Flash Back

This niche perfume line was completely inspired by the art of photography. The photographer of this work was Laurent Segretier and the inspiration was the memory, that moment suspended in which we can remember a face, a song, a feeling, etc. The perfumer was the wonderful Olivier Cresp, responsible for numerous hits for Armani, Dior, Givenchy, Kenzo, Cacharel, etc. The fragrance is composed by notes of orange, grapefruit and rhubarb, in the output; in the heart, were added notes of pink pepper and Green Apple of the Granny Smith type. And finally, notes of cedar, vetiver, musks and amber in the base. This is a citrus and fruity perfume, with great presence of Orange and a soft spicy, soon followed. And although is at the top of the olfactory pyramid, the rhubarb has free access to all stages of evolution, with its green and tonic nuances, strolling between the acid and fruity. I couldn't notice the presence of Green Apple, but the heart has a beautiful vetiver, that comes wrapped between the amber and the musk, bringing slightly creamy nuances and, if we insist on smelling, almost medicinal. The sillage is reasonable and the lasting is very good. In my opinion, it would be perfect if had kept the orange aroma for longer. Anyway, I would like to give a tip: who likes the line Un Jardin, by Hermés, will love to meet this creation. Flash Back EDP is a return to happy times.

Unexpectedly lovely ! I'm often wary of vetiver and usually not impressed by Olfactive Studio (love the scents, admire the presentation, hate the poor performance) - but this one's a winner on me, against expectations. Absolutely bristling with sharp, juicy, pink, acid rhubarb notes, really beautifully done, against a sour-yet-light vetiver background without any sedge-reed rankness. These two plants somehow reinforce and improve each other, the rhubarb making the vetiver all clean, crisp and citric rather than dirty-green, and the vetiver helping to really streeeeeeeetch the delights of the rhubarb, which are often shortlived. To me it adds up to a less-sweet, longer-lived, more masculine (but still totally unisex) cousin to Hermes' Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate. In other words it's very very good and will be wonderful for summer use. Still a little too fleeting to be perfect, like all Olfactive Studios I've tried - maximum longevity 4h on skin, maybe a couple more on fabric - and overpriced at full retail. But honestly, really genuinely worth a try for citric freshness that's not a cliche, or for rhubarb romancers anywhere. I approached it not expecting much, but my curled lip soon turned into a smile of delight. Give it a chance!

Such a good opening to this fragrance...a wonderfully realized citrus in the shape of sharp grapefruit which is spot on...really natural. Then a perfect orange note and clearly defined from the grapefruit this is juicy and exudes the flavour of a ripe orange and that freshly peeled white stuff on the inside...gorgeous. Oh yeah...I love rhubarb but I don't get it here really...perhaps an unsweetened 'green' rhubarb that's still growing?...Flash back is tart and sharp but I wouldn't describe it as smelling of Rhubarb and I've sampled it a few times now. The drydown is almost a little warm and that could be the amber listed here although its more pink pepper (which is strong) vetiver and musk which work perfectly with the fruit. I have gotten excited about a few citruses recently (that's because I've tried some very good ones.) but as a rule I don't get to enthusiastic about them...Olfactive studios Flash back is worth it though. Great opening, nice dry down not complex but delivers simplicity very well, my only minor criticism is that it doesn't last very well...otherwise I'd buy this.

Reviewing a bottle form 2013. Flash Back was launched in 2013. This is a bright vetiver fragrance by Olfactive Studio an underrated perfume house. Fresh citrus opening mostly grapefruit with some rhubarb folllowed by peppery vetiver wrapped in musk and amber. Beautifully blended by Olivier Cresp. No synthetic notes. It is in the same vetiver family with Encre Noire (2006) and Roja's Elysium (2017). Flash Back is fruitier to start and has the dry black pepper in the drydown but the feel is the same. It is as refined but less complex than Elysium. Quality- excellent 4/5 Unisex -leans masculine for the dry down Performance- very good sillage and longevity 4/5 Excellent fresh vetiver scent which is high quality and versatile- perfect for spring and summer evenings. 8.5/10

