Sybaris
Antonio Puig (1988)

I pretty much had given up on every smelling Sybaris but finally got lucky, real lucky, finding a box including a piece of soap. Sybaris for me is tough to describe, at first it felt familiar and then it clicked: this was after all the follow-up to Quorum. And it does at times feel like a well-behaved version of that powerhouse classic, Quorum Caballero if you will. There's a pleasant, sunny opening that mostly stays the same eventually becoming muted animalic. It's a complete scent that is difficult to parse. In that sense, it reminds me of Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui, just a friendly, reassuring aura of scent. Definitely Mediterranean, perfect for the calm gentleman who knows things.

Sybaris is a big perfume. To me, it is impressively animalic (or some equivalent). Super-powered with the stuff. And then there's a bit of sugar and spice to make the flavor. It starts sort of like Armani, with a screaming animalic that's enough to make me chuckle.

I like it. It's an exciting perfume to have such a big presence, but to still be mostly sweet and loveable. It's sort of like Aramis JHL. I probably like this more than JHL.

This is absolutely STUNNING.

From the opening to its last traces on the skin, Sybaris is a phenomenal experience punctuated with notes that accentuate the animal magic of man's (or woman's) chemistry: cumin, cloves, cinnamon, artemisia—a bewitching concoction.

So many textures resulting in a brilliant synergy: supple, sexy, erotic, pulsating with all the divine smells of the earth: animal, vegetable, and mineral.

There is a roundness however, that sets it apart from other shape-shifting chypres, no spikes that reach out an accost the nose; it's all smooth and sauve, with a wink suggesting a naughty side.

Sybaris has been on my list to get for many years and especially in a splash bottle. Now after obtaining a 6.7 oz bottle the bottom of the box says this is "a Quorum designs
product"...so this is a follow-up scent. Also a copyright year of 1987.

On opening a bit of lemon that fades away only to be taken over by honey, amber, and a little oakmoss. This blossoms out to reveal a little jasmine lightly dosed with soapy lavender which is dipped in some animalic musk. This is sandalwood soaked in cinnamon creating dry and spicy warmth. The blend is finished off with some leather coming through the mix.

Sybaris by Antonio Puig is a good one. It is thick and heavy and reminds me of Versace L'Homme by Versace (1984) but with improvement. In comparison Sybaris isn't quite as dry and avoids the vanilla sweetness. it's just more elegant and balanced.

I personally have an extremely high praise for this scent that took me many wearings to fully appreciate 'and' to understand this composition. Sybaris is very well constructed with quality ingredients, extremely well in fact. So much so that iI'm going to state that this perfume is a hidden masterpiece. You can tell that this is from the same house as Quorum as it has that 'Puig' smell to it. It's the jasmine/patchouli combo that hooks me in this and once you catch it, you'll be in love as well. This cinnamon accord pulls everything together while the incense note in this is amazing.

Sybaris is deceiving so understand this before wearing some. This is actually a 'very' strong scent with a considerable amount of sillage and projection that lasts forever on the skin. I was wearing a few tiny spritzes of this the other day, as in not even full on sprays and my co-worker had inquired as to what I was wearing while she was standing at least 6 feet away and this was well past 4 hours after applying. She loved it but couldn't explain it.

This is a sweetened, ambered, spiced, soapy, slightly floral and woody patchouli affair supported by a deep clove note. It's a complex pyramid that waxes and wanes from powdery, to soapy, to aromatic, balmy, clean and even to dirty and animalic at times. Sometimes it's dusty and cloudy and other times what you're perceiving is clean, clear and fresh. Honestly this is a very complex scent that's hard to grasp but totally enjoyable.

It's very warm and comforting, strong on the oakmoss. There's also an animalic 'something' in this, I swear. It smells like civet or maybe even castoreum especially when first sprayed but whatever it is, it's definitely animalic in feel. I really like this a lot, it's a complicated and pleasurable smell with some beautiful sillage, very masculine. Super fun to wear because you're always smelling something new. The soapiness in this from the jasmine flower is just awesome and the strength of this stuff is killer. Sybaris is a definite 80's powerhouse.

This review is based on an original formula splash flacon with a pre-barcode box from 1986 that's been decanted into an atomizer.

A blast from the past...opens very animalic to my nose for just a couple of minutes...then I get this aromatic cloud of a citrus melange flavored with pungent herbs...love this enough to have grabbed a large backup bottle...something I want as a permanent member of my wardrobe...very classy...cousin to Jules and Lauder for men...brother to Boss Number One and Tenere...has that spice/flower flavored honey thing going on...also has a close relationship to Versailles...dries down to a nice comforting oakmossy vanilla...bottom line - aromatic spicy green...respect...