A new perfume. Comme des garçons

Rei made it again! After some extremely boring and mainstream launches, the japanese company come back to their origins and dive again into their most abstract/industrial/conceptual and creative side, where other fantastic perfumes such as Odeur 71, Odeur 53, or their Synthetic Series have been delivered in the past. This new "avant garde" conception is based on the idea of a perfume that couldn't exist in a bottle that shouldn't exist and is described by the brand as an “industrialized flower to go with the glue, an imaginary flower from an unknown civilization.” The packaging design is rather striking, entirely made of one pieced cardboard folded in "origami" style into a beautiful, yet simple, white box. As usual, "Comme des Garçons" know how to approach the Japanese tradition of deconstructing their designs into now-a-days. The bottle is made of recycled glass with an decomposing, melting design. The Eau de Parfum countains notes of aldehydes, safraline, hawthorn ,lilac, flower oxide, industrial glue accords, brown Scotch tape, musk and styrax. It was composed by perfumer Antoine Maisondieu. This is a linear perfume that takes you on a journey: where you start is not necessary where you end up and in this case, the destination is every bit as good as getting there. "A perfume" opens delightfully with a clean, bright burst of aldehydes which blends immediately with the lilac flower and the glue accord. At one point, the packing tape and the glue accord are right on your face, perhaps a bit too much, but as the fragrance develops, it smooths back into a lightly sweet scent as the lilac reigns through the whole life of the juice pulling together both the artificial and the natural nuances at its most fleeting and delicate. During the drydown, the floral oxides bloom like imaginary flowers from an unknown civilization, while the industrialized notes of glue and packing tape pull the guilty pleasure in the composition. In this phase, "A perfume" delivers exactly what it promised: the most true to life rendition of Brown Packing Tape and Bostitch Glue, which are smells that usually don't belong to fragrances but we all still love (same as the gasoline, kerosene, steam iron, wet soil, brand new cars, tar and so on)and they show themselves as aseptic, brand new-like accords, but even then, they are able to provide a remarkable warmness and a touch of humanity to this futuristic juice. "A perfume" represents both the florals and the synthetic components in a sort of familiar yet completely new way. Even the flowers here are industrialized, sort of alien, they still are clearly flowery and organic and enough harmoniously balanced to be labelled as a modern flower perfume. "A perfume" is surely an android but with a big red and pulsating heart. The new Comme des garcons fragrance is to my nose, a terrific perfume, modern yet extremely solid, very distinctive, versatile and easy to wear and surely, not for everybody. Even it is tagged as unisex, its amount of floral notes makes it unfortunately, a little bit too feminine to my taste. Its lasting power and projection are superb! Copyright © 2013. All rigths reserved

Wonderwood. Comme des Garçons

Perfumer: Antoine Lie.
Notes of Madagascan pepper, bergamot, coriander, nutmeg, Oud (Agarwood),
cedarwood, sandalwood, cypress wood, gaiacwood, patchouli, vetiver, javanol, cumin, cashmeran, Pachminol, somalian incense and cristalon.


Antoine Lie collaborates again with Kawakubo. He has being in the past behind the great 888 and two of the Series 8 Energy C fragrances.

Woody scents never been in my top list of favourite perfumes, but the idea of a fully composed woody fragrance intrigued me deeply.
My main concern with this unvareable hot weather was:
- This is going to be heavy and overwhelming-. But the reality is a light mosaic of woods in a juice.

"Wonderwood" starts light with soft spices followed by cypress, guaiac and touches of vetiver.
The woody nuances are lighter from start to end.
Mostly you will only get a vivid cypress-conifer smell blended with soft clean woods.

It develops deep with the addition of cedar, cumin, oud and patchouli resulting in a light-sweet twist floating around you. Underneath all the notes, there is a velvety-woody note I’m familiar with, that brings a much more patchouli presence, making it gains in intensity as "Wonderwood" heads to the base: the cashmeran.

The synthetic side appears shy, especially the cristalon that gives a apple-rose-like powdery texture towards the strong woody aspect the natural sandalwood adds.

Through the drydown the winner is the cedar with soft spices, light powdery accords in the background and some cypress.

