Cherry Punk
Eau de Parfum, Room 1015 (2020)

This is more of a rant than a review.. so just saying..

What a surprise of a fragrance, and a total gem. Although I am no advocate of the brand, I must say, for a lower price point, and an even more potent version of this, try Dua's "Punked by Cherries" or something like that. They really nail it, and it gets me tons of compliments, when I wear it. Although I very much enjoy this one, the Dua is just so much of a better value. The fragrances overall remind me something of a more juicy version of the original Varvatos for men. All these years later, finally something that's arguably a take on JV? Dua, unfortunately, has the worst customer service you'll ever find anywhere, which I'm sure has deterred a lot of people from shopping with them. I must say though, if you enjoy this, and you want a stronger version, trust me, I will attach my name to it, you heard it from The Cologneist,.. Punked by Cherries (or something like this) from Dua, and again.. they kinda make things once and you never see them again, so that's why I am so adamant on pushing this, while it's still available. If there is a section available for this great Dua fragrance, I will post my review for it there, and then update this one.. but as it stands now, there are probably thousands of Dua scents at this point, and not much places to review them.

Now I do wanna talk more about Cherry Punk by Room 1015, but there will be a direct comparison to the Dua, in this review. I don't believe I have ever tried Tom Ford's Lost Cherry, and if I have, it was forgettable. I do see some people compare it to this, but more of an afterthought. I am not very familar with this Room 1015 brand, but after trying Cherry Punk, it surely has enticed my nose. In the fragrance world.. finding stuff this unique, done well, that doesn't seem like a body spray, and actually transitions thoroughly through the notes, is rare. I mean, this is a full blown cherry fragrance, which I didn't think could be done, since.. to the best of my knowledge, there is no cherry oils that can be naturally put into a fragrance. Of course, anything can be synthesized.. and however Room did it, this ingredient they've made is highly intoxicating, and appealing. A juicy and authentic dark cherry. I am just blown away honestly. Fragrances like this bring back my enthusiasm for fragrances, and seeing there is still some hope, and not everything has to smell liker a fake blue ocean, or a bunch of woodsy notes that make me wanna vomit. I would love to see what can be done with this, and if by some miracle, the folks at Room 1015, happen to be reading this to see what people want.. I can tell you I would LOVE a stronger version of this, with more emphasis on the cherry, and less on the florals. Although, for a fragrance with florals, it is quite unisex. I would prefer if you looked at what DUA has done, in really focusing on the cherry note. I look forward to wearing, both this, and the DUA one, they are just highly fun, and enjoyable fragrances that put a smile on my face. I love how unique they are. I love what Room 1015 has done here, and I don't know if they took this idea from elsewhere, that is something for me to still discover, but I do know, that they certainly caught my attention here, and this is a banger!

Fantastic cherry/leather fragrance. Nice strong projection and longevity on my skin at least. Well named, dirty dive bar smokey leathery with a beautiful cherry note similar to the note in TF Lost Cherry, but this cherry note is where any similarities end. Apart from the leather I also get a bit of sound equipment cable rubber smells that just add to the 'punk' element. The leather is a strong leather, one of those black motorcycle affairs. This is Definitely a unisex fragrance (even marketed as such) nothing for princessy types who think Ariana Grande is punk. The bottle design and red glass is great, but I can't figure out why they didn't go with a cap styled like an amplifier volume knob. Instead they opted for something reminiscent of a budget seventies shampoo cap...
This juice is priced really nicely and definitely back-up worthy for me.