Northern Cardinal

Cardinal, Zoologist Perfumes (Red Bottle, 150usd, 202208DV (Aug 2022) Oakmoss Rogue. Cardinal was a discovery after I have chance to sniff Oakmoss dominant from "Mousse Illuminee, Rogue Perfumery" Fall in love how mossy it is instantly. I crave the smell of it. I don't have one in my little collection. As of now, I would personally describe my test as "Somewhere between Spicy, Oud, Rose-Floriental, Amber, Earthy - Balsamic and Powdery note" Cardinal feels so right, fill the mossy gap of missing wheel in my perfumery teste. Cardinal on my skin, Almost instantly go to middle. Citrus is not one my friend. My skin eat all the citrus very fast, That mossy like feel from Mosse Illuminee transits beautiful here. Oakmoss in this embody copper color, almost true dry. Support my Clary Sage note (provide slivery feel). Combine to make the scent like Hot yet cold oakmoss. As scent progress, the mild earthy merge with the scent in very polite manner. I think Patchouli in this even softer than Diptyque and the base is truly mellow and linger. The point, "Rosy tint" that prominent from the start and just become stronger & stronger. But it never take the stage from Oakmoss, rather merge beautifully provide Rosy Oakmoss in Chypre style. I just know, instantly know that "Cardinal" will be permanent slot in my rose arsenal collection. In another shoes, I can feel this can be too basic. too easy to use. I might can feel that. It lacks the exotic factor from something like "Bee, Squid, Hyraxx etc." But Rosendo Mateu, king of soft spices, perfumery from 1945 he must know how to make great Chypre. I believe Cardinal is truly special in its own merit, being the last showcase of his legacy in perfumery yet throw back time. Chypres, now a day are almost abysmal yet Zoologist never put even single drop of Oakmoss in this perfume. But this is a proof of many things, A prefect closure of his legendary. This review doesn't come from Zoologist collector, however I have a chance to sniff a few. I like Bee & Scared Scarab the most as of now, however this just become my first from Zoologist. He passed away on my birthday. I hope he will rest in peace. And appreciate to create such a special fragrance for me as Rose lover & New comer to the Charm of Oakmoss. Thank you. Addendum : I highly wish that you have chance to test the fragrance on your skin first. Zoologist can go many direction especially on skin. Give it a chance, if you love fragrance that explore many direction. You don't really know what you will be getting. :) Summary : The Oakmoss Rogue Longevity : 4 hours approx. before leave rosy oakmoss on skin. Projection : Prominent for first 4 hours, before leave rosy oakmoss on skin. Classification : Unisex but can be either leans Masculine or Feminine depends on your POV. Score : 9.5/10 (1/30)

I implore you to forget the notes for a moment and go on a journey with me. Sushi bar. Oily, sesame seaweed salad, bright aromatic ponzu and yuzu, a sprig of cilantro, mineralic, BRIGHT green, mingling with a splintered, wooden chopstick, the aromatics drunkenly floating over your head over shots of bitter sake with an exciting, unexpected lover, and the two of you's perfumes mingling with the subtle background of the bar's synthetic cleaning products amidst it all... The scent of Cardinal is unmistakably a Japanese bar experience to me (?). It is bright and herbaceous but also lived-in, in a sexy, oily kind of way. Does the opening have a bit of an astringency to it? Yes. But what happens when it begins to live on the skin? Oh, magic. The abrasive sharpness that some might call familiar (derogatory) fades away, but the characteristic brightness remains; a quality I find rare in a perfume's performance. It's like all the beauty of top notes that so often disappears only grows more beautiful and honest in this one. Rose? VANILLA? Does my nose DECEIVE me? It's such a bright, peppery, cilantro fragrance to me that it's almost all I can gather when I wear it. And I LOVE that. I asked for BITTER, green fragrances at a boutique and this was one of the recommendations. It not only filled my desire for that bitterness, but exceeded into the bounds of something almost narcotic with a little bit of imagination... Does my interpretation resonate with anyone? Am I just revealing a subverted longing for drunken karaoke I never realized I had? For me, this is one of those fragrances that will always be colored my first impression of it, and we can all agree those experiences are pretty special. When a perfume speaks to you on an imaginative, emotional level, it can transcend just a smell. I will be wearing this for me. (For what it's worth, I am speaking to the "extrait" red bottle version. Zoologist has stated that their initial releases were not labeled accurately in terms of concentration, so I'm not sure how it compares to the newer edition/ if there were any changes at all. Hopefully it is the same so I can continue to buy this fragrance.)

