Caesar

Ok, so after much time deciding, I finally acquired this fragrance this year, but before I start reviewing it, I’d like to explain a little bit about the idea behind this fragrance. If you’re interested in Ancient Rome, you’ll know that Pliny the Elder in his Natural History, provides a formula for a perfume, that just so happens to contain the notes of the perfume here. In book XIII, chapter 7, He says: «There are two ways to [produce unguents]: with the juices and with the solid parts. The former usually consist of various kinds of oils, the latter of odoriferous substances.... Among the most common unguents today, and for that reason assumed to be the most ancient, is that composed of oil of myrtle, calamus, cypress, cyprus, mastic, and pomegranate rind.... Telinum is made of fresh olive oil, cyperus, calamus, yellow melilot, fenugreek, honey, marum, and sweet marjoram. It was the most celebrated perfume in the time of the comic poet Menander». Here’s the Latin text for you scholars out there: «Ratio faciendi duplex, sucus et corpus: ille olei generibus fere constat, hoc odorum.... E vilissimis quidem hodieque est —ob id creditum et id e vetustissimis esse— quod constat oleo myrteo, calamo, cupresso, cypro, lentisco, mali granati cortice.... Telinum fit ex oleo recenti, cypiro, calamo, meliloto, faeno Graeco, melle, maro, amaraco. hoc multo erat celeberrimum Menandri poetae comici aetate». So, as you can see, “Caesar” pretends to be a modern homage to this ancient formula provided by Pliny. Now on to the fragrance. What a disappoint it is. Yes, it’s one of those generic scents you’d pick up cheap at a market, such an anti-climax as I was really looking forward to getting my hands on it. Basically, all I get is a kind of barbershop clean-cut vibe, nothing of the weird and wonderful notes listed in the description. I appreciate and respect that Maurizio Cerizza has tried to evoke Ancient Rome for a modern audience, but somewhere along the way, the final product by the Renato Balestra house has been “mainstreamed” into something very common. The only positive I find is that the scent is in fact a very near copy (deliberate?) of a Ralph Lauren scent from the 90’s, “Safari”. If you’re in need of a cheaper counterpart, (Caesar is not expensive), you probably couldn’t go too wrong with this, if that’s the effect you’re looking for. But alas, if you’re one of those academic classic reading, ancient language learning types, thinking you’ve finally found that “ancient” fragrance for your Latin speaking book club, please look elsewhere, as you will only the modern and generic, not at all worthy of feeling like a Caesar strutting his stuff around the forum two thousand years ago. Take home message: It’s always nice to see a modern company paying homage to its ancient past, so I think Renato Balestra were on to something here, although the end result was a let-down. Personally, I think it would be better to create a more expensive product, maybe in only a 50 or 40ml bottle, with mostly essential oils, not chemical notes, as it detracts from the whole romanticism of the idea, which is to rock a formula that’s 2000 years old. I wanted to feel notes as they’d smell in nature, not a “pharmaceutical” accord. Thank you for trying Renato Balestra, and I hope more companies engage in this homaging to ancient perfumery, there’s definitely a niche market there for the taking. For now, my search for the Ancient Roman equivalent of a guerlainade continues...

Don't you let yourself get too impressed by the initial blast of aromatic notes of clary sage and myrtle. After few minute they calm down and let bergamot to gentle dominate the top notes. The heart is reach of cypress and lentisque, whereas chili and black pepper are not that strong, just noticeable. The trail is made of dirty patchouli and wild musk, all sweetened by cedar. I discovered this gem a couple of weeks ago, and it is perfect for these fall days.

This is incredible juice !! ... Amongst my most successful blind buys .