Aesthete

As a huge fan if Le Galion house, I blind bought a full bottle of Aesthete for a very reasonable price on Vinted. At first impression it struck me as strongly masculine, smooth fruity and smoky leather with an old school twist of davana and castoreum. To be appreciated as a masterfully blended perfume, but I doubted I would wear it much as it seemed too musculine (I am a woman in my 30s). Oh my, was I wrong - I keep reaching for Aesthete over and over again! The opening is fruity and bright thanks to the mandarin (and I seem to smell bergamot?), but stangely supported by newly tanned leather and oud smokiness. As the scent progresses, the herby accents and incense match the intensity of the mandarin, grounding the composition at the same time as lending it a sense of airiness. The beautiful jasmine note emerges to add sensuality and nonchalance to the composition. Sandalwood and vanilla (barely detectable) provide a slable base for the drydown. Aesthete is long lasting on my skin (8h easily) with moderate projection. Unique, contemplative and non-conformist in its blending of notes. I love to layer it with rose-centric perfumes (1969 from HdP works a treat).

Ambiguous to a point. I was looking for a fine leather perfume, smells like delicate warm skin, but not too sweet to the extent that it loses the feature of leather. The first few minutes of Aesthete didn't give me exactly like what I want——it's pretty far from normal leather concept, but it surely is delicate. It’s probably due to the combination of fruity mandarin and fine leather. To be precise, the mandarin doesn’t stand out as a distinct note, it only serves to provide a vaguely sweet profile for the leather. A hint of smokey note is also noticeable in the beginning, then plays hide and seek all along the way. At the latter half, the compound woody/leather notes create a well-rounded, slightly fermented herbal feel, like geraniums or coumarin. It has a foggy-woody aura. One can also sense something heavy/muddy lurking underground, perhaps due to the castoreum? P.S. Luca Turin rate it four stars.

Alright, I finally "get" this perfume. The golden sheen of synthetic sweet orange is quite short-lived at the beginning; then we dive into the mystically charming body: it shares the same sweet, creamy, ambiguous character with a few Penhaligon's (fake) oud , i.e. Alizarin, As Sawira, etc. etc. There may be sprinkles of salty-peppery spice , but it soon melts into that abstract oud accord, which is somewhat rosy but ten miles away from a typical rose, as creamy as some high-end face cream, also strangely remind me of dried dates ((the fruit)), and a smooth old woody core somewhere deep down. Finally, a slightly drier skeleton of nutty leather becomes tangible, but still wrapped inside the rosy-oud-y flesh. Only when it enters skin stage, I can sense a bit gun-metal/weedy tinge of (perhaps) IBQ base.

on a cool gray morning, the incense forward scent barely acknowledges the softer notes. it is a clear frankincense type not some perfumed incense stick. odor of the thurible. in the chilly air, nothing distracting the resinous warmth tho there is a light background. it is a solitary fragrance which invites calm enjoyment of life's quieter pursuits. doubtful it will garner compliments, tho there may be a comment from someone who has fond associations with chilly fall mornings in church. perfect for those times of contemplation. a cup of rich black tea, a biscuit, and a cloak of aesthete

Asthete is a wonderful, sophisticated, yet rough leather. Opening has a distinct citrus, I get lemon personally, but of course with that leather underneath. As it evolves there's a balsamic sweetness, a hint of old fashioned IBQ leather, and woody oud. I think the name really hits it here, as there's a real feeling of intellectual sophistication here, but the kind that came up rough on the streets and found it's way out. A real stunner from Le Galion.