Dzongkha L Artisan Parfumeur for women and men

@id (previous poster) laments absence of iris notes in Dzongkha. How fascinating it is that (presumably) the same fragrance is so different to two people! All I can smell is overwhelming iris.

Dzongkha opens with a blast of just two notes: cedar drenched in iris. I assume iris and cedar notes are cheap to replicate because they seem to appear everywhere in contemporary fragrances. Cedar I can tolerate although smelling like a school pencil, even a freshly-sharpened pencil, is of limited appeal to me. Iris I loathe. It evokes such a strong revulsion that it is literally nauseating. Iris, to me, smells like putrefaction. I shudder, just shudder.

After some time in purgatory while the iris burns off my skin, I arrive at a place which is quite nice but rather faint - too faint to be a full-blown heaven so maybe a kind of limbo? This burn-down is so well-blended I cannot readily name individual notes but I think I sense a flowery sweetness like wild flower honey, some smoky oiliness which could be dark-roasted coffee, a bit of frankincense, and citrusy crushed cardamum seeds. This is good but if I lift my nose a few centimetres from my skin I can smell nothing, nothing.

Wealthy British aristocrats used to hire others to wear their shoes for the first few weeks to 'wear them in' and they would only wear the shoes after they have been softened to perfect comfort. Allegedly, this is still the case for the British royal family. I would like to be able to hire someone to wear the first hour of Dzongkha for me and I would be mildly happy to wear it after that.

I blind-bought Dzongkha because in reviews it was likened to Timbuktu (which I love). Alas it does not smell very much like Timbuktu. If I can tough out the first hour of reeking iris then something very interesting appears which I like but because it is so faint when it appears it is not rewarding enough to make me want to wear this often. If I could remove the iris and then turn up the volume on all the other notes, I think I would love this as much as Timbuktu.

I've expected something different from the notes I see listed. I feel spices, incense, leather and vetiver. But where is the note of iris that I love? Still nice (even I wouldn't buy a full bottle), lasts about 6 hours and sits close to the skin. I highly recommend to test before buying.

Like all L'Artisans on my skin, this one was an hour of something interesting and wonderful that quickly faded into nothingness.

So I'll review the first hour--this went on my skin smelling like rain on a summer sidewalk. It smelled both cool and hot at the same time. I could almost see the steam from the rain rising up off the sidewalk and the hoods of cars--giving some relief to a hot and humid summer's day.

I wish this one would have lasted longer. L'Artisans always depress me with their genius, interesting scents that don't last.

I just had my first full wearing with Dzonghka and these are just my first impressions.

Welcome to scandinavian health care. Beginning smells like a finnish hospital. Maybe it's something that they use to disinfect everything.

Then it's already a lunch hour in hospital. Today they are serving minced meat soup.

I don't qet all those notes said hear. Mostly just incense and iris. I find Dzonghka quite hard to wear in the beginning. First impression is sweetened cardboard, but after a while it gets too flowery and feminine for my taste.

After first hours Dzonghka gets more mellow and I like it a lot. It still has some weird medical wibe, but it starts to feel more spiritual and unisex.

Dzonghka plays same game as Timbuktu, but only in lower league. Passage d'Enfer is a another player in this incense lite genre. I can see some resemblance with L'Eau de froide by Serge Lutens too, but I prefer L'Artisan.

7/10

A beautiful rendering of a spicy vetiver for me, and original too. The peony and iris really make it a soft and round scent (but not sweet!), this brings a nice contrast with the sharpness and dryness of most of the other notes (incense, cardamom and vetiver on top, plus something else I can't quite define which I guess is the papyrus). A tad too feminine to be unisex maybe, but still elegant and mysterious.

I like it! Is like been in a Nepali monastery, smelling the wood, incense and peace from the best of the budism! More for a man than a woman, be prepare to impress everybody with this charismatic fragance

I tried this today and kept thinking I know this fragrance, it is so familiar. It is exactly like a vintage, but what is it? Then it hit me, it's like the opening of Je Reviens, except it never really goes to the soft feathery drydown that the original Je Reviens had. I am not a fan of this. There are many other superior niche fragrances out there.

