- or better said: The most undervalued fragrance of the year!
I didn't know either the brand or the scent. So at this point a big thank you to Parfumo, thanks to whom I came across this wonderful site with high dependency potential after a long rummage.
This is Him sounded very promising after all the comments and statements and I was eager to experience the fragrance live, which was on my to-do list the next time I visited my favourite perfumery. After I had dealt long and hard with niche fragrances from Ford and Le Labo, Zadig and Voltaire were admittedly not quite on my radar because of the price range. If you have learned to love fragrances for 300 Euro and up, a fragrance for 'only' 70 Euro can hardly convince anymore. And that should not be meant arrogantly or snobbish at this point, on the contrary, who doesn't like to save money - but if you have been a guest at Le Meridien or Kempenski a few times, indulged in luxury extensively and have been pampered there, you don't necessarily have a youth hostel on your screen for your next trip
- which could turn out to be a mistake, though: He who dares wins.
So last week I went to the perfumery of my choice. Actually with the intention to test the Schönling from Ford, I asked for Zadig and Voltaire. The lady looked at me sceptically and replied to my question how well the scent held, only: "Well, if you love scents from Tom Ford, this one will hardly convince you in terms of durability". Still, I insisted on testing the scent and she sprayed something on a test strip. I didn't even have the strip in my hand when the first load of grapefruit pepper melange took me by surprise. I was completely flashed, but also unsettled by the seller's comment regarding shelf life and therefore hesitant. I constantly sniffed at the test strip, the mixture of bitter grapefruit and hot pepper inspired me immensely, but if this pleasure were only of short duration, it would probably be the knockout criterion for this fragrance. If I hate anything, it's the ephemerality of scents.
I tested some other scents, but my nose still landed on the test strip of This is Him over and over again.
After a long debate I decided to buy the half-blind bottle and took This is Him with me in a 100 ml bottle. Since I belong to the regular customers in this perfumery, on a certain day of the week there is always 10 - 20 % on all scents, in this case it was 20 % and since I live in Switzerland, there is no VAT for me, in short: with a good 40 Euro for 100 ml of scent you can probably not do very much wrong, even a faulty purchase would still be to cope with here
However, Zadig & Voltaire's This is Him still proved to be this. On the contrary.
The next day I used the fragrance for the first time. And again there was this flash: A true bomb of grapefruit and pepper thunders into your nose when you apply the fragrance freshly. Neither grapefruit nor pepper in any form is intrusive or even annoying, but rather pleasant and distinctly natural smelling for such a favourable fragrance.
Yes, tart grapefruit and spicy pepper are a slap in the face at first, but in this case I would also be happy to hold out my second cheek.
After a short time, the strong, loud, popping opening becomes wicked, mysterious and mysterious: incense in its most pleasant form and smooth vanilla begin to support pepper and grapefruit in the ensemble. This is not an attempt to carry out a battle of the giants, but rather, as in an orchestra, the individual components complement each other to form a bitter, sharp, smoky and sweet fragrance experience of a special kind.
The fragrance is incredibly exciting and appealing, radiating an unlikely elegance coupled with a certain wickedness. He is noble, supple and calm in one and daredevil, erotic and wicked in the next moment.
For me, however, the drydown is the highlight of this fragrance, the endless Grand Finale, the icing on the cake: where grapefruit, pepper, frankincense and vanilla are still very, very present, sandalwood begins to unfold its effect very subtly, initially very cautiously and later more and more clearly. The sandalwood supports all other already existing chords, does not replace them, but accompanies them and gives this fragrance in its long lasting drydown a luxurious and at the same time incredible sexy creaminess.
And that lasts. And holds. And holds. And holds.
When I apply Zadig & Voltaire in the morning before work, he is still very, very clearly perceptible and present even in the evening after a good 9 hours
The Sillage is really above average, especially in the beginning and in the heart note, in the drydown it gets weaker, but definitely not only very close.
Durability is not only for a fragrance of this price class, but generally really in the above-average range - on the skin it lasts a good 10 to 12 hours, on the clothes until the next wash of the shirt.
However, the fragrance never becomes intrusive or disturbing, but is like a real gentleman: strong and present, but never greasy or cheeky.
Logically, the fragrance demands a certain posture and self-confidence from its wearer - it is much more suited to a suit wearer or at least to a shirt with a tie than to a casual hoodie with jeans. Also very nice with white shirt and dark leather jacket.
For me, it's really the undervalued fragrance of the year. How a wild little water can be so hyped and perceived on really every other type and how a noble This is Him stays so completely under the radar, is completely undecided to me.
The smell fulfills all criteria, which an above average good, erotic and nevertheless everyday and even office suitable man smell must exhibit with Bravour - and nevertheless it remains undervalued and far away from the Hypes.
Sure, good for us who indulge in this luxurious fragrance and get positive reactions from all sides - but it's a pity that it remains so unknown and under the radar.
In the end, we can only hope that production will not cease or that the fragrance will even be reformulated. It would be a shame about that.
At this point a huge thank you to the previous speakers and to Parfumo for making me aware of this unbelievably grandiose fragrance!
Peace out!
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