M.O.U.S.S.E II
Avant-Garden Lab (2012)

The more I wear this, the more I enjoy it. Cool. Medicinal in an expensive, facial astringent way. Woody and spiced. Greenish lavender. Breezy aldehydes. A tad sweet. Slight aquatic note on the tail end.

M.O.U.S.S.E. II strongly references Slumberhouse Grev, to me. I suspect Grev was a direct inspiration, actually. It's a "cool" clove - accented with lots of mint and watery notes. As the name might imply, it shares a similar underlying bright fougere base with M.O.U.S.S.E. The cooling notes lend it a more modern, refreshing vibe. I also detect the cool/warm, slight astringent presence of cardamom. The cool, bright, green cardamomy opening calls Voyage d'Hermes EDP to mind, just a little. Plus clove, of course.

My main issue with it, really, is that it isn't Grev. Clove plus cool watery notes must be a difficult thing to pull off, and M.O.U.S.S.E. II just isn't quite where it needs to be:

Whereas M.O.U.S.S.E. II smells like "clove plus cool notes," Grev smells like clove that has somehow been inverted to smell chilly, and then dropped in a misty, otherworldly forest. And there's a chewy, boozy, chalky/mineralic bitterness to it. It's hard to explain, but it blows M.O.U.S.S.E. II out of the water in terms of being an interesting composition. So perhaps this is a little biased by my affinity for Grev, but I'll give it a side-thumb.

A very cool, fresh, and refreshing scent. It reminds me of nothing so much as Guerlain's Vetiver, although minus both the vetiver and tobacco. If that therefore sounds like rather an odd comparison to make, shorn of things to compare, it's really not - both provide the illusion of walking in a dewy garden. The difference is, whereas the Guerlain is largely clipped hedges and cigarette smoke, MOUSSE II is more like Kew gardens. A little oriental; another comparison might be Hermes' Jardin de Monsieur Li. However, this is slightly more bracing, with a mint running through most of the duration, with some very green flowers and sap. And rather than the variable performance implicated in Ellena's minimalism, MII has the same solid unwavering performance for many hours.

Not something I would buy a full bottle of, but I am glad to have the 15ml travel version for when I want it. I wish more perfumers provided bottles in this travel size, although it appears that Oliver has ceased to sell them.

My immediate impression was a strong and very pleasing nautical character, which may be due to the moss element, related to seaweed smells. The spicy cardamom is not far behind, plus a suggestion somewhere of woodsmoke. The fragrance has a wonderful freshness with great masculine appeal, though my daughter is also very keen on it. The closest existing scent known to me is J.B. Williams Ice Blue Aqua Velva. Anyone who likes that fragrance, will love this one. It surpasses the Williams classic by a considerable margin, and is currently my top favourite.

enjoyableOpens with a minty mint, soft cardamom and toned down (compared to mousse I) aldehydes. The citrus note here feels more tangy and bitter as if from the skin whereas in mousse II it felt like the fruit itself.I think the aquatic part is most prominent now, sort of aquatic like Serge Lutens' l'eau froide. Aquatic but with incense-like undertones.It feels very energizing.A little on, the mint, aquatic and citrus facets subside making way for a floral cardamom/clove accord with sprinkles of pepper on top. The cardamom and clove feel like they've been added in super concentrated amounts but aren't loud. Just smell deep and concentrated.Aldehydes & ISO E SUPER are now MIA.Later on it gets even softer , the cardamom and clove are over powered by a musky/ambergris floral accord. The ambergris is salty and reminds me of Ambergris by Amouage (the oil).The drydown is a forced induction of ISO E SUPER and a lazy lavender with peppery nuances. Once again, a dwindling end to a rather interesting start.Notes & description from Oliver & Co:AQUATIC - PEPPERY - VIGOROUS - LUMINOUS - CLEAN - FLEETING - ENERGETICINGREDIENTS: Sandalwood Mysore, oak moss, iso e super, clove bud Madagascar, lavender absolute, lime peel from Mexico, mint, aldehydes, cardamom Guatemala, musk, ambergris, lily of the valley.Pros: uplifting & easy to wear


Here comes the huge con.

The dry down has very disturbing note.

It severely needs adjustment.

I noticed this in the majority of Oliver's perfumes.

It feels like a shrieking banshee. Constant and very discomforting.

So keep the above in mind.

THIS IS A REAL FIND. IF YOU LIKE SPICE AND COOL...THEN YOU'LL PROBABLY LOVE THIS ONE. IT'S VERY SPICY AND COOL AND VERY, VERY FRESH. IT'S ALSO A CLASS ACT AND VERY UNIQUE. CERTAINLY WORTH TRYING. IT'S A "FIND"!