Bleu Asgard

Poécile is a completely new brand to me. My local niche store got them in and I got a set of decants to try them out. From what I gather, the concept here is a visit through the various landscapes of France, from the snowy Alps to the lavender fields of Provence all the way to the rugged landscapes of Brittany (last of which is the subject of Bleu Asgard). To be honest, the name drew me in, since I have Scandinavian roots. In Odinism and in the Norwegian epic poem Edda, Asgard is one of nine worlds, the realm of the gods (at least, one of two tribes of gods, the Aesir, of which Odin is the highest hence the "All-father"). Quite an interesting prospect. Truth be told Poécile are on the very accessible side price-wise so I wasn't quite expecting to be blown away, much less by a fragrance having "blue" in its name, of all things. And yet here we are. Yes, Bleu Asgard is a blue fragrance, but a little twist on them. This is a lot more oceanic than aquatic. There's no cute lovely bright citrus and beachy vibes here. No sir! Bleu Asgard opens brash and briny right off the bat. Now, that doesn't mean it's foreboding or off-putting. Quite the opposite, this is very fresh and an invitation to the great outdoors. My mental picture for this one is standing on a pier or better, at the edge of a cliff with the deafening sound of waves crashing below, the wind hitting your face with the fresh, salty air. Now, this brash opening I spoke of, which I'm guessing grapefruit and cardamom are its main culprits, quickly transitions into a salty iodine and seaweed-laden aroma. It gets quite mineral and salty in the mid before settling into a woody-smoky base (papyrus and driftwood). Super pleasant. The ambergris here I don't especially pick up on, which is a good thing I think (it can be divisive and overly animalic for some). So, Bleu Asgard is very crowd-friendly, IMO. You won't offend anyone with it and it probably won't win creativity awards but I was complimented on it twice so far, that goes to show. What it is however, is a very well done marine aromatic, a fresh, uplifting fragrance that steers clear of the "aquatic" vibe which I tend to get quickly bored with. Longevity is on the weak to moderate side for me but my oily skin eats fragrances and I don't expect this type of DNA to last for 8+ hours (you'd need more musks but then you'd have Megamare type of vibe). For the price, this is a super pleasant, easy to wear experience, perfect for hot summer days. I'm eager to explore more of this house.

Very masculine leaning but also a little sweet? On my skin in particular the cardamom note seems to come through quite a lot in the drydown. It reminds me a tad bit of anise as well. Like cracking open a bottle of uzo by the mediterranean sea. Quite inimate projection so I think its safe for most occassions. It has a good balance between clean and spicy, but doesn't smell like typical aftershave or shower gel- makes sense since this house is quite natural. Smells like a clean man but not a DUDE if you know what I mean. It's mature for sure. I do think this would be amazing layered with more citrus. I will gift this to my boyfriend, I don't think this has a place in my collection. Overall, well done from this house. Especially appreciate the brand ethos.