Sel de Vetiver

Wow... what a unique scent. This immediately feels so bright and crisp, but not in an ordinary way. I had never tried a vetiver fragrance before and the notes in this are so youthful almost...I've definitely never smelled anything quite like this. It feels sweet but not saccharin sweet, nor gourmand. I sampled this, along with Heeley Sel Marin and Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt. For those of you also looking at these scents ("beach"/marine scents), I can give my 2 cents on how this ranks. Heeley Sel Marin- much too sharp for me. I admittedly haven't worn yet, but I let it dry down on a tester sheet and it is very very sour almost and I didn't find it to be mellow enough for my taste. Reminded me slightly of a candle scent, which is unfortunate given the glowing write-ups for this scent. I have most of my sample left, so I may retest in the spring. Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt - I've reviewed before and really enjoy this scent, but the longevity is so poor. Even with just a "dabbed" scent of Sel de Vetiver, I could tell that the longevity and sillage are superior. I *almost* went for a full-bottle of this, but I decided to wait and maybe even get a small decant from Surrender to chance so I can make sure I like it enough (and also test with a spray and not just a dab). It may be more of a warm-weather scent for me, so I will probably revisit when it gets warmer out. At one point I did detect a carrot-y note in the fragrance (which I wasn't crazy about), but I keep going back to the fragrance and find it to be so different and uplifting. Hopefully this review helps you if you are trying to find a new scent to sample/wear. It's definitely worth ordering a sample!

In the beginning, there is citrus. This probably sounds odd, but it’s just like tasting grapefruit with salt sprinkled on top of it. All too soon, though, the citrus dies away and the vetiver and its companions take over. The vetiver is gray and bitter, as it should be, and is accented by just the slightest hint of dry, peppery spice, the listed cardamon plus a few other things, possibly coriander. There’s also just the tiniest hint of something floral, but it’s subtle, focused mainly on iris. Then the bitterness goes away and there’s more sillage than I would ever have thought. It’s gorgeous, a perfect combination of notes. It’s like floating in a womb of fragrant salt water full of luscious nutrients. It’s the scent they would have used to lull the tank-people into submission in “The Matrix”. When I first smelled the sillage, it was one of those infatuated, “OMG, this is the Holy Grail!” moments, which, of course, like infatuated love, never last very long. As the scent died away, so did the initial excitement. Sel de Vetiver cannot go into my wear-to-work rotation because it only lasts about 4 hours and I like for the scents that I put on in the morning to last through the evening. What a treat to be pleasantly surprised, though. I can see how Sel de Vetiver would be nice layered with TDC’s Bergamote, as suggested by another reviewer. This seems like a good use for the bergamot, since by itself it’s much too thin, linear, and short-lived.

I just love this perfume so much. I don't even understand how any perfume house can capture salt, but TDC does and does it well. I can smell the beach and NO suntan lotion, yay! If I want to smell like suntan lotion, I'll use it! I love vetivers and I've been on a mission to find one that doesn't smell too gentlemanly and that I can wear in hot weather. I'm in south Florida and it's very hard to find one. I love Vetiver Tonka, but it works better for me in the cooler weather. Many citrus scents turn on me or don't last. So while I enjoy the ones that work, I don't get the longevity I want. In this, I sense some grapefruit, but not in a sweet way. This perfume is fresh, light, but heavy enough to be noticed and last a while. This one lasts on me for hours (at least 4) and possibly even longer because I got used to it. The drydown was interesting. I just noticed this after the 4th time wearing it, pepper! Salt n Pepper! What a cool perfume this is! Another thing I noticed. When I tested Hermes Elixir Des Merveilles, I thought, hmmm, this smells so familiar, but I know I've never tested it. I had run out of my Sel de Vetiver and didn't realize the similarity. SdV smells like green stuff and EdM smells like orange jam - but underneath them both, I get the same bright gorgeous scent - whatever it is!

