If you’re talking to Carlos Huber, creator of the luxury perfume line, Arquiste, and he sprays you with one of the brand’s perfumes, Aleksandr, while you’re standing in front of Yann Vasnier, the rockstar perfumer of the perfume you’re being sprayed with, you find yourself hoping that you’ll like it. You also hope that your face doesn’t do some involuntary weird thing in front of the brand’s creator and the perfumer…A mist of perfume, my nose to my wrist, I smelled a blast of cold violets and rich citrus. This was followed by an involuntary smile. I truly liked it.

Aleksandr is a perfume inspired by St. Petersburg, Russia circa January 1837. A dueling young French officer and a Russian author. Love, jealousy and ultimately, death. As you can imagine from the inspiration, Aleksandr is meant to be a cool fragrance with a warm heart.

Aleksandr is like cool, crisp violets and a powdery latex. The cool little blossoms remind me more of snowdrops (galanthus) than citrus blossoms. The delicate winter blossoms mingle with dandy violets and vodka with lime zest. As it wears, it reminds me of young, delicate flowers breaking through melting snow. It’s like cool florals with mineral notes and balmy evergreen needles. Aleksandr warms up with a sheer Russian leather (very faint birch tar) and a “clear”, transparent amber.

On my skin, the leather ins’t as prominent. Aleksandr wears more like late winter/early spring florals with a hint of worn leather gloves and “snowy amber”.

Notes listed include neroli, violet leaf, fir balsam and Russian leather. Launched in 2011. PERFUMER – Yann Vasnier

Give Aleksandr a try if you like cool florals or floral-leathers. Or if you like perfumes like Chanel Cuir de Russie, Floris Mahon Leather, L’Artisan Parfumeur Verte Violette, Andrea Maack Smart and/or Penhaligon’s Sartorial. There’s something sort of Chanel-ish about Aleksandr and this probably explains why I like it. I also see it marketed as masculine but it’s completely unisex.

Projection and longevity are below average for an EDP. This wears more like an EDT on me. It has a sheerness; a light airiness. One more reason it reminds me of melting snow.

The 1.9 oz bottle retails for $165 at Beautyhabit. Samples are available for purchase.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Cool violets, snow and Russian leather. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is my favorite in the Arquiste line.

Also, here’s my “In the House” feature of Arquiste. If you’re looking for more “snow” perfumes, here’s my guide.

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*Sample provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my review. My opinions are my own. Product pic from Fragrantica. Nils Asther from www.fanpix.net. Post contains affiliate links. Thanks!