Exit the King

I love those fragrances that keep me guessing. The ones where I think I know what's happening, then suddenly I get a waft of something else, which takes me completely by surprise. That is the case with Exit the King. Just when I thought I knew it, turns out I don't.

I love this brand, Etat Libre d'Orange, because they're always pushing the boundaries of perfume, always testing the limits of what's presentable. And with one or two exceptions, I'd say almost all of them are very easy to wear. I think it's because they have such expert perfumers compose these fragrances. In this case, it's Ralph Schwieger, who is a wonderful perfumer. I'm a big fan of his work.

For Exit the King, he composed, I'm going to call this a soapy sheep fragrance. And soap is actually listed as a note of this fragrance. It's called Soap Accord. So yeah, it's very soapy. The petroleum in the base gives it this sheep structure. Almost all sheepers last so long. They're incredibly tenacious and they really project. That is definitely the case for Exit the King, which was surprising because the first time I smelled it, it's soapy and light and clean. I just thought it would be a fleeting thing, but that's not the case at all.

The first time I wore it, I was thinking of laundry detergent, which I mean in a great way. I think it's a really wonderful effect. But then I wore it a few more times and I was getting a soapy barbershop, almost like a dandies fragrance. I was thinking of 88 by Check and Speak, which is one of my all-time favorite fragrances. I love wearing that. That has so many florals, which makes it feel sort of like a dandies fragrance. The rose and the white florals and the patchouli in the base, quite like this.

But then there are other days, like today, where it's very cold outside