Gengis Khan

Original EDT (90's): my sample comes out of a ~30 y.o. bottle, so the top notes have probably a bit faded out, and it dives directly into a stunning combo of clove-y patchouli, , pine, a hint of vanillic benzoin, but most of all.... a stunnignolibanum note supported by a drop of animalics, slightly reminding me of Valentino Vendetta Uomo. Beautiful, even if a bit shy in terms of performance, but that might be because of the age of my sample. 2014 EDP re-issue (reformulated, but still offered in vintage-shaped urn bottle) : it opens with a nose-sharpening lavender, mint and greens, reminding of bad sport fragrances of the 90's/00's. In the base, a bit of patchouli, woods and pine appears, but unfortunately, the lavender/mint combo overpowers the rest. Only after an hour will this godzilla tone down a bit and let an unconvincing patchouli and amber combo sneak in, but the pine is barely present, and the olibanum is MIA. Reminded me somewhat of Pierre Cardin Centaure Cuir Casaque and Lancetti Homme (aka Lui). On a positive note, the performance has been (very slightly) improved, as expected for an EDP. This reformulation was hard to accomplish, because of ingredients availability (in particular a rare patchouli oil, in the initial release, and the substitution of actual civet and castoreum with substitute accords, due to the changes in regulations), after a production interruption of more than 10 years. Ok taken on its own, but keep in mind that it results as a different fragrance, more than a reformulation. Current 'Capsule Collection' EDT (offered in original urn bottle) and 'La Collection' EDP (offered in rectangular transparent bottle): both very close to the 2014 EDP. As per MdM own words (who kindly exchanged with me by email), there hasn't been any reformulation since 2014, just a meager ingredient variation due to availability, an the sole difference between current EDT and EDP is the oil concentrate fraction (with more oil and more water for the EDP, resulting a bit rounder/creamier, but again, it's very close to the current EDT). The biggest loss of the 90's vintage is the hint of animalics in the background, and most of all the stunning olibanum base. In a nutshell, for me: - the vintage '90s (urn):5/5 - round from top to base, with creamy patchouli and stunnign olibanum - 2014 EDP re-issue (urn): 3.5/5 - disappointing top and ok base - current EDP (transparent bottle): 3/5 - same as 2014 with less projection and longevity - current EDT (urn): 2.5/5 - same as 2014 with a slightly better top, but just 1 hour longevity

5ml vintage urn flacon, from a collection of mini perfumes 'De Luxe' from Paris that my mother unearthed for me from her deep dresser drawers. Early 90s. This is so good it's unreal. If this weren't an extremely niche frag, I could see this flying off shelves. Such an incredible combination of delightfully harmonious notes. Immediately upon splashing this on, it's got a kind of turpentine quality to it, and transports me into a paint studio. Then hurriedly emerging from underneath that is the peppery juniper, spiced and juicy. I mean, it's a pine scent, but it exceeds in every level, far beyond what other pine scents attempt, but simply fail to deliver anything but 'pine-clean' stench. No, not Gengis— this is seriously divine. It settles into the resinous benzoin patchouli warmth so delectably, after a fresh, citrus fresh opener, but it doesn't let up the pine-forest whimsy at all. All of this, flanked subtly but beautifully by bright sprinklings of jasmine bushes and hanging heads of lily of the valley. Pine needles spotted with dew drops, reflecting the light drenching the damp ground. The winter snow is melting away to reveal the spring grass and the first fresh buds of flowers in the forest. The sappy trees ooze their resins down to the earth, feeding the grass and brush. It's almost all too perfectly arranged, the flowers, herbs, grass, everything is in its place. But it's all nature. The way this is composed allows every piece of the scenery to unfold around you like a cascading embrace, speckled light shining through the canopy of trees warming your face in the lingering wintery bite in the air. If I smelt this on a man, I would simply want to do nothing but melt into him. Even on me I am inhaling so deeply I feel drunk and sensuous. My initial notes I wrote "A little cologne-y but in the way that you would press your face up against your lovers armpit and take a deep breath and promptly fall right asleep in there." It's exciting, but also deeply comforting. Marc de la Morandiere captured something truly enlightening with Gengis Khan and he did it masterfully. The composition of notes is artfully done— no wonder I could smell the paint studio, I am experiencing a masterpiece.

Dark, mysterious and wonderfully composed and that's just the Mongolian themed looking bottle. What lays hidden inside is the real treat to behold. Ginger starts the procession with electrifying urgency and coupled with the citrus & lavender notes gives it a very pleasurable robust start to say the least. I knew at that moment I was hooked on this Marc de la Morandiere offering.This isn't a one trick pony by any means and the senses kept experiencing different layers of euphoria into spice heaven. I can only imagine how the older version stacks up to this reformulation and perhaps I will have a opportunity to try that someday. Nonetheless, this is a tough cookie to find even on the company's website as they seem to have had some difficulty procuring the correct ingredients to get their desired composition. I am also reviewing the parfum strength albeit on the reformulation. On this Merit: Scent 10/10 Longevity 9/10 Projection 8/10 Also, special thanks to Hednic & Possum Pie to steer me to this absolute beauty.

Bought me a 5ml vintage today, and i must say it smells really good, but i have smelled better in my opinion it reminds me of more inky dsquared potion royal black, but that is only in the beginning, i would have bought a full bottle if they were available in vintage bottles, but they are rare now days.

The flacon is terrific (the original). Looks so old world Tibetan, like a lost treasure found in the sands of a desert. But the fragrance? Well, I bought a mini of this... and was quite disappointed. Not at all what I thought it would be. Is this a fragrance that Genghis Khan would have worn? No. Is this a fragrance that would exude an impression of the man--bold, boundless, somewhat tyrannical, and widely indulgent? No. This is a pretty light and easy going oriental woody fragrance. Lavender, citrus, pine, pepper, resins, spices, and some florals. It's nice... but not something I'd say that stands out as truly unique. It's very hard to find in the USA, as Morandiere discontinued it then brought it back, but in limited distribution for Europe. Is it because it wasn't deemed a good market fit for the USA? Perhaps. I don't think it's worth the retail price you have to pay to get it. Btw, the cap isn't even metal or some heavy-duty composite material--just basic plastic that is finished to look like cast iron. I think this formulation has promise, and what I feel might help it out is a healthy dose of oakmoss. But alas... real oakmoss is now so tightly restricted, one would have to find a convincing synthetic. And lastly... it doesn't last very long, certainly not representative of Genghis Khan's exploits! If this were available for half the going rate, I'd buy it (partly for that unique looking flacon). My review has been based on a mini I obtained that was well taken care of, so I don't think the formulation has been damaged. But, it is original, so it's possible the very latest might be different. Reviews from others don't seem to reflect much of a change though.