The lavender feels dried and crushed and nearly stale. Galbanum is an un-bitter thing. Geranium and carnation are strong, stand out, for me. They are behaved. No aggression. Perfection. The pine and vetiver fuse together adding their fresh, greenish breeze. Perhaps Yatagan works because it is both bold and familiar. This is the sort of fragrance a hiker would adore for its transportive power. There are several scents, such as Profumum Roma’s Arso and CB I Hate Perfume’s Winter 1972, that also present photorealistic images of wood. However, Yatagan’s the only perfume I’ve smelled that nails the smell of the woods as a place instead of as an object. Deloc chypre, bland sau firav, Caron Yatagan se manifesta cu o intensitate care traverseaza simturile pana in cel mai profund plan. Seduce de la prima pulverizare, fara a mai fi nevoie de alte acte de demonstratie pentru a convinge ca este un parfum care isi merita aprecierea si valoarea. Este destul de bland incat sa nu devina inecacios, dar si extrem de masculin incat sa se reliefeze in fata altor parfumuri pentru barbati. Ahhh, Yatagan, one of my true loves. One day, a number of years ago, I walked into the legendary Colonial Drug in Newton, MA (formerly in Harvard Square, Cambridge for decades). Here I would get my education on the classics, whether they be household names or those that were unsung. The owners have impeccable taste and have recommended so many of the scents that I now hold very dear to my heart. During that visit, I saw their display of Caron men's fragrances, and there stood Yatagan, with that sepia-tinted juice. It was calling out my name: "Joseph, I was meant for you..."

Uncompromising and yet not strident, Yatagan's medium projection hits that ‘just right' spot on the dial which means it can be worn and appreciated in all sorts of company – even one's own, of course. If you have a thing for feral greens in the mode of say Eau de Campagne or Coven, here's one worth trying that has a patina of refinement. The one misstep is the inclusion of some bubble-gum sweetness which it could easily have done without. Le 3ème Homme, or The Third Man, borrows its name from the eponymous 1949 Orson Welles movie – incidentally, it's also the third masculine fragrance by Caron, released in 1985. I’ve been thinking about the wonderful yet inexpensive perfumes out there. There are many well considered, beautifully made perfumes that you can buy for a song. Cheap or pricy, though, the best perfumes must stand up to the same criteria. Is it coherent and balanced? Does it hold up over time? Does it captivate you, that is, would you wear it as your only perfume? Crucial: does it smell good? Is it ‘you’? Does it remain engaging throughout the entire day? Will it last that long? Would you want it to? Does it work for you in all the compartments of your life: At work? Cooking? Socializing? Cruising? In a class? On the subway? The visit asks about the bearskin that was draped so casually-beautifully on the Divan, just to find out that it fell to the former officer (so much we already know) during a Balkan offensive. Separated from most of his regiment in the snowy skirmishes, he had no choice: without the warmth of the bearskin (and, please, his still steaming intestines!), he and his adjutant would hardly have survived the night. It turns out during the afternoon that his life was woven from such episodes. He was one of those men to whom the inner call of the adventure came at least as loudly to the ear as the call of duty. Rhodesia, Indo-China, Asia Minor. Monstrous stories, even more monstrous hints. On the table, Rilke's Malte Laurids Brigge. In a way, a double man, double enormous, in which not, as in us, civilization and savagery lead the eternally same, eternally murky battles, but both, in that the elements were at the same time led to their extremes, experienced a dialectical envelope as it were. Another uncanny, awe-inspiring realization of human possibilities.Yeah, that seems funny to me too. Yatagan isn't citrusy at all. The oakmoss is actually pushing through stronger and greener right now, after several hours. Also, I noticed the 5 liter splash bottles from Spain. I'll try something. But first a song: The vintage version is a lot quieter, and actually strikes me as the more versatile, well-behaved sibling. The modern version is entirely respectable, but I can't deny that my nose is naturally drawn to the more natural and well-proportioned earthy-cool environment of the vintage. I sampled it, and to my disbelief, it ignited all the pleasure synapses in my brain in a way no other, perhaps besides Habit Rouge EDT, ever had before. Have I found my own personal holy grail? The opening is redolent of pine, camphoraceous herbs, dirt, with that undercurrent of castoreum. This is the rare instance of a fragrance to my nose being simultaneously sensual, primal, AND cerebral. It is one of just a handful of scents that just floods me with memories, actual and uncertain. It's an effable sensation that gives me a yearning of that which is out of reach, which isn't as sad as it may sound: it actually motivates the spirit to experience more. Compared to the modern formula, the opening and heart stages of this vintage feel considerably more green (stronger galbanum and moss notes, I think), bitter and vaguely poisonous (more wormwood and/or artemesia), earthy and damp, like forest greenery and soil. It feels more "cool" and slightly sinister. The bitter mossy green tone reminds me of a smoother Aramis Devin, which is not a parallel I ever drew with the modern formula. I think there's less celery, or it's more of a raw celery vs. toasty celery salt. Right. Melissa is still in custody. The faun Floyd lost in the woods, Mariella took a wrong turn in the sea, it's just the two of us now. Time for a new crew!"

