Let Me Play The Lion EDT by LesNez

Year: 2006
Nose: Isabelle Doyen

Got an unexpected sample of this and forgot about it, then I grabbed it to throw it in my "to sample" box, but I noticed the name of Isabelle Doyen on it and said "well, it can't be bad", as I am a huge fan of her work with Annick Goutal. So I gave it a try, and... surprise! I like this. Quite a lot. It is something miles away from what I was used to associate to her name, this is a minimal mostly-synthetic scent – basically the first notes that come to your nose are Iso E, cedarwood, aldehydes and ambroxan - CdG style, for instance. As alfarom suggests on Basenotes, it has quite the smell of pencils being sharpened. And it's really super nice, well-executed (as you may notice from my "surprise", I am usually not that fan of this type of scents). I would have never thought Doyen had such a talent for this. It has the same exact incense note you can smell it at least two Goutal scents – Encens Flamboyant and Ambre Fetiche. But here it's obviously different – it's linear, geometrical, "harshly" simple, ascetical, meditative. And it has an unexplicable, really fascinating slight but palpable "vibe", which is not even a proper accord or smell, it's just a kind of a dense "cloud" feel, a sensation to be wrapped in a incense, vapourish, transparent but still materic foggy cloud – which paradoxically, you feel more clearly once you move your wrist away (or wherever you applied this). It's like if the concept and the heart of the scent lies in its sillage - in its absence. And that's why I named the aldehyde, notably the C12 - it gives the same feeling to me; you smell a "feeling" you get exactly moving you nose away from it, not towards it. Increasing balsamic vibe all over with a slight anise aroma, and it also gets darker and sharper as minutes pass. At some point, and just for a while, it gets unexplicably quite close to L'homme sage by Divine, which has quite nothing to do with this as regards of composition but still, quite the same overal smell (this may due to a temporary coincidence of the evolution stages of cedar, balsam, perhaps some kind of "fruity coffee beans" aroma together... or whatever, it's similar!). The drydown is pleasantly more "normal", balsamic, woody, ambery still with an incense vibe. Cool and distinctive!

8/10

Naïviris EDP by Huitième Art

Year: 2010
Nose: Pierre Guillaume

A nice, honest, simple but dense iris soliflore, with a powdery/talcum feel but really spacious, light, clean and linear. It is practically a pure iris smell on a slightly darker and bolder base with a peculiar flavour, somehow between a fruity-sticky note and an animalic-rubbery note like a more vibrant safraleine smell, however really subtle – like a microscopic pulsating heart you reach with a microscope. Although I am not a fan of Pierre Guillaume I have to admit this is quite well made, it's minimal but well-balanced, kind of whispered but cute – the name fits it well, it's a "naif iris". It gets more and more ligher as minutes pass, ending on a talcum/white musks clean drydown: only for "skin scents" lovers. A bit too delicate and pale, but as long as you can smell it (hurry up!), it's nice. Terrible packaging (I normally don't care but... come on!).

6,5/10

Panasch EDP by WienerBlut

Year: 2012
Nose: Pierre Constantin Gueros

A nice surprise from a brand I never heard of before receiving a sample. The opening is nice, linear, definitely in that minimal/contemporary field like CdG. But, it is still much aromatic and slightly more gentle, not that "martial": cedar and Iso E create an evocative, ascetic and even a bit harsh "raw" wood feel, while there is also a soft and mellow base counterpart – like amber, and most of all, cashmeran to me, which has a peculiar aromatic silky/musky feel, really warm and cozy, somehow dusty. Balsamic notes and patchouli, both "minimal" but clear. Finally also both the violet and the pepper notes are there, the violet helps in reinforcing the aromatic, lively side, while pepper provides a really nice and subtle "tasty" heart. Kind of a rubbery feel, like palisander, which is a "side-smell" many woods have. Now, despite all the notes and accords I've listed, overall it is a really linear and dense scent, all is tightly "packed" together and wrapped in a really peculiar half-natural/half-synthetic blend. It almost seems the concept is to make naturals smell "synthetic", which is nice and interesting. And above all, the scent itself smells really good, the initial "pencil sharpener" smell turns into a woody/balsamic accord with a subtle earthy-patchouli base and a pleasant salty note (not iodine, just salty), ending in a really elegant and aromatic cozy drydown. Not a masterpiece as it smells a bit trendy to be honest, but it's well-made and also nor dull neither generic.

