Perfume Reviews by hoschhti
Incident Diplomatique by Jovoy
Ten years ago I most probably would have praised it for its darknes, but nowadays I find it just annoying. There is no dynamic in this scent, no interplay between the notes. It's a relentless, compressed, smoky, bitter-green swamp with no humor of any kind.
Santal Austral by Matière Première
This stinker is an insult to the nose and to the wallet. Like the cheapest colognes made with the cheapest aromachemicals it gives you that unpleasant fuzzy sensation. Sandalwood? There is none! I'm not exaggerating when I say that every antiperspirant smells better than this crap.
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L'Eau de Merzhin by Anatole Lebreton
Unparalleled vegetal stink bomb! Terribly beautiful but hardly wearable!
Muschio di Quercia / Oak Moss by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo
I had a couple of samples of "Oak Moss" over the years and my experience has always been the same: Right after application I thought: "Wow, that's it, that's the real deal!" The perfume is so strong and so monochromatic, like a dark green emerald. But after half an hour or so the scent starts to annoy me for the exact same reasons: it's too strong and too monochromatic (dare I say boring). I guess I'm not man enough because it makes me feel weaker and weaker the longer I wear it. "Oak Moss" is something for alpha males like CEOs who want to enhance their bossaura.
Nekro Dellamorte by The Fragrance Engineers
This is no doubt the most terrible perfume I have ever smelled! I have reached the rock bottom of perfumes! "Nekro Dellamorte" was allegedly inspired by the cult movies Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Nekromantik and Dellamorte Dellamore, but this is only marketing-blah-blah to bait gullible people (like me). Knowing these movies I didn't expect a crowd-pleaser of course but, good lord, this stuff just stinks terribly and is unwearable even for the biggest sociopath. If only the perfumer had tried harder then it could have been at least some sort of work of olfactory art, the notorious perfume that every perfumista has to try just for the sake of it, something in the vein of O'Driù maybe, but instead "Nekro Dellamorte" is a very badly done work. There is no artistry, no quality, no nothing. It's just a reeking mess, cheap and synthetic - and it doesn't do any justice to these movies at all, it rather insults them because there are more facets to these movies than just being gross. Unfortunatley I can't forbid anybody to buy a sample, but don't lament afterwards that you haven't been warned!
Underworld by Christèle Jacquemin
Well, to be honest I expected something more daring and challenging. "Underworld" is rather conservative and I shouldn't use the term "old man smell" here but the first thing that I thought right after application was that it would suit an elder man very well. "Underworld" is a pretty usual affair of darker and slightly earthy woods albeit enhanced with a bit of pepper. The pepper-note is nicely done as it doesn't stick out too much but gives the scent a gentle spicy smokiness. I don't get any floral notes and the cumin is way back (unfortunately). The fragrance is of good quality, the blending is seamless and longevity is also good. If you just want something inoffensive that makes you smell good or are looking for a birthday gift for your father/grandfather then you should consider this, but if you are like me and always on the hunt for the more extreme stuff that broadens your olfactory horizon then "Underworld" may be a tad too boring.
Un Jardin sur la Lagune by Hermès
Complete rip-off!Smells like a cheap, more floral version of "Pathetique" (I hate "Pathetique") and the concept is stolen from "Venezia Giardini Segreti".
Lonesome Rider by Tauer
I wish I could hate it like "Lonestar Memories" but this stuff is so boring that it doesn't even deserve my hate.
Amber Jasmine by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo
This one is not to my liking at all. I dislike Egyptian Jasmine, but it's featured prominently in "Amber Jasmine". Its smell here constantly oscillates between girlie and granny. Add to that an amber-base that doesn't smell like the usual sweet ambers but rather smoky and medicinal. I wouldn't be surprised if it contained actual fossilized amber oil judging by its weird scent akin to the smell of a hospital. Well, actually it's the interplay between the jasmine and the amber that creates a bizarre picture in my head of a pink(!) hospital. Somehow the (similar) amber-base in "Amber Oud" smells more harmonious with the oud, much less jarring than with the jasmine. "Amber Jasmine" triggers a vague sense of nostalgia in me and I recognize the quality of the materials which are the only things I like about it. Besides that, this concoction is just way too unpleasant to wear for me. "Amber Jasmine" is something that the nurse from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" would wear.
