parfums*PARFUMS Series 2 Red: Sequoia (2001)
by Comme des Garçons

Oh boy, this is SO CLOSE to being something exceptionally good. So close.
But unfortunetly I end up thinking that this is again just another "very nice" fragrance - and that`s about it.
I love the notes and the concept, but like I said, to my nose it fails for being anything special at the end. I guess I would have liked to see heavier agarwood note in this to give it some edge. More that oomph! overall.
Now this is just a nice, sweet and red smelling blend of woods and rum; a bit too bland and boring for my tastes. It doesn`t that long either.

If this were produced in EdP form with higher agarwood concentration, I would probably be all into it.

Unlike other reviewers, I get lots of wood. In fact I get Sequoiadendron Giganteum, the California Giant Redwood! So much so that I fell like I'm planted down right in the middle of John Muir State Park when I sniff this, surrounded by a Giant Redwood grove. Yes, there are some rotting wood notes (what grove would be complete without some fallen giants?) and some fermented boozy and concentrated resinous notes. But this is all part of the forest. Just great! I think this should be the official California State Fragrance! (Oooh that give me an idea for a thread!)

What an unusual perfume! At first, it's all cedar. But not just any cedar, it's cedar that's damp and almost rotting. Other reviewers have mentioned "vinegar" and "sweat." And it does smell very much like. . . sweat. It makes me think of lactic acid. Incomplete glycolysis. And perhaps that's what gives it the sweaty gym clothes smell. There's also patchouli in the opening. Ugh. I don't like patchouli. And a fecal-like smell. Could that be the oud?

I really didn't think I could brave this one out, but luckily, its sillage is next to nil. It's not a sillage monster on me. Even though I could smell the fecal smell up close, no one else could. I'm sure of that.

What's interesting is that by 4 hours later, all those sweaty, smelly gym clothes are gone, and someone has laundered them in a really nice-smelling detergent. How did it do that? Amazing! And this nice, clean scent lasted all day, and well into the next morning -- a good 20 hours.

An average woody/forest scent that does not have much sillage. You will forget you are wearing it and even up close, I found it hard to tell if I liked it because I could barely smell it.

A boozy wood that smells a lot like honey and incense. Very strong and nice but wouldn't wear it.

Just as I was gingerly coming out of my citrus/floral comfort zone, Sequoia whacked me back in with wooden bat! I've recently begun exploring the Comme des Garcons line and fell in love with Ourzazate and deeply admire Jaisalmer so I thought Sequoia would be a piece of cake. Well, it is not.

Sequoia is evidently meant to appeal to a small, artsy sector of Perfumistas that want to smell unusual and different. In fact, Sequoia would be a perfect accompaniment to Comme des Garcon's austere clothes. It is definitely not a fragrance I would ever want to wear. The fragrance has an odd high-pitched, almost metallic smell that could be headache inducing if the juice were liberally applied. The woody "sequoia" note is present in what I think of as a vinegary note. In fact, I get that same spicy vinegary smell in Diptyque's Eau Lente. Lastly, given its heavy, woody qualities, Sequoia is probably more suitable for men than women.

Here are the notes, per The Perfumed Court: red rum, opoponax, kara-karounde from Guinea, Chinese agarwood and mahogany.