7,5-8/10

Racine EDT by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier

Year: 1988
Nose: Jean-François Laporte

A nice scent indeed. The opening is fresh and pleasant, mostly pungent spicy lemon, with a slight camphor feel at the base (some linalool feeling like in many insecticides), on a really nice, dense and quite dark base, with mossy/earthy and sweet/mellow notes of, respectively, oak moss and sandalwood (the same exact sandal note you get - enriched and amplified - in Santal Noble). And, of course, vetiver: great, thick, tasty vetiver. With a bit of white musks perhaps – something soft and mellow. So basically the axe is citrus-vetiver-oakmoss-sandalwood. A bit retrò, but not that usual, as many "eau de colognes" tend to me more classic and light, avoiding this oakmoss/wood dark, organic and earthy vibe. With some floral notes also, so it's quite domesticated and elegant - earthy, but not "raw". This composition reminded me a lot of some Parfum d'Empire fragrances, or better, the way round – probably MPeG is one of the ispirations of Msr. Corticchiato. An elegant personality with a vibrant natural twist. The drydown has a persistent citral/verbena note which I don't enjoy much, but apart from that, it's really nice.

7,5/10

Sunday's Crap Roundup #1

It was a dirty job, but someone had to do it.

***

Do Ré by Réminiscence

Year: 2008
Nose: Jacques Flori

Bold sweet-bozy opening which smells exactly like the boozier adult version of the cough syrup I used to take when I was the child. Fava tonka, almond, vanilla – kind of "Amaretto di Saronno" feel, which in turn is basically Baiser du dragon by Cartier. All wrapped in cheap candy shower soap. Dull choco-patchouli drydown. Next!

4/10

***

Coquelicot by Il Profumo

Year: 2008
Nose: Silvana Casoli

A gallon of aromachemicals among which, probably, at least calone, melonal and galaxolide, thrown in this with the same grace a cleaner man would use when throwing away the bucket of dirty water after having cleaned an entire floor. Basically a fruity shampoo, just less creamy and sweet, and more transparent, with a bitter green/herbaceous feel and a refreshing vibe. Also a salty/metallic vibe due to some other aromachemicals I don't spot exactly. After a while you get a round and mellow ambery base still with a green leafy note and a light patchouli note. Close to skin. Dull!

4/10

***

Noir Gabardine by LM Parfums

Year: 2011
Nose: Jerome Epinette

Just gross. It starts like a 90's sporty "eau de cologne" mixed with a Daim Blond like suede accord. Vaguely salty and a bit synthetic. Then it suddendly pops out a spooky leather-vanillic accord which is just... wrong, halfway between gingerbread and burnt soup. Try to imagine a dry, dark, burnt-rubber leather (safraleine) note mixed with a milky rancid vanillin note. Then this sickening accord fades away again and you're back on the sporty cologne side. Totally disturbing – not in a cool way.

3/10

Phileas EDT by Nina Ricci

Year: 1984
Nose: Unknown

Juniper, aldehydes, balsamic notes, pine needles, pungent dry green notes, a peculiar salty and almost metallic base, leather, geranium freshness. Spicy, unique, old crackling leather, squeaky gears, antique herbs with a rusty feel. The mossy/balsamic note is beautiful, fresh, not sticky neither resinous at all – vibrant, windy, dry. The base is unique as well, a sort of soapy feel but not in the usual "somptous iris" chypre meaning – more of a domestic, dry soap, for instance the Marseille soap or other cleaners. Then it emerges a gorgeous leather note with liquorice, patchouli and roasted coffe notes – again all really dry, earthy and straightforward. Earthy and herbal in a totally unique way, with a salty/rusty feel which is just perfect – and also, the perfect olfactory depiction of the cultural reference for this (a fictional Victorian explorer: herbs, leather, rust, it's all there). Not even that complex, just unique and one of a kind. Absolutely worth the purchase – which I am given to understand may be challenging: I keep my bottle safe - and really elegant.

