Graphite

Anyone who came of age in the 1980s (like I did) would recognise Claude Montana’s style: he inspired that distinctive “eighties” look with big shoulder pads for women, and big shoulder pads plus baggy trousers for men. Montana is best known for his innovative use of leather and, like Gaultier, was often described as one of the enfants terribles of the fashion world. Graphite is beautifully presented in a clear glass flacon with a black faux leather label-sleeve with a matching black cap, content the colour of Scotch whisky. An awesome woody fragrance with a voluptuous Cedar-Guaiac thing going on. I’m not usually a fan of violet leaf, but here it's very subtle and imparts a kind of “moistness” which complements the woods perfectly. It reminds me of that “cucumber” AC in Santal 33, insofar as it brings the same three dimensional quality to a woody composition with a sense of moistness, fullness and depth to the wood. . The very first thing I got when I first wore this is a sense of familiarity I couldn't place - this reminds me of Bentley Absolute, with its cedar and papyrus (and Gucci PH 2003). Graphite is fairly linear, resinous and woody. The only noticeable difference (to me) between the opening and the dry down is that the violet leaf gradually fades. Elegant but simple, straightforward and unpretentious. Although pleasant, polite and respectable it’s not exactly “sexy” - what I mean is that Graphite doesn’t smell inherently romantic in a traditional sense, in the style of the iconic fragrances of the early 20th century which were made with implicit olfactory references to sex and genitalia - indolic, animalic, erotic - like the fragrances created by Jacques Guerlain, whose perfumes were inspired by the sweaty, post-coital aromas emanating from the nether regions of his mistress. Jicky for example, (the signature scent of Jackie Kennedy) was inspired by the sweaty crotch of Guerlain’s mistress after hot sex, to which it is an olfactory allusion. Graphite could be worn by a priest without endangering his vow of celibacy. Not a bad thing by any means - because it doesn't scream "Desperado on the prowl" it's totally office safe, polite and work friendly. It's something one could wear on a date, to a funeral or a church service - versatile enough for any occasion. If I remember rightly Montana had financial problems sometime around 2009 and his label went out of business but it seems Graphite remains in production - designer fragrances are often manufactured under license by an entity unrelated to the label (usually one of the “Big Perfume” multinationals) or a different company entirely (Givenchy Perfumes for example has nothing to do with the couture label of the same name). In any case Graphite is a full-bodied, straightforward, elegant, woody fragrance. I bought it after smelling it on someone else and am glad I did. Cedar is a remarkably versatile note - it works in harmony with other woods to enrich and enhance Sandalwood and Palo Santo/Guaiac Wood (à la CDG Wonderwood and Kenzo Jungle Homme); then there’s cedar resin, which stars in Hermès Rocabar, and presents a unique cedar scent profile, smoky and resinous. The cedar note in Montana Graphite is very different to most and quite lovely, kind of herbaceous and "wet" if you know what I mean, with a meditative quality that reminds me of Gucci Pour Homme 2003 If you like Cedar, Graphite is a safe blind buy, very wearable, versatile and office friendly. Performance is average - Graphite sits fairly close, and longevity on my skin is around 4 hours, longer in Winter, although others seem to detect it after I no longer can. If you like Azzaro Visit, Bentley Absolute and the 2003 version of Gucci Pour Homme you’d probably like this. Update: Wore this the other night and could still smell it the next morning after a sleep so longevity appears to be better than I first thought.

Take a cedar tree, cut it with a chainsaw, and stick your nose on it while there is still wood dust in the air: you have Graphite. Alternatively, take Encre Noire, substitute vetiver with cedar, and here you go: you get Graphite. Very strong Cedar/wood chips/pencil shavings opening, supported by a hint of bergamot, and black pepper that will stay until the end. Shortly after a subtle dark floral note appears (violet), as well as some sweet wood (santal/benzoin). Not completely linear, but the cedar always stays in the front, and the (subtle) variations happen in the background. When I first sprayed it, I got a little concerned as it is quite strong, and not easy to pull off. That said, after an hour it cools down a bit, and becomes more balanced with moderate projection. Great longevity. Pretty rough top, but very elegant base once the santal, amber and violet comes in. A great creation from Nathalie Lorson, who keeps surprising me with her creative boldness. (Bentley Intense? No worries Nathalie, I already forgave you this slip-up!) Given the current prices, it's a no-brainer! Winter days, 20-50.

