Esprit de Chine
Auguste (2008)

The opening blast: Lots of ambrette seen expressing a mix of amber with with whiffs of the fumes of car paint; the latter lasts only very briefly and is soon replaced by an unusually bright lilac; i also get whiffs of violet leaf with a slightly metallic note in the background.

The drydown is much more floral, with muguet being the centrepiece for a while, supported by a carnation note; whiffs of undertones of a slightly indolic feeling together with some oleander briefly appear too.

The base is driven by white musks of limited sweetness, which express a with a clean detergent-style character. Touches of a mossy aroma appear towards the end , on the background of a nonspecific woodsiness; I get little of the sandalwood the scent pyramid mentions.

I get moderate sillage, excellent projection, and seven hours of longevity on my skin.

Quite a bright scent for warm spring days, with some top notes displaying some unusual characteristics. It very synthetic, and in the second half rather generic. Still, performance is good, and it has a positive feel-good component to it. Overall 2.75/5