Frederic

[Heavenlyrabbit]

Victorian whimsy and piratical romance: a reluctant seaman’s chypre sloshed with a mix of bay rum, patchouli, amber musk, dark woods, tea rose, and red currant.

Frederic is a warm, cozy Arran sweater of a scent. The sweater your man left behind and you're wearing to remind yourself of him.

The Patchouli is a prominent note for me and plays nice, a rarity with my skin chemistry and preferences. So this might work on other Patchouli challenged BPAL'ers. After the Patchouli comes a balsamic embrace of the Bay Rum. The dry Woods seem to play a supportive role for me with the Currant probably being what makes the Patchouli palatable.

IMO, this is very Manly rather than masculine. It will age beautifully, for sure.

That said, this is the second men's scent lately (Mechanical Phoenix) that caused me to wish for a beau just so he smell this good. Edited March 28, 2008 by Shollin

[VioletChaos]

in the bottle, wet on the skin and dry down is all the same: simply awful for me

 

i'm so deeply disappointed, i really wanted to like this one. but between the overly zealous aquatic/ozone notes and the man's aftershave/ cologne aspect, i felt like i was in a bad 80's commercial for Drakkar Nior.

 

deeply saddened.

 

 

[voodoocatwoman]

In the bottle: generic men's cologne- nothing I can put my finger on brandwise- it just reminds me of the men's cologne section of a department store.

 

Wet: Now I get some patchouli and I like it because it's soft and gentle.

 

Dry: Generic perfumed talcum powder. I detected a small bit of smoke before it went straight to powder.

 

Might be nice on a guy... or a dog.

[alhbooks]

Took a chance on Frederic for the fun of it, since bay rum and patchouli are not my friends. Oddly, the mix with the amber musk and the woods seems to have blended it into something really comfortable. No single note dominates, I can't quite pick out he rose or teh currant, but the overall effect is wholesome and outdoorsy and clean, with the occasional waft of wood smoke (no idea where that's coming from). Not a scent to wear with silk and lace, but when you want to be outdoors and you can't, Frederic could be a comfort.

[Stormslegacy]

I would definately agree with people that this is a masculine scent. There is nothing boozy about this scent, I think people are expecting it due to the "rum" word even though bay rum is actually a plant.

 

It's very dry and ozoney. The scent is very well blended, and there isn't any particular note that pushes the others out of the way. I think that the patchouli contributes alot to the dryness, and the bay rum keeps it light. This is a very deep smell, definately worn by a dark-haired man rather than one with blond tresses. It's gorgeous. Even though I find it manly, I'm looking for an excuse to keep this for myself, as it has so much to it. It reminds me strongly of "Tempest" by the Bridgewater Candle Company, a very wet woodsy atmosphere of a late summer forest about to be caught in a storm.

 

The word "storm" could easily sum up this fragrance

 

ETA: More than a year later I tried it again, after putting it away to save it:

 

Very very masculine. I LOVE it, and wish my sweetie would wear it for me so I can snort his skin...

 

Holy cow. If I were a man wearing this, I'd want to take myself home to snuggle.

 

The ozone is gone, but what's left is seething deep maleness...

Edited October 31, 2009 by Stormslegacy

[hellomoonglow]

Frederic, you dirty old man, you! Wink wink!

 

When I first got this, I refused to put it on. Smelling it was quite enough. Tonight I decided to give 'er a whirl.

 

Freshly applied, Frederic smells like an older gent, maybe 60 - 70'ish. Silver white hair. Big white smiling teeth (persumably not his real ones). Dressed in a button down plaid shirt with a pull over v-neck sweater. I think it's burgandy. Hair greased over to the side. Grrrrrrrrr, he was quite a dish in the 1970's!

 

After about half an hour, lecherous Frederic fades and from somewhere, I get a mature, ladylike "Frederica". She likes the expensive shops at the mall. She only wears the best parfum. She, too, like her male counterpart, is in the 60 - 70 range.

 

I think this scent is too mature for me! Off to ebay, with you, Frederic!

[SeaLady]

I'm thinking yum!

