Continuing to work through the many samples gifted to or bought by me. I don’t think I’m exaggerating by much to say close to 1000…

Say what you will about Christopher Brosius and his spot on renditions of common, every day scents such as Dirt or Sex on the Beach for Demeter, the fragrance line he founded then left, when he hits a fragrance right, he hits it out of the ball park.

His CB I Hate Perfume comes in two formulations: Absolute and Water Perfume.

What is water perfume?

I have never been happy with specially denatured alcohol as a base for fragrance; it evaporates quickly, dries the skin & hair and is highly flammable. Oil & water are what the skin naturally needs to hold fragrance the longest – I use those as the bases for all my perfumes instead. From an esthetic view, alcohol always interferes with the true nature of the scent and you need to wait for it to “burn off” before you can truly appreciate perfume. Without alcohol, my scents are presented immediately exactly as I designed them. Christopher Brosius

Certainly it is a form of magic to be able to enjoy a fragrance immediately without waiting for the burn off. Such is his Patchouli Empire.

CB Patchouli Empire $75 for 100 ml or for 15 ml of Absolute. Both at Lucky Scent which carries 16 of his fragrances.

Notes: A natural blend of five patchoulis, with warm, rare woods and the faintest hint of Indian Black Pepper.

What makes it so good?

Depending upon its age, variety and origin, patchouli can run the gamut of strengths and intensities, and the finest is subtle, rich and warm but always subtle and ever-changing. Christopher has blended five different patchoulis, both sweet and dark, with vibrant and rich woods and a twist of Indian black pepper to create a drop-dead gorgeous patchouli scent worthy of building an empire around. Lucky Scent

My take:
This is rich and woody. I smell the Patchouli if I get up close and personal, otherwise what I first smell are the woods and black pepper. I do not know which formula I am testing, as it is not written on the sample. But it is lush, yet soft and gentle. It is neither sweet nor dry. It is evocative and lovely. It is me, only better. A walk in the woods hardly does it justice. It is transporting.

How does it manage to do all this and remain muted? It is magic. This is not your 70s patchouli. You won’t find yourself in a prior time. This is patchouli for the moment.

And the price is right!

Do you wear this one?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

$75 100ml
Absolute – Patchouli Empire
$75 15ml

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Patchouli, Perfume review