It's January, and this morning we had our first snow-related school delay — it must be time for the winter vetiver list (I've already covered summer and fall). For all of these lists, the line between the seasons is perhaps a bit arbitrary and/or personal, but in general, today's selections are heavier variations on the theme. If you are a woman who sometimes finds vetiver too masculine to wear, you might want to stick with the summer recommendations, or come back for the spring list. And as always, do add your own picks in the comments!
Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Route du Vétiver: Arguably the granddaddy of them all; when I reviewed it, I called it "the wild beast of vetiver fragrances" (that was almost 10 years ago now, so I hope it has not been reformulated in the meantime, but the brand still calls it "brutal and savage" on their website). Route du Vetiver admittedly challenges my usually laissez-faire ideas of gender when it comes to fragrance. It doesn't smell like a lady, that is for sure, but I take heart in the fact that it does not really smell like a gentleman either. It is a nice thing to have on hand, but a small decant lasts me for years.
Frédéric Malle Vétiver Extraordinaire: Luckily, Marie Kondo has no sway over my perfume collecting (or any other) activities, but if she were to insist I pare back on vetiver, this one (by perfumer Dominique Ropion) would definitely make the cut. It's hard to describe other than to say that it smells like real vetiver, but better...and bigger. At one time, it was said to have one of the highest concentrations of vetiver of any fragrance on the market. That probably isn't true anymore, but I don't think any other vetiver has bested it. If you don't really like the smell of vetiver straight up, it's not likely you'll love Vétiver Extraordinaire. If you do, get the body products too, they're fantastic.
Hermès Vétiver Tonka: This one, from the Hermessence collection, is probably the first on today's list that might tempt a vetiver doubter. Perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena turns vetiver into an offbeat gourmand with dried fruits, grilled hazelnuts, tonka bean and burnt sugar. He keeps the calories under control for the most part, but it's delicious enough to provide comfort and warmth when you need it. Also very much worth a try: Hermès Bel Ami Vétiver.
Serge Lutens Vétiver Oriental: It is not my favorite vetiver, and it is not my favorite by Serge Lutens, in fact, I had not smelled it in so long that I had to get another sample just to remember why I didn't love it. Like Vétiver Tonka, you might call it an offbeat gourmand, in this case, with a woody amber-y chocolate dusted with iris powder. It is both bitter and sweet, and smells vaguely like licorice and vaguely like rubber or plastic. The people who love it (and many do) call it mysterious and exotic.
Vero Onda: An offbeat vetiver, period, and it's worth reading Angela's review in detail before you do anything so crazy as to buy it unsniffed. I never have been able to really make up my mind about it, but it's worth a try if you're looking for an unusual vetiver with some presence.
Plus a few more, for anyone willing to go looking for discontinued fragrances: the three fantastic Turtle Vetivers from LesNEZ were also in the "like vetiver but better" category. In the "I didn't love it but many others (including Angela) did" category, I'd add L'Artisan Parfumeur Coeur de Vétiver Sacré.
Note: top image shows Striped Vetiver Fiber Table Linen Collection, $19.96 - $24.99 at World Market.
Lovely Vétiver Tonka, one of my favourites. My husband wears Bel Ami Vétiver too.
It is one of my favorites too…I forget to wear it lately and need to put it right on my desk where I’ll see it.
‘Bel Ami Vétiver’ is so warm, soothing and beautiful – highly recommended.
Thanks!
I have lots of vetivers, but FM Vetiver Extraordinaire is The Best. So say I 🙂
So say we!
Don’t currently own any Vetiver Tonka, but I really like it, as well as Onda and Vetiver Oriental. China White is another good one.
Darned, China White came up in the fall comments and I meant to get another sample.
I might be able to scrounge you up one. It’s powdery but earthy.
Thank you! I will do some digging this weekend and see if I can find the one I had.
Lovely list, as usual, thank you, Robin!
