Bois de Mystere

‘Bois De Mystere’ was one of the samples I ordered from Parfums Vintage and I am so happy I did! It’s my new “go to” winter fragrance. It’s one of 3 fragrances I ended up buying from the house (the other 2 being Beyond Noir and Sunset In Heaven). ‘Bois De Mystere’ opens up with a ton of booze and cedar. The booze dies down after a bit, and you end up with this very nice earthy, woody, slightly sweet dry down. The first time I smelled this up close, I was not a fan. Smells kind of like a dusty old cedar wardrobe. However, the sillage after it mixes with your skin is where it’s at. Love it! This lasts a full work day on my skin then slowly fades away. It projects very well for at least 4-5 hours and even leaves scent bubbles after being in one place for a while. I constantly have people asking me what I am wearing. It’s definitely a compliment getter. I actually prefer this over ‘Straight To Heaven’ which I sampled at Saks. While ‘Bois De Mystere’ isn’t as smooth, it’s a better performer for me. I also prefer the edge it has. It smells less like perfume than the Killian if that makes any sense. Give it a try. You might just dig it. EDIT: I now own a travel spray of Straight To Heaven and STILL prefer this. Whenever I wear this to the office, typically around 3 or 4PM (7-8 hours after I apply it in the morning), my closest coworker will inevitably ask me if I JUST sprayed something on. This stuff lasts forever on my skin. I don't see myself ever NOT having this in my arsenal.

I finally ordered it, despite not being sure if it would work for me. The problem is that I hardly smell it myself, except for a faint whiff once in a while. But the several compliments I got in the first afternoon tells me that obviously it works. I put on 1 spray. My wife noticed it lingering in another room and really liked it. Hours later my daughter came in and wanted to know what I was wearing. I like this much better than Killian's Straight to Heaven, which just smells like my grandmother's dusty old closet to me. I don't think they're particularly close, so I would hesitate to even call this a clone. This is more like a tarred wood shed with some manly work to be done.

I really like that boozy incense. Manly, provocative. But it disappears rather quickly on my skin. I'm talking about 30 minutes after multiple sprays it is almost gone and I can't smell much of anything. If that wasn't so, I'd be ordering it right away.

I love this one. A rougher Straight to Heaven clone with none of the edges smoothed out. Doesn't have the greatest longevity but neither did the Kilian.

8.05pm I've taken delivery of a bunch of Parfums Vintage fragrance samples and I have some quiet time and fancied trying one. I sniffed the caps and this one was my choice. Ooft, what a strange opening. First I got vetiver that turned into acrid smoke (neither are listed notes, but to me, they're intense), then I got leather and then I got tobacco all in quick succession and about 5 minutes in there's a powdery sweet musk and beneath that there's this harsh alcohol, almost a whiff of the clinical. It's like there are separate notes that are intended to come together to make a rum kind of smell, but to my nose, they simply don't blend. This fragrance makes me uncomfortable. It kind of makes me feel sticky. Apart from that, I don't know how I feel about it. 8.15pm I haven't encountered nutmeg in this and I'm not yet able to discern jasmine. That powdery smell is the patchouli. There are some woody notes coming through and the tobacco is very present. This is a heavy, heavy fragrance. I get this sense it'll have monster longevity and silage. It makes me feel a bit lightheaded. Actually, just now it makes me think of a parlour room with wing back chairs and crackling fireplaces and lots of books to read. A late autumn and winter scent, I think. 8.25pm Jeezo, this is a beast. I'm so confused by it. I don't think I can get away with wearing this, myself. It's just a bit too heavy, too masculine. But I want to spray it on a man and make him let me sniff him and maybe do things to him because he smells so good... I'm not sure yet. Nutmeg is clear now. 8.50pm Ugh this is so boozy. 9.05pm Cloying. Claustrophobic. Definitely too manly for me to wear. It's a big, heavy fragrance. It's got a soapy edge to it, now. I'm just wanting it to die down. And then a big hit of musk comes through and it's sweet again. Bonkers. Absolutely bonkers fragrance. 10.20pm It's finally calmed down, but it's made me sneeze a few times, so I probably won't wear it again for that reason alone. It's mostly a leather scent now, though I can still pick out wood and tobacco. It's really rather nice, but not for me. Great fun testing it, though. 11.20pm This has a pleasant, calming warmth. Finally getting a hint of vanilla. I like it. Well, I can't say that this fragrance has bored me. It's anything but boring and that makes it worth testing.