Penhaligons – The Impudent Cousin Matthew: It seems the Impudent Cousin Matthew may have learned some manners. This fragrance opens bright and fresh with mandarin and petitgrain. There is nothing brazen, cheeky or audacious going on here. The citrus notes stayed throughout and became interwoven with an interesting patchouli dry down. Perhaps, because of the patchouli, Cousin Matthew is particularly tenacious on skin, lasting well over 12 hours. Well blended, great bottle and worth sampling but my favourite from the portrait line remains Much Ado About The Duke.
Chloe – Nomade Edt: Following on from the success of the EDP, Quentin Bisch and Chloe release Nomade in lighter edt form. The mirabelle plum note of the EDP is not present in the EDT, but a genuinely delightful fruity lychee opening is present in this iteration. The lychee note remains prominent for a couple of hours on skin before the familiar freesia and earthy oakmoss from the original kick in. However, as expected in an EDT it’s all dialled down a couple of notches. For those that found the EDP to masculine, this may be more to your liking. All in all, Nomade edt is another well-made feminine designer to add to the must sample list for 2019. Hopefully that 2019 list will soon include some designer masculines.
Parfums De Marly – Percival: Parfums De Marly is not a house I have warmed to. Apart from the cardamom, vetiver combination of Byerley which I found interesting, nothing has really struck me as a must buy, particularly at the niche price point. Perhaps it’s because the house produces less challenging and more mass pleasing than others they simply get lost in the shuffle. Enter Percival, perhaps the least challenging fragrance in the whole Parfums De Marly suite. This is Parfums De Marly’s ambroxan bomb in the vein of Bleu De Chanel and Sauvage. It isn’t a style I particularly enjoy at the designer level pricing and at niche level pricing of circa 250 dollars it’s a no go.
Jo Malone – Bronze Wood and Leather: Jo Malone is another house I’ve struggled with over the years. There’s certainly been many more swings and misses than solid base hits. However, Bronze Wood and Leather certainly is promising on first impressions. A caramel smoky swirl and biker jacket leather provide panache and polished woods provide the darkness. Juniper and grapefruit add brightness that ensures Bronze Wood and Leather never gets cloying. Perhaps the leather and smoke could have been taken further for a so called ‘intense’ parfum, but that’s a small gripe as this was an enjoyable wear. Bronze Wood and Leather may not have quite hit it out of the park, but it’s at least a double down the right field line.
Paco Rabanne Pure XS Night: The familiar vanilla cola vibe of the original Pure XS is present once again, so much so that I had to do a double take to make sure I hadn’t sprayed the original on skin by mistake. However, this is certainly darker than the original Pure XS. The ginger is present but is toned down significantly. Caramel and resins are amped up. Still, this sat close to the skin and didn’t project as much as other recent Paco Rabanne fragrances. A solid release that won’t wow to many experienced fragheads who’s Pure XS days are long behind them. Though, it does certainly make a welcome changeup to the myriad of ‘blue’ releases that have flooded the market. Oh, and thankfully that confounded zippo lighter cap is gone.