Nononsense 5 by Nico Uytterhaegen (2011)

A contemporary, abstract, “post-industrial” fragrance which does not smell idiotic (and it’s not a CdG)? Hooray. No nonsense #5 opens with a hyper clean soapy-aldehydic accord of pure chemical notes, a grayish-white blend mixed with a wet-concrete like note of dusty musk. Green-floral notes provide a whiff of fresh breeze, crisp and clean too, and on the base I think I detect something woody-mossy (but I guess it’s a nuance of musk). I don’t get the amber accord initially, but once the scent warms up on skin, you feel it arising like a dawn. Finally, I smell a hint of something slightly nutty, like tonka. All of this is quite tightly packed together in a really thin but dense texture, pure grayness in a bottle. A peculiar scent, which you’ve to smell with attention and care in order to get it: in my opinion, it’s more complex and fascinating than it may seem it at a first sniff (or well, that’s my experience with this). The composition is well crafted, clever and unusual, and works perfectly managing to make these few and rather common notes smell “new” and intriguing. A totally compelling, truly contemporary take on musk, which lasts for hours on mainly grayish-musky notes as much abstract as warm, drier and darker as hours pass, with “urinous” nuances on the drydown. Not a masterpiece but much better than I expected. Worth a try for sure!

7/10