Faunus

Currently my go-to scent for daytime. A light, almost creamy wood scent primarily, with something gently animalic and leathery glimpsed through the trees. The hay is there–it's freshly baled and still green, with that nice round moist grass scent, just a tiny bit of fresh earthy funk. "Galloping stag" is cheekily listed on the notes from the house, and although musk isn't on the Fragrantica notes, there is something animalic here for sure that really blooms on my skin, almost a whisper of fenugreek or immortelle combined with musk. I don't smell this note when I spray on clothes, though. I also think I get some iso-E in this, though I'm not 100% sure. It has that same pheromonal cedar smell, though IES is definitely not the only thing doing the heavy lifting in the cedar department.

The woodiness is immediately present, but it’s not a smoky firewood, it’s evergreen, something young and crackly. The bergamot blooms as it dries down. It is like begamot-oiled wood furniture, very warm and very dry in a sunlit window. The hay reads more as dust to me, as there isn’t anything animalic present. It is almost reminiscent of the rabbit hutch I had as a child, just freshly cleaned and with no rabbits... the ghost of that hutch, I guess. The leather is there if your nose is pressed against the skin. You might expect something sexier for a satyr’s perfume, but on its own, Faunus is dry and distant. If you love bergamot but want a deeper, warmer, woodier stage for it, this is perfect- though it only stays that way for a good 5-6 hours. It’s really stunning.

A real surprise. I was reluctant to sample this as I am so hit or miss with cedar. Cedar can easily be too strong, too sharp, like a Christmas candle. It is the clever cedar that is not super over-powering but is so well blended with oud, leather, citrus and incense that makes this special. It just works together skillfully. I keep thinking of the smell of Sprite, not that this smells anything like Sprite but it is a really nice composition that you keep coming back to. This is a very interesting indie house. I also really like Incendo which will be reviewed later. Scent: 9 Longevity: 8 Composition: 9 Value: $95 for 50ml so a 9 Wearable: Anywhere 10

La Curie really excels at capturing the scent of the outdoors, and Faunus is no exception. The name certainly fits this sylvan-god dream of a scent. It's all woods and hay with a touch of citrus, but it also has the quality of crisp, fresh air. Woody scents can so often veer dense and claustrophobic, but here, there's sunshine shooting through the foliage. I really don't know how they manage to make their scents replicate not just the fragrances, but the feeling of being outside. A few reviewers sense animalic facets here, but I can't say I pick up on any.

A pronounced cedar and bergamot scent, leaning on the dry and masculine side while fully immersed in nature. I don’t pick out the Oud note. I do get a bit of turpentine throughout, but that oil is harvested from trees so it makes sense. Faunus reminds a bit of an artists studio in an old barn. This is also linear but that’s never bothered me about scents I like. Faunus is a scent for when your nose needs a break; no ambroxan or iso e added to extend the base, thank goodness. Thanks to Airborne Armadillo for turning me onto this house.