Eau Sauvage Fraicheur Cuir is a 2007 limited edition version of the perennial best seller Eau Sauvage, formerly reviewed here. As the name suggests, it’s highlight is a ‘fresh’ Leather note. Francois Demachy, LVMH’s in-house perfumer, created the updated version of the classic, and did a fantastic job. I am not normally a fan of Leather scents, but ESFC is light enough that I think it would work for anyone.
A sweet sherbet Lemon note is present in the opening, alongside the Aramis-like leather note. I say ‘Aramis-like’. It smells similar, but it’s nowhere near as heady or overpowering as Aramis can be. Another point is that Fraicheur Cuir is not as dusty in the opening as the original Eau Sauvage. It is also similar to Chanel’s Pour Monsieur, with a sweet-citrus-chypre feeling.
The Eau Sauvage-y opening fades away and creates a green Leather chypre. It’s not at all heavy or thick, rather light and bright with a softness that is hard to find the right words for. It’s warm, and certainly feels like Chanel No 19, but without the potent Iris note and the vegetal thickness.
The drydown is slightly ‘wet’ feeling, with the warm leather note being supported by a moss-y note. I think the Chypre illusion created here by synthetic molecules (read: not Oakmoss, even though it smells oakmoss-y) is very convincing and should be taken as proof that losing Oakmoss itself as an ingredient doesn’t mean the end of the Chypre family, as long as the classics are treated with care.
Top: Sicilian Lemon
Middle: Hedione, Aromatic Herbs, Cedar
Base: Chypre Accord, Ambery Leather
The opening is juicy. Oranges with some berry-like tanginess, which has been dusted with icing sugar in some odd-desert confection.
UR opens on shower-fresh Lemon scented soap, and for the most part, stays there. This is the kind of fragrance that is meant to be used after a shower to confirm how very scrubbed clean you are. And in a clever and unexpected twist, it even smells of steam for a while.
Givenchy Very Irresistible Summer Sorbet; Citrus, Patchouli, and Chocolate with a light Mint – like in the original Men’s fragrance. Also an odd blueberry note. And the “dirty feet” Vanilla from Gaultier2.
Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Ete; Menthol with a very quiet, short lived Chocolatey note. Then to the sharp, fresh aromatic and light wood notes from L’Eau d’Issey. Worth wearing if you like the original but find it too much for summer.
Ck Summer; This years stronger citrus version is Tangerine with sharp Grapefruit and a ton of Melon, then Vanilla with a citrus soapy Musk. Very bright. Very loud. Pleasant enough.
Ck In2U Heat; Plastic Amber with Satsumas, to something that gives the sensation of smelling but actually doesn’t really smell at all. Bewildering. Then a light lemony accord lasts for a while before vanishing.
Carolina Herrera 212 on Ice; Abrasive citrus and Citronella, the essential oil that is used as mosquito repellant. More lemon-y than the feminine on top of a thick Cedar note.
At first spray, you can tell it’s still related to L’Homme, with its light Orange note. It’s much more powdery, sweet and warm from the off.
The opening is a light Citrus (must be the Mandarin) and potent berries smell (must be the Raspberry), quite sweet in comparison to the original.
Extreme opens with a bright, loud boozy Anise and Chocolate accord – it could well be a chocolote liquer. The opening is quite brash and unashamed, hangs about for a while, and is very similar in style to Dior Homme Intense.