harsh notes are combined with warming skin like notes which balances it all up, but also something incredibly ozonic and aldehydic, especially at the opening. If I didn't know better I would almost call it "cucumber-y" or "melon-y". Just a huge blast of aquatic, sweet, sharp cleanliness which I really don't like, but it excites me so much that I can't help smelling it over and over again. It makes the scent completely transparent. So so so strange.

And just like that, I found my favorite scent in the HdP line. I like just about everything about this. It's certainly strange but devilishly addicting. Theres a bit of pissy civet, but the opening is mostly an incredibly convincing gasoline accord with all the unpleasant aspects removed and replaced by wearable and accessible "perfumey" notes. The result is a fascinating contrast between the classic smoothness of the amber and patchouli with the scintillatingly terpenic qualities of the oud/leather/borderline-ozonic fumes overhead. Pretty striking and modern from a line that has smelled a bit more "classic" to me (ambre 114, 1740). As it dries down it gets much more traditional with the patchouli and amber taking dominance with a bit of leathery, oudy nuance but theres still a nice weird little hint of civet floating around keeping it interesting. It's all very smooth and soft on the nose despite the strangeness and I think that's why it is such a success. It doesn't smell cacophonous or sloppy in the slightest; Ghislain is incredibly skilled. 9/10

The Civetta accord comes across as almost bready and edible, not sure how to describe it. Might be the patchouli and the leathery musk combo, so in harmony as to propose something dark, almost petrol like but with a classy vibe never in your face like in the case of Dior Fahrenheit. It's more resinous than oud smelling so to speak. I am not sure, the oud is front and center for a short time in the beginning but it settles down into a mellow leathery smoky accord. Reminds me of Ursa from Tiziana Terenzi but with lighter accords of lesser patchouli and more ethereal tones. All in all a mighty naughty perfume, I'm sure before IFRA restrictions this must've been the real deal. Btw - where the heck are the aldehydes? lol