Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier: Parfum d'Habit

By DiamondFlame

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I did not encounter the 'macho behemoth.' Perhaps my decision to dab this on rather than have it sprayed on might have something to do with it; on my skin, PARHUM D'HABIT blossoms wonderfully like the fragrance equivalent of 'tall, dark and handsome'. It is masculine and resinuous, with a just touch of birch tar-like leather but there is also something fresh and outdoorsy about its profile which I attribute to a judicious use of high-quality frankincense.

I have a somewhat tricky relationship with sandalwood and have had to give up sandalwood-prominent scents like Heritage and Egoiste but here the sandalwood is well-blended, lending a smoothness without raising its own signature note. The restraint in the composition is indeed remarkable. But projection is first rate so wear it lightly or the scent wears you instead.

Notes: bergamot, patchouli, amber, frankincense, leather, sandalwood

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier: Jardin du Nil

Powdery Rose.

I've been hearing so much about the "dirty sock" accord in Jardin du Nil, and that made me even more keen to get my hands on it. So I picked up a vintage bottle of this, with all that talk on the sub-par reformulations of MPGs.

Yes. I definitely smell dirty socks - salty and musty. It opens with that, and a succulent rose syrup accord. Fortunately, that stinky aspect does not persist for more than the first half an hour. A thick cloud of a powdery florals (I get alot of Geranium) start to bloom and mask all that stink, with an accord of over-ripped berries (and possibly some other fruity notes) adding to the almost-cloying sweetness/thickness. All that is rounded up with very typical old-school amber and sandalwood base, that just leaves this scent nothing short of substantial.

I'm a huge fan of rose scents, with my favorites lying in Rose 31, Paestum Rose and handful of Montales. Jardin du Nil is however a different creature, a more traditional and less contemporary one, much in the vein of another rose monster, the animalic Aramis 900 - that I find to be JdN's slightly more butch counterpart.

I'm not sure how often I'd be in a mood for JdN, but it is no doubt a scent of substance - like an EDT of its era feels like an EDP of today.

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier: Parfum d'Habit

I've been hearing good things about Parfum d'Habit (both the vintage and the current formulation) since I started on my fragrance obsession a couple of years ago, but never got down to trying or sampling it. I decided to pull the trigger on a recent deal I saw on a (current formulation) bottle, that was just too difficult to resist.

It would be easy for one to associate this with powerhouse masculines. To me, it is a rather well-behaved masculine. It isn't overly bold or opinionated.

PdH opens with a resinous green accord that is a little acrid and sourish, like soggy wood and leaves that have been soaked by rain. There is also a very blatant "cosmetics/foundation powder cake" accord (probably iris?) engulfing the entire scent at this point.

The musk and leather give it thickness and body, while the sandalwood and amber sweetens in just the right proportions. The patchouli counts for most of the earthy/soil-y make up.

I think of PdH as rather refined for a "macho" scent. Gentlemanly, bold, with a face of an old-fashioned charmer.

At some point, I would love to compare this with the vintage, but hearing how many actually find the current to be an "improved" version, I am not so much in a rush, for now.