Corpus Equus

I understand that equus is standard Latin for "horse", therefore corpus equus translates to "horse body" - or "body of the horse", more eloquently - but whenever I hear equus I cannot help but think of the 1973 Peter Shaffer play by the same name that has been one of my favorite stage presentations for a long time. How many others have this association, I wonder.... The play certainly seemed to take humanity's collective psyche and associate the word "equus" to it, rather than just simply being a Latin word; as popular as "horse" themed fragrances are there are virtually none that use equus in the title. This is very likely why, I believe, equus is rarely used in titles. The word is now just a hair too dangerous by association. The play is about a worn-down psychiatrist, Martin, who takes a young man into his care, Alan, to try to understand and treat the deeply disturbed psychology that manifests via Alan's religious-like idolatry and sexualization of horses, which led him to violently blind six of them. Not exactly a feel good story. And it's quite a mental bias/preconception to have prior to experiencing a perfume. Corpus Equus isn't violent, maybe not religious or sexual, but there is a carnality to it that doesn't quite allow me to strip the play from my mind when smelling it. I acutely know what horses and horse leathers smell like. I've been around them a lot for the vast majority of my life. There is a very unique smell to them, and the leather saddle, when the horse has been pushing itself hard and for a good period of time either by work or by performance. The body heat that comes off of the horse and what that heat does to dirty and sweat stained leather is an olfactory experience unlike anything else. When people say "oud" I fight a near-autonomic reaction to hurl the nearest object within my reach at their direction; they do not know what they are talking about. The body heat is extraordinary, like standing next to a radiator, and horses produce sweat - and a lot of it - that is very heavy with fat molecules. Take these two factors and subject a massive amount of them to a leather saddle, and with the rider's own sweat no less, and you have what Duchaufour executes perfectly in the opening: it is salty, sweaty, and body odor like, but not cumin-like at all; incredibly musky and oily/fatty; and smoky, hot, chemically, yet well-worn-in leathers. It is a genius mixture of superb musk, birch tar, and leather materials. Carnal. A bit dangerous. The horse is standing still, seeming to be relaxed, but the heat coming off of it and that massive heart thudding away in that gargantuan muscular body gives an impression that the beast is a rubber-band fit to snap at any moment. Whatever happens next stands a chance of being terrifying - what will happen next? Equus. As we head towards the dry down the horse does actually seem to relax and cool off, and instantly at that. The carnal, the dangerous, the unknown, and the tense heart and muscles dissolve into a calm and meditative rose and incense scent. It's a turn-on-a-dime, a standing-on-the-brakes, type movement that is almost as jarring in its suddenness as the top was in itself. There is still a tension here, but it’s tension - not alarm. The rose note is fairly dramatic; deep red and diva-ish - a bit peppery, fleshy, a bit fruity, a bit woody, a very well-rounded and photorealistic rose - though not loud. The gently loamy patchouli and aged aromatic woods create an expansive breadth underneath the rose that lends to a sense of grandeur and restrained power. And... it’s a bit sensual. Romantic, maybe. Not sexual, but... I still cannot shake that potential connection to Equus. Maybe the incense is a link I’m missing in the creative connections my mind is piecing together; perhaps this is the religious/spiritual aspect instead... or in addition to? It wouldn’t be the first time the spiritual has been sexualized, just ask a nun or a priest. Corpus Equus is full of surprises, some expected, some not, but all of them well done and thought provoking. Yet also confusing. Strictly speaking from the brand’s creative brief, it is supposed to evoke a “fiery and impetuous horse”, “a gallant steed, noble blood, broody, spirited, wild ride”, and indeed it does but there is a secret emotion in here that might be a bit taboo in nature. The lack of violence further concealing that which is to not be named in public nor in private. Stellar work.

I so appreciate @trabuquera's review. Really made me laugh, well-written, and I can see what she (or he?) is saying. I'll keep mine shorter, as I have less to say and I smell less in this perfume overall than trabuquera does. I don't find this to be a very complex fragrance. However, it did grab me by the proverbial balls (since I don't have any) and for some reason, it really got its claws into me. At first spray, in the shop, I wasn't sure, but there was something that intrigued me and I asked for a sample. I kept cautiously spraying at home. The birch tar is the main, and honestly, only player, in this perfume, for me and my nose. That's pretty much all I get. And yet, it makes me think simultaneously of glossy, smooth-as-glass black leather riding boots and the sweaty, damp hair of a horse who has just been very well ridden, sides heaving, hair stuck together in that dappled way that happens after her long exertion. And if I see the rider's boots, I go up the figure and see jodhpurs, riding crop, English helmet, braided hair and turtleneck. Names are entirely suggestive. I'm sure if this was named Birch Rose, or Satin Jacket And Tobacco Stained Fingers, I'd smell that. I initially thought that the longevity on this wasn't that great, since I kept spraying it at night, right before bed, but I really sprayed only a small amount, which I wasn't really smelling when I woke up in the morning. I wore it today for the first time, properly, out in the world, and I have to say, I'm smelling it 12 hours later. No, it's not as strong as it was this morning, but it's certainly there. I sprayed the back of my neck, and it's definitely still tangled in my hair, and it's still on my torso and in my shirt as well. Three sprays to achieve this. Also, I was smelling it very well and easily 4 hours in, and decently at 6 hours in. Is it a pricey, one-trick pony? Yes, I think so. However, I really like this trick. A lot. Sometimes that's all you need or want. Even with all of my fiery, smoky things, I don't have any other perfumes like this in my collection, so it fits a corpus equus shaped hole in my wardrobe. One more note: I don't feel like this is about the middle of the ride, mega sweat and turf flying, or the shit smells of the barnyard - it's after the ride, the saddle leather and reins are warmed, the boots are scuffed, the horse is being walked to cool down. She's about to get cleaned, curried, fed and watered. The rider is warm from her exertions and cooling down likewise. It's a clean path under the boots, not muck and mud. Birch tar, smoke, leather, the suggestion of damp sweat. Yes. Entirely, yes.

