Esquel is a town in Patagonia, Argentinia, in 1951 a meteorite was discovered there, which brings Esquel into the fold of the Shooting Stars Collection, by our favorite bottle beauty contest losers, Xerjoff.
Esquel includes notes of Lavender, bergamot, iris, orange flowers, pink pepper, rose absolute, patchouli, vetiver, vanilla, opoponax and tonka bean.
Esquel is an interesting perfume. It opens like a classic cologne, fresh, bracing. Bergamot and lavender give their best to act like a wake up call and a soft iris in concert with a barely there peppery rose, enforce the idea, you get at first, that this is indeed a cologne style scent. And just as you expect it to vanish into nothing but a memory as so many colognes are wont to do, it transforms into a rich and warm woody perfume, you never thought was in there. This striking base is longlasting and simply beautiful.
Like a second, different fragrance, Esquel – the Drydown, is what I really like.
The woody base really reminds me of something Pierre Guillaume could have created, an almost gourmand vanilla-sandalwood creaminess, with patchouli accents, this is quite up my alley. I am reminded of Cadjmeré and Cedre Sandaraque, as well as a stronger, more emphatic version of Estée Lauder Sensuous.
The herbal whiff of high quality lavender stays for some time, even after the bracing Esquel – Part 1 has long since faded, but eventually it goes away too, leaving the smooth, really smooth and creamy wooden base. Color me impressed.
So is this bottle going to grace my unmatchingly bland bathroom? No, but not because I don’t like it, but for the simple reason that, surprise two in one package aside, more economic variants of woody gourmand already have their place in my collection.
That said – a great perfume indeed.
And all without going to the trouble of Versace-ing my home.
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B, it’s a great review: I like what I’m reading (and picture is just perfect!) but I’m not tempted by the perfume (I would have at a different price point). And I still plan to try those other two that you’ve previously revied and mentioned today. Thank you.
I would buy a bottle today, if it was priced like, say Parfumerie Generale or L’Artisan, but being as it is, I just can’t and what’s more, won’t invest. But that discovery set is still high up on my wish list… 🙂
On mine too! 🙂
Sounds lovely but I can not bring myself to look again on the website as the price shocked me enough the first time. That said if I win the lottery this weekend, not only will I own the full collection but I will have a head to toe Versace bathroom to go with it. 🙂
That sounds like a plan! 🙂
I really love four, quite like one, and dislike the sixth perfume in the discovery set, which is not a bad cut. So this set remains on my wish list, 160€ shipped, is okay for 6x15ml. Eventually it’ll be mine…
That is a surprising perfume evolution – cologne to woody gourmand. They definitely get points for that. Too bad about the price.
I do love those gaudy bottles, they make me smile. A la Dolly Parton, I bet it costs a lot of money to look that cheap 🙂 Love that stunning pic.
Dolly Parton and Donatella Versace together in one post surely point into a certain aesthetic direction. 😉
🙂
It is really sad that the price of perfume has gone off the Richter Scale. I often wonder if the super rich even know about any of the niche perfumes out on the market. Maybe Santa will bring all of us a very big bucket of Perfume Money for Christmas.
We can always hope that Santa listens and brings that money… 🙂
“our favorite bottle beauty contest losers” indeed! I found myself caught up on the bottle image, after laughing at your intro, and it really is horrible. The cap is likely the worst offense, but even the bottle itself is an abomination. Expensive doesn’t mean good/beautiful (someone alert Donatella!) lol.
I’ve still only tried three or four of the Xerjoff’s, and apparently I’ve only tried the duds, because I have no desire to seek out any others. That might be writing off a whole line a little bit too hastily, but for my money, I need to be impressed by at least one out of four. Like the Kilian’s… I may not love each one in the ON sample set, but I find them all beautiful and extremely well-edited.
Creamy woods sounds so good though, I’ve half an eye toward my cabinet wondering how I’ll meet that craving today…
😉
All the bottle and price issues aside, I’m still glad I tried them. Oesel, Dhajala, Lua and Lira are perfumes I truly adore! Esquel is also beautiful and I’d want it, were it not for… and here the circle closes. 😉
What SotD did you go with? Did you find a creamy wood in your closet?
Dee, I haven’t tried a single one so I have no skin in the game, but unless you actually bought those samples that you ended up not liking there is a chance you got them (in a swap or as an extra) because those were NOT the most interesting perfumes in the line?
Thx for mentioning my wonderful suggestion
You are welcome! 🙂
What Dee said – there is a very real H & S risk of poking your eye out with that top. I did recently discover Ibitira, which you reviewed the other day – I think while I was away – and which I liked a lot, but haven’t tried this one. I do tend to tune out to the more ultra-expensive scents, also Amouage, in a bid to quell unruly lemmings – but sometimes the lemmings “will out” anyway. : – 0
Haha, so true. Those lemmings don’t care at all about price point. 😉
Glad you like Ibitira!
By your gorgeous description, I have a feeling this one would make the cut in terms of lavender fragrances I love: there aren’t a lot of them, but this one sounds really good. And I have to admit that the Xeroff bottles are starting to grow on me. (You can all roll your eyes now, but please don’t pelt me with shoes or anything.) 😉
*rolls eyes and sits on hands to keep from throwing a boot* 😉
That bottle! LOL I think perhaps even Donatella would find some fault with it.
Still, the perfume sounds lovely. I’m hoping to scrape up money for the Discovery Set soon…that US conversion from the Euro is painful =/ lol
Let me know if I can help! I could order it for you and ship it onwards, might be cheaper that way…
The discovery set 1 is amazing and worth its price imho.
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