I've journeyed full circle with this fragrance and I've got to say that I've arrived at a happy middle ground. I like it quite a lot, after initially being bowled over by it, I think I was a little hasty. It opens with a super smooth, cosmetic leather note, not dissimilar to iris/orris but then becoming more patent/faux leather and plastic like. I attribute that perhaps to the saffron, having that plastic nature but with smooth opulence and non of the earthier character. It has sweet facets but not in a traditional sense, this is a fragrance with quite an artificial feel. I don't know whether it's the generally creamy, powder of the heart of this fragrance, the sweet custard vanilla nuances or the aldehydes in the opening but something says oreintal chypre and Chanel to me. Not any specific Chanel....just the overall vibes. It's kinda fresh but has warmer substance too, and although vanilla is not listed in the notes nor is tonka or benzoin or anything vanilla like I'm still inclined to believe it's there. It's more clinical and less dirty than real vanilla it's more of a vanillin, which I love anyway. It also has a quality I like to call, 'carpet shop' new carpet complete with a hint of rubbery underlay. This was how I described Amouage Honour Men but I don't think these two are all that similar. I thought the performance was going to be a let down but it's actually a secretly tenacious scent. I have reapplied it but not because it was flagging, more to remind myself of how it opened for review purposes. The drydown gets more diffuse and opens up, becoming a bit like Boucheron Jaipur homme or something of that ilk. No Rules is a very interesting fragrance, unique but not quite as special as what I initially thought.

This fragrance is so bizarre and I will be updating after I’ve worn my sample but the initial spritz I had the other day in store and I was treated to a somewhat green opening with sweet facets. After this blows over the fragrance Abruptly changes and I mean like night n day and it really doesn’t take long it’s literally on a knife edge...then bang! The most beautiful labdanum note, it’s calm and has a naturally aspirated sweetness. This prominence put me in mind of a recent Eldo fragrance, Attaquer de Soillel and I even pointed out the similarity to the SA and she reached over to where the ELDO’s were kept and concurred. This was only an initial try but the resinous quality of this fragrance can’t help but appeal and if the other elements are not as fleeting I suspected, then this is another interesting fragrance on my radar.

If I’m not mistaken this is the Floyd/67 festival one? I’ve gotta say...way to capture that vibe. This has a hippy dippy vibe to it from a patchouli bias but that’s not the whole story by any stretch, the sweetness and rounded body, accented by vanilla and sandalwood. It’s a grievous fragrance with a good heart and ties in with the darker 90’s grunge one. This has more Optimism about it, as did the 60’s (if you don’t count the wars and the civil unrest!) and this is more representative of the free love and musical revolution. It’s not psychedelic or wacky though and the drydown might be a little ordinary but I enjoyed the ride.

I was impressed with this. It’s a synthetic, distinctly designer affair with a heavy emphasis on a resinous, woody accord or group of accords that I’m going to call Oud. You get the waxy orange flower which is balanced well against the generally darker hue, and this effect is lasting into the drydown. I then get a softer more rounded vanilla touch to this to finish off... I was initially wowed by this and saffron but as they settled actually started to annoy me a little before redeeming themselves. They are loud, brash and unapologetic but warm and oriental in keeping with the BOSS Bottled line in that regard. I think I need to spend more time with both (and revisit the original Oud) to make sense of what is happening here?

Let’s not fixate on the ‘oud’ in Everything with Oud in the title, I used to do that but I’ve come to realise to treat Oud like amber, as a concept. Ironically there’s quite a prominent sharp, resinous note that I could associate with some synthetic Oud materials but the prominent accord is one of saffron. Yet again...I don’t think it’s real saffron, doesn’t have the earthy facets, it’s very sharp and harsh but also oddly smooth when settled, what it does have is the leathery feel. So this sounds negative so far but let me assure you that the opening is fantastic, then it becomes cloying and even a little annoying, deeply dried down it’s a sublime skin scent. I’m conflicted because it’s unapologetically designer in feel but the price doesn’t reflect that so...yeah. A bit of a mess but a glorious mess. If it’s ever heavily discounted I’d pick up a bottle.