My favourite vetiver fragrance and my favourite summer perfume. It was one the very first niche perfumes and the first vetiver fragrance I got to know, so it has kind of special meaning for me. The vetiver note is present here from beginning to end, but withe different companion. In the opening the most dominant note is grapefruit with a little bit of bitetter bergamot. What make it very different from generic fresh, citrusy frags is addition of cardamom which adds some deepness and density to the citruses. Later as citruses vapourize, a salty note appears. I think it comes from geranium. In my elementary school there were many geranium pots on the windowsills and I remember this complex, fizzy, vibrant and salty smell. I don't detect any other flowers, I guess they are perfectly blended with vetiver and salty geranium, perhaps adding some softness to the creation. I recognized two main types of vetiver in perfumes whose I associate withe colours. So there is yellow, rooty vetiver and green, grassy vetiver, the former I love the latter not so much. Sel de vetiver is obviously all about yellow vetiver - deep, earthy, oily and sligtly smokey. Along with other notes it makes Sel de Vetiver one of the most beautyful vetiver frags for me. I really enjoy wearing it, especially in summer.

Sel Vetiver This is good, as in “tried this on Friday night, went back and purchased the next day” good. Absolutely no aquatics here (not to me at least). What I do get is a breezy handling of what is typically a heavy handed treatment of a common perfume element (think Encre Noire). I once spoke with Roja Dove, asked him about the light treatment in his own Vetiver. What he said is that the higher up the plant, the lighter the vetiver note. While this is in the same vein as Roja’s, derived from higher up in the plant, it lacks the citrusy brightness (and in some ways the weight associated with Roja’s composition) and as a result is much lighter but not lacking the vetiver note in any way. What I get instead is more of a dreamy composition, ephemeral, but at the same time lasting and substantial. The vetiver is light but clearly identifiable, clean, almost if it was sprayed on a shirt days ago and only encountered again when the shirt is put back on. Longevity is around 4 hours with very, very low sillage. If I had to rank vetivers, I’d put this first, followed by Roja’s and then TF’s GV.

Sel de Vetiver was not at all a love on first sniff. The opening is honestly weird to put it bluntly, there is a cooling piercing bleach-like sterile metallic accord that I have not encountered from any other fragrance before. It has this animalic, astringent, salty quality that even reminds me a bit of... certain bodily fluids. But, weirdly the more I wore it the more I appreciated it both artistically and then subsequently as a scent profile. Which was genuinely a surprise. When under a full wear, the citrus emerged in the drydown and revealed a very photorealistic rindy grapefruit accord. I appreciate both the odd zingy metallic bleach like opening and the more mass appealing dry-down. Performance is the only real issue here, it's a bit fleeting which is disappointing. I recommend everyone try this though, it's too unique not to be discovered! Rating: 9/10 Wearability: 6/10 Projection: Intimate to Moderate Longevity: Weak to Moderate

The first impression is of a warm but windy day near the ocean. I can feel the marine salt right from the beginning, along with the vetiver which is dry and clean. The focus is on the vetiver roots, but not the earthy ones found in darker compositions. They are the roots that have been washed in the ocean and as they dry, they are covered with marine salt. The wind carries through the air the smell of saltwater together with the cleaned vetiver roots. The composition seems airy, transparent, but far from being simple and boring. At this point, there is a mix of aromatic herbs and flowers sustaining the vetiver. The changes are subtle throughout its life and it dries down warmer, rounder and sweeter, with the salt and the vetiver being present from start to finish. One of my favorites, this reminds me of summer, sun and wind; a happy day at the ocean. Scent: 9.5/10 Longevity: 8/10 Projection: 5/10

i was looking for an alternate for terre d hermes and i came across this beautiful fragrance.it was my first experience with this fragrance house and to tell u the truth im in love with TDC opening is harsh with a blast of citrus but it only stays for few minutes.as the middle notes step ahead this is where this fragrance creates its magic vetiver wit a pich of salt and very light grapefruit makes this really beautifull. its perfect for spring or cool summer nights because this beautiful salt vetiver journey doesnt last that much i get around 4 to 5 hrsand projection is about average.overall i would give it 4/5

just met this fragrance by chance. I was in search for a good vetiver scent during a very boring meeting and fragrantica offered me a few including Guerlain Vetiver, Tom Ford Grey Vetiver, Hermes Vetiver Tonka. While lloking for some decants for these in my country, I met sel de Vetiver and purchased it only to give it a try. I don't like describing scents as unique but this one really is. It is like ugly but charming people who you dont see by your eyes but by your heart. I never mean to load any missions on fragrances but this one helps me burden life. Nice companion