I love vetiver, but I almost never wear it in winter. Vetiver Tonka is one of my favorites, but it’s a spring scent for me (although I can imagine wearing it year-round, if Marie Kondo were to insist I pare back ALL my perfumes, ha).
After reading your list, I’m re-testing Onda – what a brilliant oddball! – and, weirdly, it makes me think of summer.
Luckily, Marie Kondo is not allowed in my house at all 😉
And yes, everybody has their own ideas about which fragrances fit which seasons! I am sure I wear VT in spring but in my mind, it’s clearly a winter (or just possibly fall) fragrance.
What a great list, so many I love. But yeah, for me the FM pretty much takes the cake along with Chanel Sycomore edt.❤️❤️❤️
The FM is just brilliant. I am glad FM does not really do flankers, but I would love for Ropion to do new versions of Vetiver Extraordinaire and Carnal Flower.
Sycomore EDT and Roja Vetiver Extrait are my joint favourites with Vétiver Tonka. For some reason I fon’t get on with Vétiver Extraordinaire and I’m trying to palm off my decant of Dior Vétiver on my husband. I do want to retest Heeley Vetiver Veritas and have dug out my sample. I like vetiver all year round.
Heeley Vetiver Veritas is another I barely remember — I know I did not adore it but could not tell you why. I don’t even think I’ve tried the Dior!
The Dior is kind of nice but in a very Iso-E way. There is a bit of coffee as advertised and that is interesting. The Heeley is pretty straight up vetiver.
That might be why I didn’t like the Heeley — hard to beat some of the straight up vetivers I already love!
I love Zegna’s Haitian Vetiver as well as Vetiver Extraordinaire. I’m generally a sucker for any Vetiver but don’t love Vetiver Tonka.
I think the Zegna is going to make my spring list, so that goes back to the arbitrary nature of seasonal lists!
And you are not alone — I have seen quite a few negative comments about VT.
I am not a Konmari convert. (At least not yet, though my sister is working hard on me with her “It changed my LIFE!” comments and reminders that our packrat-tendency grandmother died in 2007 and left a 50-year-old, 40-gallon crock of homemade soap behind her.) However, if you hold an item in your hand and it gives you joy, you get to keep it, so most of my perfumes would pass under that criterion.
Further, I am not a vetiver convert. I kinda liked Encre Noire, but I wasn’t wearing my mini so I passed it on, and am often really put-off by the “old vasewater” angle that vetiver sometimes has. (Whatever BDuch likes to use is total Scummy Pond, IMO.) Maybe I haven’t tried the right vetiver for me??
But Robin, it thrills me that you have seasonal vetivers the way I have seasonal roses! Thanks for the list.
My answer to anyone who criticizes me for hoarding is “At least I don’t hoard cats.”
My daughter says, “Well, at least there is no rat feces.”
Excellent response ????????????
Ha! Love it.
I think the idea that *everyone* is made happy by less clutter and fewer things is just plain wrong. But even more than the getting rid of stuff, I hate the hyper organization of things. Some people probably look at the images of the inside of Kondo-ized drawers and ooh and ahh, I find them vaguely upsetting.
I am so with you on this. There is one tshirt in a drawer trick I learned indirectly from her and that I can’t describe without a visual, but it’s genius. But otherwise I find the entire mentality infuriating. It reminds me of my favorite New Yorker cartoon. A guy’s on his death bed, uttering his last words. His family all leans in expectantly: “I should have bought more crap.” Hear hear!
I agree…not everyone is made happy by less clutter and to each his own…but I will tell you that since I have downsized my clothes and books I do feel much happier and it is much easier to get dressed in the morning….and Robin don’t kill me but I do squeal with delight when I open my once extremely chaotic socks and underwear drawer and now marvel at the neatness after having thrown out holey socks and old underwear and fold them up nicely rather than ball up the socks 🙂 I have embraced the organization and it just makes me feel good but no judgment on my part if it isn’t for others….believe me, there are three other younger family members who continue to live in a chaotic mess in their teenage bedrooms so I don’t enforce the newly found organization completely 🙂
I am generally speaking a pretty organized person, but I did let my office get disorganized for a few years and felt much happier when I redid the whole room again, so I understand the desire to impose order. But I find her methods frightening — she has let the desire for order become as compulsive as the desire for things. Don’t kill me, LOL, but compulsive decluttering is no more attractive to me than compulsive hoarding.