Love this - Cedar heaven. Three wood notes dominate throughout with a hint of pepper and all rounded out with an amber accord and a smoothing benzoin note. So it's quite creamy altogether but with an acidic edge like the sap in cut wood. I saw logs for my fire and often sniff them when they've fallen off the bench just cut, and the smell is a less concentrated version of this. I thought this was a linear scent when I first got it, but now I get the floral notes too pushing through adding interest. I understand the references to pencil-shavings but think that 'Graphite' is the lead of the (possibly chewed) pencil rather than the wood, that smooth/sharp sweet/sour tone a little reminiscent of what's achieved in Anthracite. The Notes section uses the word 'Metallic' to describe violet leaf so maybe this with the lemony geranium and sharp bergamot combine to give an impression of the tang of tongue on carbon. Great for the price, lasts ages on my skin, and is useful for layering too. A winner.

Well, what a fragrance. This got recommended to me on the forum so I took a gamble and bought it. It is the perfume that Muglers Pure Wood should have been (which I owned and fairly recently sold as it was a quite nauseating). This is refined, very unique yet very familiar in the best possible way. Its like a weird lovechild of Dior Homme and Juicy Couture Dirty English with a hint of something sweet...like parma violets....But not in an obvious way. Its not a great one for someone who only wears it on skin, but under clothes this really lasts leaves a big scent trail. I would say it is a safe blind buy for someone who likes woody fragrances and for the price I paid (£19 delivered on eBay right now) its an absolute steal. The box is a bit naff, but the bottle is simple, heavy and satisfying to hold. Looks nicely understated. If you dont have anything like this in your collection you should definitely give it a go.

Straight to the point. Pure scent of pencil shavings - and that's a great thing! Because sometimes you just need a tried-and-tested, unpretentious, even basic tool to get the job done - that's what a pencil is for and that's what this scent is for as well. This is a delightfully honest, straightforward mid-woody scent with a cedar that's never sharp or acrid, but rather mellower, and a lovely clean and spare feel to it. Have to say I don't detect any of the notes individually - there's no aura of flowers or spices to me, just a beautifully solid and well-judged, moderate cedar. Completely unisex (it's not at all too masculine for female lovers of woody scents, and does not get into butch-aftershave territory) and outrageously good value for money. It has integrity! One of the absolute favourite cheapies in my collection and one of the few things I'm happy to have gambled a blind buy on.

Another Montana men's unisex banger. It opens up a little sweet and dry, strangely smelling like its namesake. As he dries down, the cedar an guiac shine as guest stars in a unisex spicy oriental that would easily sell for $100 at 50 ml through ELdO. But there's something about that Montana DNA. Something about how they manage moss, amber, bergamot, and florals that always provides a distinct Montana funk. It's remarkable and one reason I'm obsessed with the house. It's very similar to woody, spicy ELdO scents, but there's a bit of Montana PDP or even Claude Montana hiding in the bushes, with eyes glowing through the shadows on its face. Really effing cool. I'd recommend this as a good cheap grab for any man or woman.

Swoon worthy...this is a light but lovely peppery cedar with a gentle sweetness. I am a woman who has been trying so called "mens" scents. I am looking for woody fragrances in particular. This frag stays close to the skin. I get the pencil shaving references...love that smell. Really LOVE this one. It is safe to wear in crowded spaces and definitely office friendly. This fragrance reminds me of Diors Dune . I love wearing it in winter with chunky wooden jewelry.

If you've ever built or sat on a recently built Cedar deck you will recognize Graphite immediately, it's the sweet smell of freshly cut Cedar. This is just a flat out beautiful and natural fragrance for Cedar lovers. Check it out!! Update: The sprayer doesn't put out a whole lot of juice, you have to do a couple sprays to get the amount you would with one spray from a good atomizer. This would be my only complaint with Graphite.

I've got batch 17/01/007060/10 Made in France by Empire of Scents. This is a version with the traditional wood ash cap but without the leather belt. Instead it has a black sticker with silver letters. The scent is great and smells like the original formula. Sandalwood is prominent on the opening, reminding vaguely of Santal 33, but the other woods quickly become more prominent. Love this scent, another banger by Lorson.