Ihram by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo
The natural, rougher and darker alternative to Terre d'Hermes. It even shows similarities to Encre Noire in the late drydown.
Naias by Sammarco
NAIAS is the latest perfume by Giovanni Sammarco. This time it's clearly a perfume for women only. Where its predecessor ARIEL could also be worn by men, I think this is too feminine for a guy - well at least in my opinion. Of course I don't want to discourage anybody from sampling it. As we are already used to from Sammarco, the quality of the ingredients is very good. On his website NAIAS is described having a violet aura. This description is spot-on because the violet lingers in this perfume but never becomes overwhelming - NAIAS is not a violet soliflore. Actually to my nose it's more a rose scent with a green undercurrent and a very abstract and subdued fruitiness. The drydown is mostly a sweet sandalwood affair, actually quite similar in its vibe to ARIEL. NAIAS is an uncomplicated scent, not in the sense of being uncomplex, but in the sense that it's easy to wear. It's not too heavy or too light or too sweet in a girlie way. It manages to hit the right tone and thus is suitable for all occasions and all women (and maybe men too?). Uncomplicated yes, but not uncomplex. NAIAS is blended perfectly and shows a lot of subtle details. Longevity is good and projection is moderate.List of notes:
Violet, Rose, Jasmine, Osmanthus, Neroli, Orris, Sandalwood, Apple, Pear, Cassis, Mandarin, Amber
Sensemilla by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo
The best word to describe this scent is the word "smooth". There is nothing harsh about it, it's seamlessly blended, nothing stands out too much. Probably that's the reason why Luca Turin perceives it almost as an Lavender-soliflore because all the ingredients come together and create this nice floral perfume. Does it smell like Lavender at all? Yes and no! To my nose the perfume shifts constantly between Lavender and Rose. "Sensemilla" smells like a Lavender/Rose-hybrid. Surprisingly to my nose the scent is quite sweet, the Rose-part radiates a sweetness known from semi-sweet Rose-scents. Now to the Cannabis: I have absolutely no experience with it as a drug, I have never smoked it nor did I attend anybody smoking it, but I have eaten it once. In Silesia/Poland where my grandmother lives there is this Christmas-dish called "Siemionka" which is basically a milk-soup with hemp-seed. I ate it many years ago when I visited my grandparents at Christmas time and I remember it as a really heavy dish with a distinct smell that reminded me of a bitter Pilsner beer. I can defintely detect this smell in "Sensemilla" as well. It's far in the background anchoring the whole perfume and making it - just like the dish - quite heavy. That surprised me as well because I expected a light and simple Lavender smell. "Sensemilla" seems not complex at first sniff because of the perfect blending, but there are a lot of nice subtle details to discover. Very nice!
Cuoio dei Dolci / Sweet Leather by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo
CDD is a beautiful fragrance. It's very warm, cozy, animalic (but not too much) and very easy to wear. It's a perfect autumn scent. The opening of CDD is very surprising as it smells a lot like absinthe (the anise-heavy ones like the Francois Guy). I would have never expected that by just looking at the notes. This sensation fades away after half an hour. What comes after that is a wonderful mix of Castoreum, Cocoa (semi-sweet), Tobacco, some additional Vanilla/Tonka-sweetness and I guess a little bit of Sandalwood. Although the perfume has the word sweet in its name, it's actually not that sweet. I would even say that it's more masculine than it is feminine. The Castoreum is strong, but just like in Gringo it's nicely softened by the other notes, so it never becomes too animalic, though CDD conjures up images of horses and hay at times in a very gentle way. The description on the website says that CDD contains also Mandarin and Ylang-Ylang, but to me they are barely detectable, especially the Mandarin is non-existent to my nose. The longevity is quite good for a natural perfume. All in all CDD is a great perfume. I think it's the best from La Via del Profumo's latest offerings.
New Sibet by Slumberhouse
New Sibet strikes me as totally "mediocre". It's like a mix of Pathetique, Eau de Gentiane Blanche, Cuir d'Ange, Bel Ami Vetiver, potpourri (typical for Slumberhouse) and pencils. Everything is mixed together and then flattened to make it fit in one bottle. It's cozy yet uncomfortable, it's warm yet cold, it's cacophonic yet harmonic, it's dirty yet clean, it's natural yet synthetic, it's heavy yet light..... it's like a cross-section of a lot of perfumes (the ones mentioned in the beginning and probably many more) and a cross-section of almost all the impressions modern perfumery has to offer. That's why I call it "mediocre", but I mean it in a positive way. New Sibet is the best mediocre scent I have smelled in a long time.
