L'Envol by Cartier

 In the world of fragrances, there are names that evoke a feeling of prestige, names that by just hearing them, you might think the fragrance is special. One of those is Cartier, the name itself conjures wealth, beauty, fast expensive cars, expensive parties at hotels, jewelry, watches, well dressed humans, shoes, boats... all of that and then some. Fragrances though...what does the name Cartier conjure in your mind? I tell you what it does for me.. it makes me think "old", mind you, not old as in lame, old as in "I'll wear Cartier when I turn 60 because I'll do it justice", however, I decided to try L'Envol, for the record...I'm 41.

L'Envol was introduced in 2016 as a men's fragrance in both Eau de Parfum (EDP) and Eau de Toilette (EDT) variations. A little note on EDP vs EDT, most people will tell you that EDP is always better because it's more concentrated, and that, technically, is true (the second part at least). EDP has a higher concentration of essential oils to water, ranging from around 15% to 20%, whereas EDT lingers at less than 10%, this means EDP tends to last longer because the oil takes longer to evaporate from your skin, but, does that make it always better? I've found that on my skin (pale latino guy that sweats a lot and burns red like a lobster when exposed to the sun), EDT tends to work better, why is that, I don't know...but it's true (I am investigating and I will get to the bottom of it eventually!). So, with that preamble, why did I choose the EDP of L'Envol? Simply put...because it smells better, I compared both and the EDP takes the cake against the EDT, let me deep dive and explain what I mean.

Honey, the sweet and viscous food substance that was depicted as being foraged by humans at least 8,000 years ago in Cuevas de la Araña, Spain, honey is well known to all of us, the sweet substance is liked by arguably everyone....but what does Honey smell like? Would like you that smell on you? Would you bathe in it just to preserve that aroma? Although bathing in it is a thing we are lucky enough to live in a time where Mathilde Laurent used it as the main ingredient of L'Envol... and it turned out beautiful. When describing fragrances, its tough to say in words what you are feeling, when it comes to L'Envol, one word comes to mind: Character, L'Envol does not try to be modern, or cool, or liked by everyone, L'Envol knows what it is and demands that you either appreciate it or look away, the sweet honey opening is accompanied by Iris and Lavender, but lavender is subtle here... you can feel it, but its not the main character, it helps reduce the sweetness a little and move those florals into your attention span. The opening is so different from other honey-based fragrances which I attribute to the Iris on the mix...don't get me wrong, the honey is there but its refined honey, its honey from a long haired guy that named all of his bees, it's cared for, its unique and hits you with the elegance you expect from Cartier. Once this fragrance starts to dry-down, you get the Guaiac wood and the powdery aspect starts to become persistent, yet the honey remains, even if playing softly on the background...and when I say this, I go back to my previous statement, the honey stays on the background and helps the fragrance maintain the character that it started with. That's the ticket with this fragrance, it changes but remains its character and that is something I admire about it.

L'Envol evokes the feeling of drinking good scotch by yourself, by a fireplace, enjoying all the little intricacies and aromas, you do this because you like it...not to make others think you do. That's the definition of character in L'Envol.

Compared to the EDT: I only own the EDP version, but, have compared it against the EDT, note, this is a fragrance to be tested on skin...not on a piece of paper or cardboard (don't insult it like that), this needs to be experienced by burying your nose in it, by closing your eyes and letting your brain fly for a second. The EDT loses the complexity and its, in my honest opinion, watered down to the point of losing it's character and it just becomes "something to wear" rather than "something to enjoy"..

Compliments factor: Dear reader, as you'll learn from my journey, I am not about the compliments, I am not the sharpest dresser (I blame Eddie Bauer for my "tactical fashion"), I'm an introvert, I live in Seattle, I work with introverts, Im 6'2 with a big beard...people don't really walk to me and compliment me, specially on softer fragrances, it's not a thing, I wear this because I feel better when I do, it complements my day, it complements my mood for the day, it brings a smile to my face when I first wear it. I asked my daughter, a foodie, what she thinks and her response was "that is so different...it's like its sweet but not edible, I like it".

Conclusion: Cartier might evoke class, jewels and that 1% lifestyle, but this fragrance evokes character, being proud of who you are, as a scent, it commands you to take it seriously and not second guess it. I highly recommend this fragrance, my journey has taken me to different scents and I never thought honey was one I cared for...until I tried this. A solid 8/10.

Bonus: Did I mention the bottle is beautiful and feels very solid on your hand? Also....it's refillable!

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