And then there were FOUR...

Posted by JBS1 on 7th Feb 2017

So how do you write on something when it seems everything has been covered? So what distinguishes Suede et Safran from TL, AL and PdM's G, to make for a spot at the title. Let's go with the ambrette seed. When I first applied this, I noticed there was a sheen on my skin. That could be from the oils from the seed. I also noticed there was a wonderful smoothness right after the first few seconds of application. About a half an hour in, a slight musk appeared. All of these can be attributed to the source of the seeds. Let's then take a look at the saffron. It's there right from the start, but it is never harsh. It does tone down in the middle, but then reappears in the end for a very lovely sweet, soft, saffron. The ginger once every so often shows its colors, but never overexerts itself. The suede is soft and well loved, and that's from start to finish. Nearing the mid- and end stages, a mingling leather matches nicely with the suede. The musk is more noticeable up close. The initial spray fills the room. One hour out, I can notice it six to eight inches away from my hand. Three hours out, and it's about three inches. All in all, I get decent performance for 8 to 10 hours, after which you are left with a sweet saffron suede. This is what I didn't like about it. With AL, it's thin in nature, and because of this, its components seem short lived. Not that it doesn't last, it's just that the quality drops in about three hours. It has been said that AL is watery. I would agree with that, along with the complaints about it's harshness. Nishane's SeS carries its rich, smooth character all the way through. Some people have a hard time with TL's harshness in the first hour; this isn't present in SeS. PdM's leather is nice in its sparkling aspect, but it has more of a floral redundancy that makes it lighter in character. I don't think that Nishane's Suede et Safran should be looked upon as just a possible replacement, but rather a contender, for there are enough quality aspects to it to make it a possible top pick in your collection. So my suggestion is that you give this one a really good sampling. You'll be glad you did.