Grandenia by Areej Le Dore

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[fragrance-review]

Old-school citrus, Antiquity style, with a mix of florals behind it in the opening. The Areej stamp is all there: making this a familiar projector that fans of the house will know.

Where Antiquity worked wonders for me, this doesn’t. The ingredients just aren’t blending. I could see that as this sits on the shelf a bit, the florals will meld into it. But I buy aged cigars because the makers sit on them until they’re ready to be delivered and enjoyed right away. I think if he let this age, it would be something special, but right now, for me, it doesn’t come together. I sat on this review a month now, but it is still the same after wearing this atrocity again. It’s just an idea that fails in execution. It needs more time in the lab. Ingredients need texture and bridges. I want some more layers. The gardenia is not popping in this; it literally bounces the top notes off like a dribble rather than a marriage, a composition of grace. I got my hands on some of the best gardenia oil recently, and I know what it can be when it is allowed to shine. With Areej, you usually get more, something indolic, but Grandenia does not deliver that change-up that I have come to expect from Areej Le Dore. If I am wrong, I will report back. But we will see how this ages. But this is only my opinion. 

As it sits, it becomes a lively lemon with florals. Honestly, there is too much powder projecting, and it gets in the way of the experience. It is a tab buttery with sandalwood in the sillage.

[/fragrance-review]

65 comments

  1. First time we clash on this man, I missed out on santal galore but I got the other 2 I loved which were musk lave and Grandenia. I love this, maybe it’s because it’s very different from anything else I own as it probably the most feminine leaning scent I have but different opinions are what make the world go round so all good ????????

    1. Well said. Of course I want to like it. I really think this is a case of having Antiquity. I'm sure it frustrates RA as the super rare ingredients in that can only make a batch that is small. This can produce batches that are over ten time bigger, but the price is nearly identical. If I didn't have Antiquity I think I would appreciate this a lot more. It really feels lacking to my nose.

    2. @Therapeutic Fragrance one worth trying if you haven’t already is Saringkarn from Prissana, it’s what I imagine antiquity to smell like, florals with Oud upfront with a great animalic drydown, ????????

  2. Sounds like you had a very different experience than me on your skin. Of the three that I’ve tried from 6th collection (this, CdR, AdN), this had the development that interested me the most. I got that strong vintage bergamot accord on the top slowly melting into the indolic and powdery floral notes, then a very nice dark patchouli that lasts for ages before an oud element creeps in at the end of the day. I’m not going to buy a bottle of it, but it was the best of the three to my nose. Different strokes for different folks and all that…. Keep the videos coming! Really enjoy the stuff with Abdullah. Take care

    1. Hey Peter yes we are all different. The development when smelling close to skin was there, but in the silage and going about my day it really was just a huge powder bomb to me. Yes definitely the citrus at the top. The scent bubble was way to clawing for me.

  3. I think you and I finally disagree on something! Haha. Out of the sixth collection, this one and Agar de Noir were my favorites. I get a lot of saffron, myrrh, and a little ambergris with a smoky oud underneath it all. The spices are a little balanced against white florals, and there is a piercing hit of citrus in the top, but that part is pretty short lived.

    1. Had to happen sometime????. Call this a case of smelling to much stuff. Not that I'm right it's just I like my powders.contrasted a lot. A big reason I like Auphorie so much, which says a lot because the owners are kind of jerks, but they make great frags, especially contrasting powder and other materials. Love how powder was used in Agar de Noir and I totally see you liking that as well. We need these different opinions in fragcomm✌️

  4. Easily my least favorite Areej I've ever tried. Though only tried 6 of them lol. Also I had about 6 people smell this and the consensus was it smells like a Grandma in church. And it was the strongest of the collection. Huuuuge scent cloud.. but of the kind of unpleasant kind. Presentation is absolutely gorgeous though

  5. Not that I didn't value or respect your opinion before. But this video absolutely cements my appreciation and respect for your opinion and your channel and your expertise. Honesty trumps all and this was so refreshing… Thank you for the awesome content Brandon ✌️

    1. Thanks brother. As I have grown I am slower and more careful with these. I have found my words actually have weight. So many of these I am sitting on but want to make sure it's for the best of all. In this case I give to much attention to Areej not to address the stuff I don't like.

