Just Cavalli Wild Heart for Him

When I smelled Wild Heart on the paper strip, I immediately knew I would like it. Slightly citrusy at the top, it quickly reveals the green, dewy, oily and smoky aroma of box hedges. And it didn’t take long to promptly bring back my memories. As a child, I spent summer holidays with my grandparents, in a small village surrounded by fields and farms, far from the hot, grey and chaotic city. In the late afternoon, when the sun was no longer high and scorching, my grandmother and I would walk to visit my deceased grandfather at the cemetery. Leaving the centre of the village, a long tree-lined avenue began with the driveway in the centre and two pedestrian paths on either side. There were benches along the paths, shaded by the trees, and I remember that the closer we got to the entrance of the cemetery, the more pungent and penetrating the aromatic, greenish, slightly incensed smell that I could smell in the air became. It was a pleasant, distinctive smell that I only smelled on that occasion and every time I entered a cemetery. Over time, I learned that what I smelled was the smell of boxwood hedges, often used to decorate cemetery paths, which release that resinous odour from their leaves in the sun and heat. For me, it has remained the smell that I associate with cemeteries. I love the smell of ancient boxwood bushes and shrubs in old cemeteries. I know some people think boxwood smells like cat urine, but I find it an intriguing smell. It is earthy and mixes well with yews and pines. To me, it is such a unique scent, so ineffably pungent, green, and fresh, yet evocative of ancient times. In South America, boxwood was sometimes called “rich man’s hedge” and was often used to anchor landscape plantings on either side of a home’s front door. The scent, more pungent on hot summer days, is not considered unpleasant by everyone. Just Cavalli Wild Heart reminds me of happy hours spent with my grandmother, offers an aromatic composition, and opens with a surprising combination of bright domesticated bergamot, intertwined with saffron and boxwood. There is an instant of booziness, with smoked tobacco like the smell of a pack of cigarettes. Saffron is evident and gives a warm and slightly spicy touch. However, it is not too rough, heavy, or leathery. Instead, the green and woody notes of boxwood emerge quickly, take the initial stage and then move into the background, lingering the whole time without dominating the entire scene. It is leafy, piney and smoky, a wonderfully complex earthy blend that captures an overgrown cemetery full of ancient stones covered in thick, green and velvety moss. In the heart, a dynamic spicy and rosy trio of nutmeg, pepper and geranium emerges. Nutmeg introduces an aromatic spiciness that is rich and inviting. Pepper, the note I detect the most at this point, enhances this vivid character with its sharp and invigorating quality, without turning into an Indian recipe. Finally, geranium adds a touch of refinement with its floral, slightly minty aroma. Boxwood is still evident, perhaps the keynote of this fragrance. I notice that the scent is quite intimate, it doesn’t scream and stays close to my skin. A soft cedar, vetiver and tobacco round out the final phase. The wood and root are not overwhelming and the fragrance is never too dry, herbaceous, or earthy. However, the tobacco screams, with its rich smokiness and sweetness. There is even a touch of powderiness, perhaps from a hint of vanilla or tonka. I catch more than faint whiffs of fresh tobacco leaves, ghosts of amber, and quick flashes of something resinous. As this blend moves through its phases, green, spicy and earthy notes reveal themselves along with subtle and mysterious waves of smoke, amber and tobacco. This deep and earthy blend captures the wonderfully timeless feeling of a walk in the autumn months. Alas, the performance is disappointing. Perhaps the batch is brand new, the fragrance has just come out and needs some time to macerate. The fact is that it doesn’t project and doesn’t last more than a couple of hours, neither on my skin nor on my clothes. I reserve the right to let it sit for a while and then try it again. I’m very sorry because the scent is very unique and stands out from the current trend. Oh, I almost forgot, I don’t find it gourmand at all and neither do the notes mentioned remind me of anything gourmand, sweet, creamy or biscuity. I wrote this review based on a bottle I’ve owned since November 2024.

THIS IS GOOD! I am not a big fan of original Just Cavalli, it was a bit cheap in terms of smell and lacking in performance but this is a whole another story. This is quite my type of perfume, woody-green but spicy with saffron and pepper, balanced with a soft base tobacco and vetiver. It is not sweet, more woody and rather bold and unique for the general mainstream. Not niche quality maybe, but for the 35 usd this is one of the best pickups. Performance is not bad, no reapplication needed throughout the day.

Woody, spicy, deep, sensual. It smells quite intense. I love it! I would almost say that it is a more unisex fragrance, because I would totally wear it as a woman. It's creamy, slightly liquor vibes. Cooked fruits.

OK, I'm happy owning this fragrance. It smells as Vetivery less sweet version of Spicebomb. Sexy and longlasting. Bravo!

As much as I want to support cheapies, sometimes I'm disappointed like with this one. It's just over $20 and I was hoping to find a hidden gem, but it's just okay. It smells fairly pleasant but to me it's like a cheaper quality version of Spicebomb Extreme. I would say if you want a scent like this to just pay a little more and buy Spicebomb Extreme.