Remember when Feng Shui was the trendy organization plan? We had a friend who lived with his girlfriend who got really into that. He came home one day to find everything rearranged and then she broke up with him shortly after. We joke about how he didn’t fit the Feng Shui!
LOL! That’s an excellent story. I didn’t “get” feng shui either.
I totally agree. Tidiness is pleasant, compulsive decluttering is not.
It’s just very revealing about her need for organizing don’t you think?
Her life sounds incredibly sad to me. I am not a compulsive hoarder or a compulsive declutterer, but if I had to choose between the two I’d rather be a hoarder.
I have not smelled the MPG or the Vero and look forward to acquire at least a sample (via swap or freebie). I like everything else you mentioned!
My newly-acquired Jo Loves Pomelo will likely work in all seasons. So far, I’ve only tried it in winter and POW!
I need to try the Pomelo!
For body products, Try the Nubian Heritage brand! Indian Hemp and Vetiver shower gel, soap and lotion! It’s really lovely to wear year round! Then layer on with whatever scent you like!
Oh I will second that whole heartedly!!!! The hand creams are amazing too! In fact the entire scent collection of Nubian Heritage is fabulous (believe me I have tried them all 🙂 !!) and they are usually on sale at Vitacost if anyone is interested…..
Thanks! I know I tried some product of theirs but now I will have to remember which!
I am slowly learning to love vetiver after I accidentally dumped a whole lot of it into a homemade body lotion mistakenly thinking it was patchouli….My Accidental Vetiver Lotion…..
I do adore Reglisse Noire which has vetiver as a side note and I would wear it year round, including this time of year (winter for me). Vetiver Tonka became a love after I wore it several times and I agree makes a great winter vetiver. I also recently tried Angel Muse which, while not a love, I could see being equally as good as a winter vetiver.
Great list Robin and thanks !
And you have a great list for a recent convert!
I love your vetiver lists as it’s a note I’m very fond of myself. I think the opening of Route is fierce but it so quickly calms down afterwards. (a little too quickly for my liking, but it’s a great scent). I’ve only tried one of the Turtles, and I loved it. Talk about brutal Vetiver.
A much more elegant version is Givenchy Vetyver which I tried for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I enjoyed it very much. More of a vetiver for spring perhaps.
The Givenchy is quite good. I do wish they’d gone on with the Turtle series, but I do sort of suspect that brand might be finished.
They have been very quiet for quite too long. A shame, as they came out with some distinctive scents. Still, it needs more to survive, I suppose.
Vetiver is not my friend,but I can appreciate and have worn Vetiver Extraordinaire,and Encre Noire.
Vetiver can’t be everyone’s friend, no shame there.
Yes,but with it being such a universally loved note,I kinda feel like a heretic for NOT loving it!Lol.
Oh, no, everyone has notes they don’t love!
Just wanted to chime in about the Marie Kondo stuff…I agree with much of the above and I think for me, what I resent are the the “rules” – in general, I just don’t like the idea of being told what to do and that I must adhere to a certain system in order to be doing something “right”. Now, I am rather compulsively neat by nature, so even though I have a lot of “stuff” (perfume, of course, but I’m also just a huge fan of tchotchkes and having lots of little pretty things around my home) it is very well-organized. But I do it the way I feel it, not according to some method. And I just don’t like minimalism, in general. I like lushness and abundance. And the thing about the “twenty-seven item closet” or whatever just would NEVER work for me ha ha. As for vetiver, I’m a huge fan, but the only fragrance I’ve ever owned is the inexpensive but lovely Vetiver by Hove New Orleans. (And the soap! Gorgeous. I think I like the soap even more than the perfume.)
