Drseid

Overture Man goes on with a dirty cumin, nutmeg and cardamom warm spice trio supported by a warm boozy accord before slowly transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart, the booze infused warm spice remains in full-force, now joined by peppery cinnamon and a moderately synthetic smelling woody incense accord rising from the base that gradually supplants the spice as star, before joining rugged smoky leather as time passes. During the late dry-down the rugged smoky leather vacates, unveiling the previously concealed relatively dry sandalwood that now takes the fore, joined by trace remnants of the warm spice and incense through the finish. Projection is above average and longevity average at around 8-9 hours on skin.

Looking at the published note list and the perfumer responsible for the composition (Karine Vinchon-Spehner, who composed the amazing and highly underrated Coeur de Vetiver Sacre among others) I had high expectations for Overture Man. Alas, I knew early-on when applied on skin this perfume would disappoint. Things get off to a poor start with the cumin led dirty warm spice trio that I find off-putting, and they don't improve when the synthetic woody incense is added in, nor the near cringe-worthy rugged leather shows up an hour later. The pleasant sandalwood led late dry-down is too little, too late to save the composition in the opinion of this writer. I suppose I should say that the perfume really doesn't smell "bad" at any time, it just disappoints to a large enough degree that its minor faults seem all the more consequential. The bottom line is the $340 per 100ml bottle Overture Man has the pedigree and ingredients for success, but squanders its promise, leaving a very "average" 2.5 stars out of 5 rated outcome and an avoid recommendation to all but lovers of dirty warm spice.

Sanctum opens with natural smelling slightly bitter lemon with underlying radiant frankincense support before slowly transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart the slightly bitter lemon remains as co-star to the now focal radiant frankincense, joined by initially supporting peppermint that gradually trades places with the lemon as co-star as time passes, with the now supporting lemon gradually melding with fresh herbal chamomile, slightly honeyed rose de mai and and dry sandalwood late. During the late dry-down most of the earlier aromatics vacate leaving relatively dry sandalwood and resinous vanilla-like tolu balsam on hand through the finish. Projection is below average and longevity average at 7-8 hours on skin.

Santum on first glance comes off as a fine example of a frankincense focused perfume. While it certainly is that at its core, there really is so much more to the perfume. First off, unlike most frankincense perfumes it is very personal in its demeanor, never projecting more than a few inches off skin. If someone comes close to the wearer they will smell it, but otherwise it is primarily a perfume for one's own enjoyment. With its amazing transition of initially pairing gorgeous slightly bitter lemon, then peppermint and other subtle herbs and florals with the frankincense Sanctum adds a bit of mystery and sophistication rarely found by its peers. In fact, it took a few wears to realize what I initially thought was just peppermint taking the fore and the lemon shifting to support late, to discover the transition actually involved a subtle herbal chamomile that once you notice it, can't be ignored. Finally adding the stark, dry sandalwood to the mix in the late dry-down provides the perfect finish for the perfume's all too brief longevity. The bottom line is the $90 per 30ml bottle Sanctum is a near-perfect introspective, then meditative journey for the wearer yielding many pleasant surprises along the way, earning an "outstanding" 4.5 stars out of 5 rating and an extremely strong recommendation (and a purchase) from me.

Quintessence 21 opens with an airy, white floral driven/citrus accord primarily derived of life-like jasmine, and mandarin and bergamot orange before gradually transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart the airy white floral jasmine remains in full-force, joined by yellow floral ylang-ylang as the now focal floral pair, with slightly creamy iris and light rose support completing the multi-colored floral bouquet and a touch of underlying smooth sandalwood additional support. During the late dry-down the perfume stays relatively linear with the primarily jasmine led floral accord remaining, joining the now slightly more assertive smooth sandalwood also remaining through the relatively close to the skin subdued finish. Projection is above average and longevity average at 7-8 hours on skin.

