Resist Me

Super lovely dark perfume, totally unisex, intellectual and spiritual. Perfect chiaroscuro fragrance - not a showstopper, but a source of inspiration and self-confidence.

This is more than reminiscent of Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier's classic Parfum d'Habit. One might think of it as a contemporary version, this time containing a vibrant cedar note in replace of that exceptional retro geranium that Parfum d'Habit sports. Comes out of the gates all guns blazing with a leather that is ever so nearly 'vintage' accompanied by an ephemeral spritz of a lovely juicy, yet delicate, tangerine that lasts seconds. If you go looking you'll find nuances of smoke, ash, even bicycle inner tube. Strange, yet rewarding. Some will find this scary. After 30mins a delicious cedar note emerges wrapped up with supporting cast of lavender and patchouli and a whisper of geranium. It brings a well needed depth and vibrancy to that vintage leather. Lavender works a treat here I must say, giving an air of serious, without running too masculine. Immortelle creeps in to a rather prominent position in the perfume, giving a touch of dry, herbaceous and rather textured spiciness. Its all pretty good, but remains rather 'matt'. Nothing is going to jump out here. Its rounded and well behaved, and gets increasingly so. The kind of progression that reminds again of Parfum d'Habit. Interesting stuff this. I feel some will love it, some will not.

This is sexy juice! "Resist Me"--it's a dare, and I totally fail. This is a woods lover's dream. The dark, leathery, smoky woods are bewitching. A touch of fresh geranium and a faint hint of sweet immortelle create balance. People are really crazy for sandalwood (I am too!) but I have smelled a lot of cedar essential oils lately, and I realize that I might even prefer cedar over sandalwood. Both can be very creamy. This perfume is loaded with gorgeous woods. There's just a bit of an incense-like quality when it dries down. I like the feeling of luxury that it gives me. I feel enrobed in warmth when I wear it. Update: Finally bought a full bottle. I get much more leather than I got from the vial. It is like a rough brown leather, much like the leather icon above, not like smooth black leather. Still a beautiful fragrancee, but I wish I got more woods like I got from the sample vial.

I don't get fecal matter at all (like the reviewer before me), but I wouldn't say that I am the person for this scent. There's no citrus to speak of, I don't notice lavender AT ALL, but I think the musk is used to good effect. It's incredibly woodsy and there's an initial dash of nag champa that is not my favorite aspect, but the musk mellows and softens what could have otherwise been "eau de campfire". On the dry-down, there are hints of beeswax, which I like, and warm wood, it's more like an upscale yoga studio than it is like a headshop. It's pretty, but it's not something that I think I'd need a full bottle of.

If you like Naomi Goodsir's Bois D'Ascese or Mad Et Len Black Afghan, you might want to give this a chance. A dry and smoky, woody leather with a strident citrusy opening. Less meditative than the Goodsir and more centered around woody notes than the Mad Et Len but still pretty good if you like rough smoky stuff. Kind of a *go-to* interpretation of the main theme. Perhaps not completely exciting but good nonetheless. Edit: Ok, I changed my mind. This is completely good. Rating: 7/10