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

The cousin of Quorum. Green and Leathery Chypre. Solid Perfomance. Refreshing and cozy. In my Zoologist top five.

o how sweet, to smell so green when the world feels cruel and the grave seems clean

Reminds me Green irish tweed, with a vibe of moustache edp. Am i Crazy? Lol

About six years ago, I gave several Zoologist perfumes a go and they were emphatically not my cup of tea. Generally, they reminded me of the mulchy smell of a real or fake plant store, or animal cages. At the time, I was very into "skin" scents like Neroli d'Or or Epice Marine from Hermes. I was looking for "date night" scents, or "subtle, pleasant, shimmering" scents, and the Zoologist frags I tried were 100% not-that. Fast forward many years, and my tastes have changed. I recently bought many samples of Zoologist fragrances, and have been going through them day by day. I feel like I've finally caught up with what this brand is all about, and the two I've tried so far this week: Squid and Northern Cardinal, have both been excellent. I see that Northern Cardinal is getting many good reviews here, but also some loud dissenters, and I thought I'd throw one more positive perspective into the mix. This is a gorgeous scent, and true to the listed notes and overall concept. It feels like a bit of lemon/citrus brightness against the backdrop of forest and winter. The scent is heavy and sophisticated and evolves with a lot of craft. Definitely not a "skin" scent, and evocative of the holidays without screaming Christmas or cinnamon, etc. It smells *very good* but just not like a typical fragrance, or a human. This is the kind of scent, like Fat Electrician, that I can imagine being a bit too strong and different for work, or a date night, or a crowded bus or airplane. But for the *wearer* (in this case me), it's emotionally involving and chiaroscuro in its blend of darkness and brightness. I could easily see myself getting a full bottle. A natural fit for fall/winter, but I think one could wear it year round, and the season/weather/humidity would emphasize different facets.

Bought a sample of this from the Zoologist store. I literally smell nothing. Both on paper and on my arm. What the hell? I just smelled like 8 or 9 zoologist samples that i purchased, and this is the only one i couldn't smell. UPDATE: tried again the next day. I can get a hint of what this is supposed to be, but it's just so freakin' weak. It's green and fresh, pleasant - but feels totally generic to me. I don't get any patchouli, leather, vanilla, musk.... UPDATE 2: next day, i can finally smell a bit more of it. Oddly, I can smell more from afar than up close! It projects from my arms up to my nose as I type. It is indeed pleasant, but I'm just not getting any of the complexity I hoped for. Not getting leather. And even though I sense it now, it's still relatively weak. And still feels generic. Gives me just pleasant "pines" vibes, with a neutral sweetness. It's the "tasty" kind of green (i.e. not bitter or sharp). Soft and enveloping. However, it does NOT have the richness of Chypre for me. I'm sure one could find perfumes with this scent profile for a fraction of the price... No? If i compare it to something like Bortnikoff's Chypre Du Nord.... they are like galaxies apart. And that one isn't that much more expensive, and has a much more unique and complex profile. UPDATE 3: few days later tried the last few drops I had left in the sample. I've decided I like the scent profile, it's very pleasant - but very "simple" and familiar. You'd expect it to be ubiquitous but I'm not quite sure what would be similar to it. Maybe it's a bit like Roja Apex but without the modernity and more natural, or like polo green without the tobacco...? UPDATE 4: bought it :)

Heading back to Zoologist and picking up where we left off with Northern Cardinal, the fragrance thatfeels like winter settling in and flocks taking flight like guests leaving a party. But one pair lingers. The male wears crimson finery and the female wears softer, muted tones. Among tattered streamers of copper leaves they warble a merry duet. The cardinal is the state bird of several U.S. states, which is pretty cool. But now it is time to talk about the fragrance. The opening is piney with a touch of bergamot citrus, but the real focus is the green piney, dry twig-like facets. It smells cold with a hint of twigs and scarlet berry which is really neat. After about thirty minutes the sage comes forward giving a clean aromatic feel while the rose adds a soft powdery note. The leather appears soon after creating a dark smooth contrast that keeps the scent from feeling too cold or dry. Around an hour and a half in the oakmoss and patchouli emerge. They bring an earthy dry-spicy quality as if the snow has melted long ago with some gentle musks underneath. The fragrance feels slightly masculine leaning and perfect for a crisp fall or winter day. The opening evokes the inside of a Christmas Mouse market or Hallmark store but it ends up drying down quite smooth and wearable on my skin. Northern Cardinal has cool transitions and keeps evolving as you wear it. It is a thoughtful and elegant fragrance that really delivers a distinct personality. I really like what it brings to the table.

