Jacques Fath Le Loden

created with Ideogram AI and Adobe Photoshop.
I always wanted to star in fragrance ad.

Jacques Fath Fath's Essentials Le Loden

Haitian Vetiver, Ginger, Pink Pepper, Green Mandarin, Bourbon Vetiver, Juniper Berries, Bourbon Geranium, Raspberry Leaf, Java vetiver oil, Tobacco, Patchouli, Ylang-Ylang

I used to think that I disliked vetiver, but I may have been mistaken. There are some fragrances that I cannot abide that have a vetiver note listed, so I have assumed that's what makes the scent unwearable to me. Yet, I am finding more and more vetiver scents that make me happy. I definitely can now recognize the somewhat watery-but-also-smoky grassiness of proper vetiver. I enjoy Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver, and I simply adore Bamford Gray (though that seems more spicy than vetiver-y). A new favorite, Fath Le Loden, was a love-at-first-sniff sorta thing; it includes three different vetivers.

What? There's actually a vetiver scent I love? Sometimes I don't recognize myself. 

I first encountered Le Loden via a sample included in a goodie bag from my friend Angie. She and I have very different tastes in fragrance and I was not having much luck finding something I liked among her generous selection. When I got to Le Loden, my first thought was, "Jacques Fath is making new perfumes?" I of course was familiar with Iris Gris (1946) and Fath de Fath (1953), but had no idea that the house had been creating newer scents since the 1990s, including the Fath's Essentials series. My second thought was, "wow!"

Some have compared Le Loden to Lalique Encre Noire; while they both have prominent vetiver notes, that's where the similarity ends. It's like comparing Hermes Hiris to Houbigant Iris de Champs. Yes, they are both primarily iris scents, but are otherwise quite different. Overall, Encre Noire is a cold and wet scent, as befitting the name "black ink." I owned it at one point, but found it to be too chilly and dark. It's too "moody vampire" for me (but if you like vetiver, def check it out). Le Loden is also a scent that lives up to its name. While it contains potentially excessive amounts of vetiver, it's a bit wooly, almost snuggly. The leatheriness of the Javanese vetiver and the sweet almost licorice-like quality of the Bourbon vetiver give the fragrance body and warmth. The patchouli is pretty prominent as well, adding a pleasing earthy quality.

For whatever reason, sniffing Le Loden conjures up a feeling of nostalgia, but for memories that aren't actually mine. It makes me think of being outside on a rainy winter day, perhaps walking through the countryside, while wearing a cozy coat. Indeed, the name itself refers to the sturdy, waterproof, 100% wool outerwear that originated in the Tyrol region of Austria. Loden also refers to the traditional olive green of said coats, though modern iterations come in many styles and colors. 

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Calvin Klein Obsession

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No, this is not an actual image of me from the late 80s, though I did own
rainbow suspenders and pleated tartan trousers.

Calvin Klein Obsession

Fragrantica: Basil, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Green Notes, Peach, Lemon, Spices, Sandalwood, Coriander, Oakmoss, Cedar, Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Rose, Amber, Incense, Vanilla, Civet, Musk, Vetiver

Basenotes: Lemon, Mandarin, Bergamot, Peach, Jasmine, Rose, Orange Blossom, Rosewood, Coriander, Marigold, Armoise (mugwort), Ylang Ylang, Cedar, Sandalwood, Amber, Oakmoss, Vanilla, Musk, Civet

Obsession was something I wore regularly in the late 80s, along with the even spicier Karl Lagerfeld fragrance, KL. (Floral fragrances were grody and gagged me with a spoon, but ambers were like totally bitchin'.) These perfumes scented my days of lugging a heavy brown pleather portfolio from Art History to Life Drawing and Children's Book Illustration to Computer Graphics (where we learned how to draw shapes on a tiny black and white Mac Classic--this was the Stone Age of personal computers) at the Maryland Institute College of Art. I never wore Big Hair, but I did wear Big Perfume and even bigger earrings. 

While writing my post about Must de Cartier, I came upon more than a few comments and reviews that compared Must to Obsession. I didn't remember it being that similar, but it had been a while since I owned a fresh bottle of Calvin Klein's now classic fragrance. Fragrancenet.com had it on clearance, which allowed me to score 50ml for $23.

I was immediately disappointed with my new purchase. The original opaque poop-brown cap with the gold border had been replaced with a cheaper translucent cap in a darker shade. Did the juice change, too? I spritzed a tester strip and immediately got a flash of the past, though it wasn't as strong and nostalgic as I thought it would be. Damn if the opening doesn't smell a lot like Must de Cartier, with a strong galbanum-like dark green sensation, though it doesn't last as long as Must's. Obsession also has a fairly prominent animalic quality that comes out early and persists for a bit. This is possibly the civet, but could also be indolic jasmine. Cinnamon and a pinch of clove swirl around, with some fruitiness, oakmoss, and of course a lot of ambery-style notes. The drydown is fairly musky and includes quite a bit of vanilla, but not as much as I remember.

I'm not sure why they bothered creating an Obsession for Men, because there's nothing particularly feminine about the original. There's definitely a similarity between the two, though the masculine has even more cinnamon and vanilla and seems softer. It's been my husband's signature cold-weather scent for over 25 years now, and he always smells glorious. Frankly, I think I prefer the men's version to the original, at least in its current formulation. (I'm not saying it's been reformulated, but considering how old this scent is, I think it's likely). 

IMHO, Obsession doesn't smell at all dated. It's a spicy amber fragrance that is just as good as--or better--than many of the newer perfumes in the same style. It's not particularly sweet, nor is it overpoweringly strong unless one oversprays. It's much less-expensive than most new perfumes, only $100 for 100ml if purchased directly from Calvin Klein, and even less than that at discounters. Fans of amber-style scents should definitely look into trying this 1980's classic.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.