Land of Warriors was created by Bertrand Duchafour in 2014 for the indie fragrance line, The Vagabond Prince. It was inspired by the idea that leather-clad warriors put Sun up in the sky each day, bringing another day of life and light to the world. 

Land of Warriors is all about leather – a full-on homage to leather, and to men. And like the stages of a day – morning, afternoon, evening, and night - this complex leather beauty has four distinct vertical phases. Let’s start at the beginning.

Land of Warriors opens fruity, tart and green from angelique seed, violet leaf and blackcurrant leaf. The blackcurrant, along with the juniper aspect of angelique seed, sets us in a fresh green forest. There is also leather here, gently warm and animalic, it’s set against notes of cucumber and tomato leaf. This is the first phase – fresh, green, vegetal leather. 

Oakwood absolute ushers in the next phase, a heady note of rum, something I always read as ‘masculine’. As it evolves, so does the leather. Leathery cistus absolute is a warm, sweet, leathery scent that amps up the masculinity. It’s joined by warm, smoky, resinous frankincense. Saffron and nutmeg step up, adding a spicy, sultry warmth, which defines this as the spicy stage. Fragrant davana gives it a touch of sweetness before it enters the most mouth-watering, knee-knocking animalic phase, featuring oregano, castoreum, and ambergris. It’s all kissed with a campfire smokiness from birch tar, backed by styrax, creating a smoky leather phase that’s dark and deeply animalic.

Land of Warriors dries down to a sophisticated, refined complex scent. It’s not rough or harsh, and it showcases various aspects of leather in the most captivating way.  And while it is a masculine scent, there is enough sweetness and herbaceousness that a woman could carry it off.  Full disclosure: I have been known to dip into my husband’s bottle.

Notes: Angelique seed, violet leaf, blackcurrant leaf, leather, cucumber accord, tomato leaf, oakwood absolute cistus absolute, oakwood absolute, frankincense, saffron, nutmeg, oregano, davana castoreum absolute, ambergris accord, styrax and tar.