It may be me or perhaps my nose, but this smells rather too similar (trying to avoid the adverb "exactly") like CDG "Dover Street": "Wonderwood " is a little bit lighter without the "Dover's" pugnent & cinamom accords.
The note that make the little different between them is the cypress.
Funny thing to say. I was puzzled when I sample it, so I decided to try both in my wrists and I hardly could find any difference appart from the concentration, the cypress note and the projection.

After all, this new launch is a lovely, nice balanced perfume for woody lovers, but I particulary think that it has a lack of originality, especially when It has so much in common with other CDG perfume and, to my personal taste, they are already in the market better woody perfumes. Although I may worth a look.

Being a light perfume, is perfectly suitable for hot or cold seasons and It definitively leans to a masculine side instead to the unisex.
"Wonderwood" has a below average longevity and average sillage.
Copyright © 2010. All rights reserved.

Series 1 Leaves: Tea. Comme des garçons.

Perfumer: Alan Atlan.
Countains bergamot, black tea, rose, cedarwood and maté.

Black tea meets the city vibe.

Think on the smoky-rubbery natural accent of the tea leaves reinterpretated in a synthetic way and you'll know how this perfume smells like.

"Tea" starts strong and linear with an unique black tea note: there is a smoky tea followed by a fascinating "tar" scent melted with some woods.
Wonderful blend of stiff tar, cedarwood and shiny, hard plastic.

It develops highly synthetic to the extrem; The tar note is bitter and industrial and show the stage with a soft rose undertone but, being frankly, it doesn't change the script too much. Note ven the spicy-herbal touch of the maté.

In the drydown there's a shadow of the tea while all is plastic-like touches of rose petals and smoky tar with timid cedar.


This is love at the first sight for me.
It smells like old wooden buildings, smoke and tar. Incredible scent.

If you enjoyed "Tar" that unfotunately has been discontinued, you'll find in "Tea" the perfect substitute with black cities atmospheres, grey industrial nuances playing with black tea leaves.
If you can't stomach avant garde synthetic perfumes, you shoudl avoid it. You'll find it vile.
"Tea" has a nice longlasting (4-5 hours)and an average projection.
Copyright © 2010. All rights reserved.

Laurel by Monocle & Comme des Garçons.

Perfumer: Antoine Maisondieu.
Countains bay laurel, incense, marigold, cedar, pepper, patchouli and amber.

Monocle + Comme des Garçons collaborate again as a great team and bring up a fab, (and for sure very succesfcul) sharp, raw spicy fragrance.
It tries to capture the traditional, rustic, hand-made soaps of the Middle East, those who are brown and our granmopther (like mine) used long time ago to washing clothes.

"Laurel" starts green and herbal, just like fresh bay leaf. It has a sharp, raw and substantial soul but quickly develops into a fine smoky-peppery bay scent splashed of a dry aura with the marygold flower.
I can get a hint of cumin with a dirty nuance in the background.

The green aroma soon is accompained by a warm patchouli-amber base plus a much more smoky frankincense that gives a darker twist. There is a whisper of a soft yet musky wood note.

Despite it has been inspired by the old fashion, traditional soap, "Laurel" won't smell as clean or as soapy as you could spect.
It is a complex well blended fragrance.
"Laurel" has a very good lasting power but it develops private, with a timid sillage.
Copyright © 2010. All rights reserved.

WonderWood. Comme des Garçons.

Perfumer: Antoine Lie.
Countains Madagascan pepper, bergamot, Somalian incense, nutmeg, cristalon (a floral fruity note with rosy, plum and apple nuances), cashmeran, gaiacwood, cedarwood, cumin, javanol, sandalwood, vetiver, oud (Agarwood).

The new unisex Eau de Parfum from the Japanese dedigner will be an evocation of wood exuberance, and will hit the streets the 24th of June.
The concept is explained as a positive overdose of woods and mad synthetic wood constructions.

Noble woods:

Oud (Agarwood): Tibetans use it to bring energy to the center.
Cedarwood: King of the forest, tree of God.
Sandalwood: Carvings, worship, medical.
Cypress wood: The first choice of Iranian gardens.
Gaiacwood: Tree of life bearing blue flowers.
Patchouli: Perfume, medicine, hippies.
Vetiver: The roots are made into mats and hung in doorways to keep cool in India.
Javanol: The new generation of Sandalwood.
Cashmeran: Pine and Patchouli
Pachminol: Sandalwood notes with balsamic touches and Rose.

