HS3

Comme des Garcons has some really quirky packaging. From the plastic dummy bottles in the Guerrilla series to the unfolding metallic box in the LUXE series, their packaging (though not the most luxurious, is definitely some of the most original. Comme des Garcons EDP, released in 1994, is no exception. It comes in a simple white card stock box with plain black printing on it. Open the box and the bottle is presented in something you might expect to save meat in the freezer with. The “as-seen-on-TV” style pouch seems to cover all the bottles of the same shape from CdG that I’ve tried. I’m still not completely sold on the bottle shape – though it serves its purpose quite well, it has a hard time sitting next to others in a collection. It ends up just being plunked there in the front.

As for the scent, it can certainly hold its own. This 1994 EDP is a melange of spices, loaded with clove and hot cinnamon. It advertises itself to work like a medicine and behave like a drug – though I don’t find the opening quite as medicinal as some, it is undoubtedly intense and slightly medicinal, perhaps due to the camphorous notes that you’ll find in the top. I find a good bit of rose throughout, but it’s never overly floral – merely a supporting note. It settles nicely into a smoother cedar and sandalwood-rich scent with the black pepper present through most of the day. Longevity on me is superb, which is not a surprise with its nearly 20% concentration. Sillage is above average for me on this one – I wore it yesterday and felt at times that I was leaving a trail a bit more tenacious than I usually like to. 12 hours into it, the GF (wife in a month – woo!) had her interest piqued and pressed her face into my neck to exclaim how good it smelled.

From what I gather, this scent was reformulated and the new version is now made in Spain. Some reviews point to the reformulated version as being lighter and less intense, but I’ve only tried this version (French made version), so I can’t compare. There don’t seem to be many good pictures of it online, but the ones that I have seen of the newer one (on Luckyscent and Dover Street Market sites) look considerably lighter in color. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily always point to a noticeable shift in ingredients.

Wow. I love Ulrich Lang Nightscape.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I first sampled it, but reading reviews about its icy patchouli, I had to try it. At first sample, it had to be mine. I’ll try to keep this quick and simple.

Patchouli lovers – you need to try it. It’s not like head shop patchouli, but rather a smooth, crisp, woodsy patchouli. I can totally buy into their marketing; a man out on the town, dressed in great jeans, a dark cotton blazer, a white button down, and an air of confidence. It dries into this gorgeously sleek leather/musk/amber with just a gentle touch of citrus to give a tart, bright element. By the way, if you like this, you might like Montale Pure Gold. And if you like Pure Gold, you might like Chanel Coromandel. Nightscape smells nothing like Coromandel, but just saying… if you like one, etc.

Have some pics – great bottle, with a nice feel in the hand. The cap is a let down as it’s just molded plastic, but without a considerable price hike, there’s not much else they could do with it.

There you go! A gorgeous scent and a great bottle. Check it out – Nightscape by Ulrich Lang.

When I first got my little sample of Comme des Garcons LUXE patchouli in the mail from Luckyscent, I dabbed a bit on my hand eagerly awaiting a velvety smooth patchouli scent that warranted the $290 price tag. What I got, I didn’t understand. At that point, I don’t think I had smelled many scents with large amounts of fenugreek, immortelle, or the like. It’s such a hard scent to describe. It’s almost like a foody take on what old paperback books would smell like with some vanilla extract smeared onto them. The gourmand quality is really played up in Dior’s Eau Noire (I think the immortelle centric scent that made me an addict).

Fast forward about a year. I was looking through the drawer this morning for something to dab onto the back of my hand to enjoy while I sat at my desk all day. I grabbed the Patchouli and thought to myself, the last time I gave something a while and tried it again, I really enjoyed it. This time, I loved what I got. I smelled just what I had hoped – I rich, earthy fenugreek laced with white pepper and patchouli. It has an ever-present earthy note that is probably from the various wood notes in it (oak, cedar, sandalwood). I’m really looking forward to giving it a full wear rather than sampling on my hand. It very well may earn a spot in my wardrobe. I think I’ll be selling most, if not all, of my Creeds soon due to personal objections to certain strong-arm business tactics they employ, so those proceeds may be suited perfectly for helping a curiously expensive bottle of patchouli into my collection.

I’ve done the hand sample a few times with Passion Boisée by the house of Frapin. Its notes lead me to think it would be right up my alley:

Tangerine, nutmeg, rum, oak moss, clove, leather, patchouli, cedarwood (courtesy of Luckyscent)

While it’s quite nice, it isn’t grabbing me like other scent with those notes. It opens very oddly – like freshly cut cedar with overtones of paint and fingernail polish. It’s pretty sharp and abrasive out of the gates which doesn’t bother me – it’s actually the most interesting part. It, however, dries relatively quickly into a cedar and nutmeg combo with the other notes hiding meekly behind. I think it would be perfectly suited for someone looking for a well made, close wearing cedar scent, but if you already have a couple that you love, you won’t find any surprises here. I would give it a 6/10 for my own tastes. I’d happily wear it if I had it, but wouldn’t buy it over any number of similar scents. I think an over application may be in order to try to discover some of those other notes.

I’ve always liked finding real photos of bottles, rather than just the press release images or product shots that are doctored to look perfect. Those images make it hard to really see what the bottle looks like. A perfect case of that would be this Maîtres Tailleurs.

I always assumed it was more of a variation on the MPG bottles, but in fact, it’s completely different. From the product shots, I didn’t realize it had the flat sides and round front and back. You would also never realize how nicely constructed it is. The wooden cap has great texture and feel – there’s a great deal of heft to the bottle and things fit together nicely like they should. No shoddy Bond No. 9 style caps (I have 3 that the inner metal ring is loose and cames off), or caps that make you think you’ll break them to pull off either.

It has a good, full spray and the mechanism doesn’t seem like it’ll have any issues in the future with fizzling out or leaking (Creed! That’s you, here).

Gorgeous bottle – it has a great color to the glass and picks up different light and seems to color shift. Sometimes it’s blue, sometimes purple. I didn’t have much luck showing that here, but it’s quite nice in the hand. Incidentally, the liquid inside is just as nice – a crisp, modern take on a traditional EDC.