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.

I love it so much. I was able to secure that beautiful bright red bottle and it looks gorgeous in person. As for the juice because let's face it, that's what matters most, I'm in love with it. I originally got it as a sample before it was officially out and I immediately fell in love with it. It opens surprisingly green and leathery but on my skin, the rose takes over in minutes. That might scare off some guys but it's not a very sweet, jammy rose like, say, Initio's Atomic Rose or a powdery rose like Amouage's Lyric Man but rather more of a green, dry rose that isn't overly feminine at all. I usually am a little wary of leather, I find it often results in very masculine and "heavy" fragrances like the Memo or Tom Ford leathers (I openly admit I'm a pretty girly guy) but really Cardinal is very "fluffy". Maybe this is that "feathery" accord with Zoologist birds? Cardinal has it too. It feels very cozy and enveloping, yet lively and bright at the same time. Definitely suited for late Fall and Winter but early cold Spring days will work out wonderfully as well. Performance is very good on my skin, I can still smell it after 8-10 hours and projection is there but fairly discreet (people picked it up at work but not overly so and I got complimented on it to boot). Lastly, a shoutout to Mr. Mateu, a true artist. Thank you for this wonderful perfume. RIP.

Addendum 7/7/2023: My skin amplifies the Rose note on Northern Cardinal, this is a very well done, masculine Rose. I don't get much "greenness". This is really beautiful. What a nice surprise! Cardinal is a Modern chypre at its finest (BTW, my bottle still reads Cardinal and not Northern Cardinal). It has a nostalgic quality because it is reminiscent of leather-aromatic power scents from the 1980s. Every note in the pyramid is present, flawlessly blended, and occasionally peeking through to create a brief solo. On my skin, the Vanilla is detectable during the dry down and the Rose is clearly discernible during the middle part. On my skin, Cardinal lasts for around 5-6 hours. The smell of cardinal is pleasant, classic, masculine, and elegant. I think it is probably one of the the easiest perfumes in the Zoologist collection (this is not challenging like Dodo, Hyrax or T-Rex [which I also love]), so definitely a good introduction to this house. I fell in love with Cardinal right away. Zoologist is a favorite of mine, but as always, try before you buy, especially with Zoologist.

A fitting name for a scent that feels like a coniferous forest during the height of autumn in a bottle. I love the green notes when you initially apply it, but don’t get much of any of the citrus fruits listed. Then again, I also smell the rose and sage immediately, so the lack of citrus isn’t a bad thing. If anything, their absence enhances the autumnal concept, for me. Once it dries down, the oakmoss and musk really come through, which I find to be also approachable and pleasant. To deviate from the imagery of the cardinal, it smells like a sexy lumberjack. Not a real lumberjack though, but a lumberjack on the cover of a pulp-y romance novel. It could work well in an office setting as something unique but still pleasant, but I like it more as a going-out scent. It’s arguable whether this should be considered unisex, in my opinion. I bought a sample intending to wear it myself, but ultimately I prefer it on my boyfriend more than me. I’ve found pretty consistently that Zoologist perfumes are strong without being too overpowering, but that might not be the case for everyone

Recently visited a niche fragrance store and went buckwild smelling just about everything they had on the shelves. This one caught me more than anything else (well, this and La Tsarine). The patchouli is front and center start to finish. The biggest other players I smell are green leaves, musk, rose, and vanilla (in that order), and I really like that combo on my skin. I don't really catch any of the citrus notes listed here personally. It is noticeable as a skin scent all day, but must admit it doesn't project very far after the first hour or so. If monster projection is important to you then this isn't for you, but I don't mind something being less powerful as long as it sticks around for the whole day (which this does). Was able to snag the now-discontinued red bottle that just says Cardinal instead of Northern Cardinal, and I gotta say you should try and get your hands on that if you like the scent because the red bottle is eye-catching and looks great on the shelf.

This is such a gorgeous, many layered fragrance. It is probably my favorite from Zoologist so far. It starts out fresh and mildly aromatic, but after a few minutes, descends into this deep green, almost vegetal scent with citrus. The stark, rich, plant-like scent shocked me, but deeply delighted me. As the greenness got more mild, it started to feel warm and earthy. Every time I lifted my wrist to my nose, it smelled different. After several hours, it has finally died down into a very light aromatic with citrus. I can see a cardinal flying through different habitats with this one. A nest, high up in the trees, soaring through a rich forest, landing on the ground, and the feeling of returning back to the nest. It's such a delightful frag from Zoologist.