Gringo by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo
Gringo is my new favourite from La Via del Profumo. The funny thing is that I already had a sample many years ago and I liked it but wasn't wowed by it. A few weeks ago I ordered a new sample and it totally blew me away! First of all: Gringo is very persistent for a natural perfume. Folks who want decent longevity will be happy with this one. But to me the smell is the most important thing: The clever juxtaposition of very dirty (castoreum) and very clean notes (mint, citrus) is simply great. Gringo has a hefty dose of castoreum in it and one can smell its full power, but just at the moment when the scent would become too dirty the wonderful mint-note comes into play and covers the stinkier facets of castoreum up. I think there should be more perfumes featuring mint. Patchouli, frankincense, sandalwood and vanilla give the scent a solid and sweet body, so that the perfume appears almost monolithic, but paradoxically at the same time Gringo is kind of weightless and very easy to wear. A nice touch of citrus gives Gringo a Mediterranean feeling. Allegedly there is some rose in it, but to be honest I have problems detecting it. Probably the rose is somewhere in the background holding the scent together. Gringo doesn't develop much over time, so what you get in the beginning is basically what you get in the end - and that for many glorious hours.
Interlude Man by Amouage
The olfactory equivalent to Metallica's Death Magnetic.Loud, louder, Interlude Man.
Pathetique by O'Driù
Pathetique is so far the worst perfume from this house. It smells like sweaty armpits that haven't been washed for weeks and you try to cover up the smell with a cheap deodorant.
Ariel by Sammarco
The first thing that I noticed after "Ariel" settled on my skin is that it's considerably softer, more gentle, actually totally different in style than the other perfumes by Sammarco, so I think it should be less "polarizing" to folks who found the previous ones too raw. :-)When "Ariel" hits the skin you are greeted with a strong, leafy green and citrusy fresh accord with a sharp Tuberose, but this accord fades away after a few minutes and the scent turns into a soft and creamy mix of Sandalwood, Orris, Citrus (Ginger, Mandarine) and herbal undertones (although I'm not sure where the notes are coming from as there are no typical herbs listed). There are floral notes as well, but they are more in the background and tie everything together, the only flower that sticks out more is the Tuberose together with Davana. There is also a very faint Tobacco-note providing a slightly smoky background right from the beginning. This stage lasts quite some time and leads to a dry down that consists mostly of sweet and nutty Sandalwood and the soft Tobacco-note. As you can see from my description "Ariel" is a perfume with a distinct evolution whereas the other perfumes from Giovanni are more on the linear side. It's also the most complex so far. The quality of the (natural) ingredients is very good, but this time they don't show their raw power and stay more on the polite side. Like mentioned in the beginning this could be a good thing for people who didn't like the earlier creations and dismissed them as too hardcore. Personally I like the rougher compositions more. Some criticism: "Ariel" can be a bit cloying (Davana?), especially when the dry-down kicks in. Before that the sweetness is nicely counterpointed by the citrus/floral notes and the herbal notes. Longevity is not good (on my skin) which is normal for a natural perfume. Projection is moderate. On the website "Ariel" is described as the most feminine perfume from the line and it definitely is. Still I think a guy can pull this off especially in spring or summer. All in all this is a soft, sweet and sensual perfume with a shier personality, seamlessly blended with high-quality ingredients, and it's entirely different from the other offerings by Sammarco Perfumes. Definitely worth a try!
List of notes: Angelica, Tuberose, Jasmine, Osmanthus, Violet, Rose, Sandalwood, Mandarine, Ginger, Tobacco, Davana and Orris Concrete.
Eau de Narcisse Bleu by Hermès
The boring brother of Eau de Gentiane Blanche.
Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules
This is pure Iso E Super diluted in alcohol. Folks, don't buy this stuff unless you have too much money and want to get rid of it! This stuff is a rip-off and you could easily produce your own "Molecule 01" at a fraction of the cost!