Incident Diplomatique

This frag is in my ‘top 5 of all time’ bottles I have. What a unique mix. So unique that it can be a signature scent. But it’s NOT for the casual untrained nose. (Smells like cigarette ashtray for the hoi polloi). Certainly not recommended for a blind buy. Nowadays anyone can wear any fragrance it seems, but I think this fragrance was designed for a Man. Nostalgic. Polarizing. This is the smell of a guy who has survived years of schooling or training, has suffered through many long sacrifices, has methodically climbed his way up thru life, and is now in his 40s, is now very successful, is feeling adventurous, and is ready to let loose, to see the world, and spend and dine and ride. Time to enjoy life. It’s the smell of a sophisticated alpha in his prime, not young but not old, the upper level manager that actually knows what he’s doing, can hold a philosophical and politics conversation without going overboard, is seasoned and feels confident, and is in his Rayban shades and expensive brown leather jacket, out and about in his BMW i8. He doesn’t want any company. Just some time off for himself. This is a fragrance you wear for your own pleasure, though you can definitely wear it for a date. For work? Probably not, because it’s a strong attention grabber. Distracting, albeit in a good way. I would classify it as an evening and fall/winter/spring frag, though I think it will also work in the day and summers too. It’s the version of Jovoy Private Label that you can actually wear in public. But still informal. Longevity: 8/10 (several hours @1m) Sillage: 8/10 (the room will notice, go light on the sprays) Price: 9/10 Scent: 10/10* Overall: 9/10 * very subjective

This perfume reminds me so much of "Precious Chandan" incense, specifically the one prouduced by HEM. The opening I cannot smell the mandarin. I get an immediate smell of incense like smoke, subtle vetiver, sandalwood and woody patchouli. Literally all the notes hit simultaneous for me. The moment I smelled it, my mind immediately went to Chandan incense sticks. I love the smell. But I was questioning if i was sent the wrong decant. Where's the vetiver? I guessed the incense like smell was the javanese vetiver and patchouli but I was feeling a bit disappointed. Then the initial drydown began. My beloved vetiver accord came through with POWER. Not in a beast mode nuclear sillage, but the vetiver is PROMINENT and yet in a completely smooth velvety way. It isn't in your face like Nishane's Sultan Vetiver (which I love), but just a nice velvet smoothness, almost creamy. It becomes slightly powdery while retaining that chandan meets vetiver smell. I love vetiver and I have to say this is one of the best perfumes focused on the note. How its polarizing to some, I have not a clue. Perhaps its the incense like accord thats off putting. To me, it bringd so many calm memories. This is a versatile scent. It could be worn in cold weather, but also in warm (not hot) weather. I feel fall or early spring, particularly evenings or formal gatherings is where this would truly shine. Its a serious smell. Elegant. Refined. Its a bit too serious for work. Incident Diplomatique is unisex but the woody patchouli brings it more masculine. Its unique for sure. Its a hard one to describe because its so different than other vetiver focused scents. Absolute masterpiece.

Shout out to Sebastian from 'Smelling Great Reviews' (Youtube) who is my absolute most trusted nose in the fragrance community for all my blind buys. He gets me pumped for so many compositions and houses I've never heard of and I just jump straight in and buy blind from his recommendations and he rarely ever lets me down (except Rien Intense Incense....uhhhh, cannot wear that!) INCIDENT DIPLOMATIQUE is no exception. This is fabulous. Grown up. Masculine. Green. Earthy. Sophisticated. I normally cannot stand Vetiver but love Patchouli but them two together here in whatever ratio and extraction are just perfect. Smooth blend without any harsh edges like vetiver can be normally. Nothing dank here. For me, the magic is in the later stages of the dry down (I'm talking after 8 hours). BEAST mode is an understatement. Although not a monster projector, it is a 14+ fragrance easy. I woke up this morning at 9am with it wafting everywhere and this after 4 sprays at 5pm the night before. Incredible. But that dry down! mmmmmmm; after 8 hours it turns a creamy green when all ingredients come together in unison as apposed to jostling for the limelight. I definitely enjoyed in much, more this morning than last night where it was lovely, yet, still had that nutmeg abrasiveness that needed smoothing over. The way Sebastien hyped this got me so excited and after not initially loving after after first purchase, a month later i can definitely start to see the magic here. If you love French Lover like I do from Frederic Malle, where green and earth take centre stage with class, refinement and sophistication, then this is your jam. Thanks Seb

This is fantastic. Honestly, I was hesitant about wearing this after initially smelling the atomizer of the decant. It was an intense Vetiver smell. "I don't know if this will even make me smell GOOD," I thought. Now, I had seen Justin Copeland recommend this on YouTube, and I respect his recommendations, as he and I have similar tastes in fragrances. "It smells like the sweater of someone that smokes cigarettes...in a good way. I know that doesn't sound that great, but trust me," Justin had said. That comment intrigued me. I chose the perfect day to wear Incident Diplomatique. It was a cold, gray, rainy day in December. Something about the smoky vetiver and the darkness vibe of Incident Diplomatique makes it pair with cold, rainy days perfectly. It is surprisingly sophisticated. Once the drydown hits, Incident Diplomatique has this masculine, black leather vibe that it gives off. I know that leather isn't listed in the notes, but that "vibe" is present...if that makes sense. Incident Diplomatique, when worn in the right weather/context, is a phenomenal fragrance. Give it a chance if you're hesitant. You'll be glad you did.

This is nothing like I have smelled before. It was an absolute blind buy based only on a book I read by Annie Ernaux where the lover of the female protagonist was an eastern european diplomat who smelled of heavy and manly perfume (because the name of the fragrance reminded me of the book.. kind of a blunt association). The first sniff. I was absolutely delighted. It is masculine, smoky, heavy patchouli and vetiver, maybe a little boozy. This is not a "friendly" fragrance. It is a distant, cold, indifferent smell. It is well blended, and the ingredients are of a supreme quality. Not a date fragrance, but I used it on a date and got a compliment (a 23 year old female, complimenting this... it really surprised me). It smells of power. It is overwhelming. It is elegant. Lasted solid 5 hours, and then I got whiffs until the 10th hour or so. A friend told me I smelled great like 8 hours from application (6 sprays). I love it. Will buy a back up when I have the money. I used it in a hot and dry day and it went really well. Of course it is more of a colder days frag, but you can pull it off pretty much every day of the year.