Fabulous!!! What a fantastic, classic smelling perfume. Aromatic, citrus opening with a lightly smoky, dry cedar and moss at it's heart. Lovely on paper but even better on skin. I think without being a pointless copy, because it isn't that...I'd say if you like stuff like Dior Eau Sauvage you'll be in safe hands with this. Very much more base, woody, mossy and less diffusive floral mids and a touch more herbal, this smells more full and 'niche' whatever that means? Well I know what it means and I think you do too. Little in the way of invention here but it's a classic three chord banger, jazzed up a bit for a boutique brand, what's not to love? Great perfume really enjoying wearing it today and lasts and projects pretty well for a fragrance of this nature.
Like most of Dusita's perfumes it takes for a while to understand them. I have had this now many weeks but didn't want to hurry with the review since mostly those ones written too quickly are full of misleading opinions. Pelagos opens up in an earthy way with a beautiful aroma of Iris. First it feels more like a flower than Orris butter even if Iris is not listed there. The scent is crispy and fresh as well but it's not that typical salty like breeze from the sea or watery like freshness, it's different and unique take on it. Quickly it starts to develope into herbal and smooth blend and you can find Dusita's calming, meditative signature style to use all ingredients. Iris changes to Orris butter and the whole blend starts to feel warmer. The blend feels as well woody and a little bit creamy but it has a refreshing character throughout the life of the fragrance. Tonka beans here add green feeling to the scent. It's not sweet at all. Patchouli is gentle, it's woody and earthy but it's not that dark, deep and potent note which is known from so many Rose scents. On my skin the leather note is unnoticeable but on my husband's skin I can get tiny whiffs of it when the scent is lingering in the air. Pelagos, like all Dusita's gorgeous perfumes, performs in a clever way. It changes the gender and on my skin it feels astonishingly feminine, like fresh, herbal Iris scent, whereas on my husband's skin it's masculine, woody, herbal scent with a hint of Orris and leather. All the notes are more delicate on my skin. If you love Dusita's dna, you will love this as well. It's not a typical fresh scent so test it especially if you are not familiar with the brand. The projection of Pelagoss is less than average (this is extract) but the longevity is all the day. This review is based on a sample. I really don't know why the notes are so wrong. I only understand if someone gets mossy or Vetiver like smell but even those nuances comes from the notes below. The notes which are mentioned in the brands website: Top: Litsea Cubeba, Sea breeze, Bergamot Middle: White Thyme, Orris Butter, Tonka Bean Base: Patchouli, Sandalwood, Leather Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
If the cigarette-skewing galbanum in Nightclubbing were to lose the cigarette element and instead be a brasher, bolder rendition of galbanum, it would be very similar to this. Very interesting perfume!
Exquisite but so short-lived I can't even begin to consider this a viable purchase. Such a shame. It's up there with the tonka as the best of this line for me.
Roses, Iris, Violet and Patchouli here smell like a watercolour painting looks like. They blend seamlessly with each others like all other notes as well and they are beautifully melancholy and nostalgic. Iris and Violet are easy to detect in the opening but they fades away and show up in a different way. This is not powdery for me, not even that vintage powdery like which feeling comes from the smell of Iris and Violets which both was used in make up powders back in times. This is not dry, it feels wet for me like like still slightly wet painting. If iris and Violet tend to hide Raspberry shows up after the opening. It's not so fruity, it's subtle and it reminds me of lipsticky scent which on the other hand is created by Raspberry and Violet together. This lipstick is not waxy, opulent layer, it's a lipstick which has been tried to wipe away with water and oil. It's not lipsticky like Misia or Lipstick Rose, not at all. Raspberry is not juicy one either. I don't think this as a sweet scent, Vanilla in the base is not clear like it's in many perfumes but I can get a tiny whiffs of sweetness here and there. Vanilla does make this concoction warmer, keeps it away from ice cold side where iris and Violet stays in many perfumes. And for those ones who are not familiar with Les Parfums de Rosine: Rose is the star of the show - pastel coloured, dewy Rose, not "jammy" one nor fresh, utterly pleasant and easy to like. Patchouli is dancing with Rose from the opening until the final part of the dry dow. Ballerina No 2 is nothing which I have smelled before. Actually it performs perfectly and shows up somehow like a whole picture now when it's raining a lot - than yesterday in sunshine. One other scent which I love the most when it's raining is Une Rose / Rose Tonnerre (this is nothing like that one though). On the other hand, one scent which comes in my mind when smelling this one is Opus V - Woods Symphony by Amouage . It's very different as well but with some small similarities, I see the same kind of scene when smelling it than I see now when smelling Ballerina No 2: watercolour painting, here wet roses and iris, roses and Orris in Woods Symphony. Those similarities are more feelings than than realistic similarities and Woods Symphony is "dirty" and animalic because of Oud and Civet, and Ballerina N°2 is very innocent. This scent is feminine but I will test it on my husband's skin. Patchouli maybe does some magics on men's skin making it more masculine on them. My intention wasn't to write this long text now since I just got this scent recently but this is how I feel. I will come back later and I will complete my thoughts about this beauty. Thank you for reading. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