 

The first couple minutes are sharp woods and some rum and sophisticated cologne. It gets much smoother after that, when the salt water mixes everything together better. It's musky and intriguing, and I like it on me, but I really want to try it on my Boy and see how it is on him. If it's anything like this, I will probably

[circeramone]

When I first smelled it in the bottle, I blurted out "Frederic smells like sex!" (Yes, I'd had a drink or two...moving on!)

 

Upon further testing, I'm sticking with that original impression.

 

It's not the nasty, stanky, sweat-filled scent of sex that's more gross than hot; Frederic is the scent of passionate amazing sex...Like when Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio got it on in the backseat of that car in the cargo hold of Titanic.

[sarada]

I am deeply in love with this scent. I wasn't sure I'd like it, since I have very bad luck with anything that has a pirate/sea theme (except Anne Bonny, which I love). Pirate Moon was a perfumey headache for me, for example.

 

This is a surprisingly resiny scent to me, and really reminds me of Schwarzer Mond at first sniff, with deeper tones reminiscent of Anne Bonny -- deep, smooth polished wood, but with the sweet and complex added swirl of heady bay rum and just a touch of the more fragrant notes. The faintest hint of tea rose and the tiniest splash of currant. The deep wood notes, bay rum and patchouli combine to create something between Schwarzer Mond and Cathedral or Anne Bonny. But rather than being steeped in anything too dark or ominous, the twinkle of rose and currant keeps it buoyant and alive.

 

I've smeared this behind my ears, on my wrists and in my hair -- this is one of my favorites in recent memory. Wish I had a second bottle!

[AmyAngel]

I was afraid this one would be too masculine for me, but it's really not. It's a little woody, a little oceany, and reminds me slightly of Luperci. In feel I find it kind of similar to Antonino, which is one of my favorites, though Frederic is a bit darker and less "sparkly" to me. I think this would smell great on a guy, but I'll wear it too. It's probably not going to be a huge favorite of mine, but I'll keep it around!

 

Edit 1-2-2015: So, I never really did wear this, and I remember on further tests thinking it was "too masculine", so it's been in the swap box unloved for a few years now. I don't know if it's aging or my chemistry changing, but today it's moving back into the bottle box to be worn in the spring. Wet, it's still pretty manly with the bay rum and woods, but the drydown is sweet tea rose with a bit of spice and salty air. I normally hate rose, but this is pretty. It kind of smells old fashioned, but without really smelling like old lady. Very much like a classic perfume, but nice and complex. I'll try a full day wear to see how it holds up, once it's not freezing outside anymore.

Edited January 3, 2015 by AmyAngel

[Teggy]

I have mixed feelings about Frederic. He may be one of my favorite roles to sing, but I prefer Doc Constantine to this.

 

I was worried that Frederic would be OMGCOLOGNE! but it's actually quite subtle. Not too much throw. Nothing headache-inducing. If anything, it's a little smoky on me and fairly soft. Definately a scent for a gentleman or for women who like more unisex blends. I'm not sure if I'm in love with it cause there's something almost rubbery about it (almost), but I definately don't hate it. This might be one of the few I keep simply for collection's sake.

[sfsassy]

"I'm running....in the woods......and I smell great!"

 

I love wood scents and is one is a keeper. Smells better on the skin than in the bottle.

[Czarina]

In the bottle: Aqua-Velva of Death (i.e. the chypre and bay rum combined to make cheap men's cologne).

Wet: hmm, not quite so bad. The wood notes begin to emerge, the aquatics are not being quite as aggressive.

Drydown: the currant and rose notes emerge on top of the woods. There is a mossy note somewhat reminiscent of Saturnalia.

 

I put this on at the beginning of a short car ride. When I got out of the car at my destination, Frederic smelled almost powdery (albeit a faintly smoky powder) when the fresh air hit it.

 

Amazing morpher, and very interesting. Worth additional sniffs for sure.

[gwynethr]

I'm not sure what to make of this one. I can't quite pick out any notes individually, even the patchouli, which is weird. It's a very seamless blend in that respect. I'd hoped that the wood notes and currant would beat out the rose and amber, but apparently not even the mighty patchouli can soften those up for me. Yet I don't dislike it.

 

Just maybe not what I was hoping it would be, or expected. I think it'll be a good one to let sit for a long while and come back to with some aging.