Was there a severe reformulation? My old version (that I know many years) was an extreme grapefruit opener, a woody vetiver in the style of Sycomore with a strong dose of cardamom and fruity/flowery ylang ylang and a very soft and kind of deep irisy dry down. The version I just ordered is like a chemical, diluted version of Vetiver Guerlain. I have both here and they have nothing in common. It's awful. Any hints? I'm really freaking, is it gone? EDIT March 2018: They didn't change- I unintendedly bought a rip-off. The original stayed all the same, beautiful like ever.

Nutty vetiver, with a salty twist (a facet of some vetivers, strengthened by the support of geranium and probably also a drop of violet) and hint of grapefruit. The iris will give a slightly powdery impression, suggesting further a dry salty note. The drydown is a close (soft) version of Dyptique Vetyverio EDP. A majestuous fragrance, that I wish projected more given the high price tag (note that I get whiffs of it several hours in, so projection is actually decent). Still, a great clean and sophisticated vetiver. Warmer days, 25+

One of the top vetiver scents ever created IMO. Bold, bright and earthy. A couple pinches of salt with some citrus and bold,masculine vetiver. I am no vetiver expert and can't distinguish between bourbon and Tahitian vetiver but my nose loves this stuff! The opening is creatively bold and can be overbearing at times but the dry down is heaven in a bottle. For those that swear up and down that the Guerlain is the best then you need to try this. This last all day and can be considered a 4 seasons vetiver.

Magnifico vetiver. Tan solo la he probado una vez, directamente en mi piel, me entusiasmó. Es fresca pero persistente, con el tono ligeramente amargo y seco del vetiver de Haiti. En cuanto pueda la compro, aunque dudo entre esta fragancia y otro vetiver que tambien me gusta muchisimo y que es diferente de este, me debato entre comprar primero Vetiver Extraordinarie de F.Malle o este.

Sel de Vetiver is easily my 2nd favorite fragrance next to Sycomore EDT. I just repurchased it after 8 years or so, and I'm really irritated why the hell I abandoned it for such a long time. And just realized what nice soulmate-couples the pairs Sel de Vetiver/ Sycomore EDT and Bois d'Iris/ 28 La Pausa make...like the witty, sparkling daughters of beautiful, elegant mothers.

It’s dry, slightly smokey vetiver. The salt gives it HEELEY Sel Marin vibes. The grapefruit because, well, it’s made by an Ellena. Combined, these three notes are perfection to me. Niche perfumery at its finest. This is the scent that got me hooked on vetiver, if that means anything to you. 9.5/10 (modest performance/sillage hold it back from a 10)

I smell sand, sea salt and a lot of fresh vetivers... which brings nothing but a soft, relaxing and vacation-like feeling. How much more can I ask from this gem? I wouldn't be surprised if it takes me to the sunny Tahiti shores within the next blink.

The best vetiver I know - has a character and therefore does not like everybody. It is as sharp as the incense abstract - but the incense is not in the notes. For me, it is a shrine vetiver for great occasions. My raiting 9.4 / 10

This is a rare take on vetiver. It does take multiple wears to understand what is going on with this one. That is my experience at least. Wonderful summer fragrance and wonderful overall. It’s not what you think it is. 😀😀

Only 1 spray on a T-shirt on my chest Crisp at the beginning and then develops into gentle, serene and relaxing. Enjoying my every breath. Bravo and thank you Celine Ellena. This is my favourite perfume.

