I don't really have the energy to make this quite as entertaining as my Alt Innsbruck post, so I'll take a more direct path in sharing my thoughts.
I wrestled with the idea of even trying this stuff for a while. I mean, honestly - if it's so distinctly polarizing, why would I even bother? Philosophically, it just doesn't make sense. One of the things I look for in an aftershave is a great scent. If I know this to be true about myself, and I know that Lilac Vegetal is both strongly scented and uniquely divisive, it doesn't make much sense to bother with it.
But it beckons. Something about the legend, or hoping that your own essence - when magnified - will be more like cannon smoke and raw courage than the involuntary bodily reaction to the unexpected appearance thereof. So, I ordered a few samples from Pinaud, and decided to give the Veg its due.
1. The plastic bottle does it no favors. In fact, great disservice. Yet, even out of the plastic, the scent eventually settles. Do not pass judgement on Lilac Vegetal by taking a whiff from the plastic bottle, or even for the first few minutes you wear it. Consequently, decanting to glass makes a big difference in initial impact.
2. Above notwithstanding, this is still a polarizing scent. You may not like it. In fact, my guess is that you won't simply dislike it. If you don't love it, you probably hate it.
3. There is a fairly potent alcohol burn, particularly punishing of poor technique. It's no Alt Innsbruck in this department, but it's strong.
4. It is very, very effective in terms of soothing and toning. I gotta tell you, my skin feels fantastic.
5. You don't wear the Veg to get courage; you were it when you feel courageous. You don't wear it when you wake up feeling like Commodus; you wear it when you wake up feeling like Maximus. And you will have your vengeance.
Closing Thoughts: I'm in the cannon smoke and raw courage camp, gents. This is the stuff of legends. However, I can clearly see how a man could find the scent utterly repugnant. I'm only 28, but 5 years ago, I probably would have been right there with him.
I wrestled with the idea of even trying this stuff for a while. I mean, honestly - if it's so distinctly polarizing, why would I even bother? Philosophically, it just doesn't make sense. One of the things I look for in an aftershave is a great scent. If I know this to be true about myself, and I know that Lilac Vegetal is both strongly scented and uniquely divisive, it doesn't make much sense to bother with it.
But it beckons. Something about the legend, or hoping that your own essence - when magnified - will be more like cannon smoke and raw courage than the involuntary bodily reaction to the unexpected appearance thereof. So, I ordered a few samples from Pinaud, and decided to give the Veg its due.
1. The plastic bottle does it no favors. In fact, great disservice. Yet, even out of the plastic, the scent eventually settles. Do not pass judgement on Lilac Vegetal by taking a whiff from the plastic bottle, or even for the first few minutes you wear it. Consequently, decanting to glass makes a big difference in initial impact.
2. Above notwithstanding, this is still a polarizing scent. You may not like it. In fact, my guess is that you won't simply dislike it. If you don't love it, you probably hate it.
3. There is a fairly potent alcohol burn, particularly punishing of poor technique. It's no Alt Innsbruck in this department, but it's strong.
4. It is very, very effective in terms of soothing and toning. I gotta tell you, my skin feels fantastic.
5. You don't wear the Veg to get courage; you were it when you feel courageous. You don't wear it when you wake up feeling like Commodus; you wear it when you wake up feeling like Maximus. And you will have your vengeance.
Closing Thoughts: I'm in the cannon smoke and raw courage camp, gents. This is the stuff of legends. However, I can clearly see how a man could find the scent utterly repugnant. I'm only 28, but 5 years ago, I probably would have been right there with him.