Arthes Essential Patchouli Sumatra

Recently, I found my old sample still containing a couple of drops and it filled me with nostalgia. It was the first "mature" perfume that I got and my introduction to patchouli. I initially got Rose Damascus, but this line had samples of two other scents in every box, so I tried them out. The first sniffs gave me the "old lady" vibe, but the longer I sniffed, the more intrigued I was, it seemed very addictive, so I quickly understood that I was in need of a full bottle. Many people compare it to Patchouli by Reminiscence which I also own, but I find it earthy and leaning masculine a bit. This one, on the contrary, is not earthy on my skin, it's very balsamic, feels pretty resinous and a tad medicinal. Very smooth, more feminine, but could well be unisex. Not particularly long lasting, but still well blended, rich and had a good quality for the price, sadly, the whole line is discontinued now.

I suppose this could be unisex, but to me, it's really more feminine sweet and powdery. If you don't like powdery scents, you might not enjoy this one. Patchouli Sumatra is a truly beautiful powdery feminine sweet patchouli scent. It's very smooth, silky, earthy, not bitter at all. Exotic, warm, comforting, it feels like velvet on skin. First spray offers a dark, deep, herbal aged patchouli. As it warms with my skin, I detect touches of cardamom, light sweet amber, soft cocoa powder and sweet sandalwood blended to give this fragrance a powdery texture. This blend is very rich, deep, soothing, comforting and very pleasant. Earthy, but NO sharp edges or bitterness here at all. This heavenly beauty lasts on my skin easily for 10 hours, projecting about 12 inches consistently. A very pleasing exotic treasure that rivals the most expensive perfumes on the market. I LOVE it !

ETA: as I have upgraded my original "like" to "love", I thought I should search out a back up bottle. No luck! If anyone spots some for sale online, please PM me. An addition to my previous review... It's cold, damp, grey and overcast today in Essex. Just the sort of day I hate; it makes me miserable. I also have a very sore throat, so am feeling particularly sorry for myself. I sprayed this on a whim. I am getting a really chocolatey vibe from Patchouli Sumatra. It has made me smile and has cheered me up. There is definitely more than *just* patchouli in this. Patchouli, amber and vanilla, I think. It really is lovely!

Arthes Essential Patchouli Sumatra reminds me of Berdoues Vanille Patchouli, which I do love. The initial spray of Patchouli Sumatra is like a shot of warm bourbon. That vanishes quickly to reveal a wild green patchouli with an earthy backdrop and an amber & vanilla finish. This isn't as strong as Berdoues, nor is it as long lasting. In fact, Arthes is a bit fleeting by comparison. Lasts a few good hours on my skin. I think it's a beauty. I will stock up. Great layering fragrance. As another reviewer said, I find this very comforting.

Today I discovered an oil available at Whole Foods and Wild Oats (from Kuumba? ) called 'Amber Paste'. Oddly, this unappealingly named, wee fragrance oil has a scent very close to Jeanne Arthes' Patchouli! Lots of patchouli melded with sweet/herbal amber. Either Amber Paste OR Patchouli Sumatra are - IMHO - essential for the patch lovers among us to try. Unisex, strong, and long lasting, I feel that both fragrances are equally good. It's just a matter of which suits YOU best! Oh, and Testers are available in store for the oil. :D

So simple....it's wonderful! At first spray, it reminds me of Mystere by Novaya Zarya, which is very linear. But this one is way better; It develops wonderfully on the skin. It leaves a soft powdery, beautiful sweet patchouli smell. It wears very close to the skin, which makes it perfect for everyday ware. Definitely for the patchouli lovers...LOVE IT! EDIT: Have gotten many compliments on this one; mainly from men. They seem to love the ethnic, incense like smell. (++++)

This is the most lovely patchouli fragrance ever. It stays close to the skin, you can enjoy yourself all day and only those who come close will get to compliment you. And they will, this stuff is amazing. And the price is amazing. I ordered the Jasmine Du Nil, also and it is wonderful and fresh. I bought this patchouli blind from the reviews on here. I was not disappointed. Thanks everyone! +++++

Simply put: Earthy Patchouli done right. <3 Can be dry, almost dusty, but never Musty. Spray cautiously - this is lovely in moderation. Decent sillage and longevity, but beastly at first if overdone. Decidedly unisex, though gently sweet. Layers gorgeously with eastern and western scents alike. Five stars in every way - the bargain, 'niche' patchouli of your dreams!

I like it better as it wears, like other's have said, very strong in the beginning, almost medicinal. After a couple of hours, it is sweet and soft ambery/patchouli. A funny side note, I sprayed Patcholi Sumatra on one arm and Rose Damascus on the other and immediately thought, if I had put them together I'd have had Betsey Johnson TooToo.

Sampled this today and bought it immediately- what a nice patch! Heady and warm with cinnamon and amber- just lovely! And this employs a good-quality, aged patchouli oil (very-little of those piney top-notes- all softened to dark fuzziness)- totally took me by surprise- especially for the price!

