We've shown you some downright awesome books, toys, and video games over the past three days, but just in case you thought those tried and true staples of nerdy holiday gift guides were all we had left to suggest, think again! We want to help you think outside the box with your holiday shopping as well. So for the first time ever in one of our gift guides, we're recommending a cologne!
That's right, there's a Batman fragrance (and a perfume as well, but we didn't get a chance to sample that one) and before we get started I'm gonna go ahead and say, we've heard all the jokes already. No, this does not smell like sweaty rubber, other people's blood, and the tears shed for one's own parents. This is, as House of Sillage puts it, a "crisp Oud olfactory sensorial experience of the Batman's vendetta for Gotham's justice." It's designed by top perfumers to essential put emotion in a bottle, to capture a character motivation in a scent. No small feat.
The appropriately titled Vengeance fragrance comes in a sleek flask-like bottle made from the finest hand-polished French glass with plated gun metal accents. The front of the bottle features the 2022 film's logo and title in white. These graphics pop against the ombre effect created by the glass, which is obscured to black at top and grows more clear toward the bottom to allow the rich amber color to shine through. It's an effect that harkens back to the movie's own red and black posters. And like all House of Sillage flask bottles, it features a push-button release that unsheathes the fine mist sprayer in a flourish, but now that it's a Batman themed bottle it just feels more appropriate than ever. It feels like you're handling gadget straight from the utility belt.
As for the scent, I'll try to convey that the best I can... After I made my own "What's it smell like? Wet pavement, Kevlar, and Gordon's second hand smoke?" remarks and really pondered the question of what a premium quality Batman themed cologne would smell like, I imagined something akin to new leather.
But I am not a perfumer.
The people at House of Sillage are, however, and the mist I sprayed surprised me with a sweet aroma swirling in spice. I wondered how that could represent Batman's vengeance. I think what I've settled on is that, yes, this is the passion Batman feels for his city distilled into a scent and if there is something saccharine about it then that sweet element must represent the goodness he is fighting for. It is the sweet nostalgia for the life that he lost and it is being overwhelmed, drowned out by the heat of rage-- which is the spicey accents. And I'll add that your own body heat will awaken other, more subtle elements of the scent to give it added dimension.
But as for what the cologne is actually comprised of, rather than me trying so hard to interpret it for you, here's a full list directly from House of Sillage:
- Top Notes: Bergamot, Cardamom, Tonka Bean
- Heart Notes: Egyptian Jasmin Absolute, Cashmeran, Haitian Vetiver
- Base Notes: Amber, Patchouli, Oakmoss
The bergamot gives the cologne a citrus element while Egyptian jasmine gives it that exotic sweetness I'm unfamiliar with and keep harping on about, and the spice is definitely the patchouli. But the most important takeaway from all of this is: I like it, my wife likes it, and I've received nothing but compliments about it so far, so I think it's a winner. And at 75ml/2.5 fl. oz. the bottle should last you a few years. Long enough that you can wear it to the theater whenever The Batman, Part II finally comes out. Yeah, I'm betting it's called "Part, II" and I'll slap that bet on the table right now.
The Batman Vengeance Fragrance - Limited Edition is on sale right now for $147.50 and can be purchased directly from House of Sillage by clicking HERE. Another fragrance dubbed Hero is also available and features the same fragrance notes as the candle we reviewed in Day 02 of our Holiday Gift Guide. Although it is more expensive, Hero also comes in a far more glamorous bottle that sports diamond-cut Swarovski crystals.
Disclaimer: Batman News was provided a sample of this fragrance from House of Sillage for the purpose of this article.