A artistic visual aid for its launch has been made by the Brother Quay, highly renowned for their stop motion technique of film making. IT is a short about a man who loved trees more than words could say. An allegorical representation of non verbal passion, the film expressed through visual rapture the beautiful exorbitance of this new fragrance.



Source: http://number3store.blogspot.com/

Men florals for this summer.

I have already recommended to you some female perfumes that would work nicely on a man.
Now it is time for the actual masculine/ unisex florals suitable for summer time.

He Wood by DSQUARED².
An addictive aquatic-floral-woody fragrance.
Notes of white fir, ozonic accord, vegetal amber, musk, aquatic notes, violet blossoms and leves, vetiver and cedarwwod.

Lily by Comme des Garçons.
Adorable unisex floral. Bad long lasting though.
Countains lily of the valley, freesia, green syringa (lilac tree leaves)and dog rose buds.

Splash Rain by Marc Jacobs.
It is an unisex light floral woody musk fragrance.
Notes of clementine, cypress, wild strawberry, sunflower, passion flower, orchid, teak wood, amber, musk and oakmoss.

Story by Paul Smith.
An intense green floral perfume.
Notes of grapefruit, bergamot, green ivy, jasmine, green rose, musks, vetiver, mineral amber and cedarwood.

L'eau Bleue Fraiche by Issey Miyake.
An aquatic-floral-musky airy fragrance.
Countains notes of bergamot, mint, rosemary, may rose, maté, pink pepper, white patchouli, musk.

Aqua Marine by Bvlgary.
An uplfting citrus-marine-floral scent.
Notes of neroli bigarade, grapefruit, sap, posidonia kelp, rosemary flower, white cedar, amber.

Fahrenheit 32 by Dior.
A weird warm-cold oriental.
Notes of orange blossom, iris, rose, violet, vetiver and vanilla.

Geranium leaf by Malin + Goezt.
An uplifting fresh green floral.
Notes of green apple, cyclamen, tiger lilly, geranium leaf, coriander and musk.

Kenzo Power Cologne by Kenzo.
A gorgeous citrusy-balsamic-floral perfume.
Include notes of bergamot, amalfi lemon, cardamom, lemon verbena, freesia, sichuan pepper, coriander, tolu balm, geranium, cedar and vetiver.

Guerrilla 2 by Comme des Garçons.
An intense spicy-floral.
Countains notes of bergamot, pink pepper, ginger, red chili pepper, curcuma (turmeric root), raspberry, tuberose, vetiver, cedar and musk.

Paul Smith Man by Paul Smith.
A fresher version of "Dior Homme".
It has yuzu, bergamot, anise blossom, incense, patchouli, cardamom, Iris, Violet, Tonka Bean.

L'eau D'Issey Summer 2010.
A reinterpretation of the original D'issey with soft ambery floral undertones.
Notes of mandarin, yuzu, sage flower, cardamom, vetiver and amber.

Adventure Quasar by Jesús del Pozo.
A fantastic aromatic chyphre.
Countains japanese Yuzu, chinese Kumquat, brazilian Rain Tree (mimosa), kharismai, tropical Heart (fresh wet soil accord), lavender, Sage, living Bombay Gin accord, geranium leaves, fig wood, jacaranda, cedarwood, oakmoss, flax Seed Oil, musk.

Zen for men by Sisheido.
A great fruity floral scent.
Notes of kumquat, bergamot, kinkan, violet, nashi pear, rhododendron, nutmeg, leather, patchouli, agarwood and musk.

London by Burberry.
A beutifuly done spicy floral.
Countains violet leaf, lavender, bergamot and black pepper, mimosa, Port wine accord, leather, opoponax, tobacco leaf, guaiac wood and oakmoss.

Photo-art courtey of dragoncello64
Copyright © 2010. All rights reserved.

Dover St Market. Comme des Garçons.

A “modern twist of a incense-woody fragrance”.

Perfumer: Rei Kawakubo.
Countains bergamot, mandarin, black pepper, coriander, pine needles, incense, juniper berries, cedar, labdanum and patchouli.

"Dover St" opens with a strong blend of incense, mandarin, spices and a weird olfative deja vú of the glorious "Tar" that quickly fades away and give path to the
juniper and pine being the freshness part of the whole formula.

