Sienna (1990)
by Crabtree & Evelyn

I bought it for my husband as an intro to wearing scent everyday. He's not as nose-y as I am, so I thought this would be a nice easy push to get him into fragrance. It's working well. The sweetness blends into his chemistry really well, and the smoky, leathery spices give his macho-ness some refinement. He's getting a lot more attention than usual from women. He likes it. So do I.

Sienna , is the most leathery of the bunch (of the C&E's men scents), it's got very much the spirit of older times, but whenever i smell it it feels more like a druid's scent (think a celtic druid observance or a rural reunion or practice to an earth god) with lots of herbal and woodsy tones.
I am not a huge fun of spices as they tend to be either too peppery or sharp on my skin but here the combo is smooth. It's sweet also, (but not too sweet) and that gives it a good twist.
The drydown is superb. Smells expensive.

I came to C & E’s Sienna with very high expectations, and came away disappointed. I agree with the elements identified in the reviews below, but differ in my assessment of them. “Sweet beeswax” – definitely; for me it is oppressive, cloying, and ruins the other components. “Leather” - absolutely. I like well-made and balanced leathery scents such as the excellent Hermes Equipage or the superb Chevalier D’Orsay. Those are true classics of that style. However, I find that Sienna has a ponderous, almost coconut-leathery aspect that quickly becomes very, very irritating. “Spices” are there but are nothing remarkable. Every once in a while I get a sense of lovely things, things I could enjoy if the focus of this scent wasn’t so strong and its style so muddled. I want to like it but can’t. I admire the eloquent comments below far more than the product they describe!

Sienna by C&E reminds me a more sophisticated, refined Italian cousin of Devin by Aramis. Where Devin is astringent and borderline caustic, this is subtle, herbal and spicy and thankfully not sweet. It is a lighter, more aromatic version of Devin, and for that reason is worthy of attention. It is calm and rich, very wearable and I would not hesitate to buy this, and may yet do so, but I find I am more drawn to the Villoresi fragrances which I feel capture the essence of the Italian ambiance more accurately, at a far more problematic exchange rate however!

Herbal and spicy opening, addictive, moderately bitter-sweet, almost beeswax- smelling, yet warm, intoxicatingly drydown. Still, overall one of the most classy scents around, especially among those who come at a more affordable cost. Old world luxury promised fulfilled- this is most likely the way truly Sienna or any other powerfull Renaissance city from Italy must have smelled during its economic and cultural heyday, or at least its most respected aristocratic citizens- not concealing luxury with discretion, but overtly and majestically displaying it yet failing to look tasteless or offensive with that. Almost similar to Bois de Portughal and Halston Z-14, tough less multilayered than BDP and with a sweeter and less leathery drydown and far less citrus and its refined acidity too, less spices as in Z-14, much more restrained in its display of fragrance notes. Nevertheless, an outstanding high-profile creation.

Very nice -- possibly C&E's best yet. Bakhmet's right, though -- not a summery scent at all.