(Wood Legacy)

I’m afraid I was a little hasty in expressing my first impressions. The first time, spraying the perfume on the strip of paper, I had only perceived a few nuances, those that reminded me of the He WoodHe Wood parfumes. But now that I’ve bought it, smelled it again, and sprayed it on my skin, I can fully experience all its colours and get some crazy vibes. What’s new? It is the same bottle used for the Metallics series, this time the cap is black, a white cardboard box that reproduces the texture of genuine coarse-grained leather, and the name of the perfume is written in large letters and enclosed in brackets. Wood Legacy is the name chosen for this perfume, which clashes a bit with the keynotes mentioned: dark chocolate, tonka bean, and patchouli. Woody, gourmand, or earthy? What will be the dominant character of this new creature? Let’s try to find out together. Within the Vibe Variations collection, this represents a fragrance inspired by nature, including some strong odours that may seem unpleasant to our noses. We are ethically accustomed to separating good from bad, and our person does not tolerate the repressed scents of our animalistic instinct. The Eau de parfum Wood legacy is a fragrance with an intriguing, daring spicy, woody accord. The nose behind this fragrance is Alexis Dadier, as posted on his IG account. The first notes that emerge from the spray are fresh, freshly sawn wood. A dark wood, without the typical inflexions of cedar pencil shavings, but something that recalls a place, a house, or a room composed entirely or mainly of wood, but also the smell of clean skin. The dark, slightly smoky and spicy nuances of pepper are slowly added, moderate, which embellish without covering the other notes. it’s just a splash, nothing that would bother those who aren’t very fond of this spice. The most trained noses may perceive an odour reminiscent of sweat, clean and never unpleasant. A few minutes and the fragrance takes a bitter direction, like something medicinal, a thick, musky, and bitter syrup. I recognize the aroma of dark chocolate, bitter, actually very bitter, concentrated, which rises as the perfume warms up on my skin. The thing I really like is that the chocolate doesn’t appear like in the other fragrances I already know, but it’s very real. Anyone like me who loves 85% and 90% dark chocolate will know what I mean to describe. Several times I happened to smell a nuance of coconut, dry, milky, and creamy but not insidious. Overall, it has a slightly tougher edge that is appealing. it’s incredible how this essence can change so quickly, gradually touching notes and chords that we don’t expect. The middle unfolds with the warm embrace of tonka bean and cedar wood, creating a harmonious blend that captivates the senses. More, there is a powdery note that adds a sensual touch. Not too heavy, just right. Perhaps, courtesy of the unsweetened, almost dusty quality of the cocoa. The scent keeps on going this way until it approaches the dry-down phase. A synthetic musk with a clean sweet musky floral woody odour is used in this fragrance. I get an animalic musk, not soapy, with a salty slant and some contrasts from the earthy patchouli and the powdery coumarins, the vanilla and tonka, a real one that smells genuine. The tail is woody and mossy with a touch of powderiness. In conclusion, the nuances that I receive most are those of dark chocolate, followed by woods and mosses. it is a particular gourmand, in which the sweetish edges do not stand out but rather the bitter and dark ones of the chocolate. The fragrance is very suitable for the colder months, during the evening events of autumn and winter. Even if I would try it during an outdoor summer evening without thinking too much. Maybe precisely in this June when summer is late in arriving, and spring has been almost rainy. I can say, without hesitation, that I love this cologne. I liked it straight away, on the first ride. Sure, it’s a bit of a jumble of chords, with no clear notes that stand out. But a nice mix, like the orchestra masters playing all together. Never mind that some might call it a mess. It’s my kind of mess. The sillage is delicate but the lasting power, thanks to the high concentration of non-substandard molecular ingredients, is impressive. Let me say that Wood Legacy is not the classic designer perfume, but something more refined and sophisticated, not obvious, a little primitive, and very close to niche perfumes. And just because I can’t get it out of my head, next on the list will be (Vetiverich)(Vetiverich). I am formulating my impressions on a bottle I've owned since June 2024 (BC 41010).

I revisited my bottle after 1 year and 4 months, and it's the most beautiful clean-air-musk aromatic chocolate scent suitable for summer, and unisex. It's simple but so unique, because it's a simple and pleasant summer aromatic - yet chocolatey! It's too aromatic to really be classified as a gourmand, but it's still yummy. I'm so sad I only have a 20ml travel vial. If this wasn't discontinued, I'd buy multiple backup bottles. This is possibly the best summer aromatic scent I've ever put my nose on, and I've smelt 1100+ scents so far, and about 15 summer aromatic scents mostly from niche houses. It has the clean-air-musk aromatic smell of MFK Gentle Fluidity Silver, but without any bitterness and without spiciness, and with noticeable chocolate. It has that molecular clean air smell with chocolate. I really hope Zara re-releases this in the same bottle so I can buy it again. This is the perfect summer accompaniment to one of my absolute favourites, By Kilian Black Phantom, an extremely dark scent of chocolate and rum liqueur.

Opens up pretty weird, there's something plasticky or rubbery that I really dislike in it. Then, something magic happens, and this turns into this dark, chocolatey, creamy woody scent, very different from whatever else I smelled, if this really is inspired by Boccanera by Orto Parisi or Pardon by Nasomatto I can see why, this smell is niche, it's not a standard designer fragrance, it's legit 10/10. This is insanely good if you bear with the opening, I fucking love this, but it's unwearable in summer imho. Lasting power seems good too, it sits closer to the skin after not even an hour but even after 6 hours I can still smell it on my skin lightly. EDIT: Zara owes me money, the fragrance I bought (in store) is way fainter than the tester sitting there, it's enraging, the fragrance is so good it makes me emotional but the performance is...MEH, 4-5 hours and it's gone, since it's more of a winter scent IMHO I hope it will perform better with colder temperatures.

With my newly-opened bottle, the dry-down is basically slightly-chocolatey woods and leather. Don't expect a photorealistic wood scent. The chocolate dominates in the first 30 mins; then it becomes chocolatey-woody for 30 mins; then woody-leathery with the chocolate progressively fading. Within 2 hours it's fairly reminiscent of a subtle leather jacket scent. My newbie nose doesn't get any noticeable pepper. Decent projection (within arm's length). Haven't tested longevity. Unisex, leaning masculine (IMO girls can wear this too, say for work or classy functions, but there are better feminine scents out there). Very nice scent. Sexy in a subtle way. Classy/mature scent and best dressed up but can totally be worn casually by more mature fellas (men 40+).

The first seconds after spraying not very pleasant but today it turned into Gris Charnel. I have it for some weeks now and it definitely changed. A versatile and very nice scent.