It develops as an incense-dark- woody essence with an undertone of a hidding note that stands between all the components: to my nose is a soft sweet cinnamom accord.

The perfume finds its end linear and kind of animalistic actually with patchouli, incense and at stages I get a fecal sparkle similar to a typhonium arum flower smell that remains shy in the background mixing itself with the smoky background.

"Dover St" doesn’t have the atmospheric or mystical atmosphere of the "CDG Incense line" but lovers of that line will fall inlove quickly on this one.
"Dover Street" is a pleasant, soft incense scent with a weird pugnent nuance that, in fact makes it addicitive and easily wearable.
A must try for woody-incense addicts.
Long lasting and projection average, though.
Copyright © 2009 . All rigths reserved

Standard. Comme des Garçons + Artek.

Perfumer: Christina Astuguevieille.
Notes of lemon, labrador tea, twinflower, metal note, rust, fennel, watercress, ginger, saffron, dill, musk and cedarwood.


The unisex fragrance was created in line with Artek studio’s brief on combining synthetic and natural elements.


My first thought on smelling "Standard" was: a mix of "CDG Incense line" with "Hinoki" and then some deja vús of "2CDG Synthetic series".


"Standard" opens raw and sharp with lemon and a medicinal, herbal and metallic atmosphere with a smoky mostly incenseish tea plus a dry herbal finish that easily could remind you to a cammomile flower and pine scent.

The juice develops mostly clean raw woody with cedar while the watercress and the gorgeous twinflower notes melt into each other bringing a delicious green, clean, floral blast, that will play around in the whole life of the perfume.
At that stage it actually reminds me a lot to L'artisan's "Passage D'enfer", as both has similar incense-floral spirit.
I get some fennel and lovely ginger accent.

The dry down is soft and posses a smooth finish; a dry, slightly floral, slightly green-musky-velvety pleasant scent.

I like it very much. A lot.
Ideal for a quiet, calm day: you staring indoors through a window, coily, feeling nice and warm while the world goes by.

Again, CDG show us that It reamisn the King regarding a scent based in a fantastic balance between natural and artificial components.
Lasting power is reasonable, (no more than 5 hours) while it develops into a quiet skin fragrance.
Copyright © 2009 . All rigths reserved

Comme des Garçons & Monocle Scent 2: laurel.

An autumn release. Info extracted from the 2009 issue of Monocle.com:
“inspired by a trip to the Bekaa Valley, it’s a fresh clean scent that has warm laurel notes. Developed by the same team that launched our Hinoki scent, it will remind regular visitors to Lebanon of the country’s hand-made Laurel soaps and fragrant gardens in Byblos”.
I will upload more info as soon as I get more.
Copyright © 2009 . All rigths reserved

Energy C. Series 8. Commes des garçons

Perfumist: Rei kawakubo.

Energy C: three new perfumes with a "vitamin rush based on citrus fruit" to "wake up, feel positive, be positive". They are 3 different variations:

Energy C Lemon has notes of bergamot, citron, lemon, cardamom, angelica, incense, musk and vetiver.

Energy C Lime has lime, bergamot, green lemon, water jasmine, tea rose, lily, musk, cedar and white amber.

Energy C Grapefruit includes notes of blackcurrant buds, pink grapefruit, petit grain, jasmine, neroli, yellow madarin, tree moss and iris.

the whole range has a similar packaging as the oldest sherbert 5 series; simple and appealing, and they are based (as their named said),in citruses aromas, sharing a close character with the Cologne series 4, with a new fantastic adding of nice flower notes. They haven't the projection, neither the body of a pefume. Energy C new launch is kind of a product for a daily cologne use, ideal for sporty people of those who prefer shy fragrances that doesn't project massively.

Lemon starts with strong notes of lemon and citron with hints of shy bergamot.
The whole formula is rather bald and just changes when dries down as the citruses gives way to soft spicy angelica, a aura of smoky clean incense and then all become vetiver, lemony vetiver.
Nice and retro. It' quite linear and non offensive, soft and refreshing, like a deja vú of old aftershaves.

Lime (my favourite) is a real explossion of lime,(effervescent and uplifting, makes your mouth watery), that melts gorgeously with hints of watery old fashion accent of water jasmin and roses. To my nose the jasmin note is much similar as the glorious international well known "Eau Savage". As the other brothers of the line, Lime, is rather linear and just gets a little more complex when dries down, when the lime accord still present but shares the path with a gorgeous lily note, dewy and green.

