Fat Electrician
Etat Libre d'Orange (2009)

Perfumer Antoine Maisondieu takes an audacious turn to stuffy vetiver convention and brings a welcoming droll and roll with a truly compelling outcome... Here the vetiver strain is royally massaged in a savoury marron glacé and aired in olive leaf that merely enriches the nutty facet with the silvery, alongside balsamic incense gums that chew on a tasty vanille; ultimately delivering a musky 'gourmet' that manages to retain vetiver’s essense/presence yet adding a magnetism to what is a generally brooding note... Despite the adage to fading beauty or waistlines, Fat Electrician is anything but the contrary; guilelessly evoking a dreamy, sweet, vibrant re-wiring of the classical bespoke Givenchy Eau de Vetyver style crossed with a caloric gloss of confectionery icing that is delivered with a wide wink of whimsy, tasty delicacy yet amazingly with both simple and court curtsy... Delightful!

I found this a strange experience. Although described as a vetiver-led scent, I get no vetiver, only a rather dark and nondescript woody accord at the back end. The front is loaded with a rather gourmand-y creamy nut accord, which I presume is the chestnut. It is warm, smooth, and comforting, and the notes combine well together. But there is a downside: it's just not that edgy or original. There is no USP. Coming from this house, that's a disappointing conclusion. Not bad but there's just not that much to write about. That works out at a neutral rating.

I wish this fragrance was as exciting or humorous as the name.

I was surprised and disappointed somewhat by the sample because this brand is usually not afraid to push the boundaries and with an catchy name like this I was expecting something different.

The essence of the formula appears very simplistic to my nose - even without an vetiver you could recreate the majority of this by mixing norlimbanol and then smoothing down the dry hiss of that with lots of Iso E Super, coumarin and a touch of myrrh.

It's fine and wearable, but for me it is a forgettable woody fragrance. I read a review which proposed that the "fat electrician" referenced earth like "electrical earth" which may describe the warm woody notes in this scent and the direction the perfumer decided to go.

To match the name, I wish they had been braver and gone down a more plastic/sweat note accord.

There are better woods at the same or lower price point so unless you have a great connection to this one or the brand I would recommend other fragrances over this.

I'm a vetiver lover. I'm also a vanilla lover. I thought the notes list sounded like that old Reese's Peanut Butter Cup ad from the 1970's - Hey! You got chocolate in my peanut butter! Vanilla and vetiver - what could possibly go wrong? Everything. They both get a failing grade from the teacher in the box reading, "Gets along and plays well with others." When the vetiver is loudest, the vanilla is there, in the background smelling vaguely of sweetness on the edge of decay. When the vanilla tries to assert itself, the vetiver drags it into a damp, dark basement, turns off the light and slams the door at the top of the stairs.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make sure my bottles of Guerlain SDV and Chanel Sycomore are on different shelves before someone gets hurt.

One of the best ELdO fragrances to my nose, and one of the silliest perfume names ever. It's so damn ironic it's hard to tell if it's more funny/cool than lame or not. Although on a second thought, I like this name so much more than any of the "Sexy Lovebomb Pink Seductress Glitter Edition" stuff, so maybe it's not so bad after all. Better to be so ironic that it's getting silly than just outright dumb, right?

It smells of vetiver, lots of very realistic vetiver. I had a pleasure to smell some real vetiver oil, and it really smells like that - whether they used a real oil or an illusion of it here. It's beautiful, I like the smell. I don't get much resins or chestnut cream, but it smells very calming, outdoorsy and serene. It doesn't smell like any fat nor lean electricians I have ever met. It smells like freedom.

Playdough Vetiver

I get rooty vetiver, almost ashy, but not quite. Below that is a gross plasticy playdough vanilla. Its a poorly done note. There is some blended spices in the far back, id suppose thats the frankincense and myrh, but it just reads as a tiny bit of spice rack whispering. The balance is off, though there arent really any sharp edges, the vetiver and vanilla do not mesh, and are sort of like two rocks sitting together. Not well done in my opinion.

I like vetiver, so this is a positive from me. Having said that, it is quite sweet, and sweeter than I prefer my vetiver fragrances. It's long lasting and very linear on my skin. Just a sweet vetiver from beginning to end. It took ages to finish my sample, because I like to wear this with a light hand. I do not need to repurchase.

It's taken me quite some time to come around to this one, as vetiver-centric scents are typically not my thing.

Having said that, this is a wonderful, unique fragrance. The vetiver is grassy and rooty and unadorned. There was no effort to make it smooth or suave...the best description would be "rooty".

After the initial blast comes the creamy centre, and it makes up for all its rawness. There are several notes listed, but FE is essentially vetiver + vanilla.

TS from "The Guide" sums it up nicely by comparing it to Caron Pour Un Homme, played with vetiver instead of lavender.

Another ELDO that takes a classic and twists it to a modern sensibility.

Vetiver accord, at first blast. Gone quickly. Chestnut, as a woody note - not as a creamy note. Green olive leaf. I smell some vanilla. I get something like leather. Kind of animalic on the back end (no pun intended). Overall this reminds me of something else in my wardrobe. It's nice. Not mind-numbingly orgasmic in any way, shape, or form - just nice. Vetiver, again reveals itself hours later.

Starts off heavy sweet vanilla and amber to the extent it is cloying reduces in intensity but remains qualitatively linear so that it is no longer offensive but neither is it pleasing. No vetiver to my nose. Almost a scrubber.

Fragrance: 5/10
Projection: 6/10
Longevity: 7/10

Nude with Leg Up (Leigh Bowery) by Lucian Freud 1992

Changing my review on this one after pulling out the sample I had a year later and giving it a lighter wearing. I get more vetiver with a lighter application, than a heaver dosage. When I wore FE with a heavy application, it was much more vanilla dominate and the vetiver and myrrh really didn't present themselves. It's still a little pedestrian, and reminds me of some of the Commodity line in that it succeeds in not being distinctive. I like it better, but I guess I was hoping for something in the direction of Vetiver Tonka. Unfortunately, this isn't exactly it, but it is a clean, wearable scent. I am a fan of ELdO, and want to like this one I guess.