Philosia

Projection is good on me the first 1 hour, but it lasts about 2 hrs becoming a skin scent. Regardless I absolutely love it. In the opening, a blast of orange-infused, not too sweet, citric/sour aroma from the mandarin-orange mixes with the green fresh smell of the masculine-leaning bergamot. The pine-eucalyptus quickly follow becoming part of that citrus fresh opening, introducing a bolder, forest-y, leafy green element. The result emulates the astringent kinda sharp bitter-sweet-green smell of foliage and the orange helps in that aspect. I love all the stages of this perfume. The pine lends a subtle masculine tone and it is very bold. This whole fresh orangey tart green scent is not a harsh smell of cut leaves, but rather a natural forest-y green smell. Pine can be too intense to me being so forest-y and bold, so the eucalyptus adds a soft sweet herbal aroma which softens the pine so it's not like a Harpic pine toilet cleaner scent (see Miss Pucci). The fresh bergamot, the almost bitter forest-y pine and the soft herbal eucalyptus notes accompany the tart orange-mandarin pairing on a musky-waxy/animalic backdrop while the fir balsam amplifies this pine forest-y impression adding an intoxicating deep, very balsamic element to the pine/eucalyptus blend that leans masculine, but doesn't end up smelling manly or nauseating due to the sweetness of the anise. The methystic, deep fir balsam is not balsamic in an ambery way. I love fir balsam as in the VS Serene Snow mist, but in there it is more spicy and high-pitched than here. The fir balsam is intense at first paired with the pine, so forest-y, balsamic and "cold", but not as heavy or nauseating as in BBW Sleigh Rides & Snuggles. If it wasn't the anise, the fir balsam and pine would definitely become nauseating and overpower the eucalyptus. The fir balsam differentiates it from the usual green fresh scents, it adds something mysterious to it. The fir balsam remains for the drydown as part of the fragrance's heart even though it softens and right away it pairs so well with the sweet solar anise. Together they produce a creamy soft spicy balsamic green scent almost lactonic and nutty, that is SO attractive, even my mom loved it when she smelled it on me. That's the element that makes this perfume so amazing to me, it's the heart of the perfume. The star anise also pairs well with the Guaiac wood's soft leathery vanilla-like sweetness and the waxy musk which are prominent right away. The musk, cedar and Guaiac create a subtle "wet wood" impression. The sweet soft spice of the star anise, a unique smell between spice and herb, unleashes its sweet licorice-like power almost right away pairing nicely with the sour orange-mandarin smell too. It smells almost edible and solar kinda like ambrette usually does, just not as buttery and sweet as ambrette which is close to how mahlab smells -ambrette sometimes adds a chocolatey nuance to scents - while anise is aromatic leaning herbal and more neutral to my nose. The star anise really adds something solar and incredible. I also smell it in the projection. I just read the little story they have on the back of the bottle talking about "playing seek and hide under the trees while dappled light peeps through the leaves, the mesmerizing play of light and shadow". So by this note it was their intention to create a sweet nostalgic solar effect using the star anise, how nice and perfectly executed conveying exactly this impression. This perfume feels like walking through a refreshing pine forest after a summer rain enjoying the rays of light through the leaves and the wet wood. The anise gradually intensifies in the drydown, when the leafy green pine scent and the orange-mandarin sourness take a step back. I love such creamy sweet spices: anise, mahlab/mahlepi and ambrette. We use anise and mahlepi in Greek recipes too - Greece is where Anatolia and the western world meet so it makes sense why Korres utilized anise. The opening and middle phase have this sour orange-mandarin scent that is so fresh almost lemony-green reminiscent of Avgoustos for a second, projecting wonderfully in the breeze and pairs so well with the eucalyptus/pine scent, the deep balsamic fir, the sweet anise and leathery woody musky base. I just wish the sour element remained more intensely in the very drydown, but I still get some tart fresh mandarin traces at the 30-40min mark. I smell the subtle sour orange-mandarin aroma more in outdoor settings. Philosia has an intense animalic woody musky base like wet wood that develops even more after 30 mins on my skin, and the Guaiac wood/cedar intensify with some earthy patchouli spice making it almost dusty-woody at first (at the 20 min mark), but luckily it quickly deviates from the dusty effect and starts becoming sweeter from the anise and more leathery, rather than dusty. So it is slightly reminiscent of KKW Rare Fig for a brief moment due to that patch/woody element, since both have an intense woody vein to them and also a mandarin sour tone, but Rare fig is more lemony and green throughout and very dry. Rare Fig smells legitimately, entirely stale on me like perfume that's gone bad with this intense dusty woody odor because some Vetiver like the Javanese kind is smoky and dusty - yuck. Rare Fig is also very green and cold, while here we have some solar warmth & edible sweetness from the star anise. At 30-40 mins the base notes morph into a creamy musky leathery scent from the Guaiac wood (which as a note can smell like vanilla-sweet and balsamic). Paired with that, we have the balsamic creamy sweet green spice from the anise-fir balsam and the earthy-spicy element of the patchouli. From the green notes what's left is mostly the wonderful aromatic eucalyptus that remains after 40 mins, a soft green herbal scent. The pine is there but softer at this point. So the name Philosia is more appropriate for the bold green-sour opening and the first 20 mins on me. The drydown is much softer, sweeter, more woody-earthy, solar, subtly balsamic green-spicy and herbal compared to the fresher, bolder forest-y, citrusy balsamic opening. This fragrance smells like you climbed up a tree, cut some leaves and oranges and then started coming down to the tree's base, from the leaves to the wood and soil, that's the impression and experience it gives me.

