Only: Etat Libre D'Orange Antihéros

When I first put on Antihéros--the name means just what you think it does, only it's singular, French "héros" being identical to English "hero"--I thought, "Well, this can't be all there is to it, can there?"

It can.

There is a bare suggestion of something tarry at the very top, a breath of Eau de Fier, and then it's just soapy lavender. Very nice lavender, and very soapy, but that's all it is. It lasts much longer than you might think, and the bottom of it, though still lavender, is a little more expansive, with a hint of wood.

It is really very nice: I enjoyed using up my sample of it. It isn't fearsomely expensive: currently $69 for a 50-mL bottle. I only question why ELdO, and you, would even bother when there are lavenders that are far more interesting (though you may pay for the privilege), or just as good for much less money. There are certainly no less than a hundred scents currently on the market that contain a distinct lavender note: most fougere scents do, and there are plenty of fragrances that are hardly anything but. Demeter has a stripped-down lavender that's about a quarter the price, though it isn't as long-lasting; if you want a soapy barbershop lavender you can still find YSL Rive Gauche pour Homme; if you want a complex lavender you can buy Gaultier Le Male most anywhere; if you want something that you can't just get in the department store, you can buy Island Lavender by Caldey, hand-made by Cistercian monks.

I don't want to stop anyone from buying Antihéros, and I have nothing against ELdO; I like a lot of their scents. This one, though; this one I just don't get.