As a child, we used to vacation in the Catskill Mountains.... This scent brings me back to those mornings, the ponds, the outdoors, with a heavy spicy opening..... Uniquely sharp, then followed by powdery iris. Could be an intriguing men's scent for sure.....

Beautiful Fragrance, which seem to last a good time - the opening is extremely unique , it is indeed quite complex and beautiful - I'll give it 8/10 the only dislike is it reminds a little bit of Terre D'Hermes (although much much better) and i get a little bit of "indian rose water vibe" just a tad - but its not going to stop me from buying this beauty.

Unlike other reviewers i get very little leather in this fragrance (as opposed to the note pyramid), i smell loads of indian cardamom (squashed) with spices and incense which seems to be infused with a good quality rose-water like substance with just a hint of smoke, but :
This is not a smokey incense affair, Imagine entering a Himalayan Temple a few hours after the rituals are over (everyone has left but you sitting there alone and basking in its charm in solitude but still surrounded by the ceremonial chaos which just preceded you)

Well done Bertrand Duchafour!

Woof. Really great. Starts out hyper-realistic pines in the mountains and then gets weird when that fades and you can smell the iris, and the singing pines become sort of strangled by creaminess...it is slightly suggestive of food. Maybe very aromatic herbs that one isn't familiar with. As with Timbuktu, as nice as it is, it does remind of a New Age type of gift shop.

Smelling unusual enough fragrance!

Most of all I feel the papyrus, leather and vetiver notes in it. It smells rather delicate than intensive. It's even a little bit dry and strict in its dry-down. And it's not sweet.

I like it! Especially, I like that the notes pyramid is unusual enough. I really like when noses behind the fragrances use their imagination and create something unique and not typical. Unfortunately, nowadays there are too many perfumes and many of them smell simple enough and even remind other fragrances in general or by some notes combinations, and people who create them have no shame to call themselves "noses", too, making the obvious plagiarism and talentless creations. I guess that such kind of creators and brands that launch them love money much more than good reputation. There are not so many notes, but after sniffing many nowadays fragrances, it seems that there are enough notes and some creators just have no imagination or even talent to mix them and to create something unusual. I'm glad that this fragrance is not like those fragrances, it's complex and quite unique. I respect much more such kind of fragrances.

Really good fragrance! The idea of it is really interesting.

Oh dear, from the notes I expected to love this, but what I get out of it is

a) A general olfactory impression of expensive private hospital. Not completely repulsive, but not particularly inviting, either. Oh, I can smell that lunch trolley in the hall, too, celery soup with bland spices...

b) The worst iris note ever. If you want to smell like wilted grated carrots, go for it.

Not just celery, but cooked celery. An odd little fume, i almost like it, but just can't do it. I like the sound of Duchaufour's fragrances, but I have yet to find one that I like on me. Considering he is responsible for at least 23 different perfumes in the last 16 months, I am sure there is something of his out there for me . . . Seriously, 23 in 2011-2012( it is now May)

celery! yes, that is it exactly.
and not that it's a bad scent, but if I was going to pick a garden scent to go with, my preference would be tomato vine.
Waiting for the miraculous dry down on this one...it's taking it's time. Still celery, baby powder, spice cabinet going headache strong 1/2 hour in (which is incredibly rare on my hot, oily skin) So, lasting power is phenomenal.
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...just weird. Perfume Court, where I bought this in a sampler of Milk Notes, has it listed as containing: spices, incense, tea and milk. Spices, sure, as long as celery salt is the main spice, the rest?
This is such a funky scent. I'm sure it's someone's hg. For me though it's going in the recycle to friends pile- a little too 'comfort soup' smelling to wear and feel sexy.

I too ordered this from the L’Artisan half price sale and then I read the review below that described it smelling like tomato soup and chili powder. When the perfume arrived I spritzed and did think it smelled very foodie, like smoked paprika, and I was disappointed. Then later that evening I read the positive review in The Guide and then another one on Now Smell This and both of those reviews focused on the iris. So, the next day I decided to give Dzong a second chance and this time focus on the iris. It worked, on my second wearing all I smelled was smokey iris and I like it much better. I sprayed some on my mother this weekend and walked around with her and she smelled divine really.