I am still playing a bit of catch-up with the house TRNP, trying several offerings over the past few months and continue to be impressed. Just like any other house's offerings some of its perfumes are closer to my preferences than others, but I don' t recall smelling any that I would not consider successful in what they were trying to convey to the wearer so far. Today's random TRNP choice is Quintessence 21. I believe there have been a couple previous iterations of this perfume, but as I have not sniffed them and they are no longer available I can't speak to any potential differences. What I *can* speak to is the current iteration, and knew immediately that I loved it when initially applied on skin. The best way to describe the perfume is a more personal white and yellow floral driven concoction, with relatively sanitized jasmine playing the largest role, and ylang-ylang also quite prominent. The combination, when mixed with creamy iris and soft dewy rose support exudes luxury and dare I say despite the perfume being marketed as unisex, stereotypical femininity. The closest perfume I can think of to Quintessence 21 is the original Risque perfume by Roja Dove (now using the "pour femme" moniker), but this is an all-natural concoction that skips the liberal laundry white musks used in the Risque's base at the expense of some performance metrics. I am not sure if both perfumes are needed in the same collection, but it did not stop me from making the additional purchase regardless. The bottom line is the $180 per 50ml bottle Quintessence 21 by TRNP channels the best aspects of my favorite perfume by Roja Dove for a heck of a lot less money and none of the synthetics used, earning an "excellent" to "outstanding" 4 to 4.5 stars out of 5 rating and an easy recommendation, especially to those who enjoy luxurious "feminine" leaning floral perfumes.

New Sibet goes on with carrot-like iris before quickly transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart remnants of the iris remain in support, coupling with a slightly rugged leather accord that takes the fore with subtle green mint additional support. During the late dry-down the leather accord remains, now shedding its iris and mint support, swapping their places with woody oakmoss laden smoky ash through the relatively brief finish. Projection is well below average and longevity below average at 6-7 hours on skin.

Slumberhouse has always been a bit of hit or miss with my tastes, and in truth mostly miss. I was hopeful that New Sibet would join the ranks of the couple winners I have sniffed from the house over the years, but alas it is another dud to a large degree. Things immediately got off to a bad start as the clinical carrot-like iris exuded a smell not unlike rubbing alcohol on skin. The mint infused leather heart is a bit better, but the mint smells a tad odd, not quite melding with the leather as the perfumer surely intended. The smoky ash leather finish ends things as off-putting as they began to the tastes of this writer. I have certainly sniffed far worse from Slumberhouse than New Sibet, but after sitting idle for 5 years awaiting for me to muster the courage to give it a couple full wearings on skin, my sample is going right into the waste basket where it belongs. The bottom line is the apparently discontinued New Sibet has a smell that earned its early retirement yielding a "below average" 2 to 2.5 stars out of 5 rating and an avoid recommendation to all but the most ardent Slumberhouse fanatics.

Terrasse a St Germain opens with a soft tangerine and sanitized grapefruit citrus tandem with a hint of underlying rose in support before quickly transitioning to its heart. As the composition enters its early heart the citrus fades into the background though doesn't completely vacate, as the perfume's rose floral takes the fore, adding a gentle powdery dimension, bolstered by a smooth underlying iris-like accord and soft slightly animalic musk and creamy sandalwood rising from the base. During the late dry-down the florals gradually vacate, leaving the remnants of the slightly animalic musk and slightly sweet, creamy sandalwood as the focus through the finish. Projection is average, but longevity very good at 10-12 hours on skin.

Jul et Mad is a house that frequently stays under most folks' radar, but it in fact has released a number of worthy perfumes in its moderately sized stable, and Terrasse a St Germain can now add itself to its growing list of winners. In truth, the perfume took a bit of time to warm to. The powdery, creamy florals combined with the sandalwood first reminded me of the disappointing "makeup-like" accord found in perfumes like Dior Homme. Make no mistake, Terrasse a St Germain is nowhere near that perfume, and as time passes it gradually separates and distinguishes itself from other perfumes of that ilk. As a matter of fact, it took sniffing its remnants on my jacket sleeves the following day for me to truly appreciate just has refined and luxurious smelling the perfume really is. The florals and soft woods just seem to meld together, and when the iris-like accord fades to the background, the perfume really shines and smells great. The bottom line is the approximately $105 per 50ml bottle at discounters Terrasse a St Germain appears to be a "more of the same" iris floral driven concoction, but this is a much more complex and sophisticated perfume, earning a "very good" to "excellent" 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5 rating and a solid recommendation, especially to those seeking a more stereotypical "feminine" perfume.