R

I have to say that this is way under the radar. Most people today have no clue about "who" Revillon was. Up to the retro-chic 70's & club days of the 80's - this was a house that only the elite knew about. Wonderful high-end couture - mainly for the upper class of Europe and East Coast America, but the story goes back much further. Revillon was a French fur and luxury goods company, founded in 1723. At the end of the 19th century, Revillon had stores in Paris, London, New York, and Montreal. In 1903, Revillon set up a network of fur-trading posts in northern Canada to compete with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). By 1909, Revillon had forty-eight stores in its Eastern Arctic division while HBC had fifty-two. In 1936 HBC bought out Revillon's fur-trading operation. Revillon Frères financed the 1922 film, "Nanook of the North", filmed near one of their trading posts at Inukjuak, Quebec on northeastern Hudson Bay. I saw that old black & white historical film while in high school and studied the Eskimo people. Later in history, in the 1960s, Revillon acquired Grauer Furs, New York's preeminent fur manufacturing company. Grauer Furs was founded by Austrian immigrant William Grauer and later operated by Grauer's two sons, Abraham and Herman. In 1970, in a deal negotiated by Herman Grauer, Revillon became the fur supplier to Saks 5th Avenue! This arrangement lasted until 1995 (ironically, the year this fragrance, Revillon R, was introduced) - coincidence?? They put out some top-quality fragrances as well prior to this - including women's fragrances in the 50's & 60's and a very rare amazing male scent - Revillon Pour Homme in 1977. I just purchased a mint condition, perfectly kept Vintage Revillon Pour Homme 8oz flacon - it is one of the best fragrances of the era (it smells as good as any niche), in my opinion. Classified as a Woody Chypre, but with qualities that resemble a Fougere as well...it can stand toe-to-toe with Vintage Paco Rabanne PH, Azzaro, Vintage Polo...you name it. Just incredible juice! Apart from that, not really many other masculine bottles of fragrance have been created by the house in its history. That is the story of the house, for the review at hand...Revillon R is a truly great quality fragrance that hits a lot of very well-presented notes and the price is very low. It has been around since 1995, yet nobody seemed to know much about it! That is incredible - I, personally, just heard about it and immediately bought a large 6.7oz Splash EDT...not really blind knowing the house and the man behind the creation. The nose is the great Maurice Roucel - who has created a very clean scent that I would say leaves me wondering where this could have gone. Top notes to me are bright...but light...citrus, a nice aromatic lavender soliflore (with the floral and herbal nuances), artemisia, and a nice dash of spices with some ozonic (though this is not aquatic is any way) notes that comes across as wonderfully clean (which is the combination of light florals & radiant white musk in the base). The violet note comes in along with the lavender into the heart/middle, but not like an 80's fougere...this is more subtle and toned down. This is a reserved, wonderfully-balanced fresh scent. More of an updated and refreshing blended composition - not stand-out loud, but the floral notes are nice and well-integrated with the spices that bring this together to the great drydown of wonderful (slightly powdery from the violet note) white musk and ambroxan, a smooth, fresh leather note and a light, dusty cedar which remains clean - a "fresh fougere", if I may. Revillon R transitions great and wears like a very refreshing Eau De Cologne or a light and ethereal EdT (I love the fact that this is a splash!) As previously mentioned, this is very well-blended and all the notes come together extremely well. About as refreshing a composition one can find. I prefer this to Cool Water - period. Simply because it is so natural, light and nobody has it. If I want to smell like everyone else, I buy what everybody else buys. And, I am not 'against' Cool Water. But, this is true quality at a ridiculous price-point. I heard it was discontinued, but still readily available. It does wear pretty close to the skin (but it puts out a nice radiant, clean aura, so people around you will notice it), but that tells you the ingredients are natural and this is not 'overdone'. A perfect year-round out-of-the-shower/gym scent as well as office fragrance. Very inoffensive, clean and masculine (but refined). 8+/10 and a strong recommendation to blind-buy. QTP ratio is amazing! I cannot over-apply this...and I can reapply 3-4 hours after or switch to a different fragrance with the nice soft clean musk still on my skin with just a hint of wood (cedar) and a touch of leather...adding depth to whatever I put on next. Truly great and endearing casual fragrance that would work well when you don't want something too potent or in an office environment - cheers Monsieur Roucel!