I received a free sample of Northern Cardinal along with my main order from Zoologist. I smelled it on a blotter and found it forgettable. Today, several weeks later, I decided to wear it around the house while doing chores to give it a proper test run. I am pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy this! The opening, to my nose, is fresh cut grass and green apple. I personally don’t get a lot of citrus at all. Weird, since there are tons of citrus notes but no apple listed 🤷🏻 Honestly, the green apple/grass opening is more exciting than a citrus opening would’ve been, so I’m not complaining. It dries down to a gentle blend of patchouli, leather, and oakmoss with sage keeping the composition green and aromatic even after several hours of wear. I’m grateful that the rose note seems to have disappeared under the other scents and is not detectable to my nose. Northern Cardinal is very wearable and seems like a good scent to reach for in the spring or on a cloudy autumn day when you’re wishing for some wearable sunlight. Seems like an inoffensive crowd-pleaser. It doesn’t wow me, but it definitely brings a smile to my face.

Despite being labeled a citrus scent, it never truly “screams” citrus, and despite its holiday marketing, it feels effortlessly wearable year-round. The citrus is mainly there i think to amplify the aromatics rather than standing out on its own. Leather seems to be a common trait among all of zoologist that this one also contains. I over-applied my 1ml sample by accident (my finger slipped) so it was much stronger on me than i usually like to have, but even so, it wasn’t that bad at all! just a slower dry down. But when it *did* dry down, any androgynous quality it used to have in the first half of wearing, and becomes much more typically masculine. If this is what chypre smells like, it’s quite nice. but this in particular wouldn’t personally reach for myself. Northern Cardinal falls into my “like” category, i think. Perhaps this would be better suited for a man. I do find it quite appealing. not something I personally gravitate toward for myself, but I do think it would work beautifully on the right person.

When first sprayed, it smelled like generic men's body wash or a cologne sample from a magazine, as others have accurately described, and after about 15 minutes of wear it faded to fresh green peppers being chopped?? But now days later I smell it on my laundry and it's shifted to a bright, peppery forest scent with patchouli and bergamot. It smells lovely on my clothes! Just not something I'd wear on a daily basis due to the green pepper smell when it's fresh on my skin. If you want a clean scent reminiscent of when the sprinklers turn on at the grocery store produce department, this may be for you. If you're cosplaying as a green pepper, this is your scent for sure. Green peppers aside, it's crisp and refreshing like a cool spring day or sunny winter morning. I don't mind it! It's overall a fun scent. I just wish it didn't smell like chopped vegetables, even if temporarily, and it's a bit too generic for my liking personally.

A clean mossy, slightly sweet citrus rose surrounded by holly leaves and berries. Leans feminine but a man could wear this as well. Works best in winter into spring. A day fragrance. Everyday. Could be a signature. Slightly mainstream, nice, but not boring, almost pretty but pulls back just a bit to have a biting edge. Like thorns on the perfect rose. It has that quality that Jean Patou Joy has, not in how it smells but in how Northern Cardinal make you feel when wearing it. The type of fragrance I wear when I want to be less approachable, a little more dominate. Like using fragrance to say I don't suffer fools gladly so don't mess with me. It has bite. Northern Cardinals are beautiful birds but believe me they are mean as heck to each other especially during breeding season. This perfume really captures the personality of the bird in nature perfectly.

Northern Cardinal is what I thought cologne smelled like before I'd ever smelled cologne. It's all the delightful, green, citrus of the most popular designer colognes, without any of the headache inducing, designer formula background noise. This scent has opened back up for me a part of the world that I had long ago resigned to the realm of poetic fantasy; before I decided that one must be delusionally pretentious to become a fragrance, wine, or coffee reviewer. In that respect, I find myself relishing in a renewed optimism about what's possible. Fresh, sophisticated, and masculine; really the perfect accessory to an otherwise put-together outfit. I don't normally like masculine scents (and Northern Cardinal is still something I'd never wear on myself), but I really enjoyed experiencing this. I am morally obligated to recommend trying this fragrance.

Allow me to preface this by saying I am a true patchouli hater, no man in my house will be sporting any patchouli scent. Any other spices as well are on thin ice. I heavily lean towards cold and fresh scents. Despite this, I gravitate towards this scent for an unknown reason. With this scent, Zoologist almost paints the picture of a kitchen in late autumn with the windows open. The spice is strong, and I would consider it extremely masculine leaning. The pepper shines through the most in my opinion, pre and post dry down. The opening is citrusy and strong, but beyond that I find a cologne tinted spice scent. The dry down was rather forgettable to me, but the opening was lovely. I would not say it is a daily scent of mine, but I could see myself enjoying it more in the months to come.