8,5-9/10

Salvador Dali pour Homme EDT by Salvador Dali

Year: 1985
Nose: Thierry Wasser

A haunting, claustrophobic genius fragrance which smells like nothing else. And makes nowadays' "gloomy" and dark animalic scents smell like candies. Not to stick to clichés due to the signature on the box, but the first minutes are actually a great surrealist olfactory journey in a weird, ghastly, bizarre world made of rancid fruits, carcasses, thick petrol, narcotic herbs, black rubbery sticky smoke. You really feel yourself stuck in a locked closet submerged by any kind of curiosités. And above all, or below all, a really elegant, timeless, subtle but bold fougère accord with a prominent smoke/black woods accord, which is just lying there, far and silent – an old man looking at you crawling in this gloomy, cadaveric circus of notes. Maybe Dalì himself, that is fun to see this that way. An amazingly evocative and morbid scent in which I can barely detect a couple of the notes which are supposed to be there – pure alchemic transformation into a unique, straightforward, undiscernible liquid. It takes a bit of time to love this potion, but when you start doing it, it's just one of the most unique and captivating fragrances ever made. And most important, back on Earth... a bit challenging but not as much it may seem (just a tad too rubbery after a while - better in cold days I guess).

8,5/10

Oiro EDP by Mona di Orio

Year: 2006
Nose: Mona di Orio

Powerful, deep, slap-in-the-head opening of jasmin, heliotrope and immortelle on aromatic cedar woods – rich, carnal and daring, a bit morbid and overhelming with a hint of mind-blowing decadent mess, but that is how "power" scents work. BayKAT's review on Basenotes correctly refers to L'Heure Bleue - different components, but that's the kind of feel. I smell a sort of weird, balsamic-camphor base which somehow amplifies and surrounds this – making the texture almost resemble to the dense power of tuberose-based scents, to which this one in fact smells alike. Perfectly-balanced citrus notes (thank God) refresh the texture. As minutes pass it progressively becomes more and more mellow and sweet, settling down a quite natural powdery floral fragrance, still with a disturbing kind of cloying/rancid note with a weird resinous note floating over like a zombie crow, and an ambery/frankincense subtle base. I frankly can not like this completely, or better say, I am still unsure about when/how to wear this - bold, rich, complex, somptuous, viscious carnal flowers, still with nothing leathery/animalic to provide a darker counterpart: challenging for sure.

8/10

Piper Nigrum EDT by Lorenzo Villoresi

Year: 1999
Nose: Lorenzo Villoresi

Explosive opening, a bomb of spices, flavours and herbs, mainly cloves, pepper, cinnamon and cumin. Still not in a traditional Oriental meaning – this is more in a dry, organic sense, like opening a bag of spices walking in a vegetable garden. There is a base of green aromatic herbs which actually makes me feel like wandering my dad's garden – oregano and fennels, he has them both (actually this scents reminds me of my father for some more intimate reasons I still can not get). As a counterpart, a pungent, bitter lemon/lime note, which to be honest does not much "fit" in there (pungent on pungent, kind of cloying). As minutes pass you feel a warmer, softer base emerging, mostly comprising a sweet balsamic-resinous accord and amber. The most prominent smell for the whole cycle will however remain the accord of cloves (eugenol), lemon, cinnamon and pepper. You also feel a mentholated/balsamic vibe emerging, which gradually makes the whole scent more and more closer to a medicinal/herbal feel, which is how it ends – I mean that the drydown is in fact undoubtably medicinal, as in Diptyque's Eau Lente or Esprit du Tigre by Heeley. Cloves, balsamic notes, a debris of pepper, dry vetiver and dry resins again. Which in turn gradually developes a kind of gingerbread note. Overall is a peculiar, powerful, challenging scent, with a really complex texture and and elusive personality; all is vibrant, naturally "alive" and dynamic, but still it is also a bit messy for me. There is some accords just layering on others and that creates weird, cloying and noisy superimpositions. Surely unique and interesting to smell, but really challenging to wear – if you manage to do it, it can probably turn into either a disaster or a total win. Strong projection and persistence.