Perfect. Well balanced. This is a classic chypre with a modern touch. If you don't like chypre, well... Stay away. But if you do, you need at least try it on skin. This is green at the beginning, with that characteristic citrusy vibe. Leaning a little bit masculine buy it balances well with the rose accord and citruses. The leather note is there but is not so intrusive personally I love how subtle and aromatic is. Also patchuli has its appearence. Beware because that note is what ppl associates with "old lady/man" but here is not the star, appears in the dry down. I can even describe how much I love this fragrance. Need to say that I'm a gal that loves chypre and green woody fragrances and I have preference for this kind of compositions.

A stunningly beautiful leather chypre that does not have any of the usual offensive, sharp, edgy facets I often find with green leathers. This has gorgeous, softly elegant, slightly crisp green notes, with moss and patchouli that combined, might certainly remind someone of a crisp walk in a frosty pine forest, moss laden branches in the mist. Warm earthen notes beneath, vanilla and patchouli are comfortable, familiar even, and the bright and beautiful flashes of the quietly present rose might be your cardinal. This one really surprised me. Its elegance is unrivalled here for a fragrance that I blind bought and was terrified would be so masculine I might end up flipping it. Not so. Exquisitely beautiful.

opens with a blast of vanilla, musk, and citrus, with the vanilla and musk quickly climbing to the top, creating a blanket of a sweet and very gentle spice coupled beautifully with a fresh citrus. a leather opens up fairly quickly, joined with a beautiful clary sage and moss, cutting through that sweetness with a welcome natural and slightly animalic profile. begins to try down to a slightly spicy green, still supported by that musk. the sun shines briefly through a cloudy and dreary sky, cutting through the empty branches, warming the frozen forest floor. a beautiful collection of warmth, sweetness and green notes, perfectly balanced for a colder day.

Got a sample of this with my cockatiel sample and was very excited to try it - for me it did not disappoint. This is a very lovely green leather scent but whereas some of the other green leather scents I've tried have been twangy and sharp, this one is a bit more rounded and dark thanks to the patchouli and oak moss, but still retains a bit of a fresh sort of feel. Very natural smelling and serene - there is no offputting dissonance between any of the notes. There is something almost bordering on chocolate that I catch a faint suggestion of. This is beautiful 9/10.

Northern Cardinal is one from Zoologist that my husband and I both like to wear. I would say it is very unisex. It is such a beautiful scent. To me, it smells like cold morning overlooking a garden. It has a crisp freshness to it that dries down and becomes more floral and musky without ever leaning too far into it thanks to the leather. The oakmoss note keeps things very green in my opinion. I can see why some may not like it, but I think with notes like these a large part of that is body chemistry.

I didn’t expect much when I first tried Northern Cardinal, it wasn’t even on my testing list but it completely surprised me. It turned out to be my absolute favorite from Zoologist. The scent feels airy, refreshing, and cold in the most elegant way. It carries a quiet strength, like fresh morning light passing through incense smoke. It’s peaceful, clean, and perfectly balanced a kind of calm purity that stays close to the skin but leaves a deep impression. A beautiful and unexpected discovery.

So beautiful for a cool day. Reminds me of a winter morning, freshly showered and moisturized, bundled in a luxury scarf and warm coat; going for a walk in the brisk air of a mountain town. It's fresh, spicy, and has a creamy softness that lends to the mix of leather, vanilla and musk. There is a lushness to the citrus. Luxurious snowy woods. This could definitely still pass well for early spring - the rose gives a frosted morning garden kind of feel.

Just immaculate. My favorite Zoologist and super wearable, which can't be said for most of them! Always get compliments wearing this and I think it beautifully represents its respective animal. If you don't like leather it might not be for you, but it blends in stunningly with the rose and patchouli.

To be honest, I don't understand how people get the citrus notes. I don't smell anything citrusy whatsoever. What I get is green leaves at the beginning, then a gorgeous blend of oak moss, rose, clary sage, leather and a hint of the vanilla.

What a good perfume Chypre Green with a little bit hint of Fruity. Leathery Chypre but so green so fresh Sound like little bird eating a fruit in the forest. Remind me FM Synthetic Jungle in wearable green dose