Le Poivre Rose

This fragrance has not gotten enough love, so I'm here to spread the love and the good news. This is a wonderful scent if you like spice, woods and herbal, aromatic scents. The initial notes that greet your nose are loud pink pepper, incense and something that really smells like rose. Poivre rose of course means pink pepper in French, no relation to real roses. I think it's the combo of the pepper notes with the sage gives off a greenish flowery vibe that is really spice, sage and the pepper. Lovely cedar enters as you move into the drydown and the greens become more prominent as well. There is definitely more in this juice than the notes mentioned. I smell some galbanum, olibanum that keeps it going for quite a few hours and there are more woods in addition to the cedar. The nutmeg becomes more prominent in the drydown and it remains a really refreshing and lovely skin scent for hours. This fragrance layers beautifully with L'Antichambre's Le Tabac, which tends to be a bit too sweet. Le Poivre Rose takes the sweetness down a notch and creates a beautiful aura around you. People may not bow at your feet, but they will notice you in a good way.

I only have 2 things in mind when it comes to this scent. First: it is one of the few in the line (out of the first 12 at least) that don't smell sort of similar after the first half hour, so I guess that's a compliment for originality. Second: I have finally come to see what it strongly reminds me of: Ouarzazate by Comme des garcons. If you ask me what does pink pepper has to do with that scent, I'll answer: none. But as much as I don't like the strong herbal vibe in that scent, I smell exactly the same here and I've understood it is due to the strong sage plus the cedar, which for me create the kitchen atmosphere when my dad cooks chicken with herbs. I don't like it... foody in a bad way. However, this doesn't smell necessarily bad and I am sure many people will enjoy the peppery part which for me only makes the whole thing even foodier. I don't dislike it that much in others but I get sick with it in my body. If you ask me: go for Ouarzazate instead. Half the prize and much better.

Great herbal scent. The nutmeg and pepper are clear, as is the sage. Nicely peppery with a suggestion of rose, though I don't see that listed in the notes, only in the title. Very nice, but not mabye as nice as the price suggests. I'd love this more if it cost less.