In modern times many niche firms venture in creating vetivers of the highest caliber. Unlike expensive niche eau de colognes which rely only in the quality of materials, vetiver has more creative room and different compositions and styles have been introduced. Sel de Vetiver is an enigmatic and highly distinctive vetiver fragrance, smoky and earthy (patchouli is also present although curiously not listed) with lots of iris and some salt. It strikes me as a transparent dry woods composition, very close to Timbuktu’s axis with its smoldering rendition of vetiver, although less dark and more floral. It also features a sparkling herbal gin accord and a citrus mineral facet, reminiscent of Ellena’s Terre d’Hermes. With the absence of reliable woody florals from the market SdV’s mysterious air and exotic freshness is a wind long awaited.

There's something about this that is so masculine, reassuring and familiar. Like a dad fragrance. The Vetiver in this is delicious, grassy with an almost floral tinge. It does develop a really unpleasant chemical note- like Dad after he’s been using a strong cleaning solvent on something out in the garage. A metallic car part maybe. For me though that quality only lasted an hour before it evaporated and the wonderful sweet and savory nature of the Vetiver in this took over. The sweet has almost a floral sugar quality. The savory is salty citrus. The grassiness is evocative of warmer seasons and places. It has a full bodied weighty feeling while at the same time being lighter and appropriate for warm weather. It lasts a long time on skin and becomes more and more appealing as it ages.

Well, this is a pleasant surprise! With a name like SEL DE VETIVER, what could one realistically expect? In fact, this creation by The Different Company really is quite different. A refreshing vetiver with a very detectable salt note which offers all of the refreshment of sitting out at the end of a pier at the seashore on a cool day. The vetiver is there like the planks of wood that form the pier, and as the waves crash rhythmically on the shore, they create a mist which dries on my face, leaving a fine salt layer behind. This is a unique take on the classic vetiver cologne. A great example of "less is more"! Or, perhaps more aptly, in this case: "a skillful blend hides most of its notes..."

Quite similar to Guerlain's Vetiver (vintage), and I like both. Sel de Vetiver is more vegetal, with a peculiar scent of celery root and coriander. Not really salty IMO. It is a very earthy fragrance which smells like you have just pulled the grass with roots up from the soil. I suppose this is what vetiver roots smell like. The smell is actually quite licorice-like as well, but no so much as Etro's Vetiver. In the dry down, if you compare, I prefer the Guerlain. Edit: After having read other posts, I agree it has a certain seaweed-at-the-ocean feel to it. That's why I feel it doesn't work so well in the city for me. But it will probably do well as a beach fragrance!

I am a lover of Vetiver and am always looking to try new or unique takes. This one sounded great to me on paper. Just not a lot here for me. Light white floral opening, with a touch of citrus. Disappointed to not appreciate the saline note. Light clean grassy Vetiver. It’s pretty. Fortunately I never got the off-notes of harsh chemicals or cleaners. If looking for a very light and clean Vetiver this could be for you. It gets lost on me within an hour. I can find it on my wrist at 3 hours but I’m looking for a bit more performance. Decent value if it matches well with your skin.

A very good vetiver scent. It does have salty accents like Heely's Sel Marin, but it also has geranium and iris. It does remind me of Guerlain's Vetiver but without the tobacco and heaviness of it. The geranium reminds me somewhat of Egoiste Platinum. Sillage and performance are average...frankly it should perform better for a fragrance of this price. I enjoy it, but not enough to pay $200 for a full bottle. I can get a similar vibe with my Guerlain Vetiver. Perhaps blending both Guerlain Vetiver and Sel Marin will get close enough to this. As it stands I'll buy a decant.

I think I'm gradually getting off-put by vetiver, but this is definitely a top-three vetiver scent, along with Sycomore, TdH and Route du Vetiver. It starts off rather interesting, including that weird salt note, but once it settles the vetiver just comes out, peeking from behind the opening dance routine. Hard to see this developing into vetiver when first sprayed, but it is there if you wait for it. This is probably a benchmark for describing a pyramid or progression to a newbie. The Ellena dynasty lives on and on. Shame it's not available in the UK...