Grapefuit (my second favourite) funnily won't smell like grapefuit itself:
The mandarine is the main note here, just as if you are you peel off one. Then comes the petitgrain, not overly sweet, it's enjoyable, airy and soft like a summer brezze.
It dries down in a ghostly accent of iris flower that melts with the mandarine and the neroli.
Can't detect any grapefruit still.

The three perfumes are shy, inocent, nicely vintage, as old colognes first perfumery ideology, suitable for eveyone. They dry down close to skin but you still be able to detect them nicely, when it's hot outside.
There´s no projection whatsoever but the longevity still admirable for a citrus based colognes. 4 hours or so.

Actually, this is the closest CDG mainstream solution after previous Play, as they have so many similarities with the Cologne range.

There's no much to complain, just the though of that they would be gorgeous if followed the soul of previous long lasting launches. It doesn't make much sense to launch a cologne poor longevity solution in such a small packaging.
Copyright © 2008 . All rigths reserved

Hinoki by Monocle & Comme des Garçons.

Perfumer: Antoine Maisondieu.

Notes of cypress, turpentine, camphor, cedar, thyme, pine, Georgian wood, frankincense, moss and vetiver.

It seems that Comme des Garçons's reputation of "enfant terrible" has reflected positively on itself in the perfume industry.
This is the second time that the Japanese designer signs its own perfume in collaboration with "Etat Libre D'orange" persumist groupie, the first time that the company designs a scent for another, two other up to come for an UK based brand and formal gossip about collaborate with H&M with a clothing collection and a unisex cologne for the filial.


Hinoki takes its name from the Hinoki cypress, a tree that only grows in Japan and is the preferred wood for building palaces, temples, shrines and the finest wooden soaking baths. It was inspired by a visit to Tawaraya, a famous three-centuries-old traditional Japanese inn located in Kyoto.

Basicly this is a deep rich, woody scent with hints of smoky incenses.
It has a fab recreation; a deja-vú of steamed, heated, woody environments of saunas and baths actually: there's an asian legendary wooden bath called "hinoki ofuro", in outside open spaces with hot water in chilly locations. To put you in the scene, the closest panorama here in Europe are the famous scandinavian baths in the forest. So, basicly ,this is what's all about; a well constructed representation that captures magnificently the scent of an outdoor wodden bath.

It starts intoxicating: warm woods sorrounded by the resinous tupertine( the gum pine tree) and the odd note of camphor( white waxy resinous with strong medicinal aroma).
Then just a lovely smoky mix of heady frankincense that blends with sharp notes of thyme, cedar and balanced cold notes of moss.
There's a shy reminiscence of charcoal going on through it that, for me, could be the key of why this perfume is a well done olfative image of a hot woody sauna.
It is a great scent for wood lovers.

The longlasting is monster. Up to 10 hours in my skin.

I don't particulary love woody colognes but I have to admmit that this launch is well balanced, creative, nostalgic in a nice way and addictive.
Give a try.
Copyright © 2008 . All rigths reserved.

Series Red. Harissa. Comme des garçons

Perfumer: Bertrand Duchaufour.

Countains notes of: blood orange, red chili pepper, angelica, saffron, nutmeg, cardamon and tomato.

This is a radiant, fantastic, fresh, juicy yet spicy perfume.

Harissa is a spicy red powder spice produced from the chilli peppers, originally from Tunisia, and used for culinary purposes across the North Africa.

The perfume starts as fiery as juicy; the blood orange is quite prominent blending deliciosly with the hot chilly. There's a tomato note going on straight away, playul, that remind me of a scented image:a fresh tomato juice.

It could sound odd but everytime I sniff the top notes of this perfume, my mouth goes wet. It's a superb combination.

Waiting a few minutes the cardamom enters and claims the spicy initial touch, burying the initial citrus blast of the orange and preserving the tomato odour, that gets, now, closer to crushed tomato leaves, which I find very unusual, fascinating.

The tomato note goes heady and the composition gets a little more spicy, the angelica root, hardly recognizable ( you'll detect it if you smelled it isolated), appears shy, coming and going between the chilli and the tomato.

