Cédrat Enivrant
Atelier Cologne (2014)

Somehow my brain fastened onto all the comparisons of this scent to a French 75 cocktail and ignored all the prominent mentions of mint in its ingredients.

I'm an absolute fiend for cedrat fragrances lately, but I dislike mint in my perfumes. When combined with citrus on my skin, the mixture evokes the smell of neroli, which I dislike even more than mint. So clearly this cologne was never going to work for me. (And besides, there's no mint in a French 75; this lime/juniper/mint concoction actually smells like a mojito made with gin instead of rum.)

But I can't really fault the cologne for my own trifling personal preferences. If you like all of its components, it's a perfectly lovely tart citrus with surprisingly good endurance and modest projection that would make a serviceable summer refresher.

Alchymia. Perfumare. Magnum Opus.

The perfume opens with a beautiful bouquet of linden blossoms mixed with crispy lemon. I couldn't help but think to myself: "This is irresistible, I pray it lasts and doesn't turn into...." a monstrous synthetic grip. Oh, but yes it did. A grip on my mind, a grip on my nose, a grip on my lungs. A grip that lasts and lasts and lasts for an eternity. What a massacre, what gruesome crime and assault on the initial beauty of this fragrance. And it is not even hidden. The perfumer, it seems, didn't even bother to spare our senses, but is making a public execution – blunt, cruel and crude, for all to see.

I couldn't even make myself to give this scent a neutral rating, despite my deep love for linden blossoms, and despite knowing that there were none in the formula. But I was willing to let myself forget it all, until that synthetic hammer smashed it all to pieces. What an ethereal perfume this could have been, were Atelier Cologne willing to approach it gently and carefully and consider the beauty more than the efficiency. I will take a short-lived perfume 100 times out of 100, as long as I love how it makes me feel, but I cannot obtain such a concoction that hijacks my senses and so shamelessly mocks what was a fleeting beauty – just because it lasts....

Xaterian Stormrage's review nailed it for me. With so many excellent fragrances to explore I knew I would never want to go further than my sample of this.
A reasonable cedrat blast of an opening that settled into a thin, tart green, synthetic-smelling middle, which turned into a whisper of the same in the drydown inspired very little in me. At first I was open to the experience until I wondered what the synthetic smell in the air was, and realized it was me.
Passable for the unknowing, and uncaring. It will give you that cologned feeling at the picnic or barbecue or outing, when that's all you want.
Not terrible by any means, but I will hardly remember it after today.

Bright and tart opening, with the zesty lime and the zing of cedrat. The fragrance then transitions to a cool and airy heart notes of mint intermingled with the spicy and herbal notes of basil and juniper berry.

This citrusy-herbal accord is very reminiscent of YSL Live Jazz which has similar notes of mint, coriander and rhubarb leaf which also conjures a citrus-herbal concoction.

The vetiver and tonka bean provides a strong anchor for this juice; while sillage is low-medium, this is a citrus fragrance which has good longevity.

If you enjoy citrus fragrances which are bright, zingy and have a herbal/spicy-cool accord, give it a try.

[b]Cedrat Enivrant by Atelier Colognes[/b]
[b]Category[/b]: 3 Bright Citrus
[b]Rating[/b]: 3/5
[b]Longevity[/b]: 3/5

The Cedrat is sour and bitter (which I love), and it's supported by a heart of melon and vetiver, plus a dash of mint and a base of woody aromachemicals. It was originally one of my favorites from this line and I used up most of a 4 ml spray. But once you smell that melon note, you can't not. It lasts well, on a base of sour melon-vetiver-woods.

A refreshing opening blast: bergamot, lime and bitter lemon, with a minty undertone thrown in sin after the start. Lovely this first half hour.

The drydown adds a green side note, mainly basil and touches of sage. Further down the track a berry tone is present, with juniper berries and transient whiffs of mulberries around; by now the citrus has retreated into the background.

The base is developing and somewhat nonspecific woodsiness, and the other component is a restrainedly sweet vanilla impression, which is a bit on the mundane side.

I get moderate sillage, adequate projection and five hours of longevity on my skin, which is good for a citrus-centred composition.

A typical summer day scent, and as a citrus cologne quite well executed, although the citrus comes across as a bit too synthetic at times. It is a bit flat compared with the likes of the original release of Monsieur Balmain, the original Eau Sauvage or Creed's Bois de Cédrat, but the development is more complex and the performance much better than, for instance, that of Hermès Eau d'Orange Verte. Overall quite good. 3.5/5