Sketch

Sketch was created, originally, in 1900 and was called Ambre Royal - Parfum Extra Supérieur. The complete line used to have soap, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Cologne, Hair Lotion, Face Powder, among other products. In 1924, it was renamed to Sketch and the square bottle gained a new design and oval finishing. With the relaunch of Maison Violet, the new version was ready in 2017 and featured the talent of perfumer Nathalie Lorson (who also signs the other two fragrances - Pourpre d'Automne and Un Air d'Apogée). Sketch is a scent of oriental and ambery olfactory path, that is, it is warm and sweet throughout its evolution. The current version has gained an extra touch of flowers and a modern chypre effect, following the trend of the new chypres. Its official composition lists notes of bergamot, pink pepper, and nutmeg, on top. Then, in the body of the fragrance, we have rose centifolia and tuberose absolute. In the base, notes of patchouli and absolutes of vanilla and tonka beans were combined. There is also a silky dose of musk, enveloping the entire olfactory pyramid. Of the three fragrances revisited by Nathalie Lorson, Sketch is undoubtedly my favorite. It touches the skin with a strong spicy and floral aspect, in which the nuances of nutmeg, pepper and rose scream. The tuberose absolute, at first, brings a milky side. However, over time, the spicy side of the beginning loses strength for a more floral and indolic body. That's when there seems to be a growing curve of impact and greater projection. After this stage, a sweetened and dusty patchouli emerges and brings the sweet side of the vanilla, anticipating the scent that will permeate until the end, along with the tasty and medicinal aroma of the tonka bean absolute. Then again, the fragrance seems to return to its previous level, reducing the projection. The lasting on the skin is excellent. For Maison Violet of nowadays, Sketch is the representation of the desire to please. If it serves as feedback, mission accomplished successfully!

Wearing this today so I just had to meander on over here again to say that I FLIPPING FREAKING love this fragrance. Nathalie Lorson did the damn thing with this one. She is most definitely my favorite perfumer. Every single time I end up loving something, she is the perfumer...Lancome Parfait De Roses, The Musicology Frags, especially The Rose (Parfait De Roses cheaper, but no less beautiful twin) and Lancome Parfait De Roses, Lilac Love, Love Tuberose, etc. Sketch is such a creamy, dense, thick, rich, buttery, Play-Doh (in the best way possible), non-gourmand vanilla/amber/patchouli fragrance. I don't get any florals here, no tuberose at all. This was a blind buy based on the notes and one of my most successful blind buys ever. Longevity and sillage is INSANE. Just get it...if you love amber, vanilla and patchouli, I can't see you not loving this. It's class in a bottle. Edit: I ended up back here and read my review...I don't know why I said this was a blind buy (maybe I was thinking of another frag when I was reviewing this, I have no idea) but I actually received a sample of this a couple of years back from a kind member of a FB fragrance group that I'm in and fell in love with it and had to have it. But I feel like this is a safe blind buy if you love patchouli, tonka and vanilla. Today is 11/26/24 and I'm wearing this AGAIN. I just wore this last week. This is so good and gets a lot of wear. 💜

Buying into the kickstarter for Cycle 001, I was late to the party trying the Legacy discovery set. It arrived today, and I decided to start with this. I'm always careful about first time sprays, so do so sparingly and on one wrist. I never look up notes before I form my opinion. This perfumes composition is so far removed from my normal powdery violet/iris or fruity gourmand that I was worried I'd never come to enjoy the first hit I got, of Brandy. It was Christmas in March, with the combination of tonka, vanilla and nutmeg. This dissipated very quickly into what I can only describe as the most divine powdery yet peppery vanilla rose, laying on a bed of bergamot. This is a symphony of beautiful notes, blended to perfection. 13 hours later and it's sitting much closer to me, but my nose keeps snuffling up the remaining vapour of powdery amber goodness. This would suit a warm summers evening to perfection, when we're allowed outside again to meet real people! Careful, the sillage is MASSIVE and two sprays is more than enough for a full night of anything. I'm trying a new one tomorrow from the discovery, but I literally can't WAIT to wear this again.

Sketch is an absolutely lovely amber perfume. It doesn't smell like Shalimar at all, to me it most resembles Ambre 114. They both have a kind of dusty nutmeg patchouli earthy opening and heavy vanillic warm sweet drydown that lasts forever. I've sprayed them side by side and they are not one for one, though. Sketch is heavier on the nutmeg, more dry, less green in the opening. But in the drydown they give me a similar experience. They're the same kind of not too sweet but very warming and comforting amber. If I didn't own Ambre 114, I would absolutely go for Sketch, the opening is a little dustier than I like but the drydown is heaven and lasts so well on me. Maybe when I run out of the other, I'll get this one :)

I love this one because it feels delightfully dichotomous on my skin. To me it evokes a refined woman who has a taste for vintage powdery spicy vanilla, but also this inexplicable cheeky and playful note of rootbeer. I'm not sure which combo is causing it, but I feel like I'm sitting in a fancy cafe in fine dress drinking the world's most expensive root beer. My only complaint is it feels weird wearing it in the spring and I'll probably shelf until fall and winter. Feels like one that could easily be worn day and night while being safe for work and fun enough to go out in.