At this stage it reminds me vaguely to the famous amercian "bloody mary cocktail" just for a bit thought. The saffron shows off now increasing the hot-spicy feeling with a hint of powdery note.

I can't detect the nugmet anywhere.

Even so, it's a really peculiar and fascinating "colonia", for those that like different smells.

If you don't mind the initial blast (some people find it too much fiery), keep sniffing and you'll love it.

The lasting power is quite average, as it lost projection after 50mt of apply. The whole scent gets very close to skin for a decent 4/5 hours.

Copyright © 2008. All rigths reserved.

888 by Comme des Garçons.

Perfumist: Antonie Lie.

Notes of safraline, coriander, pepper, curcuma, geranium and amber.

Antonie quoted: "We started with the concept that we wanted to find if gold has an odour and we looked for an olfactive expression. I looked at a number of different materials and decided very quickly on Safraline because of its very specific character".

Safraline is a molecular derivative of saffron created by Swiss perfume house Givaudan.
The perfume is inspired by the initial question of knowing whether gold has a smell and then the idea of finding an olfactory equivalent of it....
I have to admit that the blend of safraline and curcuma gives a feminine twist of the whole perfume, but it's enough pleasant to be wore by a man.

I was a little worried about this new launch, specially after the huge deception on the luxe range. The idea based on the recreation of how could gold smell like, made me wonder for a little while, and I had flashing images in my mind of a tacky, terrible, overly power scent. Well; what a great surprise. The perfume is superb.
The bottle is very appealing and exhudes luxury itself; it's a shinny gold version of the original pebble-like design of the company.
It's based in the saffron, curcuma, pepper and amber in an arid strange way.
To my nose, 888, opens light and zesty with pepper note, melting with a fiery , grant slap of playful coriander. I can detect the synthetic saffron straight away, flying around the whole formula, showing off its own presence. The top notes have a funny bubbly, effervescent side.
The initial sniff , to my nose, is kind of feminine, but it doesn't bother me at all. It could be definitely a Guerilla 2 old brother,as they have similar character, but as it's settling down, the perfume get a nice gorgeous soul.
The safraline share path with hints of nice metallic geranium leaves that melts with the curcuma brings a vague hint of metallic sour mustard like odour...
The fragrance keeps heady and confortable while the drydown introduces the amber that add a warm twist to the whole formula.

The drydown is dry and bitter.

I realy like this scent, as much of the other Comme des garçons line, simply beacuse I'm a big fan of the company.
I probably have to try twice to get used of the arid, acrid aura that float around you when you wear it.
It decants a little to the feminine side, but who cares really?.
The long lasting is acceptable. 4/5 hours in my skin.
Copyright © 2008 . All rigths reserved.

Patchouli, Luxe Series. Comme des Garçons.

Perfumist: Rei Kawakubo.

Notes of white pepper, fenugreek, lovage, oak extract, opoponax, patchouli, cedar, vanilla, sandalwood, vetiver.

Let's talk about what an imaginary helicrysum reformulated aroma would smell like.

Well, now we're facing an intriguing perfume here.
Luxe Patchouli!: here is where I got a formal reminiscence of something I already have tried: a dejavú. I'm sure it's not only me, but I detect the helycrisum flower all the time.
Can't be possible, as is not shown in the pyramid... Or can it?


It start s off a little nauseating really, not very pleasant, as the presumptive inmmortelle flower note is sticky, oversweet and kind of syrupish. There's a hint of dark, deep burnt wood or paper-like scent going on, muddy possibly, blending with an arid and strong pepper note.

Suddenly all becomes even drier and the composition gets impregnated with fenugreek, a well known plant that is used as one of the major ingredients of curry thus producing an aroma of curry.

The perfume becomes softer an hour or so after application, and the lovage plant (levintiscum) with a vague odour of celery approaches hand by hand with suffocated notes of oak wood, and the raising patchouli, mysterious and cloudy, even smoky, playful, showing off at times and hidding itself constantly while the oppopanax covers all, slowly giving a rich, creamy, twist of gold to the whole perfume.

I can't detect much vanilla (good), and the syrupy helycrisum still lingers in the background, almost enough to be dismissed.

It stayed for an age on my flesh. it's a good interpretation of the popular patchouli scent, clever I must say, but very personal. Perfectly unisex, but tending to the masculine.