I prefer lushness and abundance too. Which of course lends itself to various sorts of perfume-related compulsions 😉
Agree on the Hove Vetivier soap. It is a bargain, and so refreshing. I agree that I like the soap better than the perfume. I purchased quite a few samples, but never bought full bottles. I did repurchase the soaps.
A brief soap plug: Crabtree & Evelyn’s Juniper and Vetiver soap is a wonderful complement to the fresh-rooty axis of vetiver fragrances (it marries very well, for instance, with Eau Sauvage EDT, Guerlain Vetiver or Terre d’Hermes).
Yeah, I’ve noticed that in general, “perfume people” are not into the minimalist/uber-modern aesthetic…not sure what the correlation is there, but almost everyone I know who loves fragrance also loves color, richness, and for lack of a better term, “stuff” in their lives and homes
Well, it’s another form of decoration, right? But still, I do know people who adore perfume but don’t want large, cluttered collections, so they enforce limits on what they buy or keep. So there’s definitely some variation.
The FM Vetiver is the one at made me know I loved Vetiver. I think it is stunning. I don’t own it, though, because I just can’t deal with the price. I’ve always thought of it more for summer, so I should try it in winter.
I’m more of a minimalist but married to borderline hoarder. It’s a challenge. He’s the “see an empty spot, fill an empty” spot kind of decorator. So, I do understand that there are many who find clutter comforting. A good friend is like that. Her desk used to be amazing. Literally not a single spot without paper of some sort, including in between keyboard and monitor. Didn’t hurt her productivity in the least.
I have a number of the old 5 ml minis, and that’s all I have — I would not likely pay full price for it either.
That’s a challenge in a marriage! I keep certain things in quantity, but only those things that I care about (books, etc). My husband keeps anything, and has a harder time throwing things away. Luckily he also has a hard time spending money, so he does not end up with what he would otherwise — he has several garages full of junk, though.
I love Guerlain’s Vetiver but was looking for a winter scent this year and kind of hit a wall… There is mostly no access to niche (Lutens, Malle, et al) where I live, and I am borderline allergic to ISO (so sadly, no Encre Noir, Terre d’Hermes or the wonderful Declaration.) I was very happy to discover Eau Sauvage Parfum, which is dominated by myrrh (a winter note if ever there was one), accented by bergamot and jasmine, bolstered by tonka and vanilla, and kept ever so slightly breezy by a rooty vetiver. Great if you like your vetiver with an incense accord. On that note, has anyone tried Guerlain’s Vetiver Extreme? I am curious about that tarragon note…
Oh nice! I never did try the ES Parfum but am a long time fan of the regular.
I’m sorry but can’t remember if I ever tried the Guerlain Extreme.
I am also a long time fan of the original Eau Sauvage… Though my time with it starts after the 2011 reformulation, I see it as the scent that led me back to fragrance after a hiatus of more than a decade.
As you will probably read very quickly, the ES Parfum is really a different animal that the EDT (seemingly more oriental than fresh), but there is definitely an interesting sort of hidden thesis on the EDT, a balminess and sensuality, to be found in both its development from opening to far drydown. I really recommend the review written by Christos at memory of scent… This is an thoughtful (and thought-provoking) composition, but it takes time to appreciate, and I think his piece about it is the best I have read to date.
Thanks, I will check out the review!
John, are you in the continental US? If so, I have some Malle samples I could pass on to you, if you’re interested. I think I might have Malle VE. I can also send you some vintage Guerlain. My email:
laugsb at sbcglobal dot net
Vintage circa the 80’s….????
Hi Laura,
Thank you for the suggestion! The vintage Guerlain in particular sounds fantastic… I live in Western Canada, so I am not sure if that works or not, however?
