Perfume Pen Pals: Carthusia 1681, Parfumerie Generale Yuzu Ab Irato, Nobile 1942 Ponte Vecchio and Hermes Hermesessences (various)

Katie,

Here's another round of decants of things you probably won’t like. It’s like repeatedly cooking paella for someone with a shellfish allergy.

Carthusia 1681: As discussed in our previous correspondence, this citrus/cedar/incense is the belle of the ball. Except it’s a masculine, so I guess it’s the handsome young man of the ball. 1681 is the kind of thing I could imagine wearing right on through retirement. I enjoyed this so much the one time I wore it, I found myself wishing that all perfumes smelled like it. That’s how good it is: it made me completely irrational.

Parfumerie Generale Yuzu Ab Irato: See that green color? That’s the spearmint, KP! Now wipe that scowl off your face and give it a go. It’s more about the yuzu than it is the mint. And the yuzu is odd. Interesting odd, not Gary Busey odd.


Nobile 1942 Ponte Vecchio: This is very nice, similar to The Ten Party but without the clove. Hermès Paprika Brasil: Surprisingly strong and unsubtle for an Ellena. Hermès Vanille Galante: Whatever it is that makes this smell like bananas, I don’t like. I don’t hate it but I can’t ever imagine wanting to smell like it. Hermès Vetiver Tonka: This one is said to be more about the tonka bean than it is about the vetiver. Except I smell vetiver and, to me, vetiver always smells the same. Hermès Iris Ukiyoé: Springtime and peat moss. I was reading some reviews that mentioned the vegetal nature of this perfume and that’s it, during drydown it possesses a similar note as that face stuff my ex would wear at night, which was definitely vegetal. I’m buying a bottle of this one. Dan

Dan, I've plowed though the paella, and here are my impressions: Carthusia 1681: I can see why you think it's the beau of the ball, and I agree. Love those manly herbs and pepper-dusted sandalwood. Parfumerie Generale Yuzu Ab Irato: At first I thought "Limeade fresh!" and found it enjoyable. But then it turned into an eerie olfactory reenactment of a wooden trunk of old clothes, its mustiness not quite held in check with herbal moth repellent sachets. So, not enjoyable at all, for me or the moths. Nobile 1942 Ponte Vecchio: It started off smelling like Dubble Bubble bubblegum and vetiver, before the Dubble Bubble took five and PV relaxed into a dusty, dusky vetiver blend. It's got the powdery thing I love in Nasomatto China White. And it makes me realize that in the right setting, I love vetiver as much as the next gentleman. And now I want to spray on some China White. Hermès Paprika Brasil: Peppery wood with an animalic afterthought. Hermès Vanille Galante: This smells almost identical to Annick Goutal Le Mimosa, which I really like! It's got Le Mimosa's ylang-ylang vanilla vibe, its sweet-sour twang, the sandalwood drydown. People hankering after this should investigate Le Mimosa, which is even more action-packed with peach and anise. Hermès Vetiver Tonka: It just smells like vetiver, slightly softened and creamified by vanilla. It's hard for any ingredient to make a dent in vetiver's bulwark. Hermès Iris Ukiyoé: "Shampoo" is the word here, although your "face stuff my ex would wear at night" are some good words, too. Not picking up on any "vegetal nature," unless "Oil of Olay Regenerist Gel" is a vegetable. Katie