The fragrance on its own is simply overpriced. It's talented and complex for sure, but there are other different interpretations around the market, (better, in my opinion), priceless, and with more character.

Copyright © 2007 . All rigths reserved.

Lily. Series Leaves. Comme des Garçons

Pefumer: Florence Idier.

Countains: lily of the valley, freesia, green syringa (lilac tree leaves), dog rose buds.

My favourite floral fragrance ever.
In a word: Excellent.
Lily is the ultimate example of a clean, minimalist, floral perfume that a man can wear, leaving behind prejudices...

Even the juice is quite minimal and linear. Lily starts watery, crisp, sour and fiery with a wonderful dose of muguete blending with freesia (number one in my flower smell charts!), then, develops green with the addition of the syringa leaf and rose buds, turning the perfume into a close-to-skin fragrance.

The result is not sweet at all, as the lilac leaves and the freesia here, are the key: they wash off the suffocating power of the lily, and turn the scent into a bright, clear, simple fragrance.
It's cheerful and uplifting, playful, evocative; gorgeous!

Only one problem raised; endurance; two hours maximum.

Copyright © 2007 . All rigths reserved.

#3. Comme des garçons.

Perfumist: Rei kawakubo.

Countains: mandarin, magnolia leaf, basil, gingko leaf, blackcurrant leaf, red pepper, angelica, cardamom, mate, freesia, jasmine, champaca flower, cedar, sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, birch, olibanum, amber.

The concept: how an imaginary flower would smell like.

The result: a very synthetic juice wich loads of impecable notes, yet odd, but all together it works beautifully...

This scent is an alive, kind of primal, minimal but complex aswell.

There's a sensorial trip with loads of different reminescents, colours and shadows: green, yellow, pink, white and silver accompains the scent. Then all gets black, pitch black.

Starts with a splash of green zesty and herbal notes. The blackcurrant leave note is higly prominent, and share the stage with gingko and mandarin. A fake flowery blossom appears in my mind, I can't stop breathing in the aroma that project around me. How beautiful!, but.. Soon the formula gets darker and deep, smoky and sticky with loads of angelica, champaca and smoky cedar, straighforward, so quick that you have

to sniff twice to believe it, (in this particular perfume the pyramid notes are very distinctively separated).

There's a hint of blackcurrant leaves giving a green touch, as it blends with airy freesia, but, the main colour of the scent now is dark, oppresive sometimes.

The vetiver raises juts dry and muddy, and for a moment you can sniff something sticky, oily perhaps, that i can't figure out.

The smokiness of the precious wood get at this moment prominent joining a balsamic angelica root.

There's a hint of kerosene now. I think is the mix of blackcurrant leaves and the angelica.

Hold on, a zesty similar touch as the opening top notes is coming back, and emerges shy but noticiable.

The tart green plays against the woods in harmony as in olfactory polytonality. This is like a technological olfatory dream.

The effect is terribly clever. The dry down is getting subtle some tart wishpers, with champaca, dry woods and amber notes.

Another fab creation from CDG.

Definitively artistical and teathrical for sure. The long lasting is good enough and the projection is good enough to be noticiable.

The champaca note, as in "Guerilla 1" can putt off some men. A scent for the brave niche.

Copyright © 2007 . All rigths reserved.

Guerilla 1. Comme des garçons

Perfumer: Marie-Aude Couture Bluche.

Notes of saffron, pear, clove, champaca flower, black pepper, vetiver, cedar, musk.

Darkness and perverse I may say is this.

A cool, grassy, spicy-floral fragrance with vague medicinal accords.

Is not gothic, sticky and deep.

Is a airy composition starting with prominent saffron and pencilstrokes of juicy pear with prominent clove spice.

The champaca flower arrives and a nice jasmin comes along blending with soft touches of black pepper. Dark, soily dry vetiver appears slowly. There's something going on that reminds me as a meaty aroma. I think there's a hidden note of living leather as the forrmula dries down definitively leathery with conforting cedar wood.

Result: velvety, soft, shy manly flower with fruity undernotes, pepper, clove and soft cedar with just a nice touch of earthy vetiver. A bit more masculine than the brother 2.

