Review: Explorer by Boadicea the Victorious

Photo: Instagram @AveParfum

​If you love woods like I do, especially green, coniferous forests, this smells amazing. Take Russel Crowe as the Gladiator, with dry, brown dust clinging to his heels and sandals, and send him off on an expedition to the Pacific Northwest in the 1800's, and you have Explorer. It smells like the smooth, moist, young wood from the core of a redwood tree, maybe some aromatic cumin, and just a whisper of worn, brown leather.

There is some menthol in the beginning. I swear that patchouli, a member of the mint family, has to be missing from the pyramid because Explorer smells strongly of fresh patch as well, as though somebody grabbed a whole handful of it...unless somehow all of those other notes blend together to create an earthy, dusty, mentholated, patch-like effect.

​One surprising facet of Explorer is that it's a masculine orris root perfume. Think 28 La Pausa (Chanel)--starchy, chalky, gray but take it in a completely masculine direction. This is the first time I have smelled orris root used in this way. It is a completely androgynous fragrance, yet in comparison to other orris root perfumes, Explorer seems distinctly masculine.

I love dry woods, and I find Explorer to be absolutely gorgeous. The quality is exceptional as well. Sillage is fantastic, and so is longevity. This is one perfume that was a no-brainer; an absolute must-have for me.

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