It was CB I Hate Perfume that first took me from a person fleetingly interested in perfume to becoming a bit of an obsessive. I don't even remembered how I first heard about them, probably somewhere on the Internet. I read about Christopher Brosius and his approach to perfume making, about how he gets inspiration for his perfumes from incidents or places and before I knew it I had ordered something like 20 samples from the Perfumed Court and I've been an addict ever since then.
CB's scents are very much hit and miss, some are great, some are not for me but they are all interesting. The first one I fell in love with was "Russian Caravan Tea". The official description is "Smoked black Indian tea, bergamot and the hint of shelves full of old books".
On me it's not really like that. I get no trace of smoke and the bergamot is soft, not at all like the bergamot that flavours "Earl Grey" type of teas. It is lemony bordering on mandarin. The whole concoction smells like nice cup of English Breakfast Tea with some lemon in it to perk it up. It's a very comfy scent, wearing it is like first having a long shower, slipping into a bathrobe and then sitting down on the balcony in the sun, having brunch. It's also doesn't evolve very much. The citrus is a bit more pronounced in the beginning but apart from that everything stays pretty much the same.
The samples I've got are water based and I often read complaints bout that they are weak smelling and how they don't last for very long. It's true, they are weak and I think the longest time I've been able to feel a CB is for about 4 hours, they often disappear after 2. To me that is not such a big issue. I rather dab it on several times during a day than wearing myself out smelling to much from the start, but I suppose everybody feels a different way in this matter.
I'm rating it 4 out of 5. It's a comfy comfy comfy scent. When I think about it, it would probably be the perfect scent to wear when you know you're in for a terrible day at the office.
I've always wanted to try this, but especially Cedarwood Tea, which I think might be discontinued now (of course). I have a vial of The Fir Tree that I got around Christmas time, it's very nice, exactly what it sounds like-- but I don't think I'll wear it much. What I want from CBIHP more than anything right now is 2nd Cumming. Dying to get my hands on some.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Cedarwood Tea is discontinued, at least there are still samples of it on sale on the Perfumed Court ( http://theperfumedcourt.com/Products/CB-I-Hate-Perfume-Cedarwood-Tea--absolute__CBCEDARWOOD.aspx )
ReplyDeleteI adore The Fir Tree and I like "In the Summer Kitchen" and "Memory of Kindness" a lot. That signature soil accord of his is so versatile.