I found this to be lovely. Really nice. The balance, the subtlety, everything is in it's right place and complementary. Opens like a very delicately flavoured Turkish delight. I don't even like Turkish delight, never have, never will do, the Gelatinous texture, the infusion of rose, the sweetness, all if it! NO!!!! But this smells of it and even evokes it so vividly but I find the fresh light, rosewater effect and hint of sweetness even the implication that it's powdered like they are, everything! There's even a light effervescence, which looking at the notes here, champagne is included and I get that too! Could a certain green cognac material be in here? Okay Mr Alan this is some good work. We haven't even reached the kicker of chocolate. It is a chocolate accord too, not a after thought or a cacao note which leaves me a bit cold sometimes, this smells like a rich coco with the right balance of earth to it. All together then we have a bit of a trope. It's roses and champagne and chocolate, it's valantines day in a bottle, and clearly Alan nods to that in the title. It's a more sophisticated paint by numbers, things like Chocolaty patchouli is often paired with rose as well as the champers or a certain booziness but hey perfumery is sometimes about nailing classic stuff just because you can, but mainly because folks like it, there's a reason why scales and chord progressions exist in music. I actually think this is more interesting than commercially similar efforts like Noir de Noir by Tom Ford and more than likely something by Montale. I'd reach for this though because it shows a nice degree of craft and restraint. Haven't worn it yet so migh update when I do but I've smelled it a few times now and still think it's great!
Darren Alan continues to dazzle with his... Nahhhh he doesn't. Ooooh that was uncalled for. Sorry. He's doing alright you know? Not bad. I love a musk material and even moreso a perfume with musk in the name so let's GO!!!! Totally taken aback by the opening for me it's a little powdery, pastel violet tinged rose-ish accord very soft, velvety but papery with woods and very much indy vibes which is fine. The refinement does come as that musky base starts to chime in and envelope, it's really crowd pleasing and frankly appeals to me, musks belong in perfumes and create a familiar 'pillow' (almost quite literally) to rest your head upon, and go....."aahhhhhhh" This has something of that effect while being a be rough n ready. It's a bit twee, but it's alright by me. Very hard for anyone to innovate in the musky perfume space, so not gonna be too harsh.
This is my starting point with Darren Alan perfumes. I have immense respect for the DIY/Punk artistic attitudes of Indy perfume makers, I really do. It might not always seem that way because I don't even view these perfumes in the same reference frame as 'trained' or 'proper' perfumers work. That seems, snobby, gatekeepery even but it's largely true. There's levels to everything in life and the pro's are pro's for a reason. Anyway, I approach this set with an open mind and the title of this immediately evoked what I thought it would be about, not a bad thing. So it's a petrichor fragrance which usually involves the requisite materials like mushroom alcohols, perhaps patchouli and almost certainly geosmin. So I was expecting something heavy handed and glum, gloomy. Largely you do get that earthy, moist air, a very natural smell and something we can all somewhat relate to, but no perfume I've tried captures it well, it's a perfume after all maybe I have unrealistic expectations? I mean geosmin is an incredible material but is extremely powerful and difficult to incorporate into accords and compositions, but here I think Darren Alan has done a pretty fine job of it. (if indeed that's what he's used, as I mentioned some alternatives can create a similar effect) The main reason being that he has brought this floral accord into the mix which you can smell in the background throughout and I think that gives this perfume more of a story than simply representing AFTER RAIN, it adds to the context and naturalism, it's not just the soil reacting to the rain but everything else. The problem is....I don't want to wear perfumes like this. Okay sometimes maybe but they're just not my bag and it's hard to get excited about post thunderstorm, mineral, wet soil shit yano? Credit where it's due this could've had way less thought put in and a much more hamfisted approach but it was pleasantly surprising.
