A few weeks ago we broke out the Spanish Leather thread, so I thought I would open up a Russian Leather thread for discussion. It turns out that Russian Leather as a genre seems to fall at the lighter end of the leather spectrum, which makes it ideal for warmer weather IMO.
What can I say? I love the birch tar base of CdR scents which is the common component for creating a their leather accords.
Here are what I have tried and my impressions:
1. Chanel's Cuir de Russie. I want to like this, I really do! Many claim that this is simply the best leather frag of all time. In all fairness, I have only tried the current Les Exclusifs version. It seems to be overwhelmingly floral with a powdery feel to it and I felt the birch tar element (the leather) was just too much of a backseat player. I wanted it to be more in the foreground. I have not tried the current parfum version, or the vintage for that matter. Is the pure parfum (current or vintage) much more ramped up on the leather note? Would it be worth my time to seek samples of them?
2. Creed's Cuir de Russie. This one is probably my favorite of those that I have tried if not a tad soft and understated. The leather is definitely prominent and classy. I think this is a great summer leather scent. My only beef with this one is the longevity, but I am tempted to pick up a bottle of this stuff before it's completely gone. I am quite doubtful Creed will bring this one back unless they can immitate birch tar successfully. (Creed use a synthetic???? Well, sure. Come on...)
3. LT Piver's Cuir de Russie. I haven't tried this one. Is it worth a sniff?
Other threads I have read with a similar subject for discussion mention SMN Colonia Russa, but to me, this isn't a Russian leather. It's fine in it's own right, but it is more of a traditional "cologne" scent and doesn't really fall into the genre IMO.
I know with the rectified birch tar restrictions that true Russian Leather frags may very well be a thing of the past. I'm not familiar enough with the synthetic recreation vs. the real stuff to know if the recreation is a worthy competitor to it's predecessor. Your thoughts are welcome!
What can I say? I love the birch tar base of CdR scents which is the common component for creating a their leather accords.
Here are what I have tried and my impressions:
1. Chanel's Cuir de Russie. I want to like this, I really do! Many claim that this is simply the best leather frag of all time. In all fairness, I have only tried the current Les Exclusifs version. It seems to be overwhelmingly floral with a powdery feel to it and I felt the birch tar element (the leather) was just too much of a backseat player. I wanted it to be more in the foreground. I have not tried the current parfum version, or the vintage for that matter. Is the pure parfum (current or vintage) much more ramped up on the leather note? Would it be worth my time to seek samples of them?
2. Creed's Cuir de Russie. This one is probably my favorite of those that I have tried if not a tad soft and understated. The leather is definitely prominent and classy. I think this is a great summer leather scent. My only beef with this one is the longevity, but I am tempted to pick up a bottle of this stuff before it's completely gone. I am quite doubtful Creed will bring this one back unless they can immitate birch tar successfully. (Creed use a synthetic???? Well, sure. Come on...)
3. LT Piver's Cuir de Russie. I haven't tried this one. Is it worth a sniff?
Other threads I have read with a similar subject for discussion mention SMN Colonia Russa, but to me, this isn't a Russian leather. It's fine in it's own right, but it is more of a traditional "cologne" scent and doesn't really fall into the genre IMO.
I know with the rectified birch tar restrictions that true Russian Leather frags may very well be a thing of the past. I'm not familiar enough with the synthetic recreation vs. the real stuff to know if the recreation is a worthy competitor to it's predecessor. Your thoughts are welcome!