  6. I have tested this on paper and it seems well balanced and well mannered (despite the powder notes threatening to go the talcum powder route but never crossing that line for me). Will need to test on skin to see if it works as well as it did on paper. This review is interesting because it tells me a lot about your preferences ????

    1. Would love to hear your critique against Antiquity. Also I think you know me by now that I don't agree with anything on paper only, LOL. Skin is a must. This is where my critique is fully from the projection bubble it creates it overly dominant of powder. I have learned to love powdered fragrance particularly the work Auphorie does. And Russian Adam to that point in Agar De Noir and Antiquity.

    2. @Therapeutic Fragrance For me, paper testing is important because a fair bit of perfume smells better to my nose on fabric then on my own skin, such is the state of skin interaction. Of course changing scents on fabric is a nightmare as the aroma molecules cling to fabric till no end ????

    3. I agree 100 if I tested on paper only I would like so many more fragrances that just spoil with skin chemistry. Aroma chemicals more than naturals react with the skin like nothing else. That is why all these amateur perfumers popping up are lacking this knowledge. There is absolutely no public teaching on this. If you remember some of my first reviews this is all I talked about. To this day all these fragrances being rushed by self taught people have no clue about this. I keep my mouth shut now because I don't want to ruin there brands. In this case I will not hurt Areej at all and is only fair to how much I have applauded most things from the house.

  7. Another display of how fragrances can be perceived so differently, and the effect skin chemistry can have. What was a powder bomb for you was a citrus bomb for me. This aged citruses screamed off my skin for quite a while before drying down floral, herbal, resinous and woody. While not my favorite of the new collection (Musk Lave holds that spot), this one was the biggest surprise.

  8. Same, Brandon. Grandenia was the one I was most looking forward to (due to notes), but was least into when I got the sample set. I guess there was a lot of buildup in my mind. I'm glad some folks are digging it.

    1. Yeah Joshua his early floral work in Indolis I'm waiting for him to return on. Thought this one had a chance for people to see such a unique perfume. It wasn't well received when it was released, but now you can see when people post they really understand the complexity in the fragrance. I hope stuff like that makes it's way back in the future.

  9. Love the honest opinion and breakdown and that is fine and exactly how each and every one of should react to fragrances that well don’t hit a cord with us there are of course so many frags that are honestly loved and hated right across this whole community for me I did happen to buy the complete 6th collection and I do enjoy each offering on different levels according to their individual merits I do not love any of them in fact I have a nice broad range of fragrances from big niche to big designers and I again enjoy most of them but do I love any of them ? No and here’s the thing in kinda glad I don’t have a one fragrance that rules them all , I think if I did then for me game over it’s like I Dante have a best friend I do have lots of pals and buddies and like us all need the variety that this offers so my long winded point come to an end and it’s like I love the sampling and discovery of perfume and the different fragrances for different moods and occasions don’t ever want to loose that feeling for me the grail is not a trophy to finally get my hands on but rather it is the journey an a continuous one to enjoy an savor for as long as I can.cheers B just waiting for some offerings from Abdullah right now,the journey continues.????????????????????

    1. Thanks Bren appreciate the great comment. Stuff like this keeps me going. The Abdullah stuff is great so different but important part of the journey. Were you one of the few that got lucky enough for Oceanus?

    2. @Therapeutic Fragrance no B didn’t get to site in time but chose 4 on my own bat the notes were all up my street actually Abdullah contacted me today and shipped them off should have them in couple of days great stuff oh and only musk kabib to come then I’m going cold turkey till 2021 lol god bless and keep keeping it real brother lynch out????????????????

