Borneo 1834: This is only one wear, and that to family Christmas Eve gathering so I didn't pay as much attention to it as it dried down. I was thinking Coromandel as I put it on - the similarities are there for sure, but there's no mistaking these two, siblings but not twins. The Chanel makes me think of cashmere, soft and luxurious and I get mostly patchouli and white chocolate. Here there's patchouli and cocoa, dark and earthy but there's also a strong camphor note that's almost minty. First impression is I prefer the Chanel, but I reserve the right to change my mind after a few wears.
Strickly a womens frag. Opens with a fresh floral note which soon transitions into a mixture of aldehydes and orchids with a light vanilla underlying the frag. This aldehyde mixture remains fairly linear for a couple hours then the frag quickly fades away, thank goodness.
Violet Disguise - Monday
Notes: Plum, Violet, Dried Fruits, Balsam, Amber, Evening Air, The Month of May
Resinous Fruit Soup! Opens with a violet note that lasts but a few short minutes before an odd mix of dried fruit and resin takes control. After 3 hours the smell of patchouli or urine is noticeable in background and then the frag gradually fades away over the final couple hours. If I didn't have the day off and had applied this on a workday it would have been a scrubber.
Memoirs Of A Trespasser - Tuesday
Notes: Madagascar Vanilla, Guaiacwood, Myrrh, Benzoin Resin, Ambrette Seeds, Oak Barrels
Opens on a sour note, but quickly transforms to a deep smoky vanilla which comes across almost like a campfire. If I had to wear vanilla then this is the way I would prefer to wear it, as opposed to the feminine sweet vanilla you find in most frags. After a couple hours the woods come forward and the smoky vanilla moves to background. The frag remains pretty much linear from here before eventually fading away after a few hours. Not a bad frag and although this is one of the better takes on vanilla, I am still not keen on wearing my vanilla. Definitely worth a try for members of the vanilla fan club.
I chose to start with those I knew that I probably would not care for, so I still have hope for the remainder of the week.