Smells like Carbone de Balmain.....YES But Graphite is somehow deeper than Carbone. I get double the projection from Graphite than I do with Carbone. I have the latest formulation of Carbone...maybe the previous one is more like the depth of Graphite...??? No matter....for the prices being low....I am glad I own both!! But, I think i will pass on the new Graphite flanker...Graphite Oud

Graphite is all autumnal heart, mind, body and soul. This lovely tonic captures the subtleties of a seasonal shift. I liken it to "a letting go" and to "a moving forward". It is a cedar chest of dusty, rusty, misty, creamy hints of peppered violet thoughts and dry resinous etchings. If penciled thoughts had a scent, Graphite would be it. Reflective glory indeed! Beautiful!

One of the nicest woody perfumes in my opinion. Graphite is quite potent, and beautifully woody, earthy and a little floral. I can detect a Lee Cooper Originals note in there too. It dries down to a lovely smell that reminds me of new pencils. Lots of character here too.

Fantastic scent ❤️ pretty close to Carbone by Balmain no wonder why Natalie lorson is the nose for both fragrances! Today we lost Claude Montana so I wear graphite in his dear memory ❤ RIP Claude 🙏

So good. Very protective. Smells like an Incense Cedar (West North America) fragrance. A graphite bomb. Very Office Safe and deep protection. Great bottle!

Very good frag,it makes me feel really in an old drawing studio,pencils,rubbers,scrubbed paper,ink.Suggestive.Not really strong,but alluring.

Dill pickles be damned! I love it. In fact, I like it better than Encre Noir!!!

Nostalgic and warm, a reliable presence.

Montana Graphite is a very different animal than what I am normally used to. I blind bought a bottle based solely on interesting notes and the ever helpful reviews. Btw, thank you all for the wonderful insights, and for yet another blind buy success! Where to begin? At first sniff, Graphite is a dead ringer for what you get when you bring together a gross of fresh #2 pencils, one of those old grade school manual sharpeners (without the cover that catches the shavings) and a kid with OCD and a bad attitude - a punch in the nose with a fistful of cedar shavings and graphite powder. Straight up, that's what you get. Any other opening notes are simply there to accentuate that effect. [Sidenote: If your sinuses aren't quite on point, this can fleetingly come across like pickle juice. I don't know how or why, but it did that for me early this morning. And yeah, it was just me. But it's still kinda funny how one substance can be so easily made to smell like another, under the right (or in this case, wrong) conditions. If the same happens to you, don't let that put you off -- stay the course!] On dry down, you get more of the same, but a bit softer and more complex. Amber notes warm it up and round it out just a bit. I would wish for a bit more of this effect in the first couple of hours, as it's still mostly cedar. Think of a room paneled with reclaimed vintage cedar planks, fireplace ablaze on a cold winter's day. As hours 3-4 progress, I pick up just the slightest hint of base notes benzoin and sandalwood, not quite harmonizing with the heart of cedar and amber. The effect is the most delicate vanillic sweetness against a still gently sharp cedar backdrop. This would be an absolutely magical transformation, were it not still overwhelmed by the still dominant cedar note. Waiting for a transformation that never really comes. I'm left lamenting over the unrealized potential of Graphite, but for its fatally heavy-handed use of cedar. Not that it's terrible, mind you - I still like it and don't regret the purchase at all. But I have a hard time *loving* any fragrance that so willfully asserts a single note to the expense of what is actually a well selected set of supporting notes. A more balanced use of amber, sandalwood, benzoin, violet, etc., would have really elevated Graphite to something incredible. Such potential, such a tease. There is a cure - for those who don't mind the fuss of layering. In spite of its obvious flaws, this scent makes me curious to try the other creations of Nathalie Lorson. In the future, I look forward to eventually finding a "blacker," more perfect version of Graphite, with more assertive amber/sandalwood/tonka notes. I could not imagine a more magical combination in a masculine fall/winter scent.

