Gerben79

Gerben79

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Gerben79 3 years ago 6 1
8
Bottle
6
Sillage
6
Longevity
9.5
Scent
Green Icequeen.
I was very curious about Herbes Troublantes, literally translated: disturbing herbs. In my view, Guerlain pays tribute to Cologne water with this perfume.

With the last convulsions of the Black Knight from Francesca Bianchi, I went for a run in the afternoon with Guerlain's 'disturbed herb garden' on my wrists. The opening is familiar, lots of citrus, slightly sharp and it immediately reminded me of Xerjoff's Nio. That is a beautiful scent, but where Nio sometimes reminds me of a super luxurious, first-class all-purpose cleaner (which is fine by the way), HT does not. Nio becomes slightly bitter, Herbes Troublantes slightly sweet.

After about 15 minutes the herb garden comes up and something special happens, which I can best describe as a green, crackling coolness. The mint takes over like an ice queen walking out of the dew-covered field into the citrus orchard. She brings freshness and alertness with her, animals freeze, birds stop whistling….. Is that the disturbing element that Thierry Wasser and Delphine wanted you to notice?

And then it's quiet………..
feels a bit like an interlude in a song by the Irish band Clannad. Kind of a vacuum, where you wonder what's coming. Magnificent….

After an hour the sun comes out again, the fog disappears and the birds start to chirp again. The Ice Empress fades, blending into the sky, taking the ethereal citrus with her.
What remains is a clean, almost spot-free area in the field.
It’s very beautiful, but also a pity, because as I have with all perfumes from the L'art et Matiere collectie, the durability is moderate. And yet that is no reason for me not to buy this perfume. I will spray every 2 hours!

This fragrance, a “Parfum de Cologne”, with a beautiful disruptive element, has such a nice twist, that I would wear it day and night. Even in winter during a gala evening. Even then, she may have a 'disruptive' effect and distinguish herself from all those other warm, sweet and dense winter perfumes.
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Gerben79 3 years ago 2
6
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
8
Scent
Coromandels younger sister.
A beautiful fragrance that could be a young sister of Chanels Coromandel.

She is younger because she has a fresh, somewhat green tone. I smell some mint and that's probably the buchu. Performance is good.

I tested the perfume. Precious fragrance.
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Gerben79 3 years ago 2
7
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
8
Scent
Vanilla surprise
I tested a mystery sample of a dear friend of mine. It's fun to do and it helps me to learn identify the different notes in an fragrance. I tested it twice. This morning when I was bored to death and this afternoon while training in the gym. Testing during sports always gives an extra dimension...I think... I immediately see how the other gymbuddies react when I saunter by, but more importantly… sweat does a lot to a perfume.

That was not the case with this mystery sample, because both times I observed the same thing. Not an opening that is uninvigorating, but one that is sensual and warm, with a slightly sweet background. Also something peppery-stinging like with bergamot, but what I mainly smell is warm vanilla. Or is it tonka bean, because every now and then I get associations with a warm dessert.

This scent often misleads me. And definitely in a good way.
The vanilla stays in the background like a loyal guide, but my experience goes from balsamic, to something fruity like pineapple, then back to a light incense. From there, the whole story starts all over again, as if my guide is bringing me back to the starting point. So it goes round and round and round ;-)

No, it all happens very subtly and it's nice. I think they put a lump of benzoin resin in the pudding somewhere.
With my eyes closed, this abstract artwork goes from the colors golden/yellow with metallic sparks to golden red with a silvery white vapor. Are you following me? In the drydown, things are calming down and a creamy sandelwood rises.

I think we're dealing with a nice amber scent here with vanilla, labdanum and benzoin resin with sandalwood somewhere at the very bottom. I would wear this to a fancy brunch or at home when it's freezing outside and I'm lying on the couch with a thick cardigan and a hot cup of chocolate milk.

In the evening my friend told me that I had tested Ambre Iris Santal. Spot on... That means this fragrance does what it's supposed to do.
A nice warm amber, which probably has a nice powder in the winter.
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Gerben79 3 years ago 6
7
Bottle
5
Sillage
7
Longevity
8
Scent
I smelled it all before, but not this well balanced.
I tested Crap Apple Blossom from Clive Christian today.
Okay, then what the hell is a crab apple? After some research on the internet I found out that the crab apple is a collective term for all apple trees that don't grow 'culinary' apples (apples you know from the supermarket). The crab apples are sour, and sometimes made into a jelly with a lot of sugar.
Google also indicated that there is a Bach remedy from Crap Apple, which is mainly intended for "people who are upset about aspects of their appearance of their personality".

If that were the case, I would have drunk the whole sample :-).

The start is exciting and fresh. Lots of citrus, bergamot. After 10 minutes I also smell the aquatic note: a little salt. I recognize this salty note from scents such as Acqua di Sale and Corallium from Carthusia. It is as if you can lick the crystals off your skin.

The salt lingers and after an hour it goes together with a fresh sweet apple scent and… mint. Yes, definitely mint.
Gosh, that goes well together with the sweetness of the blossom; the fragrance never gets "heavy".

Not much happens anymore and after 6 hours I have to rub my nose over my wrists to smell something. Where is the wood? I absolutely don't detect it.

Well, Crab Apple Blossom. I've smelled it all before…. and yet again not in this combination. And at least not so nicely balanced. But for 400 bucks I would have liked more silage.

So that won't be a full bottle for me, unless I can get one very cheaply. And maybe…. I would also secretly layer it with a wood scent.

Update:
This morning at 07.00 during the training, I found the creamy wood. Not very strong, but it’s there. That's pretty good (almost 24 hours later). Apparently it needed some sweat
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Gerben79 3 years ago 1
7
Bottle
5
Sillage
5
Longevity
5.5
Scent
Attempt nr. 1000 (pepper, resin, smoke)
Received a sample from a friend.
Peppery, dry and a little smoky. After 30 minutes mainly sharp vetiver and resin. I don't smell the caraway seeds. Too bad, because the scent could have been more interesting with a little sweetness. Silage is moderate, after 1 hour a skinscent.

I've smelled this many times before. And better (Encens Flamboyant by Goutal, Serge Noir, la Fumee intense and ,of course, LADM by Tauer.
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