I’m glad Marie-Helene liked your scent. I visit her blog sometimes. Look, I’m sure your scent is perfectly reasonable. Please understand that everything here on The Cow is up for lampooning. It’s that kind of place.

Send me a bottle – I’ll review it too. You can see that elsewhere in (in the Perfume category in the sidebar) I do like and review perfumes. You just happened to make a scent that overlaps into the territory of the Catholic Religion – something I do most strongly NOT like.

The Pope’s Cologne will probably mostly reveal his aesthetic taste. Judging from the cologne itself, it shows a man of refined taste who obviously valued subtlety, elegance, and even the rare. The scent has an ancient charm about it, especially when the floral notes start being felt, that is quite remarkable. It is a perfume recipe made in a time when flowers in masculine colognes were felt to be perfectly natural hence an absolute lack of showiness and complete sense of maturity and naturalness about the floral notes in this composition. Being a cologne meant to be worn by the Pope, it had to be restrained in principle and it is in fact; there is no unexpected flamboyance or hidden coquetry pointing its nose. Naturally, the animalic notes are extremely discreet. Perhaps we can also imagine that a certain ethereal quality, a lightness and freshness were cultivated as befitting the pope’s image. The citruses and lemon verbena are invigorating, a definite plus for a man in a public function. The fragrance is that of a man of patrician or aristocratic tastes.

The combination of citruses, lemon verbena and violet is enchanting, almost childlike in its softness and innocence. One feels inspired to make a drink that would be scented with these two main notes, violet and lemon. The “visual impression” the colors yellow and mauve suggest next to each other is also appealing.

From the flacon, the first aromas that strike the nose are citruses, woods, and amber. The start of the perfume is very citrus-y, a bit candied evoking lemon drops, like an outburst of freshly squeezed lemon juice with undertones of oceanic ambergris. The cologne then warms up becomes more powdery and vanillic but in a very understated way. Then there is a more vegetal, aromatic impression suggestive of the underbrush which kicks in. One smells a stylized subtle violet with some clove in it, perhaps some carnation since the powdery feel becomes a little bit more accentuated gliding even into a creamy impression. The blend at this point feels very elegant and refined, aristocratic even, showcasing an accord that feels rare and unusual. Very delicate floral nuances arise betraying tinges of rose, peach and then mauve. It smells a little bit of orange-blossom scented mauve guimauve, but in a very elegant manner. The woods then become more apparent and the most finely textured one of them, sandalwood in particular, it seems. There is also a little bit of a birch tar impression, but very discreet as the dry-down evokes a more familiar impression found in Russian leather scents. The longer dry-down smells a bit of the woodiness of orris. All the while the citruses impart their freshness to this elegantissime scent.

The recipe of the 19th century cologne was faithfully followed by Dr. Fred Hass (he happens to be US Poet-Laureate Robert Hass’ brother by the way) therefore the longevity is also authentically that of a perfume from that period. Fred Hass told us that he prefers not to touch the original recipe. It leaves nevertheless a very subtle scent on the skin, which contributes to the overall feeling of authentic old-world elegance.

Marie-Helene Wagner
December 3, 2007

Joey & Atlas: Yeah, thanks for looking after the place while I was away. Now, can you clean up the empties & empty the ashtrays and put the pizza trays in the trash.

At least until th prunes arrive.

I have my own cat fights elsewhere, just not use to see silly boys doing it, especially over smell pretty stuff.

You mus be new here, huh?

Hed just Poped in his pants.

Hold their breath ’til their faces turned blue.

Hey have you checked out these kids and their scents…
http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/
I think they are right up your alley. You may dig it.
I wrote this review when I first started to blog and finding myself there:
http://maliciousintently.blogspot.com/2007/12/smell-me.html
Kick’s the Pope’s ass in the fragrance department.

So YEAH. Im DANGD happy!

Happy now?

His scent woud be calld “Sacred Blew.”

Would be quite as big of a seller.

Like th Revrends gonna go hop a nun.