WHAT I SMELL: Opens with a surprising sweet, almost citrusy (although there is no citrus listed in the notes) vetiver that warms quickly into a peppered musk. I’m not a huge fan of vetivers, but I like this because it’s not too green. The pepper and musk ground this, making it a bit more earthy. And hidden behind this muskiness is a sweet mossy woodiness that give this some life and depth. As pleasant as this fragrance is, it pretty much disappeared from my skin after a few hours…and not just became faint, it really disappeared.
Notes: Haitian Vetiver root, Yugoslavian Tree Moss, Madagascar Black Pepper, Bourbon Geranium leaves, Canadian Fir Balsam and Tonka bean
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: What I believe women want men to smell like.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE UMBRA: safe, comfortable, easy
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT UMBRA: Olfactoria’s Travels, Parfumistan’s Blogg, Bois de Jasmin
BOTTOM LINE: Umbra is a nice and pleasant vetiver and a good one for those who don’t lean towards liking them. I just wish it would last longer on my skin. Although this is considered a unisex scent, I do believe it leans pretty masculine.
- Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
- Scent: Fougere – woody – spicy
- Nose: Ramon Monegal
- Classification: Unisex, leans masculine
- Expense: $185 for 50ml EdP
The Scented Hound 
November 11, 2012 at 6:51 pm
“What I believe women want men to smell like” LOL – not for us then :’)
Sounds a bit dull 😦 I still haven’t got to try this line, I’ll try hunt them out on my holiday. It is such a huge introductory line it’s hard to know what’s good or not. I think I’ll like the iris, and I’ve heard Lovely Day is anything but lovely so look forward to trying that. Have you discovered any vetivers you like yet? Turtle Vetiver Front is still the standout for me!
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November 11, 2012 at 7:55 pm
After your recommendation on Turtle, I turned to Luckyscent for a sample, but they are currently out of stock…but it is still on my list. As for the RMs, I did receive many of the line for sample and have just started to touch the line. You’re right, this was nice but nothing that I would buy as it’s pretty safe and …well, you know. Lovely Day is pleasant as well, a bit feminine and just safe and nice. If I find the one that is IT…I’ll be sure to let everyone know.
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November 12, 2012 at 5:27 am
Didn’t try this one either. From Ramon Monegal I tried Impossible Iris (I love iris, but this one is too rooty) and Cuirelle (need to revisit)
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November 12, 2012 at 6:56 am
I’m curious to know how I want men to smell. Lol. That is a great description. This sounds just okay. It probably smells like a typical guy scent which is okay but I like a bit more than that, especially for that price.
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November 12, 2012 at 4:55 pm
You’re absolutely right. Safe, masculine, nothing special… you deserve better Poodle. I’m sure you’re husband smells fantastic. Funny, we dropped off our shirts at the dry cleaners on Saturday and the girl at the counter said that we always have the best smelling shirts that get dropped off! I have no doubt!
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November 14, 2012 at 3:00 am
I loved your description of how it smells to you! 🙂 I think Umbra was one of the perfumes available at Bergdorf but I sniffed it from the bottle and wasn’t interested enough even to look for a paper card to spray (I have no idea why those are getting harder and harder to get even at high-end stores. Do they really expect people to spray an unknown perfume straight on the skin?!).
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November 14, 2012 at 5:37 am
I was at a store the other day and found only 1 strip…and then had to spray 3 fragrances on it. I’m not sure I ever really smelled them correctly. Maybe you can put that on your list….more strips for testing at the department store!
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November 15, 2012 at 12:25 am
Not a bad idea since those strips might come from brands. I love some of them, they make tasting more fun. Though sometimes all I need is a plain strip with a place to spray and a place to write a name. I hate when they spray perfumes on Kleenex – it smells just wrong!
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November 15, 2012 at 5:58 am
Kleenex has too much of a woody dry cardboard smell. I remember when I bought my Kilian’s Incense Oud, the SA graciously gave me a ton of samples, then wrapped the box and put it in the bag with tissue paper sprayed with the fragrance. Now that was lovely. But of course you have to buy something to get that kind of service!
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