Ulrich De Varens — UDV (II)

This is my second review for this one. I last reviewed it over 2 years ago and it’s sat in the back of my fragrance vault in the Monte Carlo residence ever since, so I figured, maybe give it another shot. I’m not planning on leaving the house today anyway.

Maybe there’s something to letting things sit. It goes on tolerably, without as much of the cotton candy miasma that nauseated me so much the first time. It’s there, but it’s tolerable, it sits better in the mix, as we musicians like to say. In fact, not having worn any scent at all lately, I sort of mildly liked the opening. In an odd way, it reminded me of the completely unassuming “just there”-ness of the misnamed Issey Miyake L’eau d’Issey Intense Pour Homme. It’s still a little sweet for my tastes, I think I just don’t like gourmands. But it’s not bad, I wouldn’t be afraid to go out wearing it, and I could see some of my foppier, more velvety brethren being happy with it (Some men are leathery, and some are velvety; I’m more terrycloth). That’s about the most positive thing I can say about it. Other than the sweet thing, it’s a fairly unremarkaable mix of patchoili, some florals, some citrus. I could probably talcum powder up, spray on some Paco Rabanne, suck on a hard candy to soften it up and then rub that on my neck and wrists, and get about the same effect. As I’m sitting here typing this I’m getting a slight headache, probably due not to the UDV but to the ongoing stress of long term-unemployment and financial worries, but the UDV isn’t helping.