Grit & Poise

I really enjoy this house because their fragrances are approachable and wearable...plus affordable. Lets not forget that! So often, I find that many houses try so hard to cut their own path that they forget that fragrance is to be worn. Grit & Poise is long lasting on me and people seem to respond to it favorably. I give it two thumbs up.

Smells like old books in a library from the past when people were allowed to smoke in public but instead of cigarettes people smoked pipes instead. I get a church vibe here as well. Ancient and comforting. Unisex. Something that would be an easy dumb reach in the cold months. As it dries down it is pure amber. A dry and vanilla amber. I like this one quite a lot.

Lemon, Muguet, Amber, Labdanum, Olibanum, Incense, Patchouli, Vanilla Bean. Grit & Poise goes on a bit oily for starters. I just thought I should point that out. The vanilla is prominent from the initial application. There's also some balsam and resins in there for good measure. The opening accord is actually very nice; not overtly sweet and to me, gender neutral. Like others from this house, there's not much in the way of transitions and goes on fully developed. I'm not sure if Poise & Grit separates itself enough from the many others in this genre to grab hold of the wearer. It's a pleasant wear, but so are thousands of others. This has the base to accommodate some interesting things for a prelude, but it chooses not to. The base is "safe", yet sometimes making no waves is as bad as making the wrong ones. I suppose Poise & Grit feels "incomplete" to me and at the same time smells nice. Suffice it so say that if you like your Vanilla accented with Labdanum and Resin, this should be sampled. Sillage is good with longevity approximately 6 hours on me and longer as a skin scent. Neutral rating from Aromi since this didn't live up to its potential. As always, a sample wear is highly recommended.

West Third Brand makes some sturdy, unfussy scents, and Grit + Poise is a beautiful labdanum-forward offering with a hint of citrus, some sweet facets thanks to a subtle vanilla, and something faintly green playing in the background. Labdanum does have a tendency to get a bit play-dohy, and this one is no exception, but the effect isn't unpleasant. The overall effect is a bit like a sepia-tinted photograph of an old-fashioned schoolroom. It makes me think of burnished wooden desks, old books, art supplies, and a touch of natural cleaning agents. It's resinous, cozy, and nostalgic. I do think a bit more of the nominal lily-of-the-valley note would have made this a bit more interesting, but it's hard to fault something this gentle and evocative.

I like this one reminds me of a cowboy reading some old library books! The review below also noted the old books feel I too am getting that and I love it! It’s warm and charming. The warm sweet incense is comforting. Very nicely done! I like all that I have tried from this house thus far!