This has taught me that maybe it’s not a good idea to read reviews before purchasing because the power of persuasion is really powerful. You read all these other people’s opinions and it is impossible to not let it shape your own. I love reading perfumes reviews but I may try to hold off until I’ve formed my own opinion first.

My review of this scent is that, it starts off very sharp and clean slightly incensy giving you the impression its going to be a Timbuktu second part. But no wait it dries down to chili powder and tomato soup on skin. I have to agree with Sweetandspicy's review on this, it does become vegetal in the drydown and freshly chopped pepper. Now the scent's note line up may not be telling you about the freshly chopped pepper or chilli but believe me when i tell you i do cook alot and use alot of indian spices so i know what im smelling here. My advise is dont be fooled by the clean semi incense opening, that i'm afraid does not last longer than an hour at most before you become a walking pepper salad thats been in the chiller.
I find the chilli scent stays on skin for a very long time sorry not my style but i can see there's quite a following by others just my opinion. sillage is good and lasts typically 6-8 houurs on skin and the chopped pepper part can stay till next morning.



Scent 7.5/10

It's spicy, but not hot spicy as in Opium, but dry.
Not a hint of sweetness...
It reminds me of Baiser du Dragon Cartier.
Will be good in hot summer day, probably...

Strong,sharp,shocking opening to this fragrance.been looking forward to wearing this for some time but my reaction to doing so is repulsion.the herbs cum spices combination makes this hard for me to enjoy.

I have no idea where and when to wear this one.And there's an ambivalence to this for me:it's listed as unisex and yes, I can see women with balls-and yes,there are a few in my enclave-pulling this off.the top notes give you the impression,only men should dare but then as it dies down time it reveals a softness that makes you think it's not suited for a man but more for a woman so I guess it's up to the disposition of the wearer.I think given the overall appeal it will be more suited to an older woman.Grannies should find this appealing.Youngsters will be repelled so will make for some uniqueness.

It's very long lasting,linear and can induce headaches easily when over-applied and when worn in the wrong season.yes,the incense and spices do mellow with time but still remain the bitter focus of this mix.

Will never recommend this to be bought blind.try first and braze yourself for an olfactory overload.

I always love challenges and will wear a fragrance for a long time to get used to it and with time love it.this one will be an exception.Thank you L'Artisan but no,thanks.

Pardon my language, but I'm PISSED that I bought this blindly. What's all this talk about incense, cardamom, etc.? It starts out smelling like rubber, then becomes woody like the scent of water-logged birch and spicy like a habanero pepper; then it dries down into something zesty and vegetal that is identical to a bar of Burt's Bees tomato soap mixed with a little Irish Spring.

I hate this perfume. One of the worst I've tried in a long time, and definitely the worst blind purchase I've ever made.

Strangely, the first thing my nose gets immediately after spraying is iris. So lovely, sweet and delicious that I exclaimed "oh my god, it's so good! this is mom's fragrance of my childhood!". Then it changes: it becomes dry after about ten minutes and the cardamom takes over and makes it completely different, spicy, delicate spice, crispy. I love it! I kept on sniffing my wrists, and all of a sudden all I could smell was peppercorn, and after a while I was in the mood for a nice delicate curry. And I am not even so much in love with curry. So I find this is a very well developed, interesting, dry fragrance.

My cat Wabi LOVES this. Usually cats recoil from perfume but she even reached up and grabbed my hand so she could smell my wrist again. Not sure why! I don't like it as much as she does--it's a bit too sweet for me. I definitely get incense and cardamom--kind of like sweetened chai tea. Cardamom is used a lot in Indian sweets and I find it overwhelming and a little sickening. To me Dzongkha is provocative, intriguing, but a little overwhelming. Kind of like going into a Hindu temple--fascinating, but I'm kind of eager to get away after a little while. I wouldn't wear this but I am glad I tried it. I'd probably like a candle or home scent like this, in small doses.

Many other reviewers have described this much better than I can, but I don't smell "notes" when I wear Dzongkha, but I immediately get the mental picture of a temple with burning incense in smooth river stones. Not for the faint-nosed or for the unadventurous 'fume lover. I don't know if I would purchase it again since L'Artisan is a very pricey brand and I would love to try their other scents.