Pimento Chypre. Zoologist is my favorite niche house and chypres are my first love. This is absolutely gorgeous and classic with a very strange twist. In fact I smell a red pimento note so clearly that it means I won't be wearing it. It is like being surrounded by a beautiful pristine lake lined by pine trees, gorgeous view, blue sky and no other people. Suddenly someone on a jet ski is buzzing around in the far distance and you just can't help but want to leave. Don't get me wrong, the chypre structure is beautiful, I just can't get past the red pimento. Definitely give it a go. I will try it again later.

this is a very nice, masculine leaning, spiced fragrance. on my skin it smells a LOT like bell peppers and almost like cooking dinner in the kitchen with the windows open and you can smell the trees outside. very crisp and fresh. even though it's masculine leaning i still think its a very unisex fragrance. nearly every zoologist perfume i've tried has been extremely unisex. as much i smell the crisp, peppery, pine, fresh notes of this fragrance i cant smell any citrus. overall a very pleasing fragrance, i don't understand the hate on this one.

One of the easier to wear more mass appealing fragrances from the house of zoologist there is a lot to enjoy about it. The Lemon and Orange notes are really soft which is very nice, I find a lot of fragrances use these notes to be loud but northern cardinal lets it sit in the back. I find the green leaf note can remind me of celery and bell peppers, I don't love the vegetative side of the fragrance as much. Once its settled and you get the sage and oak moss coming through more it ends up being a nice clean slightly peppery relaxing smell.

Very nice. Lots of clary sage, oakmoss, and citrus in the opening. Leather and green leaves sow up a short time into the journey. The citruses are mostly a mandarin orange with bergamot, and a hint of lemon. I get absolutely no rose in the scent. Patchouli and vanilla i the mid to dry-down of the scent. All in all, and very nice, clean woody, green, and citrusy fragrance, with a bit of hidden spice touch underneath. Personal score:8/10. Great, but not specil. Worth owning a bottle for sure.

A cold and austere manly chypre at first. Then it becomes a bit more mellow. It is NOT non-gendered in my opinion. It is a gentleman perfume. I can smell distinctly the sage so you better like it. It does smells green. The rose is discrete as is the vanilla. The leather smells like brand new high end leather gloves. If you're a man and that sounds right for you gives it a try. I do not sample man perfume a lot so I cannot make any comparison.

The opening smell of this sample smells like a mixture of bell pepper and cumin on me. So strong and odd. Very difficult opening. Hoping the dry down gets better. I'm almost wondering if my decanted sample is the right perfume because I'm not smelling any of the listed notes except maybe the green notes that might be what's coming off as bell pepper.

Great citrus opening. Then I get a leathery rose. Not bad. Nothing that stands out. I would easily have it as a daily wear. Not a signature scent but safe. It reminded me of Habibi Sahara Rose. That was shocking but they have similar notes.

This is more of a gentleman’s scent. Piney, timeless and fresh. It’s not so overpowering to the point of being obnoxious, but the bergamot and citrus notes smell more like the skin/pith than the juice if that makes sense. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

On my skin, Cardinal oscillates between soft rose and heavy leather, but it's always spicy hot. Any fruits elude me. 🔥 🌶 I deem this more of a unisex, intimate scent.

Woody, leafy, mossy sage. Like a pleasant musk emanating from a bird's nest. More good stuff from Zoologist, but not a must-own.

So, got a sample of this yesterday with my Zoologist order. I REALLY wanted to love this one because of the animal totem attached to it, but it doesn't work with my chemistry. First spray is lovely--it smells like green leather with a hint of citrus. About 20 minutes in, things go sideways for me. The leather is still there, but my skin pulls out the patchouli and it settles into a very sharp, twangy, B.O., armpit scent. My skin does this with ALL patchouli scents--especially TM's Angel (hello)--so it's not the perfume's fault. If there's even a hint of patchouli in a perfume, it'll morph into that same sharp body odor scent on me. Something to keep in mind if your skin does the same thing to patchouli. How your skin does with Angel might be a good litmus test for how you'll do with this one. I will say, this one will do VERY well with the right chemistry. It does lean masculine, but a woman could pull it off--again, with the right chemistry. Will edit if the deep dry down does something fantastic. UPDATE: This one does VERY well in the heat (interesting, since I would categorize it as a cold-weather, winter scent). I went walking in about 87 degree weather for an hour and the patchouli calmed down. This ended up settling into a rich, earthy and herby scent supported by the leather, which gives it some nice dimension. After about 4-hours, it has died down to the point of almost disappearing completely, so not the kind of longevity I've come to expect from Zoologist. The heat might have actually just knocked it out in general. But I like where it settled. I had to work hard to get through that gnarly patchouli stage, but I like where it landed. Not sure I'd be able to get through a full bottle, but would recommend it to others.

