Deefit

It was not at all the tobacco scent that I had imagined it to be. Some people had compared it to Odori Tabacco, but this is much more dry. And less sweet. It does last an incredibly long time. I believe it lasted over 20 hours on my skin. I have tried the current formulation bell jar on one hand and the rectangular bottle on the other hand, I found that the perfume from the rectangular bottle projected longer and a little better than the perfume from the bell jar. They were also slightly different, although I'd attribute that to a batch difference, rather than reformulation.

First off, I felt very privileged to be among the first people in the world to get their hands on this fragrance when I received my bottle several weeks ago. So, after testing this a few times I feel like I am finally ready to put my opinion of this into words for others to read.

But for review purposes, let me spray this on again. I sprayed a little on my wrist, from about 10 inches away. This way it doesn't get all concentrated in one spot on my skin. Which is what I experienced the first time I sprayed this on. That was, intense, let me tell you, hehe.

My very first impression was that this is dense. It is thick. Especially with its Dior Homme and Dior Homme Intense brothers in mind, this is like an extremely dense version of those. It feels more luxurious even. It has an ambery feel to it, which smells very natural. This smells like a perfume, not like 'fragrance', if this makes any sense at all?

The leather is a lot more prominent in this, compared to its brothers. Somebody mentioned that a Dior rep told them there was rose in this? If there is, I do not pick it up. But rose does have a tendency to mix well with leather and has been used in that accord more often.

This needs about 30 minutes to settle in, to become warm and more accessable. This will not be for everybody. The first few times I wore this, I wasn't sure that I liked it at all. I tried Dior Homme Intense yesterday and finally I could see the resemblance to that. It's in the iris note, of course, but Dior Homme Parfum lacks the sweetness of the cacao. This is a good thing though, because it gives Dior Homme Parfum enough of its own character to be an individual perfume on its own instead of being a 'flanker'. There is a slight sweetness still, but it feels more dry than in Dior Homme Intense.

I can't say a lot about sillage, just that it forms a nice cloud around you. Although I think this does not project loudly or far, I feel that the scent itself is carried nicely around you and people will notice your perfume. When it comes to longevity, this performed well over 12 hours on my skin. And since I have somewhat dry skin, this is saying something.

So in conclusion, my findings so far. I wasn't sure what to think when I first got this, but I have to say that it is growing on me. And I definitely need to give a fair chance on a colder day. But for the moment, I'm glad to have this in my wardrobe.

I do not know what it is about this fragrance, it has a metallic smell and it's not even that disgusting. But just smelling the vial and the plastic bag it came in makes me gag. I can't put my finger on it why I react this way, but I can't smell it without getting strange associations. And I just gag.

The opening and top feature a bright rose. There is some saffron present, but the rose is what dominates the top notes. A little further along the way I pick up some patchouli, but cannot really make out the listed violet and heliotrope. The oud and leather combination in the base is unmistakably familiar, especially in combination with saffron and rose.

It lasted quite long, but it wasn't too loud. Seems like a sophisticated fragrance in that way, although I'm personally still not quite sure about the scent. It has some unisex characteristics but leans towards the feminine side of things. Though definitely wearable for both sexes, I personally would not wear this. So my bottle is probably going up for swap. You can contact me if you're interested.

The description of the notes sounded so beautiful, just like the picture that emerged with the story behind this fragrance. Maybe I let myself be influenced too much by my experiences with the smell of a CSP that bears a similar name; Eau du Gouverneur. However, L'Eau de L'Artisan Parfumeur navigator does not work for me. Where the CSP released in almost the same year can hold itself great against modern day scents, I think L'Eau du navigator has something old-fashioned and almost dated, I'd say. Something in there reminds me strongly of New West Him by Aramis and of the final stage of Amouage Interlude Man. Typical how smells can differ when compared to your expectations after studying the notes and reviews.

/edit;

So I gave this another chance. The first time I spilled a little of the fragrance all over the back of my hand, so this was rather overpowering and heavy. However, after applying just a little, it is a lot brighter and more detailed than I initially thought. I need to give this a full wear to give a more detailed insight into this fragrance. Guess I'll decant a little into a small spray vial. To be continued..