FRAGRANCE | Tsar by Van Cleef & Arpels: A classic green through and through

And so my blind-buying spree continues with Tsar by Van Cleef & Arpels. It's been around for nearly three decades now and shame that this is only my first encounter with this classic.

From both box and bottle alone, one can instantly glean that this is a green fragrance. It's a handsome bottle, by the way; pretty basic but handsome. It's not a heavy one either. I love the sprayer, too, which delivers a fine and even dose of juice.

From the opening and all the way through the drydown, Tsar is unapologetically green. It's a fresh, even damp, kind of green, like you're in a forest somewhere. There's a lot of different other notes thrown in but it's the green accord that consistently stands out.

Tsar delivers the goods early on, so there's not much to be said in terms of how the fragrance develops, except probably that the sharpness in the opening disappears, leaving you with a softer iteration of green goodness.

What disappoints me, though, is how weak and short-lived this fragrance is. Projection is already soft to begin with and it doesn't last on my skin, which is a shame because Tsar is a really good scent. I don't know how this stacks up to the original but reformulations have probably messed up its potency. It has oakmoss after all. Oh, IFRA.

Anyway, a classic green fragrance through and through, Tsar is manly but refined. It's pleasant and inoffensive, ideal for close counters and a safe blind buy. It's suitable for all weathers but I guess it would project a little more when it's warmer. All in all it's good except for projection and longevity issues.

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Here's another green fragrance I reviewed:
[FRAGRANCE | Penhaligon's English Fern: Classic and dependable]