I just tried this today and it smells like the most beautiful Thai green curry. Normally I'm not too much for iris scents, but it has been used just right here. I agree with the 'velvety' statement. Wonderful stuff and completely unlike my usual favourites. I will have to test it properly at a later time.

Smoky, enticing, and amazingly long-lasting - those are the keywords to describe Dzongkha. Even though it's listed as unisex, I grudgingly admit this is more of a masculine fragance. Nevertheless - or, fortunately? - that's the kind of perfume that suit me best, and it really is amazing each and every time I wear it.

I recently returned from Bhutan. Dzongha is their national language. I compliment the makers of this perfume, because it really does smell like the characteristic Buddhist temples high in the Himalayas of Bhutan. I love this scent; it is my everyday favourite. It lasts forever on my skin but radiates only slightly, so I can enjoy it without overwhelming those around me (which can be a problem with some spicy fragrances). For me it has a very soft element which I find very feminine (probably it is the woody element - I also love Chanel's Bois des Iles). It's certainly not for the "flowery" girl, but I would not relegate it to men only. It's classified as a unisex. I feel it's very appropriate for the professional woman who wants to be taken seriously.

This one opens up with rich spices, accompanied by a faint/velvety tone of orris mixed with a hint of vetiver. Amazing!

Trough time, the velvety aspect tones down and the spicy combo becomes even more prominent, now combined with leather and a hint of incense.

Anyway, a very good scent that truly captures the Buddhist temples aura with a good longevity and projection.

I cannot get over the blast of celery in the opening that permeates throughout the scent's entire journey and hangs on until the end of the line with an iron grip.

I stumbled across a Wikipedia article that said:

"Dzongkha, occasionally Ngalopkha, is the national language of Bhutan.[1] The word "dzongkha" means the language (kha) spoken in the dzong, – dzong being the fortress-like monasteries established throughout Bhutan by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century."

Bhutan is a country in the Himalayas that borders India and China. I had wondered where the word "Dzongkha" came from, and now I know!

Dzongkha is not only the smell, it is a complete landscape.
It is a crystal clear, cool mountain air, which weaves in a subtle, herbal smoke, from a tiny fire, over which in a sooty pot an aromatic tea is brewing. Complemented with the smell of ashes, warm stones, and the aroma of peony, iris and sparkling drop of dew on the spider's web.
Lungs greedily catch every breath of lucidly clear air.
Silence, broken only by the beating of the heart, filled with happiness ....

Absolut fragrance.
Olfactory recollection of the next life.

Mnaonfrag, Dzongkha is far from a hospital smell. It's sharp, yes, but the herbs and incense and spices make it really pleasant to wear. You will be heard and smelt when wearing Dzongkha. To me, it was a joy to be introduced to this scent. Unisex? Absolutely.

I was SO looking forward to this after reading the reviews, and the 4-star rating from Luca Turin. It started off beautifully - incense, leather, smoke - but was gone in five minutes. I used the rest of the sample up trying to get it to stay, but it didn't. Very disappointing.

Started out as peppery sage with a hint of tobacco and a tiny sweet something in the background. Dried down to white pepper over freshly crushed nettles! Lots and lots of freshly crushed nettles..
Kind of feel like I've gone to nettle crushing garden-war.
Lasts and lasts on my skin.
For reference I get the same crushed nettles and sage feel from Bois d'Ombrie, but in Bois it is mixed in with sharp blackcurrant skins.

I agree with some of the reviewers here that this scent is better suited for a man.

It goes on woodsy and spicy, with absolutly no florals that I can detect. When it dries down its a very dry, slightly bitter sandalwood scent, although sandalwood doesnt seem to appear in the notes.

Very linear. Wears close to the skin.

I do find it has a peaceful feeling to it. Wood scents are very zen to me. I will use and enjoy my sample.

gave it to my husband immediately, not a woman's perfume..but a unique one for a man..very sharp and does not get smooth by time, spices and incense, I don't get the leather much..assertive but different..longevity is not so good

What happens when you mix leather, incense, and oil-soluble spices such as cardamom, along with a few assorted woody elements and flower petals? Answer: L'Artisan Parfumeur DZONGKHA, a thick, warm, and heavy composition with excellent longevity and good sillage.

