Fougere L'Aube by Rogue Perfumery

Rogue Perfumery is a brand based in Los Angeles and is created by a self-taught perfumer named Manny Cross. He draws a lot of inspiration from vintage perfume and you can really tell from his own creations because each one has the feel, the characteristics of a vintage perfume. This is actually a really big statement and quite an accomplishment on Manny Cross' behalf because to work in that kind of style is really challenging. Generally speaking, vintage perfumes are more layered, they use more materials, they're more complex than a lot of contemporary fragrances. So if you're going to work like that, that means you're going to be juggling so many different materials all at the same time. So the chances of something going wrong is really high. You have to know these materials and how they work together and how some things might clash or cancel each other out. So the fact that each fragrance from the lineup of Rogue Perfumery has a very distinct point of view and an elegant complexity on the skin that just evolves over time on your skin is testament to his skill as a perfumer. So today I am wearing Fougere L'Aube. This fragrance draws inspiration from this guy, Fougere Royale from Ubi-Gone. Fougere Royale came out in 1882 and was so well received that basically any fragrance that came out after it that resembled it was just called a fougere, named after this fragrance. So what is a fougere? A fougere is a traditionally masculine style of scent that is based mostly in herbal notes, namely lavender, and often clary sage, geranium, violet leaf, these are things that are commonly used in a fougere. You'll know this style because most of the iconic masculine fragrances from the last century are fougeres. So I've been wearing this a lot lately, but honestly it doesn't really give me fougere royale that much, even though they're both fougeres. I would say this is closer to something like Gray Flannel by Jeffrey Bean or Kinesia II, or maybe this guy, Green Irish Tweed, a really famous fougere from Creed, which has this metallic glinty brightness that I would say Fougere L'Aube also has in the opening. Having worn this a lot of times, I know that in the dry down it starts to get a little warmer, and that's probably from the labdanum and maybe coumarin, I'm guessing there's coumarin in this fragrance. It feels elegant and dressed up, like the kind of thing that you're going to put on when you have a great suit and tie on. So I recommend it very highly. In fact, the whole line, if you're at all interested in vintage perfume or appreciate vintage perfumes, then you need to check out the whole line because each one does something so special. So there you have it, fougere L'Aube from Rogue Perfumery. Thank you.