Après
Ellis Brooklyn (2021)

This smells just like coming in from a long trek through the snowy woods and putting on your favorite sweater before curling up in front of the fire with your favorite hot drink. This is my perfect winter fragrance. I wish it didn't trigger my allergies or I'd buy a full bottle.

As befits the “après-ski” concept, Après opens with some alpine-y juniper, abetted by spices, then drifts into musk and vanilla. The cedar that’s supposedly in the base is more present early on. Lots of stated notes didn’t register with me: guiaiacwood, labdanum, patchouli, and sandalwood were subliminal at most.

This is a woody-spicy scent that transitions into a mildly sweet gourmand. That could be interesting in a bolder and more upscale version, but I feel like it never truly commits to either the slopes or the lodge. The drydown in particular falls flat: instead of rich, authentic coffee, cocoa, or cognac, it’s General Foods International.

Bourbon and mint and an evolving brew of spices and wood with bits of cedar and caramel. There’s also a calm papery note that comes in after the dry down, pulling it all together. The green notes never leave and the caramel isn’t dominant at all. This isn’t a gourmand by despite the whiffs of vanilla that sneak in to warm up the cedar base. This is a modern unisex fragrance that’s sophisticated AND fun.