Sycomore has a pleasant and warm welcome
Sycomore starts with a dash of citruses and spices, reminds me of lemon, bergamot, cardamom, pepper, and ginger. It is a pleasant and warm welcome. The citruses create sparks and brightness at the top, not too dominating and striking, yet impactful. The spices are warm and peppery, with a hint of the aromatic facet of cardamom. Together, they combine with the citruses, give some intensity, and create an effervescent effect.
The vetiver in Sycomore is spot-on
A rush of vetiver’s nutty and earthy notes appear on top. It blends wonderfully well with the citruses and spices. A smoky facet smelling like incense comes underneath, followed by a deep sweetness of resins reminiscent of labdanum. This combination forms an excellent balance and enriches the vetiver’s woody nature. The vetiver, spices, and resins make a tenacious union that lingers from the beginning to the end.
In this fragrance’s heart remains Chanel’s aldehydic florals signature, smelling bright and soapy, with an illusion of a vintage powdery scent. It delicately merges with the vetiver and blends flawlessly with the rest of the composition. I am mesmerized by this wonderful marriage between Chanel accord and the vetiver. Although noticeable, Chanel’s floral aldehydic accord does not interfere with the vetiver’s true characteristic. The transition is smooth and delicate.
In the woody accord, sandalwood joins and moves in harmony with the vetiver. It adds a pleasant creaminess to the vetiver and balances its earthiness, creating an illusion of dark suede leather. This duo creates a somewhat soapy and salty effect, smelling clean yet intense. In between, a green note that is sweet, herbaceous, and woody emerges. It strongly reminds me of pine, juniper berry, or cypress. This finishing touch put even more highlight to the vetiver and, at the same time, intensify the woody accord. As a result, Sycomore is exceptionally charming.
My most favorite part of Sycomore is the dry down
I love how the vetiver evolves and gets more and more visible on the skin during full wear. It’s creamy, earthy, and nutty at the same time, all the wonderful character of the roots. The projection is satisfactory, and it stays on the skin for 4 to 5 hours.
To create Sycomore, Jacques Polge, Chanel’s in-house perfumer, collaborates with Christopher Sheldrake, Chanel’s Director of Research and Development, as well as the nose of most (almost all) of Serge Lutens fragrances.
Sycomore is definitely on my wish list. I have been looking for a vetiver perfume, and, so far, this is number three on my list. The other two are Vetiver Extraordinaire (Frédéric Malle) and Vetiver (Guerlain). I put Sycomore as number three because I prefer creamier vetiver. Although I like this too.
What else should I try? Do you have any suggestions?
Cheers,
Gia.