7,5/10

Barry Lyndon EDP by Maria Candida Gentile

Year: 2010
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile

Spectacular opening, romantic and lively like an impressionist painting. Top-quality lavender and vetiver, great soft artemisia notes, on a warm and cozy but still delicate and subtle amber-vanillic base. Really bright and crisp. Fresh citrus-peppery notes with just a feel of mentholated earthy liquorice, blended with a spicy-camphor accord, both subtle and aerial. Then a great, vibrant, dense leather note emerges - quite a unique leather note, really "alive" and soft, peculiar and fairly rare to find like this. Sadly it does not last much long. On the drydown, it is in fact so delicate it's almost absent. The drydown tends more on the balsamic and dried-flowers side, with something close to Mitsouko, and again a persistent camphor note (which to be honest gets a bit boring after a while). Then after a while, a twist again, the leather note comes over again with a vanillic aroma. Great persistence. A tiny couple of "no" in an otherwise gorgeous scent!

8/10

Alamut EDT by Lorenzo Villoresi

Year: 2006
Nose: Lorenzo Villoresi

Powerful classic chypre, deep, spicy and animalic, soapy and baroque, wich rich floral notes – tuberose, rose, narcissus: an overhelming, sensual, majestic triade. Halfway between the classic Chanel's like Bois des Iles and Cuir de Russie, and the more contemporary Amouage's or other opulent Oriental florals, just less thick and dense, more simple, with a more essential and mediterranean twist. Earthy, mossy and moderately dark base of patchouli and vanilla, with soft musks and a dusty sweet feel. Everything sounds loud and clear, all materials smell high quality and the composition is just perfect to make each of them work at its best – both alone and in the blend. More restrained and discreet than it may seem from the composition: the opening is powerful, but it soon calms down. It becomes a mellow, soapy, floral, dark and elegant leather chypre, with spicy notes. Really well-balanced, refined, pleasant and versatile.

8/10

Mon Parfum Cheri EDP by Annick Goutal

Year: 2011
Nose: Isabelle Doyen, Camille Goutal

I am a big fan of Annick Goutal although I have not tried or used many scents from this house, but this was just unexpected – still a gorgeous scent, perhaps the best among her range, but completely different from what I was used to until today. Except "Vetiver", which was so dry, sour and earthy I could barely wear it in winter, most of Goutal's scent were the most impressionist, oniric, delicate and fairytale side of my collection... until today. I would have never imagined Goutal could come out with such a thick, dense, dark, earthy scent. Strong, narcotic floral opening – tuberose? Narcissus? - iris, vanilla, some ambery warm, leather, tobacco, vetiver, cloves... guess what? None of that is actually there. Just iris, patchouli and a couple of notes. I never smelled such a complex and multifaceted scent which turns out to be composed of literally three or four components. No magic here (perhaps) – just an impressive quality, so high it brings the materials to life. The patchouli is leafy, earthy, vibrant, if you take it alone it's on its turn full of shades – dry, leathery, animalic, dusty, mossy, tobacco-ish. The iris is just gorgeous: an "old aunt lipstick" touch, shady, spicy, powdery, and the most natural, rich and dense I've ever tried. Overall it's an earth chypre, dusty and gloomy, with a prominent, monolithic iris note, dark and vibrant as a forest at night, so natural you feel it living and breathing. The drydow is calmer, still a marvellous iris in a sort of restrained, dry, dark, decadent earthy chypre accord with a palpable bitter dry base really close to leather, although there isn't. The name sounds quite a joke – nothing "petit" for no "chérie" here. Superb!

9/10

Private Label EDP by Jovoy

Year: 2011
Nose: Cécile Zarokian

Finally a good – even great – Jovoy. All the scents I have tried from this house until now were just "ok", all with a "good" quality and a shy personality. This instead takes a step forward and just makes its statement - with a lot to say. The opening is unique and much interesting and captivating: fruity and sweet, but also boozy and dark, pungent, balsamic, pasty like thick asphalt. It made me suddendly think of the cover of the album "Crazy Love" by Mj Cole, where you see this champagne bottle with thick sticky dark asphalt pouring out of it. Quite the same initial feeling here. A sort of archaic, alchemic syrup, with a black, beautiful, liquid and almost rancid note that floats in the very deep of it. Vetiver and patcholi are there, liquified and rounded, rubbery, sticky, sensual, balsamic, moreover you get them more dry and earthy. It all slowly dries down becoming more smoky and leathery with a more bold waxy/rubbery vetiver note – always much dark and morbid without being cloying, meditative, really thick and beautiful. The drydown is surprisingly more "open" and aerial, silky and dusty, with a vanillin note and the balsamic accord which gets almost mentholated and refreshing. Close to some Liquides Imaginaires at some point. Really unique, but also safe to wear. Great persistence and projection.