Really lovely, long-lasting patchouli fragrance - but I am sure I can smell vanilla. Sillage is moderate, at best (or worst, depending on your outlook...).

BEAUTIFUL PATCHOULI! Very warm and resinous. Most def has vanilla or amber mixed with it. I absolutely love this. :)

Patchouli Sumatra is pure Decay In a Bottle. If Demeter was to make a fragrance like this they would call it Corpse or Lazarus Risen. You get my meaning. Let's start at the beginning because the whole experience is entirely my own fault. First mistake and a warning... Never Ever Ever liberally spray Patchouli Sumatra all over your body. I did... Initial note a very strong smell of Coffee, not too bad I'm thinking. Then I was hit with the Sweet Stench of Decay. Picture this...Me running around the bedroom flapping my arms with my nose in the air trying to keep it as far away from my body as I could. Dry retching, running for the loo because I was surely going to vomit. My dog Bud came to investigate the fuss, desperately there I was, rubbing my arms all over Bud's fur because I would rather smell like Dog than Decay. He usually finds every dead animal to roll in when we go for a hike, I really didn't think he would mind. No...there goes Bud running up the hallway with his tail between his legs, I haven't seen him since. Now I'm starting to feel very nauseous the smell is just so powerfully overwhelming. I grab the nearest sweet perfume I can find and wet my skin thoroughly in the hopes of masking this putrid scent. Nope Patchouli Sumatra ate through that scent within minutes. Half an hour of self-inflicted misery later... there is relief. The smell of Decay dies to be replaced with a heavenly smell of Patchouli, Musk and a gorgeous resinous Amber. I very carefully smell myself and think... "Huh this isn't too bad after all, in fact it's really quite lovely". So my thoughts on how to wear this? One spray is more than plenty, in fact, spray it on something else, dab your finger in it and then apply to your skin. Should be more than sufficient. Once you get past the putrefaction it really is quite a pleasant Patchouli. In all honesty, humour and negativity aside, I think I got a bad bottle and the top notes have died, literally. I don't think I could ever wear this in public though for the fear of attracting Zombies.

Still on the search for a pathchouli that suits my wants and desires. I know this is for women but I thought I would give it a try. I agree with those who said that there are MANY more notes than the one listed- patchouli. I would add some sandalwood, spice and vanilla. That said, its pretty direct and to the point. Patchouli. The more I own it, the more I have come to like it but I sure wish it lasted which it does NOT! It has to have one of the worst longevity records of anything I own. I SURE wish it would last. Its cheap so I was willing to blind buy. Someone mentioned a resemblance to Jessica Simpson's Fancy Nights which I did NOT like but I am not sure I would tie the two together. I couldn't see how anyone would rank Fancy Nights as a patch scent.

Patchouli Sumatra by Jeanne Arthes is a smooth patchouli with a perfect balance of earthiness and sweetness. It never becomes cloying but still has enough amber-y character to keep it from sliding into hippy armpit territory. I actually prefer this over some niche patchouli fragrances (that will remain nameless) that tend to dry down into benzoin bombs or baby wipes. This is, by far, the best out of the three fragrances in the Arthes Essential collection. Decent sillage and tenacity, and best of all, $18 for 100 mLs.

There is no room for me to complain about a straight forward, earthy green patchouli in a heavy, whimsical bottle that set me back $13.95 with shipping. My skin eats the scent almost immediately. Not to worry, I'll just spritz some more on! I have a distinct feeling this will be my go-to layering scent. Stays close to the skin. Subtle.

I was expecting a good, strong blast of Patchouli...instead I found a house cat instead of a Tiger.Nice, tame, perfect for layering, but on it's own too sweet for me & not very noticeable after half an hour.Super cheap, without smelly nasty,a safe blind buy...I couldn't imagine anyone being offended by this one & it does smell clean.

I find this comes off heavy to start off, and doesn't have much of a patchouli scent. It's after it settles for a while that the patchouli seems to set in. I like this one to layer generally with something lighter and a little floral. Vanilla is too heavy, so I tend to go for a lighter rose fragrance.

Read the reviews. I love patchouli, so bought it NIB. Sorry folks, worst $10 I have spent in ages. Green, DAMP. Almost soggy. Reminds me a cheap, flavored pipe tobacco that has started to mold. Also has an ever so slighty soured tonka bean/vanilla note running underneath it all. See tobacco reference above. Its on the verge of being down right nasty. Same sort of "patchouli" as Fancy Nights by Jessica Simpson. At least that started out with a nice, realistic papyrus note before it took a turn for the worst. Patchouli Sumatra doesn't even have that. Remember; body chemistry is everything!

For patchouli lovers only. I am just a patchouli liker so Patchouli Sumatra was a bit much for me. Starts off very dank and mossy. As it dries I began to detect a warm, peachy sort of note and then slight vanilla. It sits very close to the skin which I find is best for the intensity of the fragrance. Not all patchoulis need to be Angel. Simple, but not boring. It certainly does not smell like a patchouli oil you'd purchase at a head shop. More interesting and with a feminine quality, but could definitely be unisex.