I have to respectfully disagree with the previous reviewer. I have both Graphite and Bentley Momentum Intense -- and the two could not be much more different IMO. BMI (as I have reviewed) is more of a freshy that shares elements of the male and female versions of D&G Light Blue. It's light, bright and fresh, and presents more of a summer feel to it. It's also IMHO quite common and pedestrian for what it is. Definition of average, if that's what you're shooting for. Graphite, on the other hand is something entirely different. Aside from the almost zero note commonality with BMI, its feature notes are very well understood here -- you have a dry cedar with an ever-so-light smoky element from the guaiac, paired up with a rather green and sharp violet leaf -- which in combination produces an opening that is almost analogous to pickle juice soaked wood. As it opens up, some softening and warming does emerge, making Graphite a very pleasant wear for those who like cedar and violet leaf. Make no mistake, this is not some summer aquatic -- it's woodsy/floral all the way, in that order. For those who think it's bad, I challenge you to think of it as incomplete. It would definitely benefit from some added warmth and depth -- or some elevation of lightness via floral notes -- depending on what you're shooting for. For example, this layers nicely with Molinard Cher Wood or MBZ Club Black for a touch of woody vanilla sweetness to add warmth and cut that pickle juice effect just a bit. Also plays well with Bentley Azure to play up that violet note and brighten things up for warmer weather wear. I have to say I've come full circle on this one, from love to hate (and sold my first bottle), back to curiosity and then love again. I think I just understand it better now. Love it or hate it, it is a bit polarizing, as any thoughtful work of art should be.

This is actually not so bad. The main issue is again the performance. You can get this for really cheap so just overspray it. Don’t hesitate. During the first hours of the day you will have this sweet woody smell. When the dry down arrives it does not develop into anything special and by the time you leave office you will have a faint trace on your skin. And you can re-apply in the evening or wear something else without interfering. However, since I started applying this heavily compliments have been flooding in at work, just the same as they did with Carbone. God knows my workmates have smelled different perfumes on me but not many of them have left such and impression. So think about it maybe.

It vibrates at the frequency of many Lorson fragrances. Why it feels like the Encre Noirs, This is Him, the Schlessers and the Bentleys, and even Beckham Beyond Forever. Of course what's not to like but maybe I am reaching a saturation in my collection of Lorson - with another variation on her mixing talents on my shelf. I reach for the Beckham, the simplest and humblest. Go figure. By the way, I have the current 2020s cheapo edition of Graphite (originally 2011). And this fragrance reminds me of the equally slap dash likable recent formulation of Azzaro Visit, created in 2003 by Annick Menardo.

As I was rather enjoying Carbone from Balmain I bought this one for a very low price. My bottle does not have the leather bracelet but a very cheap paper. I don't know if this has an influence on the quality of the juice itself. Anyway, I see why it is compared to Carbone but these are two very different beasts. With Carbone I was getting a lot of compliments from the ladies. With this one not. One obvious reason might be the poor projection. Not bad but not head turning either.

If you loved and miss the original (authentic leather band), please try BENTLEY Momentum Intense. Where Graphite stays purely on the darker side, MI has a softer follow thru, with the slight whisper of .......lightness. Hard to describe - but probably as close as you'll ever get to the original Graphite - and same creator.

Mood in a bottle... very aromatic & herbaceous. Like a lightweight blend of Santal 33 mixed with Babycat YSL & MF Basilica. It's a cool masculine one & value for money. The new batches are not too long lasting on ones skin, unless oversprayed. Has a tranquil, grounding vibe.

New pencils...pencil shavings - this is exactly what you detect in this heavenly concoction. Maybe this is why they called it "Graphite" ;o) Absolutely spot on. One of the nicest scents I've smelt in a long time. Bravo, Nathalie Lorson.

best dill pickle scent i have smelled. for the price it's going for, it's a steal. When i heard people talk about le labo santal 33, this was always what i imagined it to smell like.

Incredible price to quality ratio, but it does have the woody dill pickle note that takes getting used to and not everyone likes it.

For me, this is an acquired taste. I have the current version with the paper sticker. Yes, upon the first sniff, it is reminiscent of viniger or pickle birne, BUT to me, it seems like a case of mistaken identity because simultaneously the freshly sharpened pencil is there. It's like the optical illusion with the chalice and the two faces. The more I wear it, my brain tends to recognise the pencil shavings. Unfortunately, the fragrance looses steam as soon as it enters the less harsh stages.

the scent is very dry ,sharp and cold.

I avoid to write negative reviews but it is time to start. Not just because I don't like it but Graphite is all wrong. OK, that was a blind buy but with my experience most of my buys are successful. Now, for the first 20 minutes I can smell only strong pencil (nothing to do with cedar). I can not categorise this as a fragrance. After about 20 mins it changes completely and becomes a cheap - sweet - girlish. On either way it is not a men's fragrance. Probable N. Lorson's worst try. From the colour, the bottle and the notes above I was expecting much different thing...

