08/06/2016
Oriane
133 Reviews
Oriane
1
Old School Style (Oriental) Chypre
Notes: Woody Notes, Spices, Oriental Notes, Exotic Floral Notes.
I purchased Persian Wood based on reviews and on my love of sandalwood which is supposed to be a dominant note in this fragrance. I have only worn this fragrance twice thus far, so these are my initial impressions.
Upon first application, I detect aldehydes, and then after a few minutes, I detect some sandalwood, but it does not strike me as the old, high quality Mysore sandalwood of yesteryear. I also detect some spices, but I am unable to say with certainty what they are. It may be coriander and/or something similar. Patchouli is not listed as a note, but occasionally I think I perceive a whiff of patchouli which appears for a second or so and then quickly disappears. By the deep dry down, I think I perceive some vetiver and/or oakmoss.
Persian Wood strikes me as an undeniably "old school" type of fragrance that straddles the line between almost Oriental and Chypre. If there is an "Oriental Chypre" category for fragrance, then Persian Wood belongs to that category in my opinion. I would not place it within the Oriental category and cannot understand why it is described as an Oriental unless it is because of the sandalwood note. Persian Wood is somewhat bitter, and it is quite "perfumey" which may bother some wearers, but it is neither here nor there as far as I am concerned. It definitely smells like a fragrance of its era---late 1950s/1960s---aldehydic, perfumey, strong, and un-sweet.
Persian Wood is fairly linear and really rather sophisticated compared to many fragrances made today. I very much wanted to detect some slight sweetness in Persian Wood, but there was none in either the top or the heart notes such as they are. Then, in the very deep dry down whilst I was out of doors in the hot evening breeze, Persian Wood suddenly devolved into a lightly sweet, creamy skin scent as the top and heart notes as such disappeared.
Overall, Persian Wood's base notes (presumably woods and a bit of vetiver and/or oakmoss) are its best notes. Whilst I like this fragrance, it is not a love. I doubt I would repurchase it once I use up my bottle, but I am glad to have gotten to know it. I am not sorry to have made it a part of my collection as it has helped me to better understand why I either dislike, like, or love various fragrances.
My bottle is probably from the early to mid 1990s judging from the packaging, and whilst it feels nice in my hand, I cannot say it is pretty. I think Persian Wood is more appropriate for evening wear during Autumn, Winter, and really chilly Springs. Two sprays are certainly enough of this fragrance. Three sprays would be a bit overpowering for my olfactory sensibilities. Longevity, sillage, and projection are all moderate+. The ratings below reflect the fact that I am partial to true Orientals. An example of a chypre that I sincerely very much like is Mitsouko.
Overall Fragrance: 5/10
Projection: 7/10
Sillage: 7/10
Longevity: 7/10
I purchased Persian Wood based on reviews and on my love of sandalwood which is supposed to be a dominant note in this fragrance. I have only worn this fragrance twice thus far, so these are my initial impressions.
Upon first application, I detect aldehydes, and then after a few minutes, I detect some sandalwood, but it does not strike me as the old, high quality Mysore sandalwood of yesteryear. I also detect some spices, but I am unable to say with certainty what they are. It may be coriander and/or something similar. Patchouli is not listed as a note, but occasionally I think I perceive a whiff of patchouli which appears for a second or so and then quickly disappears. By the deep dry down, I think I perceive some vetiver and/or oakmoss.
Persian Wood strikes me as an undeniably "old school" type of fragrance that straddles the line between almost Oriental and Chypre. If there is an "Oriental Chypre" category for fragrance, then Persian Wood belongs to that category in my opinion. I would not place it within the Oriental category and cannot understand why it is described as an Oriental unless it is because of the sandalwood note. Persian Wood is somewhat bitter, and it is quite "perfumey" which may bother some wearers, but it is neither here nor there as far as I am concerned. It definitely smells like a fragrance of its era---late 1950s/1960s---aldehydic, perfumey, strong, and un-sweet.
Persian Wood is fairly linear and really rather sophisticated compared to many fragrances made today. I very much wanted to detect some slight sweetness in Persian Wood, but there was none in either the top or the heart notes such as they are. Then, in the very deep dry down whilst I was out of doors in the hot evening breeze, Persian Wood suddenly devolved into a lightly sweet, creamy skin scent as the top and heart notes as such disappeared.
Overall, Persian Wood's base notes (presumably woods and a bit of vetiver and/or oakmoss) are its best notes. Whilst I like this fragrance, it is not a love. I doubt I would repurchase it once I use up my bottle, but I am glad to have gotten to know it. I am not sorry to have made it a part of my collection as it has helped me to better understand why I either dislike, like, or love various fragrances.
My bottle is probably from the early to mid 1990s judging from the packaging, and whilst it feels nice in my hand, I cannot say it is pretty. I think Persian Wood is more appropriate for evening wear during Autumn, Winter, and really chilly Springs. Two sprays are certainly enough of this fragrance. Three sprays would be a bit overpowering for my olfactory sensibilities. Longevity, sillage, and projection are all moderate+. The ratings below reflect the fact that I am partial to true Orientals. An example of a chypre that I sincerely very much like is Mitsouko.
Overall Fragrance: 5/10
Projection: 7/10
Sillage: 7/10
Longevity: 7/10