In this contest of strong notes, leather does not win, as I might have predicted. Instead, I find that the incense really dominates DZONGKHA, but the leather combined with the incense mingle with wood and cardamom in the drydown, leaving little room for anything else. The tea, peony and iris do not manage to break through as self-assertive notes, at least not to my nose, but perhaps they temper the mix a bit.

DZONGKHA offers a subtler presentation of leather, somewhat ironically tempered by a very dark incense note, but both abide throughout the life of this scent, resting upon cedar in the end. Even in the edt concentration, this heady mix hits me not as a fragrance but as a perfume. I recommend DZONGKHA to oriental lovers for wintertime wear.

I have sampled many after shave/eau de toilette versions of most major brands - spraying a good amount in the hand and splashing on the face. Wrong. This fragrance was completely overwhelming. It felt like having my head stuck in an olifactory cloud. I couldn´t wait to get home and wash it off my face. A month later, something got me to try it again. This time I applied it sparingly...and absolutely fell in love with it. Wow!

Woody scents are so grounding and soothing. This one is perfect for that purpose, however, I dont find this perfume to be a versatile one. All the other notes get dominated by the wood and spicy notes. The olfactory description is perfect:Woody Spicy. And thats exactly what I get. I think a man would wear this one better. I find this very masculine. Usually my skin can femminize unisex frags. Not this time.

i adore woody fragrances. And incense i luvvvvvv. This one is lovely but to me it only shows its masculinity, so i would not wear it. But i can imagine a man wearing this, wow, it would be a major turn on for me!

What a wonderful unisex fragrance for those who adore woody incence blends. I could not detect any peony, not that it isn't there. I am overwhelmed by the wonderful mastery of incense and florals. If I could rub incense like patchouli,sandalwood,Night Queen and Nag Champa on my skin with a dash of florals as a perfume it would smell like this. It instantly puts me in a good mood and makes me feel so mellow.
It will be one of my go-to fragrances for destressing after a long day. It
is a wonderful aromatherapy fragrance to go with a good massage and Zen music.

I like Mandi's description that this is like "green wood". I agree. It is very spicy, but not in the "usual way spicy" (as in cinnamon or ginger), this is somehow more incensey, smokey, leathery and the spices are somehow almost like "cooking spices", at times it very lightly reminds me of soup or some vegetable dish. :-D It is quite unusual, for some maybe even strange, but I would definitely not say that it's not for women or that it's only for mature women! I can very easily imagine that this would suit to young girls also (some of them, that is)!
I also agree that in spite of the strange spiciness Dzongkha is somehow peaceful fragrance.
I quite like it, but would not pay for it. :-)

Those who like this fragrance please excuse me, but for me it's awful ((((
It reminds me a peppery strong edc for man that one of my coursemates used when I was an university student.
Dzhongkha scent makes me cough. If it is for woman than only for very mature woman. But I think it's mostly for man.

This fragrance begins with an almost shocking blast of spices, which mercifully loses some of its initial potency after about 30 minutes.

At this point the woods take center stage but they are not dried or what carpenters call 'seasoned woods' but instead they are green, like freshly hewn lumber - in my country we have a type of wood called Green Heart, that is what i smell.

Thus, this fragrance is at once woody, fresh and spicy. I like it very much.

I Love this scent! I smell woods woods and wood! with incense, hay/grass and a musty antique smell. It's like the smell of the breeze near the woods by the riverside. If not for the ovewhelming price tag, I would have bought a huge bottle of this instantly! Light and subtle, nobody would have expected it's lasting power to be so good.This lasted for more than 6 hours. A beautiful relaxing comfort scent.

When I sampled Dzongkha, I forgot why I had been interested in it originally, and assumed that it was going to be an "oriental" scent. It starts out sharp, synthetic, and undifferentiated. During the first few minutes the scent changes markedly as various notes pop out, one or several at a time. There’s a raw leather scent, together with something powdery - maybe iris? Then some incense creeps in and stays there, together with the iris-scented leather. Later it’s joined by a slightly spicy note. It’s an interesting progression in which notes chime in one at a time, adding to the harmony, making it more complex. There’s a slightly warmer phase that lasts for a few hours and has quite a bit of sillage, but the iris-powder-leather scent is always there as a major part of the composition. I first tried the scent early this morning, then reapplied it in the afternoon because I wanted to experience it again. It’s different from anything else that I’ve tried, and after the initial few minutes I like it a lot. I think it’s something that I’d wear when I want to feel cool, classy, and a little eccentric.

