Horizon

A fragrance that doesn't get enough attention, from a house that doesn't get enough attention either. This house is built fundamentally upon vintage fragrances and re-releasing them for the 21st century. Now, who knows how much they change from the original formulas, but there is undoubtedly an old-world feel to the fragrances and packaging. Horizon is a fantastic patchouli-based fragrance. Upon spray you are hit with a powerful, mentholated patchouli that stays lonesome for a while until a couple of minutes in, then all of the other notes start to come out. This is a different ambered-patchouli, the amber qualities are almost powdery thanks to the "cocoa roasted almonds", versus an overly sweetened vanilla. If you like sweet patchouli fragrances but found ones like Patchouli Leaves from Montale too much, this would be a good middle-ground. As the fragrance dries down, the vanilla does become more noticeable but due to the patchouli it maintains a sweetly earthy smell. It is absolutely addicting to smell! This fragrance also lasts on me forever, and I consistently get wafts of it throughout the day with it just being on my arm. This is most normally compared to Borneo 1834, but they are very different. B1834 is not sweet at all, due to utilizing straight cacao and patchouli in a pairing, which gives it a very "dusty" texture. The patchouli in B1834 is also more blunted compared to Horizon, I don't get the earthy, petrichor smell from that one as I do in Horizon. All-in-all, I would say you could own both of them and they still be very different from each other. If you care at all for patchouli, you must at least try this fragrance. It will most likely find its way into your collection like it did mine.

I love this scent profile and have tried numerous fragrances, here is a brief summary of how they compare: OLL Horizon - Sweet, boozy, quite "chocolatey" but not a dark chocolate, and after it dries a bit the patchouli has this punchy quality similar to Psychedelique. Chanel Coromandel - Sophisticated, not very sweet on my skin, smells more mysterious Serge Lutens Borneo 1842 - Very well blended, a slight perfumey quality, smells like wealth and chocolate Jehanne Rigaud Patchouli Premier - My personal favourite, less sweet and more raw/earthy, powdery, mysterious, smells a little ancient in a good way Jovoy Psychedelique - Not as well blended as the SL, Chanel, or OLL but has an airy, mentholated quality and sweetness that gives it great character. Leans most masculine on the list IMO. The punchy quality of patchouli in Psychedelique is the most similar to Horizon. Salvatore Ferragamo Terra Rossa - Sweetest, most approachable patchouli on this list, it's like Horizon/Coromandel/Borneo 1842 but mass appealing. Cartier L'Heure Mysterieuse XII - I can kind of see why people would say they're similar, but they don't smell the same. The vibe is the same, but L'HMXII is like a smooth Lindt ball without any obvious patchouli smell. Dana Tabu / Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur - Nah, not at all. No similarity. I'd say Psychedelique is closest to Horizon, but the difference is that Psychedelique has this aerated/mentholated quality and radiates. Both Horizon and Psych lean masculine to me, but Psych more so due to how far it radiates. I will enjoy my sample but probably won't purchase since I already own Patchouli Premier, L'HMXII, Terra Rossa and Psychedelique (I am a major patchouli fan lol).

I've yet to sample anything from Oriza L. Legrand that did not seem interesting and original to me; this is no exception. This fragrance claims to be a reconstruction of what was made by this company in 1925, but it smells so up-to-date and refreshingly unusual that this is hard for me to believe. This is a very amber scent, but the notes in it did not produce for me the expected accords. The marmalade and tangerine at the top make a delicious accord like orange rind that dominated everything else, and are backed by the patchouli and cacao bean underneath. The cognac makes them whole thing smell slightly (but not overwhelmingly) boozy. Given these notes I would think this would smell like a true gourmand--like a liquor-filled chocolate-orange truffle--, but that's not really how this comes off. It's much lighter and more refreshing than that. I note other people have compared it to Reminscence's Patchouli (probably because of the chocolate-like patchouli) and Givenchy's pre-2017 Gentleman (the patchouli mixed with honey), and though i can see some points where this does echo those fragrances faintly, to me this is pretty original. This is also reasonably priced, and you just cannot do a more splendid presentation (with a heavy bottle, a gorgeous silken tassel, and beautiful period graphics on the thick box) for the money than Oriza L. LeGrand does. This would make a wonderful gift for someone who likes elegant patchouli fragrances.

Delightful and unusual combination-- is it for a cowboy or a librarian? Despite its age it does come off as absolutely contemporary-- this was a composition ahead of its time. I understand why they called it Horizon. There is something expansive about it, rugged like a wild and open landscape, masculine but also unusually cozy, comforting, warm. It's the warmth of coming in from a raw and moody outdoor space on a crisp day, into a place where there is fire and bread baking and a hot drink to warm you up, something with a bit of brandy tipped into it. Patchouli for sure but while it dominates, it does not drown out the rest of the composition, and I haven't encountered patchouli used quite this well in many instances. And in what strikes me as something of a miracle, all these notes like cacao, almond, honey, and vanilla come together in a way that doesn't even begin to suggest 'christmas cookie' or something more gourmand-- it has these notes but this does not smell like food, my least favorite genre of fragrance. The rose, petitgrain, tobacco and peat keep it natural and woodsy-outdoorsy enough to guard it from becoming gourmand.

A good patchouli is just that: a good patchouli. And whats better than that? Horizon isnt complex or revolutionary. Patchouli as a note itself is complex as is, and all of its facets are shown here in the most naturalistic and convincing way possible. It is not screechy, metallic, moldy, overwhelming or disgusting. No, it is meditative, forest-like, mentholated, earthy, grand, chocolatey, warm, ambery, and much more. It doesnt smell like straight up patchouli oil, it doesnt smell like weed, no, horizon smells like... patchouli. Does that sound exciting? No. Maybe it is exciting for someone who isnt familiar with a realistic and pure patchouli , but to me its nothing new. Luckily, it doesnt have to be. Innovation never automatically equates to quality. The name horizon is fitting, it feels like im drifting into the sky as im dosing off in a field at sunset. Just wonderful Very similar to tempo and other ‘basic’ patchouli fragrances (patchouli can never be basic imo but im talking relatively). Compared to tempo, this one is less green and more dusty and calming.