Tsar
Tsar by Van Cleef & Arpels is a masculine-leaning eau de toilette from 1989 in the designer price tier. It opens with bergamot, lemon, rosemary and artemisia, moves into geranium, lavender, pine and juniper berry and dries down to vetiver, oakmoss, cedarwood and amber. Expect around 8 hours of wear, and it projects strongly.
Notes, explained
Opening
- Bergamot Sharp citrus with a faint bitter edge. The opening of about half of all men's fragrances.
- Lemon Clean, sour, instantly recognisable. Bright but burns off fast.
- Rosemary Sharp, camphorous herb. Bracing and clean, borders on medicinal.
- Artemisia Bitter and silvery-herbal. Wormwood, the backbone of a fougère.
Heart
- Geranium Rosy and minty at once. Reads masculine more often than not.
- Lavender Herbal, clean, slightly medicinal. Barbershop in one note.
- Pine Sappy and bracing. Straightforwardly outdoorsy.
- Juniper Berry Gin, basically. Piney, dry and bracing.
Dry-down
- Vetiver Dry, earthy, smoky grass root. Smells like soil and citrus peel.
- Oakmoss Damp forest floor. Bitter, green and the backbone of every chypre.
- Cedarwood Dry, pencil-shaving woodiness. Clean and structural.
- Amber Warm, golden and resinous. Not a real material — a blend that glows.
Smells like this
- Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Pour Homme
- Floris Jermyn Street
- Chanel Platinum Egoiste
- Armaf Ventana
- Miller Harris Rêverie de Bergamote
- Lattafa Al Nashama Caprice
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