Cabotine De Gres

Not my photo, but an uncredited one from the Internet.

 

I bought a bottle of Cabotine on a whim, knowing nothing more than I used to like Cabochard. The bottle is lovely (I also bought Cabotine Rose at the same time, so they make an attractive pair on my perfume tray) and the initial whiff I got taking it out of the box (tearing into it in the parked car like a damn junkie) was nice. A Nice, green floral. Mind, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a perfume sending a message of nice, but given the smack-you-in-the-head effect of other Gres scents, I was a little underwhelmed.

This morning, I gave it a proper spray. My initial reaction was that it reminded me a bit of our housekeeper who always smelled like a combination of hair pomade, black coffee, and Lysol disinfectant. Which isn't necessarily bad-you could smell worse, for sure. As it dried, I could detect coriander, and Palmolive soap. Still, I wouldn't say I disliked it, just that it was ticking so many things I wouldn't associate with a perfume I'd wear. Palmolive blended into Irish Spring, and something fruity, and a while later that synthetic civet smell. And more Lysol. It smells very, very clean except when it smells like synthetic civet, and then it smells like a chemical reproduction of something extracted from the glands of a small cat. Meow.

I know, I should hate it-but I don't. Frankly, I'm not sure what to make of it. For the price range (El-Cheap-O) it is quite good, in a green, antiseptic way. Like you just took a bath, with Lysol, Palmolive, and Irish Spring. Then, Ella Mae did up your hair with her old lady pomade. And made you a cup of black coffee. There's other whiffs of florals in there, but they're subtle and lost in all that green. I like a good green perfume (Guerlain Vetiver, Innisfree, Aliage) but I can't help but feel like this one is going off somewhere it hasn't quite arrived at. Do you ever smell something, and think...almost? There's so much perfume in the world that I love, it seems a waste of my time wearing something that is at best, almost. What's missing? No idea, this is a fragrance that feels all over the place to me, and I don't really need to go to any of those places as I've already been.

All of that said, this is a nice enough green floral, and it would be perfect for someone uncomfortable with heavy fragrances. It starts strong (you may wish to spray it away from others) but mellows pretty quickly. I did not find it long lasting on my skin, but then for less than $10.00 I wasn't expecting much.  There is an odd greenness to it that barely reminds me of the smell of tomato plants before they fruit, that is, the stalks. There's a whiff of fruit, but it is all very bright. I wonder if Cabotine would appeal to avid gardeners?

Have you tried Cabotine? Does it remind you of soap and cleaning products? Tomato vines, perhaps?