Absolue d’Osmanthe Extrait

It is not the type of Osmanthus I was expecting as I am more used to the Chinese Osmanthus smell. However, it is love at first sniff. Very nicely blended floral Oriental in my opinion. It showcases the beauty of oriental's basalmic warmth and floral's sensuality. IMO, the projection is also better compared to the other bottles in this extrait line.

One of my favorite fragrances in my collection. Beautiful apricot-tinged osmanthus with a hint of expensive suede and a resinous base. For me this is swoon-worthy.

My best Osmanthus fragrance . Gorgeous Osmanthus abs scent . I love this parfum .

So I've owned and worn both the edp and this extrait version... While the extrait is definitely better, they both have two main issues (in my opinion anyway)... First, they are rather linear for a high-end niche fragrance line (the extrait is even more linear than the edp, though it has better longevity and projection)..., But the biggest problem is the drydown... If I wear the extrait to bed (it is a GREAT bedtime scent) the scent upon waking is really cheap / synthetic... Of course I've tried the same experiment during the day and that late drydown (6 - 7 hours later) smells like something from the Body Shoppe and has a very cheap / synthetic scent... The first 4 hours are gorgeous...

I have a sample of EDP. the description has words like "fruity-floral-powdery-sweet-vanilla" and it is assessed as unisex and rather more feminine leaning, but the notes and my experience tell a completely different story. it is strongly masculine leaning to my nose, sweet balsamic and softly oriental and very handsome, just not feminine. there's quite a lot of sweetness, so it has to be for men that feel comfortable with it.