I'm slightly conflicted about this fragrance because it's all a little bit too 'surface' for me, with not nearly enough depth. The surface for what it's worth is gorgeous, opening with a boozy warmth which almost evaporates off like you just flambed your skin...in a good way. Then the overriding feeling is rum & raisin ice cream but less rounded out and cosy, perhaps a little thin? The dried fruit aspect of this is dominant right the way into when it settles, and that usually works perfectly with the dark, bitterness of tobacco. Sadly the tobacco in this isn't all that bitter and is quite clean, almost floral, what is sometimes referred to as white tobacco and not the 'cigar' that the name of this release suggests. I find the drydown has slightly more of a classic masculine smell, a touch of leather on amber but primarily still a reasonably lighthearted & fruity scent. I'd actually say it's unique because it isn't the tobacco trope I was expecting and to infer that's it's lacking depth might be a bit harsh? Gigar Rum is actually suited to the lovely warm weather we are having in the UK at the moment. Perhaps, it's that left turn that has thrown me? In any case I enjoyed it but it didn't quite take it to the next level and the performance is a little suspect, retreating to my skin very quickly.

My interpretation of this fragrance was that it's actually a lovely natural floral and although it goes on a little feminine has actually matured into something wearable for me. The opening has a green, lush floral effect like wild flowers but then becoming more like lily of the valley and more tradtional powdered fair in the drydown. That green opening too has a touch of fig to it which works perfectly and the drydown is actually a bit like a clean musk, soapy vetiver. It's not as overtly, indy or artisan as some of the others in this line and I think that works in it's favour giving a nice balance. Not massively strong either but clings to clothing nicely. I liked it.

This is an odd perfume. I actually found something curiously reminding me of slow explosions, despite this having a vaguely gourmand opening and in truth smelling nothing like it, they both evoke a Chinese quality. I don't expect you to understand what that means because I barely do myself! It's not five spice or fireworks (or any other stereotypes I could perhaps blunder into?) in this perfume, more a lactonic, unusual creamed fig note, which definitely opens with tonka and continues that way. Yesterday haze is a pretty apt name as there's something particularly hazy about the whole affair and does have the complimentary combo of coconut and fig and kinda creamy woods. It has a slightly plastic quality to me, unsettling and with a hint of earth... maybe why it reminds me of saffron and slow explosions? I know not to expect the norm from Josh and he's delivered something here which might not have had any impact in another perfumers hands. I'm enjoying it but it's simply not to my taste really.

Okay so there's a reason why I haven't reviewed this yet and it's because the branding of the products offered by Escentric Molecules, is so dull and inconsequential they all blend into one. I'm not even talking about the fragrances tehmselves because largely they are great and despite the seeming simplicity, most are delicately choreographed collections of aroma chemicals. Escentric 02 starts out with a sharp citrus type grapefruit and lime also dry and bitter a bit maybe juniper and pink pepper facets too. This progressed into what can be best described as an ambroxan biased, powdery, woody/amber accord with vetiver/Cedar Iso E vibes but but those less so & warmer etc... So in that respect, somewhat similar to everything from this line and pretty much Schoen too. Not a criticism in any way because they all smell great and side by side very different. To honest Escentric 02 has even more appeal to me than say Molecule 02 because it's less dry and woody and more on the amber spectrum. Not interested in owning this fragrance but wearing it again recently I thought it was alright.

I’m not going to talk about this fragrance for long...it doesn’t require it. It would be impossible not to mention Aventus or a masculine, Woods, citrus/pineapple effect in the top notes. I hate batch talk and I want to avoid that too, I will merely say that this seems a bit Aventus lite, and certainly not as smoky or full on as the Creed I have, but as I said talking about exact degrees of this or that or smokier ones or whatever is the most boring subject I could possibly think of. It has the tenacity and fixative qualities of Ambroxan or the Sauvage effect of you will? coupled with the linear top notes and lack of progression, again all not bad things necessarily. This is not nearly as ferocious and nuclear as Sauvage though and I don’t find that the smell grates on me. I’m not cynical enough to assume premeditation on any brands part when producing eerily similar fragrances but It’s not hard to guess why they might, the by product of which might be to emulate said fragrances success as well as it’s smell. The bottle is nice, slightly Dunhill-ish and maybe a bit like those cylindrical Mercedes ones?