Now that I read the notes, I see that I was not too far off, but I really don't smell any peony in it. Or maybe the "peony" is the unpleasant synthetic note at the beginning. I have no idea what papyrus smells like, so don't know if I smelled it or not.

Not bad. Incense with lots of pivoine.
Good but not great. I wouldn't buy a bottle.

edit: I like it now.


7/10

This is a sexy fragrance in a more traditional sense. The spices, cardamon and incense really jump out at me. It isn't a bad fragrance nor is it a memorable one. This fragrance smolders but never turns into a full-fledged fire nor does it ever go out. There is a warmth emanating from it and maybe that is because it is familiar and makes one feel comfortable. However, it never really goes anywhere nor is itremarkable in any way. I guess it is a bottled version of treading water...

My second L'Artisan.. I did not test this on my skin, but on paper. I even don't know if that's what I want on skin. Very true- a real spicy woody fragrance. Smells like we're resting in our vegetable garden (in my country they were very popular- a little place where you could grow your stuff (vegetables etc.) and spend weekends or stuff. There also often was a little house you could sleep in if you stayed for days. In late 90's and early 00's many ppl us included had picnics in vegetable gardens and made shasclick (lol or shish kebab in other word)). So Dzongkha smells like inside of that little wooden house while someone also makes something scrumptious (meat!!). Spices, something like roast, and woods that a bit suffered from humidity- that's my Dzongkha.
In fact I think also of tatar warriors preparing meal after battle when i smell this. I like this very much as a distinctive olfactive experience.

An obnoxious fabric-softener floral paired with the essential-oil smell of my all natural tick-repellent. The latter is actually nicer - and repels ticks, so I'll pass on L'Artisan's offering.

This smells like Peppered Chicken on my skin, it actually hurts my eyes, don't know why I'm not liking it like everyone else, sorry this has to go!

so unusual, Dzongkha expresses serenity, meditation, strenght of mind, focus, a personal sweetness without being frilly. It also reminds me of open spaces, free wandering, free mind.
I really enjoy to wear a few drops at home while relaxing. It's not a scent I would wear to a romantic date or even in everyday life close to other people.

Unlike most people I know, I don't find this uncomfortable at all. It may be unusual, but it's also a very relaxing and peaceful fragrance. In fact, I've noticed this is a scent that helps me to pull myself together and keep my head clear.

Unfortunately, I don't get any of the Scotch whiskey that the other reviewers mention. What I do get depends on the day, really. On a good day I get dry spices, peony, incense and PAPYRUS! - have you ever heard of a combo like that? It's original and totally unique. It's piquant, it's mature, it almost utters the words 'I know who I am and what I like, thanky you.'
A giant plus: unlike many L'Artisans, it has excelent staying power.

I get a "Pinch" or "Haig & Haig" Scotch note in the opening. It's a strong note and it hangs around for a long time. The heart is spice and flowers. A very light incense comes up from the base. Very unique.

Dzongkha is about third on my list of L'Artisan Parfumeur fragrances I want, I have tried 10. The smell of scotch whiskey, however fine it is, is not a priority scent for me right now, but I really like this one. Surely it smells, to others, as though one has been drinking, so please don't Dzongkha and drive.

I get oversharp black pepper, cardamom and dried leaves. It starts sharp on me and stays that way, never mellowing into anything I can wear. It's not nasty, but neither is it pleasant.

This fragrance is definitely not for everyone -- please sample it before buying it! I didn't like it in the first few minutes (the top notes smelled overwhelmingly like Scotch whisky and leather). But as it developed on the test strip and on my skin, more of the complex woods, incense, spice, and floral notes blossomed and I fell head over heels in love. It is by far my most favorite fragrance right now. It gives me a deep sense of hope, inspiration, and inner peace, which is how I would describe true "wealth". To me, Dzongkha is both sophisticated and serene.