It's a weird mixure of an impossible thrill. It's odd for a nose: it's carnivorous, mysterious, atractive but predicatble at the same time. It strangeness is a inspiration, but not enough. There's something missing here.

Copyright © 2007 . All rigths reserved.

Guerilla 2. Comme des garçons.

Perfumist: Nathalie Feisthauer.

Countains notes of bergamot, pink pepper, ginger, red chili pepper, curcuma (turmeric root), raspberry, tuberose, vetiver, cedar and musk.


This is a sensational lively fruity floral with soft touches of light spices scent. As any other Comme des garçons release, the trendiness reigns above conventionality, so this one, wont be a exception.

I like Guerilla 2. I like Guerilla 1 too, but I found that the version 2, maybe, is more wearable as a unisex perfume, with a marvellous cheeky and playful character.

It starts sharp as razor with vetiver, ginger and curcuma. The turmeric root is the main note of the juice mixed closely with the tuberose flower.
Making fully exotic contrast, the heart and basenotes are unique, fantastic dewy tuberose with overdoses of curcuma, pepper and raspberry. Sometimes the fragrance goes bubblely, like a chewing gum smell.
The dry down settles with light cedar note.
It's sweet, but not to sweet, I found it more bright as the curcuma, tuberose and pepper goes over the top.

Rather linear, It changes only minimally as it dries down, but keeps the original brightness althrough.

Copyright © 2007 . All rigths reserved.

Play. Comme des Garçons.

Perfumist: Aurelien Guichard.

Includes: bitter orange, black pepper, lime, saffron, thyme, sage, iodine, oak moss, patchouli and musk.

This new release for the "terrible enfants" group, would be a easy going scent, for any purpose. Probably the most simple of all the previous CDG series.

I find it easy to wear!.

It has been compared with "CDG Soda", but "Play" is more herbal, more deep and it doesn't share similar caracthers, as I think It has more proximity with "L'eau D'issey", for example.

When you first apply it, orange Tang floats around you!. Yes, Tang, that slightly metallic orange powder, that every single one drunk at least one time in our lifes, in the 70's. It's a definitively funny, playful accord, with that hint of synthetic, asepthic plastic note surrounding all.

The orange mixed with a fizzy lime really stands out on the top notes and then the saffron and sage gives more complexity and a herbal twist at the fragance. there's a spicy pepper around too, and the juice get more mermeladey now.

The sea note (iodine), is quite fresh and sparkly compared it presence in previous launches as "Kenzo pour homme" but still have a distinctive and, this time, vague balsamic aura.this accord really works on the blend of all notes.

The drydown is kind of slighty smoky and has a light musc appears, giving a earthy as musty nice touch.

Its has a terrible long lasting power, and, also it project massivly, so use with caution!

It really smell much better on distance that close skin as happens with the Odeur range from the same company.

Probably one of my favourites tangy scent on the market.

Copyright © 2007 . All rigths reserved.

Odeur 71. Comme des Garçons.

Perfumist: Anne-Sophie Chapuis.

Countains: electricity, metal, office, mineral, dust on a hot light bulb, photocopier toner, hot metal, toaster, pen ink, pencil shavings,, the salty taste of a battery, freshly mowed grass, incense, wood, moss, willow, elm, birch, bamboo, hyacinth, lettuce juice and many more...

It's like an experience of walking through an industrial frosty landscape or being in a sterile white and green room.

Basically, it is a reformulated version of the previous "Odeur 53", bringing the aseptic clean and cold notes of it, and, simply blending them with more "down to earth notes", more physical and less ethereal, but never natural.

Odeur 71 is the sweetness we all smell when we smell things we feel silly about smelling and liking in our everyday existence: the funny sweet smell of cellotape or a hot computer or tv.

The opening is very similar to "53 " but this time, the same present fake lemony note in the previous, is much more prevalent, rounded off with the same grey, clean aura.

There are too, hints of ink and hot dust accords. The composition is much more variable in this version, getting more natural, with green light notes (lettuce juice and bamboo) , ghostly woody notes, and a nice soft touch of sterile hyacinth. It’s even has little vague hints of sperm too, ( I didn’t recalled it, my partner did eventually),

I don't even dare to keep striping it anymore. A lot of things that aren't typically fragrant have a smell now and we know those smells are here.

We just want to sit down and enjoy them.

Copyright © 2007 . All rigths reserved.