M.O.U.S.S.E
Avant-Garden Lab (2011)

My favorite of all my Oliver & Co. purchases.
Clove and lime superbly blended. Very masculine smelling and surprisingly good for summer.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Funky buzz. I like it. Weird, soily, rotted. Vaguely reminds me of one of the Krylon fixative sprays I use for art, only not as "sweet". Old wood. Squashed spice. Dried-up lavender. Unisex hairspray odor. It's got green undertones, a mossy-ness. Something here I can't pinpoint, that I dig. 3 1/2 stars.

M.O.U.S.S.E. feels bright, zesty and soapy, with a prototypical kind of clove accord that reminds me somewhat of a spicy shave foam. I'm honestly struggling to deconstruct it very effectively because the clove is so dominant to my nose.

Other listed notes include sandalwood, lime, aldehydes, oakmoss, lavender. I can't deny the an underlying fougere structure (hence the shave foamy imagery) - and I think the lime and aldehydes serve mainly to brighten the accord. Sandalwood probably lends a slight creamy aspect, though the note doesn't leap out at me.

It trends in a pleasantly bright, woody direction (ISO E Super, I guess) as it dries, but never loses the clovey-foam aspect. It's a simple but pleasant scent, and should be top sampling target for clove fans.

Unfortunately, on me, this smells like citrus-fresh cleaning product mixed with a chemical-heavy "Cool Water"...and a bit of "Febreeze" mixed in.

Lasting power is adequate at roughly 5 or so hours on freshly moisturized skin in a central heating environment. Sillage is moderate at roughly arms length.

This smelled much more promising out of the tester, but unfortunately, something in this doesn't "play well" with my skin. Can't win 'em all.

A modern aromaticIf you enjoy the classic aromatic and herbal composition with a healthy dollop of synthetics (aldehydes and ISO E SUPER) then you'll enjoy M.O.U.S.S.E.It starts out fizzy from the aldehydes and citrus. Soon after that the clove becomes more prominent alongside the aldehydes. This accord sits on a slightly bitter base of moss and what feels like the ISO E SUPER waiting to burst forward. Much later on its when, I feel, the composition looses its thrust and dwindles down into a tandem of lavender and ISO E SUPER. Since this is Oliver's first perfume, I can see the need to further tweak the drydown. Otherwise it's a highly modern take on a classic genre - herbal aromatic.Pros: Interesting & well composedCons: Could've used a better base "