Eau du Soir 2008

One of the best chypre-floral I have evet met. Strong dark floral, sharp, smokey and bitter. High quality. Worx good on me as well, recommended even for man. Dominant notes I detect are rose, jasmine, labdanum, ylang-ylang and oakmoss. 1 spritz and projects like a monster, lasts for ages. And has the best bottle in the limited edition series, black with amber lid. Quite expensive, 125euro for 50ml and 220euro for 100, don't remember the 30.

smells classy tbh. as others have noted, it feels more vintage than 2008. i don't get much of a citrus opening, which i don't mind here, as the middle note blend is just so satisfying. the dry-down is similarly & languorously regal; major fixed sign energy. if there's any jasmine it's somehow shy, a flitting shadow along a basking, sunset-backed wall still warm from afternoon, now beginning to cool as the breeze lifts the vines running alongside. kind hands place a shimmering shawl around your shoulders, lace around your fingers as you approach a glowing cab.

I got my hands on this black 2008 version and I assumed it would be exactly the same as the normal Eau du Soir. But it's actually different despite having the same notes listed. I'm guessing either it was either always different or the 10 year wait degraded/changed the notes a bit. it doesn't smell spoilt at all, it smells amazing, so there's that... Anyway, at initial spray, it's only about 15% different but still different for sure. I have 2008 sprayed on my left hand and the original on my right. First impressions: 2008 is sweeter, very rosy. Original has that green herbal oakmoss-juniper-patchouli blend with a wet, not too sweet rose accenting the edges. 2008, I notice a slight juniper dancing in the background of the sweet rosewater but oakmoss and patch are MIA. The intensity of the juniper in 2008 version is nowhere near as prominent as the Original (which is a shame because I'm loving the juniper in the original!) 5 minutes later: 2008 is the same, the rose is more richer with more dimensions but Original, the rose is just now emerging and it's starting to become very similar to 2008! I would say the difference now is at 7.5% 2008 is still a brighter rose and original is a bit more 'noir.' 7 minutes later: Powdery iris emerges out of both of them simultaneously. I had to outstretch my other hand away from my nose while sniffing to make sure the fragrances weren't interfering with each other. 2008 is a rosy iris, Original is rose-iris-oakmoss. Difference now is like 5%-ish. 9-ish minutes: I am smelling slightly more oakmoss-ish notes in 2008, but it's still not a match for the Original's oakmoss+juniper+patchouli blend. 15-ish minutes: They are 99% the same now because the o+j+p blend in the Original has faded. The only difference between 2008 and Original now is that the original has a hint of juniper and 2008 has maybe a few molecules. I love 2008 but I really love the o+p+j blend in the Original. I'm sad that it disappears after 15 minutes and these two scents basically become the same. 20+ minutes: Okay, they're almost 99.999% exactly the same now. Peppery medicinal dark rose, amber, labdanum, etc... They're blended enough that it's hard to pull the notes apart now. 2008 has like one molecule more rosiness than the original, most people wouldn't notice at all. Though I loved the first 15 minutes of the original more, it's not worth buying since they are both almost the same after 20 minutes with 2008 smelling slightly better. If there are any more changes in the dry-down, I'll update. Hopefully this helps anyone trying to buy any of the vintage limited editions. ___ 30 minutes in: Both identical rose-iris-ylang emerging, into a powdery, honeyed, dreamy scent. 100% same. 45-ish minutes: I thought I was done with this review but they are different again! about 10% different! 2008 has transitioned into a very honeyed version while Original has become a rosy light shampoo version. At this moment, I would call 2008 the 'Intense' version of the original. They are both very nice versions.

The first burst of fragrance is light and happy. Underneath though is something just a little nasty. What is it - must be the jasmine. The drydown is all about the moss and pepper. This is not a young girl's scent, and just as well, I don't imagine many young girls can afford it. This is sophisticated and elegant. Floral and spicy, Sisley resisted the current trend to make the patchouli note prominent. Further research reveals that the 2008 note-wise looks a lot like the fragrance of the same name released in the nineties. I'd be interested in trying them side by side. For all that it smells very classy and expensive, it doesn't engender immediate love or excitement on my part, but that might happen with use. Though created in 2008, this smells retro and classic.

I do not know which edition I tried, but anyway my nose seems to be playing tricks on me, because none of them seems to contain anise and cedarwood, which are the notes I thought I smelled most intensely in this fragrance. It is quite sharply and harshly green, which I though was cedarwood, and at the smae time very fresh, in a way I related quite closely to anise. It even reminds me of JPG Madame. Well, although it has quite a string character, I do not undestand why they sell this fragrance so expensive. It is much more expensive than most other designer fragrances. I would not pay that money for it. Unlike other people, I do not find this fragrance similar to knowing at all, cannot see any resemblance between the two.