Avgoustos comparison. Avgoustos remains green and fresh from start to finish compared to Philosia, due to the fig and the lemon tree in the middle. Philosia meaning foliage in our language, from the word phyllon =leaf, is not as lemony-green as Avgoustos (and not breezy at all), but definitely cousin scents from the opening to the middle notes due to their common sour green tone, but then they take different routes. Avgoustos is even more leafy green kinda bitter as it contains the lemon tree note, very realistic and bright. Philosia is equally sour aromatic from the mandarin-orange, and it is green-fresh from their common bergamot note, just not as bright and not as bitter-green, but rather deeper bolder forest-y pine-like green, like you're walking in pine-eucalyptus woods. Philosia is heavily balsamic and creamy, while Avgoustos is not. Philosia is sour-green at first mainly. Avgoustos is tart- green throughout, more fresh and feminine, also high-pitched, with an intensely lemony scent, like lemon tree leaves with some sweeter soapy and breezy (Ambergris-lavender) elements. I like Philosia more due to the fir balsam and sweet creamy solar anise spice on the leathery woody musky base that develops more later on. The Guaiac wood that becomes almost vanilla-sweet and balsamic rather than smoky, pairs so nicely with the licorice sweetness of the star anise and the deep fir balsam. Philosia becomes a bit herbal while Avgoustos remains grassy green. Avgoustos is more breezy and fresh in comparison, like Electrify by Agent Provocateur without the intense lemon-sour tone of that one. In the end, Avgoustos is lemony throughout, whereas Philosia becomes a softer eucalyptus musky balsamic scent with a sweet soft ambrette-like spice from the anise and a subtle tart tone. Philosia is darker, more moody and balsamic green from the fir/pine leaning masculine, but not ambery aftershave type of masculine. They are different vibes essentially. I think Philosia is something that I imagine a guy wearing too as it is more "serious" and mysterious. Avgoustos is not as masculine and it radiates happiness, a breezy cooling scent of the summer as the name denotes. Philosia would be a perfect autumn scent.

There are some specific Korres fragrances that really work for me. They tend to be the more "masculine" leaning ones, the woodier, the greener, the spicier. Philosia is one of them. To my nose, it s a combination of Avgoustos and Vetiver Root. The dry down is actually almost identical to Vetiver Root. For someone who likes both, Philosia could be the golden medium. It s a well balanced, inoffensive and delightful green scent suitable for all seasons. It doesn't t smell synthetic, it s work safe, and a pleasant easy reach. Longevity and silage are modest to weak but on my skin it dries down to a pleasant, soft, sweet and spicy skin scent, ideal for hot weather. In my opinion Korres has mastered the formula of green, fresh fragrances with a tad bit of woody sweetness. Although it s nothing groundbreaking, Philosia is a very well rounded perfume!

Really nice fragrance. Transports me to a pine forest. Aromatic, refreshing and very versatile. It’s mostly about fir, pine and eucalyptus on my skin (aka no citruses detected). 100% unisex. Makes me feel like a girl boss. Longevity is lamentable (I can make it last 2 hours at best), but it projects well the first half an hour it’s on. Then it becomes a skin scent and disappears completely. It was still full bottle worthy for me, but I definitely recommend sample-ing it before buying. Smells niche (sue me). Overall: 9/10

Inoffensive scent. Smells like a whole orange grove with sunshine, green leafs and tree bark. Not sweet, but fresh and green.