No pun intended, but I bucked when I first smelled this. My partner even crinkled their nose because it filled our entire bedroom when I put it on. I began to wonder if the sample I had would be a scrubber, but I also know that perfume is art and that is precisely what this ended up being. By the end of the day, I had purchased an entire bottle. As usual, I put this on clean skin, early morning, post-shower. It was a cooler day and it was not humid. It was leather. BIG leather. Slap-you-in-your-face leather. It was a distressed, leather Bomber jacket I had in 4th grade that would smell oddly good after I'd accidentally had it out in the rain. It also reminded me of horse stables I used to play in as a kid. They nailed it. But later, it bloomed into this sweet, magical scent that conjured up, for me, for some reason, Christmas mornings with the fireplace going and cozy wool pajamas. It's not spicy or "pine-y". It's comforting in a way: in the best possible way. It begins to get sexy and soft at some point. You won't be able to stop sniffing your own skin. This is another one of those "memory motel" scents. It will transport you to another place, another time. I imagine an author spritzing this on and then writing an incredible love story about cowboys or jockeys. It is inspiring. It lasts a very long time on the skin and will make itself known to passersby and close company. I wouldn't suggest you wear it at work or a doctor's office. Wear this to impress someone or to seal a deal. Wear this to woo a partner. Wear this to an art gallery, where it'll fit in among the paintings on the wall. If your nose isn't well-trained, wait a while and then try it out. Give it time on your skin too. Let the magic happen.

#1435 in my "Tour de Fragrance" Naming a leather scent "Body of the Horse" was probably not targeting the PETA and ASPCA folks. But it does smell more like the horse than like the saddle. Fine by me. I have never not liked how a horse smells. But it also kinda smells like a well used baseball mitt, one that's gotten a lot of your favorite leather softener. For me leather and birch always works. I won't bore everyone with a list but I stopped counting at thirty scents I have with leather and birch notes. Add in incense, or olibanum, or myrrh and you'd have to really mess up the other notes to make me not like it. I love this scent. Reminds me of Boadicea "Mayfair" which I think is now discontinued and was $450. This is potent but still pricey at $215 for 50ml. Also very similar to Boadicea's "Complex", priced roughly the same, but no birch note. It does not smell like D&S Durga "Leatherize" to me. That scent smells like Jacques Bogart "Bogart" an EDT I like much better than Leatherize. I don't really have good guidance for you. You can't go wrong with this scent, but it's not cheap. If price is a problem there's nothing wrong with something like Montale "Arabians Tonka" at $105 for 3.4oz. Heck, you can get a leather woody Jacques Bogart EDT under $20. But if money is no problem, this is a scent worth owning.

What an experience! Absolutely bodily leather at the top. I would almost say it’s too much if I didn’t find it so skanky and brave. Literally smells like a dirty, leather handed farrier who’s been trimming horse hooves and hammering over a smoking forge all day. Some real Thor type stuff. Just when you’ve had enough fire and brimstone the sweat rolls away and a dry sweetness hits you right in the back of the throat. Deep floral and oiled leather coalescing for a hot and heavy roll in the hay. It’s muscular, tender, and crisp. You’re reaching through the bleak midwinter haze and brushing a dry layer of snow off the very last full bloom damask rose of the year. Incredible. Sporty types and celeb frag lovers beware. Not for the faint of heart and I do believe this would be just horrible in the heat. 100% the Beast from Beauty and the Beast wore this. Blackbeard wore this. Meat Loaf wore this. It’s daring, dirty, absolutely beautiful. Perfect for a BDSM party, adventure to Mordor, or perhaps a dual (but for the love of all that’s holy, not the office). My husband misted some on before our walk on a freezing, snowy day and oof what a MOMENT. Tough yet tender, smokey and sweet, maybe the most mysterious, sexy, enchanting thing I ever smelled on him. Just a work of art and a treasure.