This weekend I wore 10 Corso Como, consecutive days. It isn't often that I do this, but it is testament to how good a fragrance 10CC really is.
I had a look back over my blog, and see that I've mentioned 10CC in passing on at least six occasions, perhaps more, yet have never written about it in any depth.
Named after the address of a Milanese fashion house, 10CC used to be the rage on the perfume boards, but it seems to be mentioned far less often these days, unless I'm just not reading the relevant posts. I think this is a shame, as 10CC is a very good perfume indeed. Luckyscent lists it as being more feminine than masculine, but to my nose, this perfume is as genderless as you can find. The notes include sandalwood, frankincense, musk, rose, geranium, vetiver and what is described as rare Malay oud wood oil. Now, considering all I have read recently (and knew, mostly) about how rare it actually is to find any perfume containing genuine oud, I am not sure how rare and genuine the Malay oud oil is in 10CC. Not that it really matters, mind you. I have to be honest and state that I don't detect an oud accord in 10CC, but that isn't to say it's not there.
In a nutshell, 10CC smells like a very smooth, sophisticated blend of sandalwood and incense. I know the notes list geranium, rose and musk, but for most of the life of this perfume, it plays out as very woody, with very little floralness about it. When I first used to wear 10CC, I found that it smelled very quiet, a skin scent. It's strange how olfactory perceptions change over time (bearing in mind my recent post on Guerlain's SDV) because today 10CC smells quite prominent on my skin. I would never call it a loud fragrance though - it is very smooth and classy.
I love 10CC because it contains both a lovely sandalwood and an incense accord, two of my favourite notes. I find that sandalwood and frankincense go very well together anyway, considering the long use of sandalwood in incense and they combine to create a very calming and peaceful perfume.
If you haven't tried 10CC before, I would strongly recommend trying to find a sample. I read a few months ago that some people think the formulation has changed and that it doesn't smell the same or as good anymore. I couldn't vouch for that, as I've only ever tried one source of it, but to me it smells fantastic as it is.
Image credit - http://fimgs.net/
