Monsieur

I'd been anticipating trying a Huitieme Art and having it blow me away, Monsieur was the one to do it...Bravo! I don't think there's anything 'plain' about this scent at all it's a great mixture of notes. A distinctive, fresh, incense fragrance with a delicious backbone of woods, it's warm but without any of the heaviness of amber you tend to find coupled with incense. This contains unmistakable top notes of papyrus and that classic combo with sandalwood which I'll be honest I don't always think the balance is right (Le Labo Santal 33) but here it's superb. I get olibanum in the opening too then a hint of earthy patchouli and vetiver as it dries down. You could be mistaken for thinking that it doesn't contain enough light and shade, what with all these woody notes. However, spice comes from the sandalwood, fresh, clean natural notes from papyrus, vetiver and incense, heavier base tones of oak and oakmoss...this makes for anything but a dull affair. Stunning, Masculine and great quality, lasting power but subtle and well priced Huitieme art Monsieur is a wonderful perfume. I might just get myself a bottle.

i was not too sure about guillaume fragrances. however, upon repeated wearing, monsieur shows its charms. bottle code C98259. i read the remarks of others here, and find the criticisms confusing and varied. but, perhaps, more significantly, they do not match my experience. upon application it is pleasant, a bit strong, but nonetheless pleasing to me. is it the papyrus and patchouli that give me a happy thumb up? i put it among my guerlains for its genial mood. positive and extrovert. woody but not especially resinous. antique wooden furniture, polished. on top a big vase of mixed flowers, but not really floral, again i think the patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver, and "oakmoss" provide the illusion of flowery sweetness without something overtly any particular flower. this is somewhere between love and strong like. definitely, a feeling good scent for me.

Monsieur is interesting, because it's incredibly woody, with spice and incense facets to it, but unlike other woody fragrances that aren't even nearly as spicy or incensey, the overall effect is cooling. It also has a lovely jammy quality to it, that I think comes from the poplar. I'm assuming this contains some poplar buds absolute in it, because I find poplar buds absolute adds a really nice jamminess to fragrant compositions. If you want a really amazing and surprising combination, spray a base of this and then layer with just the lightest touch of 4160 Tuesday's Urura's Tokyo Cafe. The raspberry leaf in that partners with the jamminess of Monsieur to create a perfect marriage that's exciting and unexpected. Just be light with the Urura's Tokyo Cafe, as it can easily overpower anything else.

#1610 in my "Tour de Fragrance" Got this decant from scentsplit.com. FYI Jomashop.com does NOT carry Pierre Guillaume scents. Scentsplit.com has bottles at around $125 for 50ml, $180 for 100ml. Some sellers on eBay if you trust anything on eBay. This is one of the best woodsy incense scents I've run across to date. The papyrus really smooths this out and makes it classier and more "white collar" than it otherwise would be. Great quality. Unlikely to offend in any setting unless you overspray. Probably not for Summer. Comes across like one of my lost favorites, the classic green 2003 version of "Gucci Pour Homme" minus the amber. So actually, this is "greener" and more masculine. Yeah, this is a must have for me. I'm ordering a bottle. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

If you like woody, dry, spicy , incense and resinous scents then I wouldn't sell yourself short by overlooking this gem. Amazing natural quality and the notes are blended together very well. It is not linear either. I love how it gets better and "balances" out with ones skin chemistry over time. Great longevity and ok silage, yeah these are just first impressions but I foresee a bottle of this stuff in my collection by this winter. ;) 8.5/10