[strangemodegirl]

When I first put this on it had a really sharp, not so pleasant scent. I resisted the urge to wash it off, and boy, I am so glad. After about 5 minutes this just turned absolutely wonderful. The wood notes and the currant are so perfect together, and, this is another one with patchouli that actually works on me!

[bombus]

I smell like a boy wearing aftershave, it isn't bad it just isn't me.

[inurbanus]

Frederic was a risk that didn't work out. On me, it was a deep, weirdly dry patchouli mixed with cigarette ash. I wouldn't have minded if this smelled like aftershave or cologne, but even that didn't happen. I started to get a headache after about 30 minutes of wearing Frederic, which is very rare for me, so I think there was just something in this that did not agree with me.

 

2.5/5

[euterpe414]

Mmmmmmmm.... Frederic is a very delectably, spicy, smoky patchouli on me, and I can't get enough of it!! I love how the buy rum, rose and current mix with the patchouli to give it a spicy twist, while the chypre keeps it on the clean side, veering away from the 'dirty hippie' patchouli scent (which I love, also, btw). It is a very sophisticated scent that is quite unisex in my opinion- I'll be wearing this one a lot, that's for sure Try this one if you like El Amor y la Muerte & The Winter of Our Discontent- it's definitely in the same scent family as these two, but still quite a unique creation. Love it!!

[roseaeron]

Love this! Wet, it smelled like my grandfather's aftershave (I miss that smell so much sometimes). Now it is drying down into this sexy smoky bay rum. It does smell more masculine than feminine on me but I like that sometimes and today is one of those days. It is going to be all kinds of hot on my husband.

[savage_rose]

This is a very, very sexy masculine scent...the patchouli is perfectly tempered by the rum and woodsiness. There's an undercurrent of cologne, and a wry smile and a dry laugh. It's like being on the deck of an old ship with a fascinating man and just enough rum to ensure that things stay interesting. Mmmm!

[tartchef]

Woo! Smokey boozey patchouli... I can absolutely see where inurbanis got cigarette ash - there's a dry bitterness lurking at the edges, remeniscient of Death of Autumn. As it wears, there's a trace of aftershave, but not the masculine whallop I had feared. The rose & currant are nowhere to be found... Wow, this really is DoA's slightly more dandy cousin - smoky, bitter & black leafiness, with just a hint of powdery amber & sweet rum...

[lostluckkitten]

Much lighter-smelling than expected. Chypre (cologne-smell) and patchouli at the top, but very light and softened by something powdery and a little sweet. Powder is probably the amber, and the sweetness is probably rose. Nice. Don't know how often I'd wear it, but it doesn't suck. About 15 minutes in, the patch and chypre kick up again, and it's slightly ocean-smelling and citrus-y; then it goes back down again. The rose doesn't amp, it's just a sweet background note.

[Melle Mel]

Might be nice on a guy... or a dog.

 

Agree! On the dog part, at least. Frederic smells the way that my dogs did when they came home from the groomer's. Or the groomer's shop itself.

 

Frederic is not love.

[slave1]

FREDERIC

 

In Bottle: Dark and masculine

 

On Skin: The musk in this is dominant, and very, very masculine. The patchouli is second, and sadly it’s the type of patchouli that absolutely hates me. Very dirt like and pungent. The woods are deep and very dry and a bit cedar/cherry like. The tea rose is sharp and sour while the red currant offers a shot of red through an otherwise very dark brown in tone scent. The bay rum is sweet, but I think it’s more in the background, I wouldn’t call this a boozy scent at all, it’s more feral I think, if I had to label it. It is very much Pirate-esque and very much manly. I couldn’t ever imagine a woman wearing this. Overall, not my kind scent of all, but I like the meaning behinds it and it was fun to review. Strong throw and long wearlength.

[sookster]

this is my *fav* scent of all time from the lab!!!

 

ZomG...dark and mysterious and oh so sexy~~

 

this is a johnny depp scent if there ever was one...

salt and patchouli are predominant followed by the

tang of bay rum and chypre...

 

if sweeney todd had smell-o-vision this would reek of it in the best way possible !!!