Pigfarmer

coven is a superb abstract frag that says 'green' but forces one to reconsider what 'green' as a smell really means. it's damp but vibrant, woody but rather 'waterlogged' - mossy in a pond rather than on a tree - and weirdly resinous without any cliche ambery or liturgical references. rather than being a "millionth" iteration of whatever, coven is an fact quite original in approach for green and is one of maack's most appealing frags

rien really is the director's cut of the original; not merely 'more' of the same, but new contours and a BAM factor that sets up the rien-ish drydown of cyborg leathers and cgi resins. very potent but also exceedingly well-behaved. easily my fave eldo and a rare flanker that respects and develops the best elements of the original. excellent smouldering, dystopian frag...

roudnitska jr is clearlt talented but to conjure the sense of being at the higest altitudes while remaining grounded on the necessary vagaries of solid perfumery, well that's just goddam voodoo. i treasure my bottle and wear only when i'm clear for a reasoanble degree of solitude and introspection. fantastic work, and no need to ad to what my friend jtd can say much more ellekwentlee... :)

MEM is a bold, positive and necessary progression for Bogue. the billowing layers of lavender manage to sidestep fougere associations, which is no mean feat. MEM plunges into uncharted gourmand oriental while retaining a lurking civet card that only reveals itself in the long drydown, showing crucial restraint. this is an extremely complex and ever-shifting frag that will retain its interest for a long time. another home run but with a different bat from Signor Gardoni!

I believe that cologne, rather than coca cola, is “the pause that refreshes”. Its dynamic combo of freshness and cooling properties are a no-brainer for summer. Although my favourite eau de cologne, the Chanel Exclusif, is deeply gorgeous and relatively complex (the musk, oh the MUSK!), it is still just that; a cologne, and is by definition short-lived and quite basic. But colognes refresh. But what if you want that refreshment with some real perfumery pizzazz?

Annick Goutal’s masterpiece, Eau du Sud (EdS) refreshes. And sparkles. And delights. For hours. It is no garden variety citrus cologne, nosireebob! It’s one of the single most compelling reasons to even have a summer. It’s that good. Every single time I apply EdS, especially in the anti-climatic summers of Holland, I’m teleported to a place I never want to leave. In the land of EdS the birds are singing, a plethora of Mediterranean herbs – basil, rosemary, lavender and mint - are fecund and ubiquitous, the Sicilian lemons & grapefruit are freshly squeezed by a bronzed beauties and the sky is wide open and endless with heat shimmering through the ether. It’s perfume voodoo and this voodoo is the key reason most of us fume junkies are so committed to – it evocates a very specific context of where we really want to be.

The first hit of EdS is ALL of these elements smacking you upside the head like a warm sirocco wind. It has a close affinity in vibe with the timeless classic Chanel Pour Monsieur but with just more everything. The citruses do dominate at first but the grapefruit – unusually – takes over from the juicy lemons and bergamot. And what is doubly remarkable is that the grapefruit lasts for a full hour, outlasting even the excellent Guerlain Allegoria Pampelune. Then there’s the mint & basil, which I believe truly sets EdS apart as a unique experience. They simply sing together in perfect fifths as in an elegant, rustic choir. Furthermore, it is this herbal bouquet that gives EdS its claim to greatness, because they act as the basis for the unmistakeable chypre vibe you get after maybe 15 minutes on the skin. Some say EdS is like Diorella and Cristalle among other aromatic citric chypres, but I emphatically disagree. They all have some degree of moss in their composition, whereas EdS relies on its gorgeous herbal accord to provide the chypric foundation.

The longevity of EdS is another of its extraordinary features. There is no cologne on earth that can last for 8 hours, no matter how hard Malle might try with his latest Indelebile. You can apply EdS at 8am, where it through a stanking hot day and it just holds up all day long! Whether you are on vacation or stuck in an office with the AC on the fritz, its power to evocate a happy place will never let you down. There is the faintest, almost imperceptible waft of labdanum and vanilla in the base that I hold responsible for this legendary longevity and is one more reason to admire the skill of the late lamented Ms. Goutal; this was among her final masterpieces.

The great asset of EdS is that even if you are in the midst of a brilliant summer, it enhances that reality, kind of like certain substances enhance the reality of certain music. Its chypre quality allows you to enjoy throughout the year for a quick and dependable pick-me-up, casually or for formal occasions. But it is in summer where it teleports most convincingly.

My bottle (and its 2 backups) is a “vintish” one, produced before the fairly recent take over of AG by a Korean parent, Amorepacific. You can easily recognize it as it doesn’t have the soulless conformity of bottle that the new ones do. From my experiences, this event has really affected the best AG frags in a depressingly familiar negative way, and honestly I won’t even try any more after a traumatic whiff of the reformulated Mandragore and Sables…. Luckily you can still find this fair weather gem on the usual sites and I hope you do. You may never be as satisfied with a mere cologne again….