Monday, October 20, 2008

Cartier - Roadster

Roadster is the first male fragrance from Cartier in almost a decade and like the earlier Santos and Pasha it takes its name from one of their prestige watch collections.

Many adjectives could be used of this new scent, but ingratiating is definitely not one of them. It is rare to sample something this austere nowadays from large, mainstream fragrance makers. Roadster is simply put a demanding fragrance.

A
fter a harsh beginning with strong notes of vetiver and herbs, we are treated to a consistent cedar wood so dry it's on the verge of self igniting. This paired with a burly mint note makes for a macho aura with a heavy, smoky presence.

Unfortunately it doesn't develop very much from there and instead of a modern and nice update of old 80´s classics, like the excellent Narcisso Rodriguez For Him, it comes across as a bit flat and one dimensional. Kudos to Cartier though for releasing something this far from politically correct. Maybe it will appeal to some. Also, the flacon is original and well made with nicely incorporated design references to the range of exclusive time pieces.

Year of Launch:
2008
Gender Classification: Masculine
Reminiscent of: Lagerfeld Man, Gucci Pour Homme
Longevity & Sillage: Good output, above average longevity
Overall Rating: 5/10

2 comments:

Parfum said...

I am very excited to try this one actually, as the name first turned me off but more and more reviews like yours are starting to make me anxious to try it. I am one for challenging fragrances!

MonkeyManMatt said...

Hey!
Try it, you might like it. It´s really not a bad fragrance but it did not work well with my skin and reminded me way too much of Lagerfeld Man, which I grew tired of years ago.

/mattias