This one surprised me. Sauvage Extrait really doesn’t come across like another typical Sauvage flanker to me. It’s much drier, darker, woodier and more resinous, with the patchouli and oud giving it a completely different character from the familiar fresh Sauvage DNA. My first thought was actually Amouage. Not that it smells exactly like a particular Amouage fragrance, but it has that same type of dense, dry, woody, slightly smoky Middle Eastern niche feel. I can especially understand the comparisons people are making to the dry oud character of Amouage Royal Tobacco. This smells much more expensive and serious than I expected from the Sauvage name. Less blue designer fragrance and more like Dior decided to take Sauvage into Amouage territory. First impression: I like this quite a bit. It may actually be one of the most interesting Sauvage releases Dior has done because it doesn’t feel like they simply turned up the concentration. They changed the personality. Definitely a cooler-weather fragrance for me, and I’m looking forward to giving it some full wearings.

Penhaligon’s is one of those houses I respect probably more than I actually reach for. This is a British perfume house with a lot of history behind it, and you can definitely smell that heritage in the way many of their fragrances are put together. Even when they release something modern, there is usually a polished, proper, almost old-world British character running through the house. I would put Penhaligon’s firmly in the high-end retail niche category today. It is niche, but this isn’t some tiny underground artisan operation anymore. The presentation is luxurious, the storytelling is strong, the bottles are instantly recognizable, and you’ll find the house in major luxury retail. Where Penhaligon’s really separates itself is personality. The Portraits Collection especially turned the house into something much more theatrical. You have fragrances built around fictional British aristocratic characters, animal-head caps, elaborate names, and entire stories surrounding them. Normally I don’t care much about marketing if the fragrance doesn’t deliver, but with Penhaligon’s the presentation actually fits the fragrances pretty well. Some of the standouts for me: Halfeti – Probably one of the easiest fragrances from the house to recommend. Spicy, woody, slightly sweet and very polished. This is one of those fragrances where you immediately understand why it became popular. The Blazing Mr Sam – Warm, spicy, woody and confident. Probably one of the better masculine-leaning fragrances in the Portraits collection. The Tragedy of Lord George – Boozy, woody and somewhat old-fashioned in a good way. Very gentlemanly fragrance. Endymion – Softer and more understated. Aromatic, slightly creamy and elegant. This represents the older Penhaligon’s style more than something like Halfeti does. Sartorial – One of the fragrances that really captures that traditional British barbershop / tailored-suit feeling. Very classy, but I could also see younger fragrance enthusiasts finding it dated.