Description
“With top notes of apple and grass, heart notes of leather, hay, and violet, and base notes of sandalwood, cedar, moss, and light amber, Equestrian is an outdoorsy yet civilized take on a hay and leather theme. Filtered sunlight streams through the barn’s hay room, well-oiled saddles and bridles hang in the tackroom, horses graze on crisp grass in the pasture, and riders arrive with apple treats in their pockets for their four-legged friends. Equestrian has a cozy drydown with good lasting power and soft sillage.” – a note from the brand.
Equestrian by Sonoma Scent Studio is a Leather fragrance for women and men. This is a new fragrance. Equestrian was launched in 2016. The nose behind this fragrance is Laurie Erickson. The fragrance features apple, grass, hay, leather, jasmine sambac, violet, labdanum, virginia cedar, oakmoss, patchouli, sandalwood and benzoin.
xmd974Diobtetty – :
I agree with two reviews below: this is a fantasy middle-earth equestrian scent, and, it’s not truly an equestrian scent because the apple so predominates; there is no barn, no sweat, no animalics–and horse sweat is just lovely (I like the civet and other skanky things in life too). But horse sweat does have a unique warm smell. I do smell the apple, the leather, and, the aforementioned oats! That’s probably the hay absolue, and the amber the moss–it’s all there, but Apple reigns supreme, and finally, I have found an apple scent I can wear and that I love.
(For those DKNY BeDelicious fans, don’t hate, but I was absolutely positively nauseated and horrified when I tried that on. It was a rare “blech” moment. I don’t even scrub very often because even if I don’t love a scent, or like it much, I want to give it a full wearing or two and really experience it and contemplate my reaction. DKNY BeD is apple meets toilet). So if you apple lovers want to smell the “real deal”–Equestrian is it!
A juicy crisp, sweet apple, warmed by summer sun amidst the changing fall leaves (there is always something golden and autumnal in her scents), it’s also reminiscent of French Apple Brandy, just the tiniest bit of booze and lovely, lovely hay. It is sweet and borders–really skates that thinly–on gourmand. I think if you are NOT at all a gourmand lover you will most likely not love this. What prevents it from skidding over the edge into edible apples and violets is the moss–thank goodness. For patch people, it’s really not overtly present, though that may be keeping the composition more grounded.
Many of Laurie’s scents remind me of Serge Lutens but done in sort of a California version. I could see this being a Serge Lutens (and I love his work). I have SSS Forest Walk, and many have compared it to Fille de Aguilera, which I don’t think is the case–this is more like that, or some other “kind” of SL. Equestrian definitely has that vibe–if SL had done an apple. I’m glad this is closer to home and my pocketbook! She definitely picks up on the natural elements of old leaves, earth, decay in the best sense–and here–lucious apple.
dronoton – :
The smell of riding in MiddleEarth! Perfect choice of which notes to use in creating this fantasy blend. Meant to evoke images from the world of horseback riding, Equestrian takes it further. Starting with a nature imbued, resinous blast. Lit by clear strokes of radiance. Apples – crisp, dripping with juice. Hay – just tossed, sweet and fragrant. Cedar – smooth planed stalls for spirited colts. Leather – riding accoutrements, supple from use. Patchouli – undertones of herbal magic. And so many more. Each one identifiable, combined into an intruguing mosaic.
The ingredients used are not only excellent quality, but every one selected for their remarkably good representation of that specific note. You can smell the difference in this perfume. For instance, the apple is a delicious Granny Smith green variety (pre-GMO, LOL!), with a mouthwatering bite. The leather comes from an exemplary accord found by Laurie Erickson, so good, that she says in her site description it was part of her inspiration. Each note is brilliant.
Together they weave an enchanting montage. Soft sillage and moderate longevity. This is what I smell in my imagination . . . travelling on horseback in “Lord of the Rings”!
rutrag – :
I definitely get the note of hay, that is the strongest note. The apple note makes it sweet. I am not getting the note of oats as a different equestrian noted. Hay, more hay, and an apple. Very masculine smelling, especially if you don’t know the notes. I really didn’t like this one at all, it gave me a headache and I felt sick smelling it for so long. Oh well.
Dimanchick – :
I got a sample of this to gift to my equestrian friend, and I ended up liking it more than almost all the samples I chose for myself! It’s such a gorgeous, dense, dirty, yet sweet scent. I mostly get apple, hay, leather, and patchouli. But if I didn’t know the notes beforehand I am not sure I would really think “apple” or anything else specific when smelling this. It’s very well blended and quite a unique composition, very interesting! I think Laurie captured the concept beautifully and I am sure my friend will enjoy it.
isuperuserhh – :
I am an equestrian. I own a Thoroughbred cross mare. We do classic dressage training. I spend a good portion of every day at the barn and have for many years. To say the smell of horses and barns is deeply embedded in my psyche would be an understatement. I *love* the smell of the barn, of my horse, it is peace to me.
So I was really excited about this scent, I love the perfume house and love their work. I had really high expectations. Sadly this isn’t the fragrance I was hoping for. Maybe it’s my skin chemistry but this is *not* in any way horse related. : If I had tested it blind, with no name given me I would never have called this “equestrian.”
On my skin I get apple and oats and that’s it. (Apples are a rare sometimes treat, and almost no one feeds their horse oats, it’s not a good balanced feed.) When trying to put my finger on what this smells like I came up with Apple Jacks cereal (do they still make that?). There is a skanky odor in the background that perhaps was suppose to represent horse or manure but it fails on both parts. The scent of horse is a musk unlike any other critter, even other grazing animals. If you know it, you know it, and nothing else will substitute.
My barn does not smell like apples and oats. It smells like very dry warm hay, like aged and weathered wood, a whiff of manure, and a big old helping of warm horse. The scent of a barn is warm, dry. It might smell a little of molasses as most horse treats include that if you really need something sweet. *That’s* a barn. When riding there’s also a whiff of warmed leather, horse sweat, and human sweat. Some dust kicked up by our hooves.
I’m finding this very linear and very simple. Maybe it needs a hot day? (Currently 77) I’ll test again but I think my search continues.