Theo1995

Hey, patchouli can also have a green take-on, foresty, fresh, or maybe like a shadow. Victor Hygo's poetry fits this sent incredibly well. Not offensive at all, reminds me a bit of Perles de Lalique because of the rose-patchouli combo, but way more masculine. I would disagree with it sillage rating here: it has an above rating sillage for a spring-summer scent that it really is. This and portrait of a lady would be my ideal late-spring & summer scents. They smell like freedom, class, modern, chicness, coolness, and inviting.

I grew up with the smell of the burning incense in Greek orthodox churches. Oh, that incense! Rien Intense Incense is all about that church feeling. It is a clean scent although it is slightly animalic, but the best animalic fragrance in the industry. I wear it for 6 years now and it is such a comforting scent, especially during days where my self-confidence is low, and Rien is there for me, just like GOD is there for those who praise him. It is so well-crafted, leans more on the masculine side as the best niche scents often do. Quite a sexy experience with Rien, especially when people ask me what I am wearing. Answering "nothing" has a strong meaning: Rien is the signature scent of those who do not merely love it but truly appreciate it because it has really become their own skin smell, such that the answer "nothing" is the daring truth. I love the original version as well, but this one is more sexy, refined and more churchy. A tribute to incense, leather and aldehyde. Because it is after all a clean scent, it is great for summer nights as well. I always ask myself: can you wear it all day, all night, all seasons... because wearing RIEN is no sin, it simply takes me to church!

I have been after Private Label for a while. I always wanted to have a Cecile Zarokian piece of art. The first ever perfume I sampled from her creations was "Tango" from Masque Milano, and created an idea on her style of perfumery. Private Label, may be her best creation so far. It has class, it is refined, it is vintage & modern, and the name says it all. As a patchouli lover, who tends to love more the rough, cold, and boozy take on patchouli, this HAD to be in my collection. It is so unique, so unique, as it is hard to pair it with another patchouli-vetiver fragrance. It is definitely my second favorite scent after Monsieur. from FM. Is it polarizing? I don't think so. Does it require to love patchouli? YES!!! So guys, if you don't like the rough patchouli, the boozy one, smoky one, stay away from Private Label. It is the least sweet patchouli I own, and the leather accord along with sandalwood only try hard to calm down the smokiness of this fragrance. Definitely not summer fragrance, but if you wear it 20 min before going out on a summer night it will work. Smoky fragrances need fresh-air to explode and reveal their true olfactory identity. Don't doubt projection, sillage and its lingering power - it projects heavily, the trail is sexy, mysterious, intriguing, like you want to follow this dark mysterious person into the unknown.

I don't find any similarities with Hommage a L'Homme-Voyager which I own for 7 years now aside from sharing similar notes. I really cannot imagine a woman wearing Private Label unless she is in love with Janis Joplin!!! Since I love Monsieur. more than this, I do get it why some people compare it to Monsieur., and it must be due to the rough cold style of patchouli or because both are sophisticated masculine (slightly animalic) patchouli bombs. Worth it!!!!

I smelled Monsieur. for the first time back in 2015: I was 20 years old back then. I needed 2 seconds to adore this scent and it is my signature scent. I have 6 years wearing it, and I will tell you all I know and feel about it.

My experience with Monsieur. (M.) has not changed and I doubt it ever will. First, I disagree with many arguing that M. is best for winter. Many people go to work in early mornings, when the air is at its high freshness (regardless of the season) and this is the best moment for M. to explode. The same holds for evenings. M. is cold bitter patchouli fragrance, which would not irritate your skin in summer/spring. It is true that it is not the easiest patchouli to wear, but trust me, this breaks down when you wear it with confidence. No need for a tuxedo to wear M., although it suits it perfectly. A chic outfit is enough. Yes, it is masculine, but why manly? There are three stages of M.

1. A confident man planning to go to a cocktail party, puts his watch on, wears M. and leaves. Upon arrival, he stops by the bar and orders a Dark and Stormy cocktail, with plenty of rum. He draws attention by the elegant choice of his drink and the rum absolute of M.

2. Then he moves along a narrow aisle, on his way to meet his friends. That aisle now smells dark, earthy, seductive, but not vulgar. Feels like HE is the Patchouli Coeur, dressed by suede, flattered by amber, hugged by incense. What a blast! As He walks along that aisle, it smells like those corridors of conference sections in grand hotels where presenters in suits and bottled by patchouli have a small talk in-between sessions. Then he stops as he sees his friends...

3. No one dares to ask him what he is wearing, cuz that scent, now stable, feels like his own scent, the scent of a Monsieur, well-mannered, maybe with reckless thoughts. This is the moment when M. becomes deeper and deeper, woody from cedar and he gently asks the demoiselle of his choice for a dance.

There is not much to say about the dry-down of M.. Most patchouli perfumes have a musky-vanillic base. There is not much to say because it really should not matter. The cold earthiness (not metallic like P. Indonesiano) of M. stays with you forever.

It's fine if this is too personal, but it may help view Monsieur. from a different angle.