03/29/2019
Elysium
816 Reviews
Elysium
2
A Joyful Transition from Male to Female
A beautiful fragrance does not necessarily have to be expensive. One of the fragrances I recently found on my search for affordable budget friendly fragrances is Red Matrix, an excellent bargain replica of Guerlain Habit Rouge. Men who loved Shalimar perfume wanted a comparable powdery composition translated into a vigorous structure they would claim as their own. I had been ignoring Red Matrix for a while, presuming it was old-fashioned, and that was a shame. The scent has plenty of aspects, the powder, the blossoms, the spices, and the leather accords, its dry down reminds me of Shalimar but is a bit harsher and animalistic. It's the leather accent, I guess.
The subtle transformations Red Matrix goes through fascinating me. It starts with a joyous, forceful accord of sharp-green citrus-drenched lemon, bergamot, and orange peel; the citruses are pleasantly sweet and slightly spiced up with cinnamon. and orange blossom aroma reminiscent of a fancy barbershop, and the slightest hint of rosewood. The opening is fresh and sour, lasts longer than the present, feels very refreshing like lemonade with ice, very natural, citrus is like freshly squeezed, here the lemon is the axis of the opening and goes matched to a lot of notes such as lime, basil, orange, and so forth. The longevity of the citrus is amazing as it happily lasts a whole hour on my skin.
Soon spices come into play like cinnamon but underneath the floral notes, which are more powerful, what stands out in this vintage is the note of rose that feels very clean and crisp linked with rosewood. Beneath the carnation and the jasmine guiding and texturizing the fragrance. During the development of the middle notes, the complexity of Matrix Red is gaining in chromatic but in a subtle way. A resin leather accord appears mid-development and lasts a long time. The florals have been reworked and modernized compared to the original Habit Rouge. There is less emphasis on the carnation, a symbol of an outdated past in men’s fragrance. Red Matrix is much more vegetal in comparison to its dupe Habit Rouge. The cinnamon note has had a facelift. My subjective take is it has been reworked with eugenol and isoeugenol, derivatives of the clove bud. This makes the fragrance less gourmand, less sweet, but still lovely spicy.
The earthiness of patchouli extends to the drydown, where it is joined by rather subtle leather softened by vanilla and benzoin. The fragrance’s leather notes have been moved to the forefront with the resinous notes of benzoin, labdanum, and amber left to play in the background like naughty children at the back of the classroom. Leather notes and precious wood let the audience know this is intended for a sophisticated man. This accord is followed by the scents of dry vanilla mingling with powdery and subtle incense notes. All these notes seem to dance perfectly assembled, there is nothing discordant or out of place.
Red Matrix dries down to piquant amber. It smells edited for modern tastes but remains instantly recognizable to those of us who have worn the original fragrance over the years. Besides, the more the fragrance gets closer to the drydown the better is the resemblance to Shalimar. At first, it’s the harmony between the citrus and vanilla that gives Red Matrix its opulent character, then the orange blossom and leather set the mood, and finally, the patchouli and benzoin darken the outlines. The whole smells like sweet orange talc, powdery and somewhat sweet.
The longevity and projection are above the average, the morning application lasts all day, which makes this cologne suitable for office, spare time, day and evening out. Middle seasons have the right temperatures and moods for wearing this charming gem, instead, I would refrain from rocking it in winter due to the citrus long-lasting opening or in summer for the too powdery base.
-Elysium
The subtle transformations Red Matrix goes through fascinating me. It starts with a joyous, forceful accord of sharp-green citrus-drenched lemon, bergamot, and orange peel; the citruses are pleasantly sweet and slightly spiced up with cinnamon. and orange blossom aroma reminiscent of a fancy barbershop, and the slightest hint of rosewood. The opening is fresh and sour, lasts longer than the present, feels very refreshing like lemonade with ice, very natural, citrus is like freshly squeezed, here the lemon is the axis of the opening and goes matched to a lot of notes such as lime, basil, orange, and so forth. The longevity of the citrus is amazing as it happily lasts a whole hour on my skin.
Soon spices come into play like cinnamon but underneath the floral notes, which are more powerful, what stands out in this vintage is the note of rose that feels very clean and crisp linked with rosewood. Beneath the carnation and the jasmine guiding and texturizing the fragrance. During the development of the middle notes, the complexity of Matrix Red is gaining in chromatic but in a subtle way. A resin leather accord appears mid-development and lasts a long time. The florals have been reworked and modernized compared to the original Habit Rouge. There is less emphasis on the carnation, a symbol of an outdated past in men’s fragrance. Red Matrix is much more vegetal in comparison to its dupe Habit Rouge. The cinnamon note has had a facelift. My subjective take is it has been reworked with eugenol and isoeugenol, derivatives of the clove bud. This makes the fragrance less gourmand, less sweet, but still lovely spicy.
The earthiness of patchouli extends to the drydown, where it is joined by rather subtle leather softened by vanilla and benzoin. The fragrance’s leather notes have been moved to the forefront with the resinous notes of benzoin, labdanum, and amber left to play in the background like naughty children at the back of the classroom. Leather notes and precious wood let the audience know this is intended for a sophisticated man. This accord is followed by the scents of dry vanilla mingling with powdery and subtle incense notes. All these notes seem to dance perfectly assembled, there is nothing discordant or out of place.
Red Matrix dries down to piquant amber. It smells edited for modern tastes but remains instantly recognizable to those of us who have worn the original fragrance over the years. Besides, the more the fragrance gets closer to the drydown the better is the resemblance to Shalimar. At first, it’s the harmony between the citrus and vanilla that gives Red Matrix its opulent character, then the orange blossom and leather set the mood, and finally, the patchouli and benzoin darken the outlines. The whole smells like sweet orange talc, powdery and somewhat sweet.
The longevity and projection are above the average, the morning application lasts all day, which makes this cologne suitable for office, spare time, day and evening out. Middle seasons have the right temperatures and moods for wearing this charming gem, instead, I would refrain from rocking it in winter due to the citrus long-lasting opening or in summer for the too powdery base.
-Elysium
1 Comment
Elysium
