Roadster by Cartier - Fragrance Review

Roadster by Cartier

Notes:

Top: Bergamot, Spearmint

Heart: Peppermint, Ozone Note

Base: Cashmere Wood, Patchouli, Cistus Labdanum, Vanilla.

Strength: Eau De Toilette
Gender Label: Gentleman's
Perfumer: Mathilde Laurent

'Roadster' by Cartier is a fragrance that I (somewhat) impulse bought over a year ago and it's taken me this long to be able to form an honest opinion on it...

Normally when I'm looking to purchase a new fragrance, I like to go to the store (or get a sample) and test out the fragrance multiple times before deciding whether or not to commit to a full bottle. For some reason, I didn't do that with 'Roadster'. After asking the sales assistant at my local perfumery (who knows my taste very well) to recommend something "on the fresher side" for me, she suggested I try out 'Roadster' and, after an hour of wearing it on skin, I left the store with a 100ml bottle.

'Roadster' opens with an extremely cooling, icy blast of mint. The mint in 'Roadster' smells extremely natural, green and aromatic. It leans much more towards the smell of mint leaves, and I promise you that there is absolutely nothing "toothpastey" about this scent. The notes list a combination of spearmint and peppermint. I'd say that peppermint is the accord that I mostly pick up on, the spearmint seems to be sitting behind. I can't smell any ozonic notes, but there is a bergamot note that adds cleanliness to the scent. I think it was the opening that had me hooked. Never before had a come across a mint note that's so natural in a fragrance. 

The opening is quite strong, so it's best to spray lightly. Though the fragrance does calm down after the thirty minute mark. 

One thing I find remarkable is how different the drydown of 'Roadster' is in comparison to the opening. After about three or four hours of wear, a warming blend of wood, labdanum, vanilla and patchouli peaks through creating this pleasant drydown that reminds me a lot of sandalwood. While I do enjoy this drydown, the opening/heart is my favourite part of this scent; which is kind of ironic considering about 90% of my fragrance collection consists of woodsy, amber-based, oriental fragrances.

It's no secret that I'm not normally a huge fan of "fresh" fragrances marketed towards males. I rarely dislike the smell of those types of fragrances, but it's rare that I come across one that I would actually consider purchasing.

I find this drydown interesting as it does give the fragrance enough power to be worn year-round, just because the opening is extremely fresh doesn't mean this fragrance has to be saved for the spring and summer. My favourite time to wear this scent is on a sunny day, but there's still a breeze and a slight chill in the air. 'Roadster' seems to blend in extremely well with that sort of atmosphere.

For that reason, I found myself sporadically falling in and out of love with 'Roadster'. I couldn't get my head around the fact that the drydown is so different from the opening. Though, I have found that, the more I wear 'Roadster', the more I appreciate and enjoy it.

'Roadster' doesn't make me imagine a specific type of character, like some of my other fragrances do, but it is extremely classy and gentlemanly. Having said that, I do also believe this could be worn extremely well by all genders. After all, the notes are minimal and, with the exception of bergamot, none of the notes are traditionally and/or overtly masculine. I think this could be a really great choice for a lady who's looking for a new spring/summer scent that isn't your standard "run of the mill" fruity-floral.

Longevity and projection for 'Roadster' is excellent. However, as previously mentioned, the drydown is completely different from the opening. Luckily, I like the drydown a lot, but I would recommend you give this scent a full wearing before choosing whether or not to make a purchase.

The only thing that I don't love about 'Roadster' is the bottle. I believe the bottle is supposed to resemble the 'Roadster' watch that Cartier produce. I'm not sure what it is, but there's just something about this bottle that doesn't appeal to me. If I was going to wear a watch that coincides with a perfume bottle produced by the same house, give me Van Cleef & Arpels 'Midnight In Paris' watch any day!

'Midnight In Paris' by Van Cleef & Arpels (the fragrance, not the watch)
Please note: These two fragrances are nothing alike, I'm just comparing and contrasting the bottle designs.

Wear Details

• Best Time(s) To Wear: Anytime! casual or formal (anytime you want to smell classy)
• Best Season(s): Spring and Summer
• Sprays I Wear: 3 - 4
• Longevity: 7-8 hours
• Projection: VERY strong at first, gradually becomes moderate/strong
• Purchase details: My bottle was purchased from The Royal Perfumery in Wigan (UK)
  N.B. My bottle of 'Midnight In Paris' was also purchased from there.

Thank you so much for reading my review! If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to share them.

Josh :-)

Disclaimer: Both photographs featured in this post were taken by me. They are bottles that are within my personal collection.