Notes: lavender, bay-tree, coriander, white pepper, rose, incense, woods and light muscPros: Spicy but light, with a wonderful combo of lavender & rose.
Cons: Fades rather quickly, leaving only a faint trail of the initial grandeur
Reminds me of: Well, it's reminiscent of Villoresi's Incensi, but this would be Incensi Ultra-light.
Longevity, development and sillage: After an hour it was all but gone, with the lavender fading out and stronger wood notes taking its place. I put A LOT on, and my roommate couldn't detect it, though I suppose in warmer weather, this one might turn out to be a sultry summer scent.
Bottleworthy? Hmmm.....YES!
Where can I buy it? $65 for a 50ml edt spray; $129 for a 125ml splash at Luckyscent.com
The Bottom Line: Created for the trendy Paris hotel by none other than Giacobetti, this (masculine) oriental is stunning. I love the pairing of the very soft and straightforward rose (more of a fresh, petal note, not at all heady or strong) and creamy lavender with the background of white pepper and though I feel like there's cinnamon in there somewhere, it's not listed. There's definitely a spicy incense note though I'm beginning to wonder what exactly "incense" means. Costes is great, and I could definitely see myself wearing this quite often - could easily become my summer spice. My eyes are open for decants...Rating (out of 10): 8
Have you tried Costes?
17 comments:
This was delicious. Figures Giacobetti created it. It's not esp. masculine on me, a real shape-shifter.
Ooh! I'm delighted you reviewed this one today. Although I can kind of smell it on the tip of my brain from reading the notes, I was curious about it because of the lavender/rose combination which I never fail to find charming. Maybe the ambiguous 'incense' note is liquid smoke, as in the variety used in cooking. (wild guess)
Love Costes! One of my faves. You should have seen me trying to track it down before it was available here in USA. Not a pretty sight. (I have decants)
:O)
Victoria O
march - ya know, I really thought about that masculine comment, but figured it might compel a few guys to give it a try and not shy away from the rose!
rue - whenever I think of liquid smoke in a scent I think of Diptyque's Essence of John Galliano! Unbelievable scent!
V - what I wanna know is this: Does Costes put this out in each room in the hotel for guests to use?
Okay, how 'bout -- "this rose fragrance is so butch you'll practically clank when you walk." How do you feel about Rosine Rose d'Homme anyway? I keep wondering if the word "rose" scares 99% of men off, which is so unfair. I mean, women wear any leathery thing they want, you know?
Diptyque's Essence of John Galliano, oh God yes! Then again I'm a little biased for two reasons, I love smoke and Diptyque.
March - I am a HUGE fan of Rosine fragrances, especially Rose d'Homme, but sadly don't have a bottle yet. I have to hand it to L'Artisan for helping me open my mind to rose (and patchouli, and myrrh).
Rue - how do you feel about Opone? I love Agent Provocateur, Voleur de Roses, Costes, Rose d'Homme, Caron Or et Noir, Iquitos, etc...Do you think there are any similarities?
I have become a recent fan of rose too, I got a sample of The Different Co. Rose Poivree and bought it within a week. And then after that I bought L'ombre dans L'eau by Diptyque. I really want FdTRB by Creed, but perhaps it's too feminine? I could layer it with something to darken it but then part of me would almost feel guilty for not wearing it in all of it's glory. Does anyone ever feel guilt when you stifle a perfect fragrance??
Mark - I NEVER layer...period. If the scent doesn't work by itself, I can't be bothered trying to get creative...I want to wear a scent in its completion or not at all...
Mark- I've tried the 'layering' thing, and it was fun, for about a few minutes. Then it felt like I was forcing a failing relationship work. Know what I mean?
Marls: I only had the pleasure of trying a little 'snootful' sample of Opone, and I did indeed love it. :) As far as Agent Provocateur goes, I didn't care for it on me but I did appreciate its blatant vulgarity. As far as the similarities go I think it's that 'raspy' or 'scratchy' note added to those that beef up the rose and make it, for lack of a better simile "like a sexy smoker's voice". (okay, now I'm sounding like a total frootloop...)
Rue - I like that, a scratchy/smoky rose...perhaps it's the vetiver that creates this effect in AP?
I don't think so. I think it is the coriander. Although I love coriander, both the seeds ground up as well as the herb in food, it absolutely hates my skin and ends up drying down to eau de dirty ash tray. I learned this the hard way when for years I tried to wear Coriandre de Jean Couturier and it just reeked on me. :(
Vetiver on the other hand is elusive. I love it and it loves me. Even classic vetiver fragrances, like my favourite Guerlain vetiver, capture what we think vetiver smells like, but it really doesn't. Years ago I bought dried vetiver to get a good whiff of the real thing, and well....
Ah...Coriander...one of my least favorite notes...I shoulda known.
"Voleur de Roses, Costes, Rose d'Homme, Caron Or et Noir, Iquitos, etc...Do you think there are any similarities?"
I think it is the rose/lavender combo.
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