Question:
I tried cuiron AGAIN tonight, I do adore helmut lang so... I give it another try.
it seems to be dominated by this bitter note that is a feature of rive gauche in the background, of il profumo C-15 or whatever it's called...
in fact whatever the note is, it seems to really be the main event in cuiron. it's not leather and it's not plumb!
I still can't stand the stuff... am ready to finally let the decant go, what's left of it!

Answer:
is Cuirion from HL discontinued? Oakmoss and all.

Answer:
Yes, Cuiron has been discontinued.
The notes for Cuiron don't list oakmoss, but notes given by companies don't mean much I guess.

Answer:
Hmmm I get that bitter note too, but I always just assumed that it was Helmut Lang's odd take on leather. To me, it smells more like fumes than anything natural like oakmoss...I don't know what leather curing chemicals smell like, but I imagine they'd be something like that weird bitter note you're talking about. Overall I love it.
Next on my bottle list.

Answer:
but don't you recognize it also from rive gauche and so many other men's frags?
anyway I'm going to bite the bullet and go to the "bohdi tree bookstore" on melrose cause they seem to have a huge array of essential oils to smell some oak moss once and for all, instead of posting these "is it oakmoss I can't stand" posts.

Answer:
Originally Posted by supermarky
anyway I'm going to bite the bullet and go to the "bohdi tree bookstore" on melrose cause they seem to have a huge array of essential oils to smell some oak moss once and for all, instead of posting these "is it oakmoss I can't stand" posts. Thats exactly what I did - I ordered some essential oils off the 'net (franincense, himalayan cedar, australian sandalwood, vanuatu sandalwood, etc) , and that increased my frame of reference and comparison a helluva lot. Its also a great learning experience.

Another surprising discovery was vetiver. Vetiver doesnt always have to smell raw and earthy. Haitian vetiver smells more fresh and citrusy, and yes, Original Vetiver has it. Route De Vetiver etc contains Indonesian/Indian vetiver, which is more raw. So yes, there are different vetiver blends.

Answer:
Supermarky, why don't you just use Cuiron for boots and get Cardin's Etalon for body and face? Then the world will really know how nice a leather man can smell!
On a more serious level: my complaint with Cuiron has been that there is little left to smell towards the end, an end that comes way too early for me! I like the first blast best! The next 30 minutes are nice too, and then it begins to get too weak for my liking. I cannot believe it could be oak moss which is contained in so many masculines and some feminines even. You are not supposed to realy smell it in any perfume. By itself OM doesn't smell really bad and certainly not great! My sources do not indicate oakmoss in Cuiron, but it might still be there.
Etalon will give you lasting satisfaction, maybe even more than Cuir Mauresque. I cannot say more, you know how I love CM !

Answer:
people keep telling me cuir mauresque smells like incense, it is really something like nag champa in the drydown, which is nice, but, I hate that CM loses its very special bitter elements at the end.
I'll check into the cardin!