Thank you for the reminder to try Encre Noire. There’s got to be a tester bottle out there somewhere. I hope Prada Les Infusions Vetiver will appear at a fragrance counter near me.
I enjoyed the konmari comments. For me the motivation to organize my clothes closet was to make room for more perfume.
Good luck finding one! I swear Bloomies used to have them but can’t remember how long ago.
I ordered a sample of Encre Noire from a Canadian supplier called ‘Sam the sample man’… I’m not shilling(!) but here is the link: (http://www.ebay.ca/usr/samthesampleman)
It was very well packaged and the shipping was free… About $10 Canadian (maybe 7.50 USD?) for a lovely little 5ml lipstick tube-style atomizer. I also have ordered a couple of other things from them (Terre d’Hermes and LIDG) and in all cases I was quite pleased. I’d certainly recommend them.
Love the guerlain vetiver and the bel ami vetiver, , but my go-to vetiver always seems to be Tom Ford’s Grey Vetiver, it has a smoothness I love
That’s a nice one.
I like Annick Goutal Vetiver in winter, too.
Late to the party YET AGAIN! After a passionate love affair with vetiver for most of last year I am now vetiver-fatigued…
I am one of those annoying people for whom the Kondo system works. I think almost all advice, systems or theories work for some people only. The reason it works for me has to do with the roots of my disorganization: 1) I am perpetually afraid of (or too guilty to) get rid of things. Kondo works for me because it gives permission to let go of stuff (to those who are ‘needing’ such permission. 2) I simply can’t decide where to put things. Kondo prescribes a method that allows one to build confidence in making these kinds of basic decisions.
I think people who are basically organized already have all the necessary fundamental skills and so Kondo would just appear over-prescriptive and controlling?
Hey, I have no quarrel with anyone for whom the Kondo system works! I have a problem with anyone who thinks there is only one proper way to deal with belongings. Plus, as I said above, she hardly strikes me as a happy, well-adjusted person.
I’d certainly be happier and better adjusted if I could just find my car keys! :p
Ha — but doesn’t she tell you to empty your purse first thing when you walk in the house every day, and put away every single item?
Lol, yes! But I lack discipline and returned to my slothful ways… thus the disappearance of the car keys…
Actually, I think you are meant to GREET your home even before doing so. I actually quite liked the personification of EVERYTHING. It’s actually extremely wacky, which is part of its appeal to me. It’s the disciplined wackiness I’m not good at. 😀
I think after reading things about Kondo’s life, I decided that personifying your inanimate belongings — and being compulsive about it! — was a sort of pathology that she’d developed to replace fulfilling human relationships. So I think lacking the discipline to keep it up is a healthy sign!
What I appreciate about Kondo is having a “mindful” attitude towards consumption, and learning to not feel guilty for discarding things.
Interesting analysis and sounds quite plausible too. I admit to being intrigued by the idea of ‘inanimate objects’ having some form of consciousness… But I can certainly see how an inability to cope with interpersonal relationships could make this a tempting schema.
Well I admit that part could be fun! But she turns it into another guilt thing — I have to feel bad about how hard my socks have worked for me, and let them “rest”? Ha — as you can see, you can keep me complaining about this as long as you like.
I do personally already think of my books as having a form of consciousness. They are really pissed that she suggested I put them all on the floor and then immediately get rid of all the ones I haven’t read or that don’t immediately spark joy 😉
Well, I was more concerned about how she would deal with a football!
Regarding socks – I actually agree that the ball method is simply bad for the fabric and I quite like thinking of my socks now being happier! I also think this attitude (broadly) could work to induce a more general gratitude towards the material world – which could only be a good thing. (footballs and punching bags aside!)
I admit to NEVER having experienced the whole spark of joy thing. And I also admit to the fact that getting rid of a whole lot of books that I had not read, and also inspired no particular passion to read, did feel quite liberating – and free up some energy. However, this may well have to do with having made many more bad purchasing decisions than you have! 😀