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helena91 – :
Christian Louis, the nose, rushed to greet us as we entered his shop along the most disused wing of the square around Place de Vosges. Victor Hugo’s home closed for repairs might otherwise have been cause for dismay, but Christian Louis’s performance of Maitre Parfumeur was so outlandishly from another era, that, in a pinch, I expect he could stand in for Victor in whatever historical re-enactment might be required.
I hardly had the chance to demure at, if not outright protest against, his generous and unsolicited application over my wrists, the back of my neck, my pants and my coat of Tobago, a scent he said he knew immediately, upon seeing the way I dressed and moved was right for me, and if a sales assistant at Sephora had accosted me so I would have immediately let him or her know my displeasure, but no one could ever mistake Monsieur Louis for a sales assistant, or Parfums et Senteurs du Pays Basque Paris boutique, with the soft lighting and layout of a cave, for a Sephora. While he waited for the scent to take shape on my skin, he sprayed for me a few of his other inventions, and told me about his training in Grasse, and about the French part of Basque country, and it wasn’t that I wasn’t aware I was being sold—clearly I was—but that I didn’t mind because Tobago revealed itself as one of the freshest leather scents I’ve smelled, and perhaps among the best scents I’ve smelled in a four-month stay in Paris, during which I’ve smelled most of everything I’ve ever wanted to.
The reviewer below has compared it to Drakkar Noir, and I don’t entirely disagree in the sense that Tobago is—like the much maligned 80s classic—as timeless as Drakkar, and as Christian Louis himself. Much of what I smell in Paris appears to concern itself with passing trend. A citrus, leather, tobacco fragrance is hardly pushing any envelopes. But the ingredients used are insanely good, and this fragrance is a beast, in the best possible way. A single spray would let you lap Place de Vosges all day, and still you’d be smelling sweetly.
Note also that the bottle pictured is one of two available. For an additional 20 Euros a lovely glass bottle is also available, and that’s the one I chose. Certainly worth seeking out.
irkis – :
High quality and slightly fresher version of the classic that is drakkar noir. Great depth and blending. Obviously not easy to get hold off – I only picked up a bottle because I happened past the boutique in Paris. Not too pricey, but given the cost of DN, and the similarities, I wouldn’t go out of my way to find a bottle. That said, I really enjoy this and am glad I have it.
To add: this has great longevity and the drydown never veers towards any sort of generic overly used base compound smells. The quality remains apparent to the end. I think I will actually go out of my way next time I’m in Paris to sample some of his other scents. The quality of the ingredients is simply something you don’t find in designer scents