Chaman's Party
Honoré de Prés (2008)

Having read the reviews I expected a smoky vetiver note, maybe with clove. To my surprise I found no discernible vetiver at all. None of the declared ingredients in fact, are evident to my nose. This is an intriguing mild, balsamic fragrance, reminiscent of some of the exotic balsams that Robertet produce, bearing long names. Well worth a purchase.

A closet vetiver. The opening is sort of fresh/herbal (if you're lucky enough to discern it), and what you get in a couple of minutes is a classic vetiver of the husky/smoky variety, but one that stays very close to the skin. I love vetiver yet this one, nice as it is, doesn't stir any movement in my wallet given an inexorable supply of much more interesting vetiver offerings on the market. Should be a good choice for those who'd like their passion for vetiver to remain a non-public affair.

If you love the smells of wood stoves and incense wafting in the distance, you'll love this fragrance, as I do. These aren't the usual fresh and flowery notes of a pure botanical perfume, which makes it more extraordinary. I sleep with my wrist to my nose to get the last traces of this at the end of the day, and I love knowing I'm not taking in any toxic synthetics while doing so. It's a perfect evening fragrance on its own. I sometimes wear Chaman's Party with Providence Perfume Co.'s Branch and Vine to further bring out that green floral's basenotes; or, in the daytime, I mix Chaman's Party with some grapefruit essential oil to add some intrigue to the sweet citrus.

What an intriguing scent! Very mysterious, reminiscent of a recently doused fire. Makes me think of happy campfire memories. Definitely a story in this one...
I call it char-man's party :~)

Chaman's Party starts quite strongly as a tar fragrance. It quickly turns more incense like and woody. Within an hour it stays very close to the skin. The projection is poor. On my cotton t-shirt after an hour it is more herbal and I detect basil. On my skin too mellow basil is distinguishable but the overall feeling is that of dry wood and incense. I would have liked more basil and certainly more projection and longevity. This is an organic (according to Honoré de Prés site) fragrance, and as you can read every where on the net it's bound to be lighter than conventional fragrances. This, as an Eau de Toilette, is even weaker. For the price tag this is a disappointment while it has the potential. For those of you interested in body mists Chaman's party may be a nice alternative to the mainstream products available. But I would certainly look around for discounts. Chaman's Party is unisex but I think that it is ideal as a men's body mist with it's woods, tar, incense and dryness. Don't be overwhelmed by the opening; it settles down in just a few minutes.

What is this? Le Labo's Patchouli 24 with the drydown of Guerlain Vetiver? Great!