8,5/10

Acqua di Parma Roundup

Three of them barely make a good one, so here's a three-six in a row.

***

Acqua di Parma Colonia Assoluta by Acqua di Parma

Year: 2003
Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour, Jean-Claude Ellena

Nice, pleasant, invigorating citrus and bergamot opening on mellow aromatic woods – sandal and cedar, I guess. A talcum, powdery, musky heart of flower petals, a solid but very subtle base of patchouli, vanillin and (synthetic) oak moss, which gets more and more earthy while the first more volatile notes vanish. So basically nothing new, but still decently executed. I also detect the peculiar, piquant-fruity note of pepper and pimiento. What you get after a while is a persistent, sweet, gentle musky drydown with just a tiny hint of dusty earthy notes and a vague feel of powdery white flowers. Bit boring after a while. Frankly the start is better than the evolution, but it's indeed a clear, laid-back, cozy, (overpriced) modern eau de cologne.

6/10

***

Acqua Di Parma Magnolia Nobile by Acqua di Parma

Year: 2011
Nose: Antoine Maisondieu

A simple and bright accord of citrus, white flowers and aromatic woods, with a talcum/soapy feel and a sweet musky base (I don't want to sound repetitive and use that "sweet soft musky shampoo base" aromachemical name again...). It gets slightly mentholated after a while. Pale and suave like a Victorian girl. The floral notes are there, but they are developed in a way I do not enjoy much - somehow plain, restrained and innocuous. It's like watching a photoshooting on a travels' magazine: still good, but you crave for "the real feel". Clean and pleasant, but to me, a bit dull.

6/10

***

Blu Mediterraneo Bergamotto di Calabria by Acqua di Parma

Year: 2010

Nose: Unknown

Pleasant, powerful opening, not much deep neither rich (we're in quite a chemical realm here, forget the "Bergamot of Calabria" – more "Autan insecticide" - maybe purchased in Calabria, that's fine). Classic summer cologne base of delicate flowers, ginger, aromatic woods. After a while you get the vetiver note better. Mellow soft musky feel. Must say it is barely pleasant, and plus, it "tones down" in a matter of minutes, becoming a subtle, close-to-skin floral/talcum scent with fresh notes and a slight aromatic vetiver feel. Basically a decent, super safe and quite elegant "eau de cologne" like plenty of others. Strictly for "parvenus". Short persistence.

6/10

Mon Patchouly EDP by Ramon Monegal

Year: 2012
Nose: Ramon Monegal

Cloying opening, a slap of aldehydes and powdery jasmin notes, with a dense, metallic, milky feel and a balsamic touch (that kind of plastic, ozonic balsamic mood as in Fahrenheit 32). I do not get the patchouli at all, a get a tiny bit of oak moss – clean, plain, synthetic - on jasmin, which is perhaps the most prominent note. After a while the metallic fades and evolves into a more soapy note, still cloying but at least a bit more powdery and tolerable. Overall it's fairly poor, unpleasant and confused, with an everlasting persistence and an uselessly misleading name.

4/10

Umbra EDP by Ramon Monegal

Year: 2011
Nose: Ramon Monegal

Citrus opening on a weird, unsettling, metallic/ozonic base – same note I detected in at least other 3 Monegal's. Mentholated and calone-ish balsamic accents, something shady and organic like oak moss, soft musks, some flowers. Wax-like vetiver – which I never like, and I don't get why so many contemporary vetivers do have that awful glue-like smell. I like this more when the flowers kind of "morphs" into a nice accord of sweet and talcum notes, while the vetiver note becomes more rubbery and soft. This creates a sort of weird but interesting suede-like texture which I quite enjoy. Then again, a change; this all melts and slowly becomes almost a chypre accord with a balsamic breeze – yes, kind of Mitsouko realm here to this extent, respectfully talking. While overall I don't like Monegal that much, I must admit I quite enjoy this fragrance – the notes, the materials are bit "meh...", but still it has a nice and intriguing story to tell, with quite a lot of twists and surprises.

