Briarthorn

I'll do a proper review later, but I wanted to get some description down since there's no information here.

This is a very, very strong scent. It opens with a powerful, smoky Oud and Taif Rose. After an hour or so it settles on the skin. The rose and Oud are still prominent but there is now a really lovely woody base to it. I've seen this scent compared favorably to By Killian's Oud Musk. After a couple of hours the woody base is paired with spices (saffron maybe?). If you like Oud this is great. It has a very masculine vibe to it but can definitely be worn by a woman, though perhaps a woman may prefer Al Rehab Bakhoor Al Bahrain which is more fruity but still has that smoky oud.

Use a light hand, a little of this goes a very long way and it can be unpleasant in it's strength and intensity if you over apply.

Review for the asymmetrical bottle

This scent opens a bit harshly at first with a classic Dana oakmoss punch, reminiscent of Tabu, etc. This quickly gives way to a soapy aldehyde, as the harshness of the initial blast fades. The notes are a bit muddled, but still very pleasant. After a few min to settle on the skin, the soapy aldehydes give way to a pretty woody note that is touched with a floral powder. It's a pleasant enough opening that has a strong 1980s vibe. The oakmoss is still in the background lending a nice dirty edge to the powdery and floral touched woods. It's a really nice balance of naughty and nice.

Once fully into the heart, the beauty of this scent blossoms. The powder is much more evident and the florals become dominate to the woods. The oakmoss and woods ground the composition and gives a beautiful contrast to the powder and florals.

The dry down is very powdery. It's a really beautiful and well crafted powder note. Quite pleasant and, dare I say, beautiful. There is still a heavy dose of oakmoss under the powder acting as a counter balance and I am again reminded of Tabu, except where Tabu is spiced this scent is powdery.

Overall this scent is a really beautiful powdery classic. The projection and silage are both very strong and the longevity is great. 12-16 hours before it disappears. Though discontinued, you can still get this scent very affordably, and I believe it is definitely a great addition to anyone's collection who loves powder and oakmoss.

For the price I say it's a great and beautiful buy.

This scent is very muddled and synthetic. It's difficult to pick out more than loud Citrus-like notes and floralish notes in the opening, a peony-like note in the heart and woodsy-vetiverish notes in the dry down. Nothing is very identifiable and it's all very murky. This is not a well crafted scent.

It does project well, which is ironic because it's not something I want people to know I am wearing while I review it. The longevity is also not to bad, about 6 hours before it became a skin scent and 9 hours before it was gone. Unfortunately, it did not wear well during this time, and I actually wanted it to hurry up and fade away.

This is for a newer formulation

Cassini opens with an indolic bite and civet growl that quickly moves to become a slightly oakmossy and incense touched white floral. This opening is reminiscent of the opening in classic Tabu as we have here an anamalic floral over a nice spiced base (coriander, peppery carnation) and like in Tabu this opening is pretty intense. The silage is loud and strong and the indolic jasmine is a bit screechy. Now don’t take this to mean I don’t like it. I do, it’s just a bit intense at first.

After the scent fully settles (about two hours in), the heart gets a bit powdery with iris. The civet is still front and center as well, but the florals get a more pronounced and sweeter. There’s iris, gardenia, and tuberose. The jasmine has taken a back seat and its screechiness is gone. The composition is really lovely at this point. It’s the perfect blend of florals, civet and spice. The civet and spice sit more on the skin while the incense touched florals dance around beautifully on the air. It was worth waiting through the somewhat harsh and intense opening. As we delve deeper into the heart the ylang-ylang gives a very pleasant zing to the powder iris and rose. The florals are in full force and sing an incredibly beautiful song. The oakmoss and civet are much softer on the skin now.

The dry down is the sweetest stage, coconut, musk and hints of gardenia touched amber. It’s lovely and creamy.

The scent is very loud in the opening but becomes a skin scent at around five to seven hours and is totally gone by nine to eleven hours. Over all it’s well composed and beautiful. The opening is harsh but it’s worth enduring for what comes later.

This review is of a bottle that dates back to the late 1960s or early 1970s.

OCCUR! opens with loud, soapy aldehydes and a deep feral growl. After the initial aldehyde burst, a lovely white floral mix comes into play. The contrast between the clean and soapy florals with aldehydes and the dirty oakmoss, castoreum with musk is riveting. There is also a completely beautiful spice waiting just under the surface. The spice mix is comprised of Coriander, peppery carnation and cardamom.

When the heart really opens up, a whole new dimension is presented. There is smoky Myrrh and a rich, dark, honey. There is nothing sticky sweet about this honey. It’s decadent and very complex. The Myrrh and honey pair wonderfully with a newly emerged bright floral zing comprised of rose and gardenia. There is also a dry (not sweet), fleshy, and freshly cracked coconut. This coconut adds a certain something that takes this composition from beautiful to amazing. All the incense, florals, and coconut blend perfectly and harmoniously with the castoreum and oakmoss. I want to breath it all in deeply and fully.

The dry down is animalistic and heavy with musk and castoreum. There is still that floral zing sitting on top of the feral elements as well. It’s very beautiful and difficult to describe. This classic “cologne spray” lasts about five hours before it becomes a skin scent and it clings magically to the skin until about nine hours. There is such classic beauty here that it is impossible to deny the mastery of art that went into making this composition. It’s constructed very well and wears beautifully. It’s on my short list of vintage greats.