A real let down, I bought this in hopes of getting a pure cedar smell that brought me back to memories of grade school, while it does somewhat smell like that, it's overpowered by the smell of pickle juice that ruins the whole purpose of why I bought this. Literally smells like a piece of wood that's been soaked in gherkins... The dry down is a bit more pleasant but damn I'm not waiting hours to smell somewhat acceptable. I should've listened to the reviews...

A photo realistic pencil case and old folk house's funk that is fabulous and, I hear by my surroundings, utterly unwearable. I love the simplicity of it, I love the memories it conjures and I love that I paid a song for it, but everyone else seems to hate it, so I wear it only for myself or on antisocial occasions, such as any fall-winter work day.

84) Nathalie a créé pour trois marques différentes le même parfum (et presque le même nom en plus), c'est un peu bête non? Graphite=Carbone de Balmain=Autoportrait d'OlfactiveStudio. Heureusement c'est un beau parfum, un Hyper-boisé adoucit d'ambre-santal-violette. Tenue moyenne et très faible projection, parfum de peau.

does not worth the money even is cheap. same with rare carbon by afnan

Nauseous sandalwood. If you like Santall 33- you will most likely like this one too.

I'm a little obsessed with cedar, woody notes in general, violet, and the value proposition and hunt of finding underrated "cheapies". Of course I had to pick this one up. This is a bit of an oddball, but I am completely here for it. The opening is slightly discordant, with a wet peppery herbal violet leaf feel mixing with warm slightly sweetened woods, which I have to agree with other reviewers does create a bit of a pickle brine feel. Thankfully, this is very short lived, and transforms into a nice herbal green airiness that clears a path for the darker pencil lead cedar feel that Montana Graphite spends most of it's life as. The heart and base of Graphite are warm, cedary, with a sweetened but not sugary amber undercurrent. The heart does give a pencil lead feel, and lives up to the name. The far drydown into the base notes loses this, and it stays as a close to the skin, smooth and very enjoyable lightly lingering ambery wood. It's unclear if the virginia cedar in here is natural, but whatever the source, it does give a faithful impression of virginia cedar in the opening and heart. Sillage/projection is medium-high for the first 15-30min, and then low-medium for another hour, but Graphite lingers impressively as a skin scent for 12+ hours for me. The heart and base notes are the best part, so I'm fine with it spending most it's time here, and being a quiet perfomer suits this scent fine, as these notes shouting would betray the vibe. If the opening was smoothed out a bit and more cohesive, and the heart pushed a little stronger, this would be a 10/10 bargain woody scent. As is, it is still a bargain and one I'm happy to have on hand for fall and winter. Graphite is bit like autumn personified for me, as it perfectly captures the weird midwestern non-linear transition from fall to winter. It's simultaneous wetness from the vegetal violet leaves mixing with the dry woods provides a nice juxtaposition and captures the feel of wet leaves and logs from autumn rains drying out in the cold sun. Quite a feat for a $25 fragrance!

The review below mine is very accurate, although I don't agree with the encre noir comparison. The best part of this fragrance is the cedar, it's one of the best cedars out there, the other two I love are Carbone and Royal Oud. It smells like pencil shavings, very woody and realistic, and it's a dominant note throughout the wear, very intense upon application along with a dry guaiac wood that adss some depth to the wood accord. This is supported by a peppery citrus to give it some top as it's quite heavy. A couple of minutes after the initial blast of woods an excellent violet appears, it's dark and and damp, and adds some mystery (if you find narciso rodriguez one dimensional, this is more satisfying and in a similar class). As it dries down, a benzoin/amber base develops, warming up and smoothing out the fragrance, and the faintest oak moss peeks out, giving this a masculine fougere vibe that nods to the late 80's aromatic fougeres. The quality of this composition really shows off the perfumer's artistry. Top notch, this keeps climbing up the ranks as one of my favorites

As much as I totally dislike the oud version of this, this version is fantastic. The initial blast is almost a balsamic vinegar type of smell, but wait it only lasts a few seconds, then the magic begins. It quickly transitions to a hot iron branded sweet charred wood plank note with a very light whiff of realistic vanilla. This creamy/woody/balsamic affair is there through the life of the fragrance. Soon a slightly creamed fruity note emerges in the background along with a lightly caramelized almond accord. There it sets, slightly smoldering for many enjoyable hours. Pencil shavings. . okay, but I think this is much more complex, otherwise I want a gross of these special "pencils". It is not a traditional fragrance to my nose whatsoever. It is really unusual and lovely. It smells like a comme des garcons creation. Totally unisex, totally awesome. I can't believe the price of this for the quality of the juice, it was a great deal. It deserves more attention. I purchased on Flea Bay for two pence. 8/10

