Le Bain Sensuelle Russie
Esteban

What you smell is what you get. Talk about sitting up and taking notice: At first sniff, I found the opening of Sensuelle Russie to be rather dramatic, even a little compelling – it's the kind of opening where I stop and think, "wow, there's a really neat thing going on here." It is not a strange opening, it is simply an accord put together with such finesse of traditional notes that it wows my olfactory system. The opening combines bergamot, pine, cardamom, and cinnamon - with vanilla as the catalyst. It has all the proper elements – wood, spice, citrus, sweet, and green in the form of a conifer. I've sort of met this accord before and I would call it a Cacharel Nemo accord but with prominent cinnamon. Lavender is not listed in the pyramid, but I think it's in there, too. Why am I spending so much time on this opening accord? Because Sensualle Russie is an uncomplicated linear scent that pretty much relies on just one accord… a catchy accord… but that's all there is. The movement of this fragrance is simply the gradual fading of that accord. No heart notes, no base to speak of. The only two other notes that are listed are very logical ones: notes from the wood category that have excellent longevity: a true wood (in this case cedar) and an almost wood (in this case patchouli). The cedar and patchouli carry the opening accord, without much change, to the end. This is an uncomplicated scent… it's an easy fragrance to figure out, but that does not mean it's not a fragrance that deserves respect. Anyway, this scent is just one enticing opening accord… one that lasts four or five hours through drydown… the last hour or two is as a delicious skin scent. Sillage moves from moderate to skin scent.Pros: Enticing accord that lasts four or five hours.Cons: Simplicity and linearity is not always a negative."