Le Patchouli

On my skin this perfume is a quiet fragment of weather and taste. It smells of dark chocolate that has just melted and of earth breathing under soft rain. It is not for everyone and not for events. Most people will not embrace it and that is precisely its charm. It feels artful rather than decorative. I love petrichor which is why it takes me to my porch with a cup of dark cocoa in my hands watching the sky open and the soil darken. It is intimate and strange and beautiful. I love it.

For those wondering this is just the new presentation bottle and name for the original Reminiscence Patchouly from 1970. The scent is exactly the same. Still one of my all time favourite patchouly fragrances. A timeless classic and according to urban lore the signature scent of Mick Jagger

As the guy below fancily described, it just smells like sweet cocoa and wet, dark, fertile soil. It has it's charm, but it's not something you'd wear every day. Also PLEASE for the love of god and the people who are gonna be near and around you, don't overspray this one.

It starts off very green and dark, like smn patchouli, but after 30 minutes it sweetens up and goes like a toned down less boozy psychedelique. I got 8 hours from one spray so performance was pretty good.

Patchouli can be quite a complex note. It can be either more musky or slightly more medicinal and herbal, while in other perfumes it can strike more as damp soil and appear earthier. It can also seem woodier or spicy, or even sweet in a more dark chocolate direction. It just differs a lot from fragrance to fragrance. And in the case of Le Patchouli, I get many of the aforementioned facets. First of all, patchouli strikes, of course. A very bitter and medicinal patchouli, that is. As it mellows down, mild sweetness pushes through, as well as muskiness and herbal tones. Earthy touches are also present, slightly damp. The cedarwood and sandalwood lend some dry and creamy woody aspects, while the vetiver, even if not too prominent, brings a mild earthy-grassy edge. Things now turn in quite a different direction. As the base notes rise, the patchouli is given a sweet chocolate profile on top of its other facets from the opening, now tamed in intensity. It does remind of chocolate cake, with drops of vanilla also joining and slowly overtaking the chocolate-like part of the scent. The tonka bean and its nutty vanillic aspects seem to help in particular. Meanwhile, the labdanum warms things up with its ambery contribution in tandem with the Tolu balm, which further aids the vanilla-amber aspects, while also bringing a balsamic touch in the back. All the notes blended in together do seem to give the whole composition a resinous accord, but it's quite sweet so it's hard to say resinous is one of the primary accords. On the long run, things turn more amberwoody, unfortunately, but it's not enough slop to ruin it all. Regardless, it's a nice fragrance, decently put together, but it's just a bit too sweet in the end for me, which seems to overshadow the other aspects of patchouli which I preferred to be stronger in presence on the long run. The 'Intense' next to the EDT concentration does seem to stand for more than just marketing. On my skin, the fragrance lasted over 12 hours on most occasions, although granted, patchouli does seem to do well with my skin. In terms of projection and sillage, I was quite impressed too. The first hour it easily had 3+ feet of projection with a room-filling sillage. Afterwards and up until hour 3 it would stay at a more consistent 2 feet bubble, and by around hour 5-6 where it would turn into a skin scent, it would slowly settle down. But still, I did not expect it to be this strong. I think more special events or gatherings would fit Le Patchouli best. It can do for more regular usage too, but you might not want to overspray in crowded, indoor events. I think patchouli is a beautiful note in perfumery which can offer such multifaceted olfactive experiences. Le Patchouli is one example, where you get many of patchouli's different faces. It's not a challenging fragrance at all, unless you can't handle a little bit of bitter medicinal tones. As soon as you reach the base notes, things get fairly sweet and "friendly". But that's exactly why I don't love Le Patchouli. It's just a bit too sweet in the end for me. I wanted a more raw depiction of patchouli, not a chocolate-vanilla cake finale. So while this is not the pinnacle of patchouli fragrances, it's a good starting point, especially since it retails for about €75 for 50ml. Not bad value, all things considered. Presentation: 6.5/10 Scent: 7.5/10 Longevity: 10/10 Projection: 8/10 Versatility: 7.5/10 Value for Money: 7.5/10 Overall: 7.8/10