This brand doesn’t seem to be well known which is a pity as the two fragrances I have from them (Still Life and this one) are both really nice in my opinion. Natural smelling, silage ok but not enormous (which I like), quite long lasting. Flash Back for me is a perfect mix of grapefruit and vetiver. I get a bit of the rhubarb but the grapefruit note is stronger to my nose. A bit similar to Terre D’Hermes (which I own as well) but I do prefer Flash Back as more natural smelling and the vetiver seems better blended with the citrus/fruity notes. Had I had know this one before wouldn’t have bought TdH.

The name "Flashback" is perfect for this fragrance. It makes me nostalgic for memories I didn't know I had, or even memories I actually don't have. Someone in the comments smartly pointed out that this is what Lalique's Encre Noire Sport wants to be. They're very similar; Flashback just does grapefruit so much better. Other comments have caught the similarity to Terre D'Hermes. I see that too. The composition is exactly the same, but where Terre is warm and orange, Flashback takes a juicy, rhubarb turn. I really like this and for about 70 bucks for a tester, I'll probably pick up a bottle.

Wore this again and came back to do another review because I think this is very underrated. The vetiver is amazing,the citrus too,smells natural and high quality and the mix is just perfect,creating this very clean,joyful but masculine and timeless blend. I can now find the resemblance to Roja Elysium,which I really love. I can see any age wearing this,the vetiver and cedar gives it a classy and mature feel while the citrus,apple and rhubarb brightens it,making it youthful.Could be worn for any occasion during warm weather. Great value too,smells more expensive than it is.

Really love it!My bottle is almost empty,which is very rare in my case:)Beautifully blended summer scent.Sweet,fruity,green...linear,pleasant...if you like Allure pour homme(original,not flankers,1999.(not the same smell,but the similar pleasant fragrance)),you'll love this!I could wear it in any ocasion...so versatile,non offensive...I think any woman will love it in your company.:) I miss longevity so much!!It would be a perfect scent!

This was the first one I have tried from this new brand of perfumes and I must say that it did not disappoint me. This fragrance opens with a flash of tart green rhubarb surrounded by citrus notes and a leafy green aspect. A tangy and slightly green rhubarb mixed with hesperides revives an enveloping childhood smell: that of rhubarb tart. A base note of vetiver and cedar give it woody sensuality.

Fresh, citrusy (grapefruit) vetiver scent. Bright, peppery, w/ a delicious rhubarb note. Drydown welcomes a lovely, aromatic cedar that imparts an involuntary frisson of pleasure. I want to curl up like a cat inside the damp trunk of this cedar tree, inhale deeply & purrrr. A masterful, upscale blend.

Wonderful. This juice is spotless, well-designed and mixed citrus smell mixed with earthy vetiver giving a greater charm of it all. On my skin projection and longevity are average, but I do not mind the juice is divine to me. I classify it thus: Smell: 10/10 Projection: 7/10 Longevity: 7.5/10

Interesting It's Green and dry fragrance. Wonderful,fruity and woody scent. sillage and longevity are moderate. It's a nice rhubarb fragrance. It is a really great spring/summer choice in my collection.

While people on eBay are selling this for 150$+ go to fragrance net. Just picked up a 3.3oz for 60$! Can not beat that.

Smells like Christmas in July. Citrusy, light, and crisp while also dry and woody. Quite nice

Like a fresher,cleaner with a few added notes TF Grey Vetiver, really nice.

A worthy replacement for Roja Elysium Eau Intense!