OVERALL RATING: * * * * UPDATED: I cannot wear this. I wish I could, but I simply cannot. It evokes such an overwhelming sense of melancholy in me that I end up spending an entire day in a dissipated, empathic stupor, incapable of any productive activity. At first, I thought I must be imagining it, that I just happened to be wearing R on days when the underlyding melancholy in my temperament asserted itself. Now, I know better. R acts like a kind of chemical solvent for my resolve, my sense of purpose. My ego has about as much resistance to it as a cube of sugar in a vial of hydrochloric acid. This does nothing to diminish my respect for the fragrance. If anything, I am left with even more respect for the house of Revillon and Mr. Roucel for producing such a powerful intoxicant. PREVIOUS REVIEW: Now THIS is what an aquatic should be! Light, refreshing, crisp, but with a bit of spine. I would describe "R" as a woody floral, with a bit of clean, dry leather lurking in the background. The leather really appears if you use an atomizer. In the traditional splash bottle, the floral notes take center stage. All in all, I think I prefer the splash for this particular fragrance. "R" is a great choice for a sweltering summer day. It is inoffensive but interesting--you won't smell like anyone else. And as EricRico pointed out in his PERFECT review, "R" was composed by the maestro himself, Maurice Roucel. Best of all, "R" is a bargain! A 6.7 oz bottle can be purchased online for under $20, so there is virtually no risk to trying it. Highly recommended and one of my go-to summer fragrances.

A true summer scent with a modern approach that feels slightly ahead of it's time for a 1995 release. The opening feels more natural than you would expect from a bargin basement designer release. Even though sillage and projection are lackluster, purchasing this under the radar gem for pennies on the dollar is still well worth the price. My favorite part of R by Revillion is it's watery violet/wood opening that feels almost like the love child of Dsquared2's He Wood Rocky Mountain Wood and Vicky Tiel's Ulysse. The entire composition as a whole is slightly sweet without being a terrible burden. The opening to mid is followed by an elegant, powdery dry down that feels vanilla like, while keeping it's woody roots in tact. If you're looking for a year round signiture that won't get in the way, look no further. R by Revillion is about as safe a blind buy as you're going to get. Update: It's been a year and this just keeps getting better and better. I've actually been rotating it on my favorites shelf quite frequently (I've got too many favorites). R by Revillion is the epitome of a "grower". At first you're like, "Eh, it's not bad", but it's when you put it on the shelf at the end of the season and then come back to it when you discover the real magic! A simplistic masterpiece of hapiness in a glass bottle. I love this!

R de Revillion is translucent violet through the lens of an aquatic, with the shore's perimeter all clean, lucid cedar wood and ozonic breezes. It's aromatics of rosemary, pine, and lavender set the tone as well. It's really a signature of the 90s zeitgeist, full of winsome optimism and unbridled cheer, which is amusing when it contrasts with the often brooding and angst-laden music popular at the time. My brain associates this with "alternative radio," which was all the rage in 1985; I hear Ben Folds Five's "Underground" and Tracy Bonham's "The One," while sipping on a bottle of Orbitz, mesmerized with its colorful lava-lamp globules floating in the beverage, feet kicked up, wearing Airwalks and feeling like I have come correct in every way. If I knew R de Revillon at the time, I surely would've worn it. I know it today, and I love keeping it around for reference, purely to tickle the receptors that unlock the past.

I cannot agree more with the perfect review of ericrico. To me this is one of the the best smelling fresh fragrances out of the designer range of frags I own/know. It will remind you of many but still smells different! A positive aspect is that it smells pretty natural and not that synthetic as many other fresh (aquatic) fragrances. As said; the notes are very well blended and I can only agree to that. The drawback is that it does not last longer than 4 hrs tops and is just below average on sillage about one hour after application. As there are many occasions one wants to smell clean, fresh and inoffensive for 3-4 hrs, this is a must buy for me! Rating: 9/10