Very reminiscent of Guerlain Vetiver. I'm not sure I could tell them apart if I smelled them side by side. A very nicely done vetiver, but you don't need both. If you've smelled the Guerlain, you've smelled this. However, this isn't as sharp as the Guerlain in the opening, and it lasts way longer on my skin. If I had to choose I'd go for SDV. Damn good. Update: I find it to be too salty. I now prefer the fresher quality of Guerlain Vetiver.

Normally I can wear a fragrance for a day and get a feel for it. With this one, it took 3 days for me to really come to any sort of conclusion. This is a super unique and interesting scent. I'm not sure what they're doing to that vetiver But it's super interesting and deep. This one smells like the coast, not the ocean, which is pretty hard to do. My only complaint is that the cardamom can be a bit overpowering, especially at the top.

Another top notch in this genre. Quite simple yet incredibly satisfying. The usual sharp and rooty vetiver is joined by a iodine, sort of salty, note. Probably not among the most complex in this genre but still pretty darn good in its minimalistic iteration of the accord. Rating: 7.5/10

Sel de Vetiver is a perfect marriage of the indoors and outdoors. It reminds me of huge chunks of sea salt on a clean white cutting board sitting next to a lemon sliced in half. It also reminds me of walking down a wooden pier with cattails and water reeds right after a rain storm.

Wonderful!! This is a unisex fresh salty unobtrusive vetiver scent with a bit of grapfruit. The notes blend together so well it is hard to pick out the composition. A very skillful blending of vetiver that anyone who is interested in this note would enjoy.

Beautiful and original vetivery fragrance surrounded by some fruit, cardamon, flowery notes and some salt. Smells really great - perfect for spring and summertime. Very original, long lasting and fresh.

Very salty vetiver. I like it. Mature. Masculine. Spring and Summer day scent. Office safe. Not for the young guys. I would say more mature taste this requires. You need to love vetiver.

Reminds me of Encre Noire, but different for sure. This is lighter, more fresh. I like the scent, but longevity and projection are just average, so this one is not a buy.

Paris/Barges on the Seine Bank by Vallotton Felix Vallotton ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Father And Daughter by Michael Dudok de Wit 2000 time 7:13 7:30

Paris/Barges on the Seine Bank by Vallotton Felix Vallotton +++++++++++++ Father And Daughter by Michael Dudok de Wit 2000 time 7:13 7:30 ****

Not bad but I wish it was stronger and would last longer. I don't really get anything citric but salty vetiver, yes.

Nice take on a linear, fresh, wet vetiver scent, accented by a mild floral accord. A little more dewy than an Eight & Bob. Has an unpleasant, overpowering, polarizing undertone. Something like acetone.

Overhyped af. Yes, it's composed by Jean Claude Ellena's daughter, but this fragrance smells like sun screen and tinctured Chinese herbs.The kind of herbs you would find in Dit Da Jow. These two facets seem disjointed without something else bridging the two. Don't know when I would ever intentionally want to smell like this. Pretty sure some angelica went into the composition.

am I the only one to get hospital desinfectant out of it?.. Anyway I sympathise Celine Ellena and glad that Sel de vetiver finds supporters. Just don't buy without testing)) (btw Sycomore is my #1, and no, for me it's not even close)

Medicinal herbs, kinda stinky. Not pleasant, and I think the geranium is making this smell off. I wish this was just straight vetiver and salt, that sounded so lovely to me, but alas...

I get only metallic, salty, sand accords. Really really weird. At the dry down i almost got a metallic/ bleach smell. Horrid to the nostrils.

I like vetiver, but this one is very intense, overwhelming. It's only for woody scents' fans.

On my skin it's just soapy right after the first couple minutes of diluted vetiver.

