HS3

I gave a quick first impression of Odin Nomad long ago, but have finally had a chance to give it, along with the other two samples I had, some more attention.

Odin 03 Century – Beautifully blended. For the initiated, you won’t think it’s anything new and certainly relatively. For what it is though, it’s really quite nice. The cypress peeks through nicely, and the musk and amber in the base sweeten it just enough. It does have some unique elements here and there, but ultimately, you’ve got a mild-mannered woody amber with a hint of patchouli to give it some punch. Century is not in-your-face, but seems to have pretty surprising longevity.

*UPDATE* Century has killer longevity – 12 hours and a shower later and I can still smell the musk aromachemicals on my hand!

Odin 01 Nomad – This one holds my interest a bit more than Century. The initial blast has a cleaning supply vibe, but not in a bad way; it’s probably the juniper in the head. That passes within a minute or two and it turns into a tart, creamy cedar. It settles quickly into another variation of the sweetened woody base, this time with tonka instead of amber. The bright tartness (perhaps the bergamot?) hangs around for a while giving a bit of interest. There’s something floral to me as well, but I might just imagining it. Nomad doesn’t have much more tenacity than Century.

Odin 02 Owari – A blast of mandarin with a realistic grapefruit right out of the gate. It’s not the kind of grapefruit I usually loathe, but like freshly torn peel and tart spray. It fades into the heart soon after and a great neroli plays center stage. It’s supported by a slightly sweet base (seems to be a trend here). I can see some resemblance at times to Diptyque’s Eau de Neroli.

Owari seems like something I’d love in warmer months, but I’ve got a stockpile of great neroli scents, so it would have to blow me away to get my wallet out. Century would be nice for someone looking for a safe, woody amber who doesn’t have any of the genre. Nomad is the only of the three that I could imagine for me – it’s nothing daring, but it’s a great, close-wearing scent with decent longevity that would be perfect for office wear. The bergamot, juniper, and sandalwood are a really pleasing combination.

Here’s a quick iPhone shot of what I’m working on right now – I’m working on getting some great shots of the gorgeous bust edition of Invasion Barbare.  The full post should be ready in the next few days with info about the line.

To the followers I have left here – big apologies for being the most poorly updated fragrance blog ever. I’ve been in the process of relocating for a new job in DC for the last month or so. I’m now sitting in a hotel room in Northern Virginia, away from any home, my wife, and technically unemployed until Tuesday. I have a load of great photos of the gorgeous Xerjoff bottles ready to post, including some magnificent shots of the cobalt, hand-blown version of the Murano bottle. A big thank you to Xerjoff for letting me take photos of that incredible work of art! There are also some great shots of the new 100ml size bottles of the XJ 17/17 line.

I have my whole collection sitting in Home Depot boxes next to me while I watch re-runs of NCIS.  I have a camera with me as well; perhaps I’ll pull a couple random ones out to share some shots with you!

Thanks for keeping with me during the post drought.

As per usual style for this site it seems, it’s been a long time since the last post. I suppose I’m trying to commit myself to too many hobbies and activities. However, the beautiful new Xerjoff XJ 17/17 100ml spray bottles are being released soon and I’ve gotten the opportunity to photograph them. They’re similar to the Shooting Stars bottles in terms of basic shape, but these have a gorgeously cut stone on the front of each. From the blood red Red Jasper on the brand new Damarose to the incredible Quartz Leopard Skin stone on the Elle, they’re all stunning.

Here’s a key to each:

Elle – Quartz Leopard Skin
Irisss – Malachite
XXY – Lapis Lazuli (this one almost glows under flash)
Damarose – Red Jasper
Richwood – Kalahary
Homme – Black Obsidian

I believe they’re to be released on the major sites and on their site (www.xerjoff.com) soon. I’ll have many more photos over the next couple weeks, but this is the first to be “released.” Happy Thanksgiving all! I must go be social now.

When I was returning from my sunny Jamaican honeymoon (mind you, it wasn’t sunny one day we were there), we were stuck in the Montego Bay airport for a few hours. After the first few security checks, there was a slew of stores carrying all kinds of Jamaican knick-knacks, foods, goods, etc. We bought some coffee, some spices, and found an area that had a whole selection of local perfumes. I had seen them in another small shop a few days prior, but didn’t get a chance to smell them, so I was excited to try them out. There was some pirate-y named thing (I recall liking that one, but my new wife wasn’t as keen on it), something with gold referenced in its name that was a powdery floral, and this colorful thing: Reggae Splash. When we sprayed it on paper, it seemed oddly interesting. Even when I sprayed it on my arm, it remained intriguing. It seemed woody, bright, with a bit of citrus and sweetness. Something happened between the store and Florida. Maybe it was the air there that made it smell good, or maybe it felt the stress of being corralled like animals at the terminal while we waited to board (after the fourth search and security point).

Whatever happened, this one would have been better left in Jamaica. It’s a thin, whining aquatic that would have a hard time being hocked as the house scent for Walgreen’s. I wanted so much to try to like it, but it’s about 1990s generic as it could be – but doesn’t smell as nice. I’ve only worn it fully in public once, and all day had wished I hadn’t and that my sillage was low enough that people around me wouldn’t notice. No, it’s not really as bad as I make it sound, but it’s just such a weak attempt at a segment of the market already so saturated with mediocre scents.

I’ll probably try to wear it again sometime and give it another chance, but most likely not without a drink or two first.