Sailors

Citrus Kool-Aid to start. A rumor of something musky down below. Leather is more like a brand new pair of shoes or new car interior than a well-worn favorite jacket. It’s a very “clean” scent that maybe dances around the edge of being a bit drugstore, maybe due to the chemicals? It’s nice, but if I smelled this blind and someone told me it was some new Axe formula “Citrus Blast” I wouldn’t be surprised. Silage is strong. Longevity is ridiculous. Some vestiges live on well over 24 hours.

Dominated by spices in the opening: a heavy cumin and caraway accord. Once that passes it’s almost addictive to me in the crazy good combination with synthetic yet cozy cashmeran tying it all together.

I equate the experience of this to staying up all night out of my mind snorting expensive powder when I was 20 at the discotheque. You're dead tired and wide awake, empty headed, and the music is still pulsing around you loudly, the bodies in the room have dwindled in number down to the 5 am crowd, and still the pounding electronic beat won't quit, it keeps getting louder, echoing, hollow. Luca Turin gives high praise to The Zoo. I don't know if it's my genetic makeup that makes me attuned to some notes and accords, and dissonant with others. I really wanted to love this, the story is so inspiring! And I love sailors! My experience with this the first time was a simple "it doesn't agree with me." I'm probably just too old for this. Months later, I was working on the computer, and I kept smelling nail polish remover. I couldn't figure out the origin, I kept getting up and walking around trying to locate the source, it was distractingly strong. Turns out, the ring I was wearing on my finger was in the same small dish on the bathroom counter as the Sailors spray vial. The sprayer had barely touched the metal of the jewelry on my finger, and the smell was overwhelming me for hours. I washed it in soap several times but Sailors refused to disembark. This is strong persistent stuff. Read yaayya's article below hoping to find other experiences sniffing this. I do get the carrot note pointed out, but I had to be told it was there to locate it. I think I don't have the genetic makeup to properly evaluate this one. It's definitely a modern molecule based frag and that is a category of fragrance formulation that is a whole universe to explore.

Oh my god, it's pure sex in a bottle. I want to smell it all the time. I would wear it myself, but people around commented it smells too masculine and reminds them of their grandfather, so I'm only wearing it for myself when I'm alone. I don't understand this though, as to me it's too sweet for a masculine smell. For me, it's very important how the fragrance evolves, and a lot of fragrances start smelling either too synthetic, or too cloying, or just boring in 2-3 hours. For example, I love all Ellena's fragrances in the opening, but just don't get them in the drydown. This one is very consistent across the phases and smells great in the drydown. I compared it with Declaration side by side and don't think they are similar. Perhaps it's based on a similar formula, but the additions completely change the perception of the notes, and to me these are just totally different fragrances. Sailors has a very soft, buttery, warm and round base. There's some hint of clean male body smell in it. Like cumin, but very diluted, without its old sweat odor. There's a good mix of sandalwood and musk/cashmeran that probably gives this effect. The top notes smell sweet, flowery and with a strong note of iris which gives it a sweet cooked carrots or butternut squash nuance. I can also smell some cinnamon. Nothing else that I could easily detect. Overall very-very pleasant.

A remix of Declaration as Laudamiel mentioned, and you can indeed smell the similarities. This one doesn't have the cumin/caraway sweat accord that the original has, but instead has a nice powdery, woody and spicy blend of herbs and florals whereby some synthetics such a cashmeran, javanol, ambrox and wolfwood are used to keep it all together. I'm not saying I know how wolfwood smells but I think the mixture of naturals and synthetics in this scent really works well together. It's my favorite scent of this house so far. It also has some sort of soft musk to it which really leaves a nice scent trail on your skin. Some bitter-orange, citruses, cardamom, woods, and iris finish it off. Well blended. Could be worn year round without issue. Performance is great, nothing to complain there. Overall, a worthy addition to the line and great blending going on by Laudamiel. 9/10