7,5/10

L'Homme Sage EDP by Divine

Year: 2005
Nose: Yann Vasnier

Rich, round, unmistakable opening with a really tight and complex texture. Basically a fruity, spicy, kind of gloomy blend, with a subtle but still bold accord of earthy oak moss and patchouli, which underline and support the raw, shady side of the scent, while the more prominent flower notes and the aromatic woods create a superb, unique, slightly boozy tea-like aroma melting with the wonderful, fruity-spiced accord of saffron, mandarin and pungent fruits (Vasnier used litchee notes and I trust that, although I only detect a pungent, syrupy, fresh fruit note that can actually be anything). Miles down you can feel the solid base of styrax and cistus, which kind of "shape" the scent with a masculine uplifting touch, giving it a slight unique fougère personality. Words fail a bit here, basing on my description this may sound messy and super-rich, while in fact it's really simple and wearable, just really compact, consistent, harmonic and tightly-packed – like looking a perfectly-formed thingy through a microscope lens, you then realize it's made of billions of (whatever it's made of). A scent in the very "alchemic" meaning of the word. Highly wearable, with a perfect persistence and sillage, a real (and sadly, apparently much underrated) total marvel.

9/10

The Infidels EDP by Agonist

Year: 2010
Nose: Fabrice Pellegrin

Rich, thick, interesting texture, still quite delicate and pleasant. It suddendly reminded me (like a "madeleine") of Divine for women, the first fragrance Divine made I think in the early '90s or late '80s. Basically it is an opulent and dense scent in a really classic manner, a fruity graceful chypre rich in flower notes with a heart of dark rose, amber and aromatic woods, really coloured and dynamic, very deep and elegant. A sort of brighter, less somptuous, less decadent but still quite complex version of some Amouage's. However it is not worth the price tag which I've heard is crazy – the Divine I mentioned should be fairly similar but with a far more affordable price. Horrible bottle, by the way (sorry).

7/10

Mainstream Roundup #1

This is the first of a "roundup" weekly post series I will (try to) hold each week, focusing on a different theme - mainstream, vintage, brands and so on. 

***
Eau des Merveilles by Hermès

Year: 2004
Nose: Ralf Schwieger, Nathalie Feisthauer

Citrus, vanilla, violet, sandal wood, a lavender accord, some metallic aldehydes feel, nice fruity notes (a hint of freshly-cut pimiento) and quite a recognisable load of Iso E Super plus hedione. Which smell great. A bit later you get more clearly the amber-vetiver base. I don't get the balsamic aroma which should be there, actually the more minutes pass the more I get only the aromachems and the other notes vanish – what you get then for hours is a salty, pleasant, synthetic "good feeling", like a cozy, clean, opalescent airport lounge where *someone* with a good scent and just a hint of sweat has just left leaving you there alone (hedione and Iso E - if you know Odeur 53, that's it, and I quite like that kind of subtle, weird salty/woody/milky accord). Unisex, slightly floral, slightly salty-skin, pleasant and with a hell of persistence. More "eau" than "merveille", but still nice - more "avantgarde" than it may look like.

7/10

***

Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel

Year: 2001
Nose: Jacques Polge

Aldehydes, vanilla, rose, jasmin, ylang, something fresh and green, opoponax, lemons, soft musks. If even I could detect these barely smelling the opening for some minutes, it means this scent is really simple and balanced, and all components are there under your nose – which is something I always enjoy, no matter the quality of such components (to this extent). A pleasant "reading" for a clear, simple, delicate fragrance. A refreshing apple flavour (probably a side effect of aldehydes and flowers) and a sweet, fruity, cozy soft galaxolide base which smells of mellow musks. A chemical galore, of course: perfectly shaped and "rounded" around the composition which smells exactly the same for hours, with a great projection. But you know what? It does not compare to Coco, but it's not bad at all.

7/10

***
A Scent by Issey Miyake

Year: 2009
Nose: Daphne Bugey

Fresh, greengrass, somehow ozonic pungent opening (they say verbena, I'd say citral and calone), some white floral notes with light and slightly milky musks, a hint of sparkling ginger, some bittersweet fruity accents – almost pimiento-like. Light vetiver base. After a while it pops out a weird camphor-rubbery feel. Overall a cold, static, metallic, linear, artificial scent – sadly, not in an "avant-garde" meaning (forget CdG, Escentric or nu_be or other brands like these), rather a scent which wants to look pleasantly green and safe with just a hint of a – safe, again - "minimal look". Where "minimal" then turns into "anonym". Trendy and uninspired.