While sodium chloride has no scent of its own, the sensation of salty comes our palate detecting the manner in which salt enhances when we taste something seasoned with it. We also associate it with brine—think marine plants, seaweed, and so forth, covered in ocean water that evaporates as it is washed up on the shore. In Sel de Vetiver, the salt is really a reflection of that which it enhances: skin drying after a dip in the sea with the salt interacting with one's own oils, the iodine effect of bromophenols released by marine organisms, and so forth. It's fascinating chemistry, really. Sel de Vetiver is therefore salty in these respects, yet it by no means feels merely aquatic. The grapefruit that introduces it, while ephemeral, is present for the perfect length of time, to lead into the briny-vegetal and mouthwatering sensations that immediately had me smitten. You see, its the addition of lovage, a favorite plant of mine, carefully deployed to join the vetiver,. Lovage adds this celeriac, liquorice-like effect with hints of root cellar that I so enjoy when inhaling its glabrous green leaves or its rhizomes. Some lovely geranium and iris underline and contrast, but its the lovage and vetiver together than sends me. It brings to mind being mesmerized by the blue sky and lulled by the sound of ocean waves while on a towel on the sand, the slowly closing one's eyes to daydream and feel the beach breeze on one's face. There is the rustle of beach sedges and reed along the seaside dunes, the heat of the July sun warming the grasses so that they give off a savory green aroma. It's as mellow as a cello, earthy yet effervescent. It's very splendor is in its subtlety. There is something to be said for scent that appears as transient bursts than heaving blocks. Sel de Vetiver would be perfect applied to both skin and a crisp white T. Here's to summer delights.

در تاریک ترین و سنگین ترین عطرای دیفرنت کمپانی، میشه درخشش، شفافیت و تازگی رو حس کرد و سر آمد هنرمندان این خانه در ارائه ی ترکیباتی تماما نشاط و امید و درخشندگی، سلاین الناست که شادی و زندگی و شادابی در عطر هاش موج میزنه. سِل د وتیور یکی از همین عطراست که نمایش جذاب و نسبتا منحصر بفردی از وتیور ارائه میکنه و تمامی آکورد ها و نتهای این ترکیب، در مسیر هرچه فرح بخش تر و نشاط آورتر شدن سل د وتیور حرکت میکنن. عطر شروع سیتروسی تند با بویی ترش و کمی تلخ داره که خیلی زود رایحه ی مرکبات شاداب و تازه عنان کار رو در دست می گیره. این تازگی مطبوع رو هل و وتیورِ خاکی-جوهری همراهی میکنن که بعد از لحظاتی هل در این فضای سیتروسی بالا میاد و اگرچه هل به نت برجسته ی عطر تبدیل میشه اما خنکای مرکبات آبدار و شاداب مانع از گرم و اسپایسی شدن فضا میشه تا عطر همچنان با حالتی اسپایسی،خنک و تازه از همراهی هل و مرکبات، حول محور مستحکم چوبی و کمی خاکی حاصل از وتیور با کیفیت به مسیر خودش ادامه بده و با ورود جبهه ای نمکین،شیطنتی دوست داشتنی به خودش بگیره. این فضا با حضور لطافتی فلورال در حاشیه ی خودش، با تم ضعیف کرمی و خامه ای از زنبق و یلنگ تزیین میشه تا همه چیز در نهایت پیچیدگی و دلبری قرار بگیره: جدیت مقتدرانه ی آکورد چوبی در خنکای اسپایسی با نشاط که پوششی افسونگر و درخشان اونو به اوج شکوه خودش میرسونه. تکامل و شکوه این عطر با اضافه شدن شمعدانی متالیک و بسیار شیکی به فضای کلی، رقم میخوره. تا در نهایت، شخصیت اصلی عطر در فضایی درخشان و تازه، چوبی و ترد، نمکی و متالیک شکل بگیره.. سل د وتیور یه کار با شخصیت و دوست داشتنی تابستانه هست که با تمام شیطنت ها و سرخوشی انرژی بخشی که داره؛ لطافت های جذاب زنانه و وقار و متانت مردانه ی خودش رو حفظ میکنه و اثر مثبت بزرگی از خودش بجا خواهد گذاشت. افسوس که این همه زیبایی بیشتر از 5 ساعت کنارم نموندن و نزدیک به پوست حس میشه. با این اوصاف چیزی از زیبایی های این درخشندگی شادی آفرین، متین و دلربا کم نمیشه... کامنت: م.ع (سایت لوکس بایر (با امکان تست سمپل

