All the nice smellin' things from Robert Piguet

True perfume aficionados will know who Robert Piguet is. When it comes to picking perfumes, I found one thing to be true: the more unique scents you're looking into, the pickier your nose gets. First it was a random Juicy Couture scent, Chloe, then my nose is drawn to Tom Ford, Jo Malone, Diptyque and now...Robert Piguet. It's only gonna get even more pickier, I've joked the other day about perfumes being a rabbit-hole, now the "mainstream" scents can't satisfy my nose any longer, all the "mainstream" scents are left standing on the table and I don't know what to do with those anymore, honestly (lol).

I had the pleasure to take a sniff at all the Robert Piguet fragrances the other day (the ones that are sold in HK, not the whole range). I must admit that I had a hard time deciding which one I liked best. They are all one-of-a-kind. Each bottle is 100ml and came in a signature black glass bottle, retailed at around HK$1000 each.

Below is the "Pacific Collection" - which includes 3 very summery, exotic and sweet scents: Chai (notes of bergamot, white tea, Yerba Mate tea, honey), Jeunesse (notes of lack currant, guava, musk) and Blossom (notes of tangerine, bitter orange, musk, neroli). Jeunesse is the sweetest out of the 3. They're for the light-hearted souls and I like heavier, complex scents with layers, therefore, these are easily not my cup of tea. :D

Next is the cult classic from Robert Piguet - Fracas and Petit Fracas. Fracas is rather compellingly feminine scent, it's got notes of tangerine, mandarin, tuberose, white narcissus, gardenia, white iris, lily of the valley vetiver, jasmine, lilac, musk, sandalwood. This embodied a few of my favorite notes of all time. It smells very sophisticated and is for grown-ups. This was easily one of my favorites out of the bunch. Fracas has got a cult status among many celebs like Madonna, Martha Stewart, Courtney Love, Carolina Herrera.

Its counterpart Petit Fracas, is a much sweetened version of Fracas. It smells like macaroons. Exactly like that. Needless to say, it's an easy pass for me. If you're wondering, Petit Fracas has bergamot, mandarin, pear, tuberose, jasmine, gardenia, cocoa, musk and sandalwood.

Also tried and liked is Douglas Hannant de Robert Piguet, Calypso, Mademoiselle. Mademoiselle is a simple scent with only three notes: bergamot, orange flower and Tonka bean. It's a bit too simple for my liking.

Calypso is my 4th favorite scent with notes of Geranium, Mandarin, Bulgarian Rose, Orris root, rose centifolia, patchouli, amber and suede. Give me anything with Amber, Suede and Bulgarian rose, I would freaking love it. 

Douglas Hannant is a designer but the fragrance is collaborated with Robert Piguet is a surprise. It's got notes of orange flower, gardenia, pear, tuberose, sandalwood, white musk, jasmine. Lemme tell you, it smells like Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen, the sun, and a cool shower by the beach. It probably sounds like a cliche scent but it's absolutely holiday and vacation in a bottle, it's definitely on my perfume wishlist.

Finally let's come to the 3 more masculine scents from the range, Cravache, Notes and Oud. When I say masculine, it can be worn by women as well, I for one, like more masculine, woody and spicy scents. In my books, perfumes are created not for a particular gender. As long as you think it smells great on you - why bother about what 'gender' it is created for?

Cravache has lemon, lavender, mandarin, petitgrain, oak moss, vetiver, patchouli, nutmeg and clary sage in it and it's an unforgettable aura. I'd say it smells like the Italian countryside, the sun, citrus, the hay and the breeze. 

Notes de Robert Piguet has bergamot, clary sage, orange blossom, costus, geranium, tonka bean, oak moss and vetiver. The result is both subtle and subdued. It's for the days when you want to be low-key or in my mind, for the rainy days.

Oud smells weird and flat on the perfume paper card but once sprayed on the skin, it reacts with body chemistry instantly. It transforms to a warmer, sweeter scent once on my skin. It's got Saffron (!!), myrrh, balsam fir, styrax, agarwood, patchouli and guaiac wood (all the hard-to-find elements) in it. It's precious, distinct and I highly recommend you to try it on the wrist, wait and sniff. It'll be a nice surprise. Don't judge by how it smells on paper, it can be deceptive and misleading!

I took home with me a roller-ball version of VISA*, a scent not described in the above. VISA is a mysterious, complex and seductive elixir. It speaks "SEXY" and come quite close (in my mind) to Black Orchid by Tom Ford. You all know how much I love Black Orchid here, except that Black Orchid is darker, heavier and sweeter. VISA is like a lightly washed version of it, it's still very unique by far in my collection (I don't have that many). 

Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Orange blossom, Immortal, Rose, Ylang-Ylang, Pear, Bergamot, Violet Leaf, White Peach. Oak moss, Vanilla, Leather and Benzoin are present as the base notes. The result? An exotic Oriental fragrance, it's a combination of wood and fruity, spicy scents.

The roller-ball version of VISA above, is an exclusive release and not sold normally (though I saw it on eBay). If you're after scents like this, I highly encourage you to take a sniff. The Robert Piguet range is sold exclusively at Lane Crawford at IFC mall. You know the drill!

*PR Sample