FRAGRANCE | Timbuktu EDT by L'Artisan Parfumeur: A beautiful and contemporary take on vetiver

halfwhiteboy - Timbuktu EDT by L'Artisan Parfumeur

I've read a lot of good things about L'Artisan Parfumeur's Timbuktu, so I was happy to have scored an old bottle (the clear heptagonal one with the gold cap) from another fraghead a few weeks ago.

This is a rather contemporary take on vetiver. Master perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour "cleaned" it up somehow while still keeping it fairly dry. Timbuktu is at its earthiest and heaviest in the opening - and I thought I smelled patchouli there - before transitioning into something much lighter and fresh just a few minutes in. It's green, slightly sweet, and with a hint of fruit.

There's a certain smokiness from the incense but it's not dark and heavy like in Hermès's Bel Ami Vetiver. It even becomes lighter on my skin as the fragrance develops, bright and almost churchy, a familiar DNA shared with another of Duchaufour's creations for L'Artisan, the exotic and calming Dzongkha.

I'm not sure about reformulations but the juice from my old bottle gives quite a decent performance. Projection is moderate for at least two hours before it begins retreating closer to the skin in a gradual fashion. A couple of resprays can come in handy if you want to prolong its life, and in my case I really don't mind.

While I find Timbuktu to be generally versatile, I think it best suits daytime use and warmer temperatures. Pretty unisex, too, in my opinion. Beautifully complex, this fragrance is seriously worth having.

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