Rhubarb Elegance... FB starts out w/ a rhubarb punch. It comes out right away smelling exactly like I smell fresh rhubharb at a market. It's very natural. I can smell its unique sweet smell along with the green stalk. This part is NOT appealing to me because the green stalk smell gives FB a vegetable vibe, but thankfully it is short-lived (have to be patient). The rhubharb is so strong that the citrus notes do not become apparent to my nose until after 15 minutes or so. At the 15-30 minute mark the citruses, the apple, and particularly, the vetiver, come aboard. The green stalk smell is no longer. This is when FB finally graduates from being a rhubharb juice into a true fragrance. FB becomes clean, crisp, alluring, and just nice. It's a perfect fragrance for daytime wear. I don't find it appealing for night time wear. It's more of a casual, daytime type of fragrance. The apple note adds a little tanginess and sweetness. The sweetness of the rhubarb still stands, but without the green stalk smell, and the vetiver elevates FB's elegance. In the dry down, I still can smell the rhubarb, but its sweetness is changed by the amber. I don't detect the amber as a solitary note, it's just blended in altering the overall sweetness of the fragrance. I don't detect the musk at all. The vetiver becomes very soft. What is left in the dry down is a lingering, uniform and palatable sweet scent. FB is perfect to wear at the office or in close proximity to other people during the daytime. It won't offend anybody IMO. It is likeable, clean, bright, and easy going. It's totally unisex. 7.5/10 in my opinion. It's not love, but it's a like for me.

I'm a sucker for scents like this one, where I love the opening so much that it keeps me coming back for more, even though I know it only lasts for a little while and the drydown is way less up my alley. Flash Back is a pretty extreme case of this - now that I think of it, and a little overdramatically put, it's a bit like a drug: the first part of the experience is so wonderful and addictive to me that I wilfully ignore the consequences. The addictive part in this case is that vibrant burst of fresh, natural rhubarb and grapefruit that dominantes the first few minutes: really mouthwatering, and so energizing and uplifting! I also love the vetiver in that first stage; it provides a nice contrast to all the crisp fruity notes from the background, without stealing the show. But soon it starts to do just that, and that's when the consequences of my shot of that lovely opening start to make themselves clear: after less than an hour, almost all that's left is vetiver. Not bad, but definitely not as nice as before, and a little too masculine for my own taste. This part doesn't stick around for long either, by the way, but at this point I don't really care one way or the other anymore. So I guess this is just a like for me, taking the average between my love for the opening and my dislike for the drydown. Which means I won't run out for a full bottle, like I was sure I would when I first tried this one, but I'm still adding it to my (decant) wishlist; the pull of that opening is too strong to resist entirely...

Terre de Rhubarbe Already for me this brand is one of the most interresting in the perfum little world. This one is an easy to wear and like, it's obvious since the first notes ... strongly close to Aedes deVenustas during the first seconds and then evolves in the Terre d'Hermès territory. I always prefer the opening of the Aedes which gives you the impression of having the fresh and sweet rhubarb in the mouth. Here the rhubard is more warm and stable on its base of vetiver and cedar. Heart is all about vetiver but with a nice succesion of more acidic citrus notes who maintain affiliation with rhubarb as if the plant growns up naturally, evolves into a tree. All notes seem to remain in the same family -fruit/plant/wood- it is very green and even a moment you think there is something of a potential Terre d'Hermes'vetiver intense flanker (who exists really today and it's really not as good as this one) . Good projection too.

First try: This is... actually exactly what I wanted Encre Noire Sport to be. Starts with a strong bitter bracing grapefruit (my nose refuses to read it as rhubarb, unfortunately). After a couple minutes that calms, and balances out with a somewhat earthy/dirty vetiver. Somewhat similar to the EN vetiver, but even more similar to the Haitian vetiver essential oil I have. And it doesn't have that slight aquatic ("fresh") note ENS has. [Edit: Not similar to original Encre Noire, just to be clear - much much greener, doesn't have that sort of dark sweet licoricey or dark chocolaty note I get from EN, or the endless musky iso e drydown.] I have no idea if I'll wear this around others - surprised to see so many "inoffensive & safe" comments, it has that bitterness, and a little dirt, and realistic vetiver is such an acquired taste. But I might want it for me.