The opening of Sel de Vetiver was nice: fresh and just slightly bitter (more geranium than grapefruit to my nose). They definitely captured the salt, which I find I rarely smell even when I’m looking for it. In fact, I salute it for managing to be salty without being “aquatic.” I smelled hints of all the other listed notes (except maybe the ylang-ylang) swirling around in those first few minutes. I also got a moment of tire rubber at a couple of points, which for me was the most interesting point of the whole experience. After that it lost complexity quickly. The last note to go was a little powdery iris...and then it was just vetiver. I should mention at this point that I have a real love/hate relationship with vetiver. I am absolutely insane for ELdO’s Fat Electrician, subtitled “Semi-modern Vetiver” (seriously, if you haven’t tried this I urge you to seek it out post-hasty), but I detest many other vetiver-focused scents for being too rooty and dirty-in-the-bad-way. I have therefore divided the world of vetivers into dry and wet (or above and below, if you prefer. Please note that I have no idea what real vetiver smells like, in whole or in part, in the wild or in captivity). So: “dry vetiver” is the wonderful, woody smell of the grasses growing above ground; “wet” vetiver is the damp, unpleasant smell of bitter roots and damp, dirty dirt. The best I can say about Sel de Vetiver is that it’s a nice, non-threatening, dry vetiver. That’s not nothing but it’s not enough either. I can’t imagine an instance after today when I would give time to Sel de Vetiver when I could be snuggling up to my Fat Electrician.

This is of a similar ilk to FM Vetiver Extraordinaire - the thin, airy, modern, angular vetivers; the opposite of Guerlain. I hated Vetiver Extraordinaire when I first smelled it but now I love it. I currently hate this. (As an aside, I would buy a bottle of FM, without question if it cost less than it does and lasted longer than it does. I'm not rich or wasteful enough to spray FM every hour, and I enjoy a good silage trail...or at least, I like to smell myself.) Back to Sel de Vetiver... Later on, this even smells a little reminiscent of Creed's Original Vetiver - the geranium and the soapiness - except Creed's seems more 'old-fashioned' [Go on, you know you love that phrase!]. This is like a hybrid of FM and Creed maybe? I like both of those though; I still hate this. Oh, I wish all vetivers were like Sycamore. Although I can't afford that either. I'm off to buy Tom Ford again. Arse. Edit: Three months later, mid autumn instead of spring/summer: this is a grower. Whaddaya know? Haha. I love this hobby.

Sel de Vetiver is a fruity-floral vetiver with a prominent salty character. There is a grapefruit note, which is not juicy - but rather sharp, piercing and somewhat synthetic. I get a floral accord of geranium with some other elements, and there is a vague peppery facet. There is also a slight metallic attribute. The vetiver blooms late in the dry down, but around this time it becomes rather muted. Duration is average at around five hours, and sillage is discreet and somewhat thin. Sel de Vetiver reminds me a bit of Guerlain Vetiver (structurally), Sel Marin (for the salty attribute), Infusion de Vetiver (in temperament) and Vetyverio (for the florals). While Sel de Vetiver does have a bit of novelty, it is disappointingly thin, sharp, at-times harsh and eventually insubstantial. The sharp harshness does eventually improve in the dry down, but by then it is only a basic vetiver and nothing more. Any of the aforementioned vetivers would be more compelling alternatives. 2.5/5 (neutral)

It opens extremely salty - a whole spoonful of salt in the nose, with the vetiver assisting the salt - the fruity-citrus combo practically disappears amid so much salt and vetiver from the opening. This very salty-vetiverian top with very little citrus quickly soothes, opening an aromatic heart with an aquatic aspect due to the sudden appearance of geranium and ylang-ylang that bring some character - finally (after that blasting salt in the opening) - a scented character to the aroma. The drydown assumes a medicinal kind of freshy aspect. Way ahead of your "common-vetiver-frags" curve and a little unbalanced (I found the salt a little too much, it gets to the point of disturbing a bit). Wide silage though - I tend to respect a perfume that can project, even if it couldn't totally satisfy me in the aroma field.