  10. The citrus to me smells like Lemon Pledge. It also does not behave like a top note. For me it is prominent into the dry down, when it finally chills out into a sandlewood lemon custard. The transition into something palatable takes far too long at this stage in maturation and becomes a skin scent at its most pleasant. The lack of indole is a real bummer to me. As it is a driving force in the smell of a gardenia. When I was a kid back in Louisiana we had gardenia in our yard. The memory is a vivid white indole, it is creamy and heavy. It is what I find brilliant about Inverno Russo. The artistry of using gardenia to evoke the image of snow blanketing a silent siberian forest in the dead of winter is a powerful example of how the mind can create color out of smell. Grandenia on the other hand, smells like a chemical yellow sprayed on a varnished wood table.

  11. Yeah I've heard the most about this one for sure. Its one of the 4 I plan on sampling. I had planned on going bonkers buying perfumes this weekend but 2020 got in the way unfortunately ????

    1. Yup! It's going to have to be quite the sale to get me to buy. I actually just paid up for a very special batch that I ordered back in September. The timing sucks and I still won't see it until the end of the year. But have a feeling it will be worth it.

  12. Awesome note listing. Superb review Brandon. Nice contrast with the espresso and sharp greens. I'm picturing in my mind a 30-ish gentleman with a thin moustache, dressed in a beige tweed suit, bowtie and bowler hat, sitting on a spindly chair in the middle of a dense pacific northwest forest sipping espresso in a tiny cup. ???? Doesn't have a smile, but instead, a look of sudden dawning comprehension, as if he's just worked something out in the surrounding gloom. The "heart of darkness" suggests that in reality, he's a corporate supervillian from the 30s. ???? Curtain.

    1. Brady it all depends on which ones. some I will only wear one spray to the neck. Others when I choose to wear I go crazy just to be basked in it. Most common is three sprays. One each wrist and one to the neck chest area.

  13. Amazing idea of pairing reviews with Black Friday sales. Heart of darkness from Providence is my favorite from this brand. I own a full bottle and contemplating a back-up.
    As I had mentioned in my post when you sampled the entire line; Heart of Darkness is a damp, rich forest bed made of lush and resinous greens and delicious dark chocolate, drizzled with masterly roasted coffee bean oil. Happy Thanksgiving

  14. Hi B oh nice I heard the note cedar moss mentioned,boom that’s a magical scent.its my go to note it’s little used in most offerings but it’s the one found in Francesca Bianchi dna plus Pheromone for man by La Via del Profumo to my my nose and thanks to Abdullah who sent me a sample of his attar Cedarmoss I finally could put a name on my obsessional smell oh course a bottle is winging its way from Abdullah as we speak.Always a pleasure my friend be safe be blessed Lynch out????????????????

    1. Nice info on Cedarmoss with FB. Did not actually know that. This has it quite strong might be up your alley. Very nice buy from La Via del Profumo don't think I can sample that one with the distributor in the states. Thinking I would of remembered it. Going to look right after this:)

    2. @Therapeutic Fragrance yeah B it’s got to be cedar Moss the common denominator got stuff from Abdullah today and cedar Moss was one of them so I really think it’s the common note.being sniffing a lot of stuff this week beginning to notice things now but I’m still a newbie the journey continues new awakenings every step of the way. Be safe B.????????????????

  15. I missed out on Santal. I just discovered this house.. I bought Grandenia and I was all set to hate it. But ugghhh I love it. But it’s the first perfume I have ever smelt from this house. Yeah I fall in love more every day with Grandenia. I don’t want all that u mention. I don’t want it dirtier. I like it the way it is. But hey everyone is entitled to their opinion

    1. Hello Elisabeth. Thanks for this comment. Let me start off by saying any Areej Le Dore is beautiful. I am coming from smelling all of them and don't mean to be over critical but I am comparing against all of his work. If I owned no Areej at all I would by a full bottle of this in a heart beat. It stands out above so many other perfumes. When I smell Grandenia I am comparing against Antiquity, Plumeria de Orris, and Russian Adams other floral works. I still scored it high, but my contention is against what I already own from him. Hope this makes a little sense.

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