The Smell: How nice would it be if the name would fit the smell. I really like the smell of real graphite. That coal like, dark and deep smell. Montana Graphite has elements of graphite, but the scent is more on the fresh side, due to the pepper. The pepper note is very prominent to my nose. It smells like fresh cut cucumber. And the whole composition reminds me of pencil shavings in the sillage. Yes Graphite reminds me also of Carbone de Balmain. But Carbone is better anyway. Carbone has a very smooth plum note which gives me much more elegance and woodiness. The Alternatives: As mentioned Carbone de Balmain, also Gucci Pour Homme I. The Sillage: Graphite is to me a medium fragrance, something between soft and strong. Would be right as an office scent. Not very recognizeable in a club or bar. Noticeable within 8 hours. The Price: A 100 ml bottle of Montana Graphite can be found at TK/TJ Maxx for around 15 Euro.

I can definitely detect a bit of similarity to Carbone by Balmain, but unlike other reviewers here, I actually find Graphite less complex, and sweeter than Carbone. A few of you described Graphite as dry, green and woody, with a lingering cedar note, but my experience was that the the first spritz opened to a whiff of pepperiness, then pencil shavings, then more pencil shavings and now the dry-down is metallic and sweet, dominated by a dusty, powdery amber, and some tea notes. It does seem to last longer than Carbone, and projects better, but gives me a slight headache, and doesn't evoke much darkness, or natural wood. I have vintage bottles of Rush and Tumulte, to which this was also compared, and there is a slight overlap, but not a ton. Graphite is respectable and inoffensive; I'll probably wear it occasionally, but between the two, I'd reach for Carbone first.

سه تا دلیل باعث شد واسه تست اینکاره ناشناخته از ی برند ناشناخته ترغیب بشم ، اول بخاطر دیزاین شیشه و بعدش حضور ناتالی لارسن بعنوان طراح رایحه و در آخر تشابه رایحه ش با یکی از کارای نیش و با کیفیت به اسم کربن به محض اسپری با هجوم فلفل و رایحه ترنج روبرو میشین و بفاصله کمی رایحه سدر که همین ابتدای کار نشون میده با کاره متفاوتی نسبت به تولیدات دیگه در این سطح مواجهین یا بهتر بگم رایحه ش بیشتر شبیه کارای نیش هست تا ی برند دیزاینر ترکیب اجزاء عطر در کنار هم تولید آکورد چوبی و چرب مانند میکنه مثه بوی چوب خیس خورده که تم صمغی و چرب داره از لحاظ تشابه رایحه تونسته خوب کار کنه و تقریبا تا ٪۷۰ تو شبیه سازی موفق عمل کرده و براحتی میتونین با توجه به قیمت کمتر ، اینو جایگزینش کنین در آخر اینکه گرافیته تقریبا بوش خطی هست و اصلا بوی همه پسندی نداره و بیشتر مخاطبش عطربازای حرفه ایی هستن موندگاری حدود ۵-۶ ساعت رو پوست سفید و خشک داره با پخش خوب سن استفاده ترجیحا ۲۸ سال به بالا

Pencil shavings. Blast of dry cedar. Woods, graphite, carbon. And some more woodiness. That's what most of the reviewers say. And then Nathalie Lorson. I love her Encre Noir series, I own all three. So I blind bought Graphite. Couldn't go wrong. At least, that's what I thought. I am pretty disappointed due to the above mentioned expectations. On my skin the opening of "Graphite" is a major blast of sweet, fruity, florals. I smell sweet, sour pickels. Even zesty rabarber? This remains throughout the heart. There's a subtle hint of cedar. No pencil shavings to my nose. I would never describe this fragrance as "dry" although it gets a tiny bit drier towards the drydown. Overall it's sweet, wet and woody in the base. That being said, it is not a bad composition. I think it is well balanced, just not my cup of tea. That’s the risk of blindbuying. Sold it.

