Marbella
Carner Barcelona (2020)

Slightly soapy, slightly aquatic fruity-floral. On a mouillette, the opening is strikingly reminiscent of L'Eau d'Issey, but the aquatic aspect is significantly toned down on skin. In the beginning I get a sticky, syrupy rose with sharp-green blackcurrant, more leaf than fruit. There's also a slight scratchy floral-piney-musky effect from the pink pepper, but it's subtle, and in my experience imperceptible in cooler weather. The character steadily leeches out of the rose and fades into some nondescript, chlorinated florals in the middle. After a while, the fragrance eventually gains a second wind as a stronger warm peach-musk base develops.

The structure here is a bit baffling. Why start out cool and aquatic to end up warm and amber-musky, with very little transition? Why is the middle so weak and uninteresting? It doesn't help that the whole perfume reminds me of functional fragrance, variably recalling spray hair detangler, room spray, and lotion. Maybe some people enjoy those references, but this one's ultimately not for me.