Endymion (2003)
by Penhaligon's

Another hip, mod, up-to-date, "with it", cutting-edge fragrance that IMHO smells like a little old lady's cedar chest filled with cherished memories, such as doilies, ribbon-wrapped letters, pressed flowers and such. I smell the sweetness and the cedar and all I can think of is knitting and the victrola. Maybe I am too retro to be truly modern, but I would run as fast as I could away from this. As John Wayne might have said, "What'a ya kiddin' me?" Considering everything, this could be the signature fragrance of Quentin Crisp, or his ma-,a'

oops, I meant Escada not Hererra . . . doh!

Rather over-hyped fragrance imo. It gives off a rather bland so-so spicy, sage-heavy opening, then am unable to identify any different middle notes, especially any aroma resembling coffee (uh?). However, the base has a pretty good leathery finish. If a fragrance could be described as 'snooty' this is it. If you can find cheaper, but not as fashionable, versions that you like, I would go for them. There are much better alternatives in Penhaligon's range -- Castile and Opus for a start.

Kaern

Well... it does smell quite a lot like generic "cool and fresh" men's cologne. But it's well done and very agreeable, with no harsh or sharp notes. A pleasant blend of citrusy/aquatic, lightly herbal/spicy, subtly floral and smoothly leathery. It's probably the warm leather base that saves it for me, gives it some interest. My girlfriend liked it even more than I did so I gave my sample to her.

If you're looking for the coffee note and expecting real coffee then you'll be pleasantly surprised that this is one of those expensive cappuccinos with a blend of herbs and spices. Soothing and calming, the lavender and sage excite the mentalities. Warming with a vanilla base. I believe this is the best of Penhaligon's more contemporary line.

While being first appalled during the first try, perceiving it as far too sweet and powdery, up to the point of being repulsive and sickening, the more it interacted with my skin, the more i loved it. Yes, it is sweet, beyond any doubt, but it exhales that refined, moderate, extremely lightful, sparking, blissfull, cutting-edge sweetness, like few other male scents- among whom Roma Uomo, Uomo by Moschino, Escada, Ungaro III, JPG Le Male or Dali's Roy Soleil- were capable to capture. Needless to say, it's beyond any doubt a few degrees more exquisite and high-class than most or all of these scents. <br>Iconic for the notion of winter and/or evening scent- its complex aromatic drydown reminding of the olfactory joys various winter spices can bring. The name stands for British high-end sophistication, reminescent of Keats's literary work about a strangely, innaccessibly beautiful youth. While Blenheim Bouquet stands for the robust, middle-aged, socially, intellectually, personally fulfilled, almost age-and timeless dandy which already has achieved an unquestionable perfection, Endymion is the far younger, more androgynous, effeminate, ever changing and unpredictable dandy. It really smells effeminate like a glam rock superstar, but so stylish and little common, that, while it sparingly reminds of goth or metrosexual elemets, it's so many steps and classes beyond these to youth cultures, that it renders them primitive like parasites compared to an exotic, nearly extinct noble species, or a simple, average Joe-human compared to the Superhuman. It embodies both the British cult for effeminate manhood, dating back to the Elizabethan age, reaching it's peak during romanticism, decadentism and sybolism, and still being carried on by mods, glam-rockers or even today, but also in the showy yet exquisite display of rich and above all costly essences, seasoning, fragrant and edible ingredients dating back to the age when Britain was the flagship of colonial power, importing only the best of the best of the world's riches in order to suit the tastes of a continously eccentric and pleasure-seeking upper class. So, daring in its off-beat, revolutionary ( or rather evolutionare towards the supreme flagship and superhuman of the fragrance world) avant-garde but, for at least two reasons, deeply rooted in British tradition. Tradition and modernity at their best, perfectly combined: tradition opened to modern elements, modernity dwelling on the most worthy traditional values. <br>Endymion is a combination of all contrasts: carnal and provocative like a permanently aroused pubescent, yet more distant than an unnatainable star or diva, elusive and restrained not due to shyness but to a cunning and manipulative way, delicate but domieering and undoutedly superior and impossible to grasp or predict, yet never bossy or arrogant, it exhales the cold, dim yet hauting light of diamonds, demons, stars and the wintertime sun- it sparkles in a cold, distant, yet truogh it's mystery, also challenging, provocative way( the unique, cool but glittering spark of genius and immortality). A youth more mysterious than a Romantic poet, more cruel than Cesare Borgia, more outlandish than Ziggy Stardust, more seductive than Valmont or Sade, more ambitious than Julien Sorel and, above all this, more abstract and idealized than the most non-figurative religion, work of art or philosophical concept. After disscussing the - apperantly redundant, but extremely versatile and relevant- cultural, aesthetic, immaterial subtexts, i feel that the actual fragrance notes only confirm these statements. Uncommon, never too cheap or offensive sweetness, powdery drydown that never smells musty, dirty dusty, stuffy or cluttered. Refined spicy warmth, tough a moderate, armotaic touch of rare essences, exhaling that cold, wintery sparkle of demonic beauty and brilliant intellect mentioned above. These aromatic notes have a subtle, almost ozonic, oothing drydown, reminding of vanilla and other traditional winter spices, also slight touch of wood, but also a moderately bitter and dry edible note- coffee and cocoa combined, yet nothing nearto many mass market scents capitalizing on edible notes: here i never actually smelled a faithfull, 100% percent imitation of coffee, cocoa or vanilla deserts, i just guessed a very discreet hint of raw, unprocessed essence of the most expensive, precious, luxurious vanilla, cocoa or coffee. Also, a certain touch, yet only marginally edible-style of toffee, combined or increased by musky tones, and, as uncommon it might seem ( for this is a usually overtly masculine, sometimes rugged and potent ingredient), touches of leather, but, from the leathery note, only a mild, mellow, full-bodied sweetness and an effusive, but never too strong or heavy, just distant, unnatainable sensation of warmth being kept. The spicy notes also include woody and almost incense-like notes of pepper and other winter spices, which, however, are never too pungent or excessively aromatic, as their are combined into a softer, more balanced background correcting, neutralizing every excessive or overspiced note- it all seems to melt down into a bath of aloe vera, Neroli or lavender, adding a certain aquatic softness to the otherwise to harsh display of too spicy notes- indeed some cooling, watery, airy and almost neutral base. <br>Basically, this scent is also a more modern, more daring, yet never watered down-version( unlike many "eau" or "acqua" versions of established scents, chiefly extremely watered down and synthetic parodies, distorsions of exquisite classics) of Hammam Bouquet or Opus 1870- while it's never a cheap copy of these two, not even a lighter, more casual re-enactement. The similarities don't go further that all the three scents include, in different combinations and differently concentrated sveral sweet, leathery and aromatic notes, but , in my opinion, in Endymion they are at their best and show fragrance notes beyond the most daring, but also beyond the most elitist achievements of perfume-making.