Fundamental fragrance notes
Head
- calabrian bergamot, tangerine, hesperidic flowers
Heart
- soave grape, maquis notes, florentine iris, beeswax
Base
- cedarwood, sandalwood, javan vetiver, velvet accord, leather
Latest Reviews of Fundamental
This was by far the most captivating of the three Rubini samples in my possession. This is front-loaded with a lot of flowers, herbs, citrus pith, and a dense impasto wax that seems to peel away just somewhat to reveal...wine grapes! This is my favorite part, this grape. Grapes and grape leaves, a vineyard, overhead the vines have clusters descending like chandeliers, and there are fermenting, fallen grapes at my feet. Grapes. And wax. And more grapes. And more wax. There is also a distant sage smudge stick
The orris seems muddled somewhere within this grape and wax madness, but over time, there's the peculiar thick bubble that grows stronger and stronger, until it smells like those oil pastels I loved to use in art class. What the?? Wait, do I like this? Do I want to smell like this? I sure enough like smelling it. Over time, a synthetic sandalwood is brought into relief by further evaporation, and I am left feeling more puzzled than when I began this excursion. I am fascinated, if not perplexed, and may want to wear it a couple of times to see if I grow to like it.
The orris seems muddled somewhere within this grape and wax madness, but over time, there's the peculiar thick bubble that grows stronger and stronger, until it smells like those oil pastels I loved to use in art class. What the?? Wait, do I like this? Do I want to smell like this? I sure enough like smelling it. Over time, a synthetic sandalwood is brought into relief by further evaporation, and I am left feeling more puzzled than when I began this excursion. I am fascinated, if not perplexed, and may want to wear it a couple of times to see if I grow to like it.
Bright, crisp citrus opening with an airy, watery wave of flowery notes. A bit of tanginess, too. I think this one, is a bit different from ones I've sampled lately. I totally enjoy this.
In the heart I smell something akin to a sweet dessert wine. Then a beeswax note. Smoldering pieces of wood, as if soaked in a bath of sweet liquid, dried, then set afire. Wafts of vetiver. Something soft in texture here.
The vetiver lingers on. The leather is light like a buckskin suede. Four stars overall.
In the heart I smell something akin to a sweet dessert wine. Then a beeswax note. Smoldering pieces of wood, as if soaked in a bath of sweet liquid, dried, then set afire. Wafts of vetiver. Something soft in texture here.
The vetiver lingers on. The leather is light like a buckskin suede. Four stars overall.
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In the opening the summery hesperidic freshness, enriched my mandarin and bergamot forms a pleasant triad, with the bergamot being quite flat and unconvincing compared to the other two. A sparkling crispness, with a salty hint here or there, seems to be what is aimed for, but a certain staleness is there; more like a bubbly left standing in an opened bottle for too long.
A fruity heart note with iris and violet hues leads to a genetically woodsy base; here a bland vetiver and touches of a mildly ambery white musk appear close to the end.
The sillage is moderate, the projection adequate and the longevity eight hours.
Pleasant in summer, a bit flat and distinctly synthetic - this revival of an old name does not reach beyond average levels. 2.5/5.
A fruity heart note with iris and violet hues leads to a genetically woodsy base; here a bland vetiver and touches of a mildly ambery white musk appear close to the end.
The sillage is moderate, the projection adequate and the longevity eight hours.
Pleasant in summer, a bit flat and distinctly synthetic - this revival of an old name does not reach beyond average levels. 2.5/5.
Fundamental by Rubini opens extremely tart-hesperidic, synthetic, bitter-fizzy-orangy and cedary-leathery (unveiling immediately since the top notes its "intimate" nature) but something weirdly fruity-herbal, floral and "fleshy" (kind of apparently figgy and visceral) could be easily caught as dodgy lingering ghost of the leathery background. What I'm talking about? Probably I'm focusing on a central powerful accord of grape and violet leaves which (as supported by tangerine) is extremely fizzy/bitter and kind of herbal (though partially soothed by something weirdly fleshy, softly fruity and milky/powdery as marquis, iris and probably benzoin or amber). Overall the aroma is founded on this game of contrasts (fizzy/tart notes and a more soothed/gentled substance represented by resins, dusty iris and marquis notes -- fruity, chocolatey?? --). Anyway the dominant accord represented by cedarwood and leather is there, kind of ostensibly rosey-soapy and realistically resinous (it seems almost to detect a typical Dueto Parfum's saffrony rose/oud combo). Anyway the many leathery accord is "fizzy/bitter/hesperidic" till the end and I can't refrain to report in mind a resembling Onyrico's creation (probably Enygma or Michelangelo for its figgy-cedary-green vibe). Anyway Fundamental is neither original not captivating but I can't say it's properly a failure. Along dry down the aroma tands to restrain and several sophisticated floral nuances embellish this stout central "maistream" woody-leathery connection. Along this final phase I can't stop to associate Fundamental to Escentric Molecules Kinski since I tend to get hints of sultry saltiness connected to woods (more heady than in Kinski) and something erotically animalic. Connection of redolent floral notes (kind of violet, narcissus), tangerine, woods, amber and animalic notes surely conjures me another Cristiano Canali's creation as Masque Romanza. Don't forget that Cristiano Canali is a remarkable performer full of talent and olfactive "awareness". I quite dislike the over-synthetic opening but can't deny this sultry-visceral juice could arouse warm/sweated sexiness on a "daring wearer".