Still, while perfume and fashion are bound in the marketplace, perfume doesn’t necessarily have to be viewed and debated in the same light as fashion and design. Looking to other art forms, music is probably the most commonly used analogy. How often is a perfume described as orchestral, loud, harmonious, shrill or dissonant? We could just as easily consider perfume as performance, borrowing the language of dance and theater. Additionally, the recent recognition of the perfumer as auteur allows us to look at a perfumer’s body of work over time just as we might that of a visual artist. Add to these perspectives the scientific advances in chemical analysis and synthesis and perfumery looks ripe for a new if not radical form of critical thought.All the notes in Le 3ème Homme meld in a smooth and consistent flow, from which you might be able to find a good amount of floral notes—think geranium, but somewhat sweeter, along with a dash of bergamot and maybe a pinch of tarragon over some decidedly light vetiver.

So it then became rather smoky-spicy, because the killer melissa had additionally set the vetiver slightly on fire. In addition, there was now the strict and not at all stale leather scent. This was clearly green-spicy to perceive. PhillippM – I have since bought a very large bottle of Royal Bain de Caron and I like the musky – vanilla smell of it. It's very comforting and nice to wear, but I still like my stronger fragrances for special nights out. This is a great day fragrance for me, but after reading about your love of Guerlain's Habit Rouge for 30 years, I can see similarities. Wow that's quite a signature fragrance for you! After this period, it recedes closer to the skin, never becoming a skin scent. The sillage is as good. It has a woody depth to hang in the air as you move around. This performance is with three sprays.

With too much heat, it becomes suffocating. As for occasions, it is all. The mass appeal and likability are average. Sure, five euros bail would work but the bank is ready. Let's oblige the supporting cast so far, MahatmaGandix has been grumbling into her mead at the inn for days. The Swiss duo, the Bernese Mountain Dogs Vracache and Bloodxklebt might have time too?"

We're getting closer to the Yatagan, only accessible by olfactory perception. I clearly perceive the green-bitter pine needle. It smells slightly animalistic, where is that coming from?" No, she tried to bounce the bill and the landlord is holding her. She has to flush, no money on her." With such a linear creation, it would be absolutely futile to draw a detailed list of all the notes found in Le 3ème Homme – if you enjoy the perfume's opening moments, chances are you'll love the rest, as it slowly tones down its most aggressive components to settle in a comfortable haze close to the skin. Yatagan begins with a hot, peppery, herbal liqueur aroma; one detects fast-forward appearances of fennel, basil, petitgrain, lavender and geranium leaves. This burst of aromatic plant aromas leads to a flare-up of artemisia (wormwood). Wormwood is a "star" in the Yatagan composition; it is a member of the daisy family and, though Caron claims no floral elements are in Yatagan, the slightly sour scent of daisies is present due to the wormwood. Just take a look at the juice itself – a dirty, earthy leathery liquid. And though it would be ill-advised to distill liquid from a piece leather, Yatagan may be the closest we'll get to an actual leather extract, at least in spirit.

Date

Yatagan is a heady cologne, a bracing mix of aromatics, herbaceous/green notes, woods, moss and leather. And the loudest note of them all? Castoreum, AKA beaver musk. Yatagan is not the sweet woodsy scent that fills the men’s section at a department store, but the smell of a vibrant, lived-in forest devoid of the moisture that might otherwise smooth its rough edges. I never let anyone tell me writing about perfumes is a waste of time or a trivial activity! Since last April, when I started writing for Now Smell This, I've learned so much about plants, animals, the rituals and symbols of many cultures, history and historical figures, even health matters — all related to fragrance. In the last month, I've learned about Yatagan: a Turkish sword, a city, and a perfume. If I did not have this childhood experience, to this fragrance, I would be unable to describe it adequately.