Out on a limb - Nature Will Overcome, originally uploaded by azredheadedbrat.

I am wearing Sabotage today. It’s my newest creations for men, even though in fact it’s not all that new. I re-worked the formula of years ago, now using slightly different raw materials (the same plant essences, but from a different distillation). And I am very pleased with the result. The centre remains the same - Vetiver and tobacco. The first version was more grassy and citrusy, with plenty of Vetiver, tobacco, allspice, lemon verbena and lemon grass. It is far more refined now as the grassy notes are softer and more blended into each other. It is less earthy and grassy, and the Vetiver feels fresh and at the same time very smooth. I decided to use a Haitian Vetiver, which feels a tad citrusy and clean just as it is. To this I added orange blossom absolute and orange flower absolute to add a more sophisticated, citrusy heart, and it is now just the way I want it to be. To the Vetiver base I added tabac blond and vintage patchouli, as well as tonka beans to accentuate the tobacco note (tonka beans are used to flavour pipe tobacco and cigar leaves). The leafy-lemony heart is lemon petitgrain (the leaves and twigs of lemon tree distilled into an essential oil). For the top I decided to use green peppercorns this time, instead of black peppercorns. The green ones are the fresh peppercorns, while the black ones are the ripe and dry ones. And the green pepper indeed smells fresh, in fact - almost citrusy. They are here complemented by lemond rind and bergamot.

I chose the name Sabotage as a parody as well as an homage to classical men’s scents, with names such as Heritage, Équipage, etc. I decided to take the most refined, elegant masculine notes of tobacco, orange blossom and Vetiver - and turn them into something a bit humourous, easy and fun to wear. I really like this in the heat. Vetiver has a cooling effect. But the tobacco and tonka add warmth and interest and grow smoothly on my skin.