5/10

Black Amber EDP by Agonist

Year: 2011
Nose: Fabrice Pellegrin

The "flow of consciousness" of notes I feel at the opening: amber, incense, lavender, linalol, clove, pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, benzoin, pepper, vanilla, aromatic woods (cedar?)... most of them I don't know if are actually there but that is how the opening smells to me. Basically a sweet and spicy amber, with a pleasant, bold opening. It then slowly becomes a bit more green-balsamic as minutes pass, some herbal feel with a mentholated touch – kind of CdG realm. That's a nice transation. You feel the pungent feel of ambroxan on the base, the cedar and the styrax, and also a tiny bit of dry and a bit plastic patchouli – does not smell great, but it is still fine for the purpose. And that linalool insecticide vibe, subtle but persistent from the very beginning. Frankly this overall smells a bit dull to me – the amber/incense/green notes accord is nice, but also a bit confused and... I don't know, not catchy. Pale, perhaps. Anyway, overall this scent is closer to some green incenses CdG's like Sugi or Zagorsk, more than to amber-based scents. Short persistence (too short for me). Nice, but not worth the price tag for me.

6,5-7/10

Eau Mohéli EDP by Diptyque

Year: 2013
Nose: Olivier Pescheux

Fresh, green, floral-fruity opening, with bold peppery notes and a sweet, resinous but still discreet base – light, silky benzoin. The ginger-ylang accord is sparkling and pungent, and that is pretty much the main thing you get – you will like it at first, but as soon as you realise that is what you are going to get for hours... it gets a bit boring. After a while you also get some slight, weird camphor/metallic feel at the very base, I guess some "rounding" fixative unexpectedly popping out. Nice, organic notes of earthty patchouli & vetiver – good vetiver. Mellow musks. Overall this fragrance is green and fresh, but with an interesting sort of narcotic, soothing and meditative feel – even if there is no notes usually associated with this (e.g., incense or "heavy" flowers like narcissus or tuberose). Slight sharp red-bitter fruity notes. Fairly evocative and pleasant, but as I said above... a bit boring after a while. Quite powerful; I could smell this under my sweater. Long-lasting persistence.

7/10

1740 Marquis de Sade EDP by Histoires de Parfums

Year: 2000
Nose: Gérard Ghislain

A bold, rich, dense accord of dusty leathers and vibrant, carnal immortelle, with a silky vanilla and aromatic woods base and an earthy patchouli heart, initially with also a boozy "hit". Really compact and quite complex, perhaps "rounded" and packed so tightly with some artificial escamotage that make it sound a bit "too rich" and at the same a bit plastic (like fake buildings in movie sets – and by the way, a signature trait of Histoires de Parfums to me). As minutes pass it kind of comes close to a simpler, more straightforward and more shouty version of Fumerie Turque, with an interesting kind of rancid fruits/flowers twist. Overall a nice gloomy and smoky leather scent with a pungent decadent boozy-floral personality. Monster persistence and bold projection, which can be a pro or a con depending on how much you like this – it is nice at first, but has not much of an evolution, so get ready to smell that same concoction for hours ("cloying alert").

A nice interview with Gérard also speaking about 1740 can be found here.

7/10

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog. I have created it mostly to write quick reviews of the fragrances I try or use, spanning from niche to designer and from vintage to new, trying not to behave too "snob" and be polite at my best. I am also on Basenotes, where I write my reviews as well - I just wanted to offer this other platform too, to have more room for sharing other material and interact with other perfume lovers and reviewers more closely and more freely. I am not interested in sponsorships and promotion or other stuff like that, so everything you will read will be my honest opinion about fragrances I will try for real, purchased/acquired by myself. My goal is just to learn, as I believe the effort to write down notes and thoughts is a great help and improvement, and hopefully, to be useful and nice to read - if I will manage to be readable, I am Italian and English is not my mother language, so please - be patient.

Ciao,

Colin