(Review of Northern Cardinal, not the original Cardinal) I saw a lot of cardinals growing up in my area of the Midwest near the Great Lakes. Their population was enormous. It was a beautiful sight to behold every winter, with the ground and the trees and shrubbery covered in freshly fallen crystalline white snow and this gorgeous, stately, ruby red bird set against the white and gray backdrops of the land and sky. The cardinal is somehow able to rummage around the frozen and barren landscape for food that has survived, and the opening shows they found something akin to juniper berries to my nose. There are bitter green facets, a slight sourness, a waxy berry component, and snow. I want to say there is something heliotropic or almond-like in the opening, touches of crystalline aldehydes as well, presenting an icy cold shimmer against the slightly warmer fruit. It’s a beautiful and compelling opening. Then the weather starts to shift, we feel warmth gently creeping in, and cool green and earthy sage and un-tanned leather notes warm us up too. The ground continues to thaw and the air gets wetter as a mossy and musky base blooms in the background, touched by a cool and light loamy/top-soil patchouli that eventually goes a bit peppery, to later become the final skin scent. I am thoroughly enjoying this perfume. Each transition is beautifully done and seamless. The perfume wears lightly yet richly, and photorealistic with great materials. While I pulled memories of those beautiful ruby birds against the unforgiving backdrops of winter foliage and skies, and I smell Northern Cardinal, all pieces click into place. It’s a well delivered brief that smells wonderful and is easy to wear. I can’t ask for much more than that.

I think this fragrance exemplifies my dislike for deliberately gendered perfumes. From Aventus to Lynx Africa, I find most men's fragrances sickly and aggressively powerful in how they invade the noses of those around them, and associate many notes with the scent of male-only changing rooms which have long been places of abuse and discomfort for me. For this reason, my first application of this fragrance was incredibly off putting. As others have noted, there is an initial note in this (maybe the clary sage interacting with the citrus?) that seems to invoke memories of men's deodorant and aftershaves. However, a few hours after dismissing this, I found myself completely in love with it. The rose, vanilla, patchoulli interact with aged leather that poke through the bitter green notes, combining into a something that smells like quiet contentment. For me, this is like walking into a pub on a cold day and hugging a friend wearing a leather jacket. It's like opening a beautiful bottle of red wine. It's like seeing a red cardinal for the first time visiting a bleak, snowy Montreal. It lingers for a long time, but is not an aggressively projecting fragrance. It's comforting, but also light and a little bit mysterious. It's the exact opposite of most men's fragrances and shows how much certain notes have been ruined by their overuse in fragrances that appeal to certain stereotypical demographics, and more importantly, how they can be combined into something of extraordinary beauty once we unlearn their associations. The red bottle is absolutely gorgeous too.

Reviewing form a sample: Cardinal was the winner from my latest Zoologist sample haul; it was the only love at first sniff for me. In the perfume’s notes they specify that this is the story of a pair of cardinals, not just the male, “but one pair of revellers lingers on.” and it’s this intricate pairing of masculine and feminine that really helps give this undeniably old school masculine fragrance it’s modern twist and artistry. The rose, musk, and vanilla achieve a pitch perfect balance at the heart of this fragrance, an ember of warmth, a touch of femininity if you will, in an otherwise wintery forest scene. The two create a romantic interplay that is present throughout the long duration. Even the citric opening has a splash of sweet mandarin that keeps it from becoming entirely frosty. With Cardinal zoologist proves again that it offers classic perfumery with the same quality and aplomb that it does it’s more artistic and conceptual fragrances. I have several non ifra compliant fragrances that feature real oak moss, and the difference between their moss and the accord created here is negligible to my nose, this being just as smooth, earthy and long lasting. The only complaint is that the leather, for me, is a bit too subtle - but any more might throw things out of whack for all I know. While this leans masculine I know a lot of women like masculine fragrances, and I think this could be quite appealing to that demographic. My partner loves it too, so I ordered a bright red bottle.