Northern Cardinal is a frustrating experience for me. It comes very close to being beautiful on my skin but goes wrong in a way that I can’t really stand. I think my experience is a little unusual, as I would definitely characterize this as a ROSE rather than a leather chypre. In fact, it is very (favorably) comparable to less interesting fresh roses such as Liis Rose Struck. In the moments it works on me, Northern Cardinal is a brisk rose chypre with strong bitter herbal facets that take it in a masculine direction. But the bitterness in combination with the musk and vanilla takes Northern Cardinal to a kind of sharp cyanide accord that I associate with tonka (although it is not listed) and find very difficult to appreciate. I know others love this kind of thing, as I am assaulted by similar bittersweet accords with frequency on passersby, but I really do not see the appeal. It’s actually a credit to Northern Cardinal that I have re-tested it a handful of times and am always on the verge of liking it, but there are just too many unpleasant moments for me on the drydown of this one.

A solid gentlemanly style fragrance. Kind of barbershop clean, kind of chypre mossy but with a fruity edge. On first spray you get hit with the clary sage hard with some berry like fruitiness in like a cool and dry feel, and in short time it starts to warm up on your skin and open up more and some of the earthier aspects begin to emerge. I'd say from then on it's fairly linear and you get a fragrance that feels a bit old school likely because of the mossy feel but the fruity edge gives it a twist. I don't get much leather, just a clean green overall vibe. Not that daring or "niche" imho has a somewhat mainstream feel but it still has some interesting facets. Mousse Illuminee would be something that is somewhere along the same lines as this style but is more niche/unique leaning. Edit: I just got hold of H24 edp. If you like that you'll probably like Cardinal too, the large clary sage presence is unmistakable in both. Edit again: I am wearing this today 3 years later and I get much more of the vanilla and patchouli in this now, kind of like a slight Coromandel undercurrent.

An unusual and austere contemporary chypre, with bergamot and oakmoss evident, although with no labdanum/rock-rose that I could smell. The top accord smells a little bittersweet and sharp: I thought at first it was carrots, but it's actually clary sage, slightly mellowed (but not much) by some vanilla at the base. During the drydown the oakmoss becomes more evident, although the pungent clary sage really pulls throughout. This does genuinely evoke a northern garden under snow when the cardinals come to visit. One thing you can say about Zoologist's scents: for good or ill, their scents usually don't smell like other people's. As a result, I think it would be stupid to buy a full bottle of this blindly; but I do recommend sampling this if you like unusual and memorable contemporary fragrances. This would be hard for other people to forget, although that might be for good or for bad.

First edition (red bottle, special.edition) is the best! I love this fragrance and I also consider it the nost pleasant, easy to wear, masculine and "happy" fragrance from the entire zoologist collection. Cannot be compared with anything else, it s unique. Suitable mostly for 35+ gentlemen. It is radiant, ellegant, with high class. It s aristocratic in a simple.but astonishing way. The last creation from genius Rosendo Mateu, his last perfume - a true "Cardinal" regal testament, a real treasure. I also have the second edition in clear bottle Northen Cardinal but the limited red bottle Cardinal remains the best in therms of longevity, sillage even composition in some way. Love it and this one is among the most complimented fragrance I have. ❤️🐦

Wanted to love this so much for the cardinal but is kind of a let down. Northern Cardinal is very green, if you hate smelling stemone that sucks, but it does blend well with the sage to create a a cozy herbal green smell. The citruses in the beginning also blend in well, doesn’t smell like citruses and green but instead all comes together into an airy green freshness, similar to Elephants start but way less harsh. I don’t think this changes that much over time but does have a noticeable mossy feeling as the aromatics die down. I think I would’ve really liked this under a different label and price but stands a little forgettable to others in the Zoologist lineup.

First impressions were, “This smells like cardboard, *whining noises*”. On my skin, Northern Cardinal is a flat, woody, spicy fragrance. I get notes of leaves, clarysage at the heart, cedarwood and moss at the base. This fragrance is reminiscent of Elephant, how strong and “leaves” forward it is, but flatter. I had to go read other wearers experiences and im baffled how some identify this as a chypre or even a rose forward fragrance, as i dont get any traces of citrus or roses. I agree with @elGonzo, it’s confusing how the consumers are getting vastly different experiences.

Truly nothing I need personally, but this will truly be something beautiful in the winter with this Edgar Allen Poe-like gothic green that's soft within it's leathers and vanilla, but biting with it's crisp oakmass and citrus like it was left to freeze. The roses are faint and thorny as if they were freshly picked and now dried from days on a headstone. It's not what suits me, but I can't be disappointed in how the scent lingers along on a rainy day.