See: Carbone. Add a hint of pickle! Just kidding, not really kidding. It's the violet leaf-and-pepper that somehow gives a universally perceived (in my circle of acquaintances anyway) cucumber pickle impression. If this was Lorson's way to prove she can engineer a composition on top of just snatching out and blowing up hyper-modern pleasant-synthetic-addictive aromachemical signatures, I'd say she... added pickles? No really, it's a fine perfume and grab it cheap if you love GPH1, CDG2M, or Carbone (which has become way too expensive). Graphite is, in brief, a literal but slightly softened, slightly soured, and sliiiightly sweetened cedary pencil shavings smell with violet, black pepper, and a eucalyptic airiness from geranium so to set it apart juuuust slightly from the previous year's Carbone.

This is for cedar shavings what Encre Noire is for vetiver: an extremely low-budget masterpiece, a living proof that money is not exactly the problem. For the price you'd pay for it, the cognitive dissonance is huge. What's even more uncanny is the realization that this is so self-sufficient that using more expensive materials would more likely ruin it. That's how it seems. I might be wrong. So, the scent. Cedar is softened, sandalwood and some amber resins make it more liquid. Violet leaf gives it the soul of something living instead of just being a wood trunk cut dead. Or a pencil case. Or a hamster cage. There's a warm, almost oriental spirit in Graphite, same as its color. A no-brainer indeed.

If you like discreet, unpretentious and austere woody fragrances along the line of Rush For Men, several minor CDGs, Christian Lacroix Tumulte Pour Homme (to name only a few), you'll probably like Graphite. A subtly aromatic, cedarwood-driven concoction that's incredibly versatile and easy to wear. A bit one-dimensional but that's usually the profile for these kind of fragrances. A go-to office-friendly scent that could be a valid alternative for those days you want to take a break from the lighter vetivers. Surely not earthshaking but still very nice and cheap ($). Nice bottle which is a somewhat likable rip-off of both Heeley's flacons and Malle's. Rating: 6.5-7/10

Cedar bliss, peppery and piquant, Graphite is the cedar-lover's fragrance, as it really has all those associations of cedar: hope chests, freshly cut wood, wood chips, pencil shavings, the whole nine yards of cedar. However, it isn't one dimensional, the cedar planks are flanked with violet leaf that provides a somewhat green, vegetal contrast, quenching geranium to counter the dryness, and various supporting woods (guaiac, sandalwood) to lend different shades to all the woodiness. This is well-blended and the great quality belies its small price-tag. 8.5/10

I really like the woodiness and strong pepper in this but it kind of turns into a vegetable kind of smell on my skin with tons of black pepper on top. This lingers for around 30 mins then dries down to a very spicy woods and the creamy sandalwood. This is definately a winter fragrance. I like it, i'm not loving it. The box is quite funky and the bottle plain and simple. I have to admit I do not like the cheap bit of leather around the bottle. The more I smell this on my skin I smell sharpened pencils and the wood curls that fall off. 6/10

At the start I'm getting a very peppery woody slightly sweet fragrance. The woods do make me want to sneeze as it does smell like pencil shavings. After a while the violet leaf starts to dominate the scent and take over. All in all it is a pleasant experience but the scent is a bit too loud for it's own good. Also the blending does seem to be a bit off. The sneezy woods and violet leaf seem to be competing in how to overwhelm and dominate your nose instead of been in harmony.

As a lover of cedar, I am not a fan of this one. I get mostly violet leaf on me, but not the kind I like. The violet leaf here is similar to the kind found in Cyber Garden. Its very vegetal. Its a polished fragrance without a doubt, but I cannot see myself wearing this one. The dry down is somewhat okay, but the entire fragrance just feels kinda odd to me. I've read a reviewer below compare this to Encre Noir... I'm completely at a loss for words.

به پیچیدگی گریلند و کربن بالمین نیست ولی شاید به حس تراشیدن مداد از هردو بیشتر نزدیک است از کیفیت قابل قبولی دارد ولی پکیج خیلی شایسته تری میتوانست میزبان این رایحه باشد اگر به دو گزینه ای که اشاره شد در عین تفاوت ها علاقه دارید، بدون ریسک گرافیت را بخرید و لذت ببرید ----------- Scent & Quality: 8/10 Longevity: 7/10 Sillage: 7/10 Creativity & Uniqueness: 8/10 Affordability: 8/10 ----------- Overall: 7.6/10