A couple sprays of Incident before bed

I'm not a vetiver guy, but the way it's worked here feels entirely different from the grassy, rooty variety that usually rubs me the wrong way.

It's dark, smoky, and brooding - the scent of a quiet man sitting alone in a shadowed bar long after closing, deep in thought, planning his next move.

The more deeply I fall in love with patchouli, the more clearly I notice its presence within fragrances. It's pivotal to Incident, smoothing the edges and bringing a mature tenderness to what might otherwise be a stark, austere composition.

Sandalwood gives structure to the core, while bitter orange rind offers a nod to the old-school. But really, this is a slow dance between smoky vetiver and smooth patchouli.

The fact that it performs so stupendously - easily lingering for 12 hours on the skin - is the icing on this timeless cake. I'm going for a run at 7am, and I already know that once my body warms up, Incident will make its presence known again.