A perfume that captured my interest immediately with the first spray. An amazing perfumeria was full of awesome brands but I knew that this is not easy to find. I didn't try this in the paper since it never tells enough about the scent and most of the perfumes smells terrible on the paper. With this one, it would have been catastrophic. I had decided to buy this one and I didn't have so much time so I just sprayed a lot into my arms. Wow, such an intoxicating, rich, creamy, opulent aroma of Mango and Coconut. Both made in the classy, not juicy way. Pepper brings some edge to that heavenly combo. So deep since the first sniff, actually smelling this straight away from the skin almost gives me a headache. Jasmine is joining them but it decides to stay few steps behind the fruits, giving them room to shine longer than just in the opening. The scent trail is just magic here. It's very seductive and sensual which is not how I normally describe the scent with these fruits. This has been made in a beautiful way, they are not powdery, but somehow soft, matte and fluffy. Iris is not like it is normally, that powdery like, but it does its job in a unique way. The base is blended well, like all of ingredients here. Thanks to Amber and Patchouli, and of course non edible fruits, this stays unisex. Those are not strong, not at all, and can't be separated but there are no clear masculine details nor anything girly either and this is not shiny bright. The union of Vanilla, Musk and Tonka beans is seamless and it's like a soft blanket gently wrapping musk and patchouli inside of it. It never gets sweet nor cloying and Coconut never changes into sunscreen like. The experience during the scents lifetime is luxurious. This scent is strong - the scent trail is huge and the longevity is great. If I wear it in the evening I can smell it still in the morning and it has changed into cocooning, gentle yet irresistible skin scent. I think most of the people like this scent in cooler weather but it works well in hot and humidity too. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
So I did a test on this one with multiple of my female colleagues. They ALL preferred this over Magic Hour which really surprised me. This one however just did not sit right with me. There seems to be a harsh note inside (perhaps not disclosed to the public) that irritates my nostrils. Yet, when my female colleagues were walking past me throughout the day, I really liked the waft/sillage it was leaving. In Conclusion, this smells better in the air than up close on skin for me personally, and women seem to love this frag🤷🏿.
Jasmin lovers go into this one with trepidation. If you’re expecting to be dealt yet another jasmine perfume, whether heady, indolic, waxy, sweet, or just the combination of these you expect to smell… you’re not going to get that. This is a unique prospect, much more herbal and aromatic but still recognisably jasmine if you’re familiar with many different oils and such. This one has a subtlety which gives this enfleurage effect, like it’s been botanically, infused with jasmine, it’s so delicate and frankly lovely!!! I bloody loved this!!!! Absolutely wowed by it. Minor criticism and this could be big deal breakers for many folks (again mainly for jasmine lovers/niche perfume fans) I assume it’s expensive and really is not a powerful perfume at all.
Well… I was going to be really harsh about this perfume but I’ve tried it a few times now and decided to play nice. However, it smells BAD on my skin, not dull, or ‘just’ bergamot, or doesn’t last (possibly is ALL those things too) but on a strip/card/blotter the bergamot material smells really nice, and what I would expect from some named and I’m assuming very special bergamot producer I’ve pictured being amalfi coast or southern Italy or whatever? My experience of using bergamot in perfumery is that the relatively affordable bergamot oils not only smell fantastic but blend so well into compositions, retaining their edge and giving top note sparkle to many the composition, happy days. So some grand Cru shit should be mind blowing right?!?! Well as I mentioned above on my skin the bergamot is blunted, and dull as dishwater, recognisably bergamot but fuzzy and lacking definition, or freshness, isnt that what bergamot is prized for??? I don’t blame the support either because there’s not a great deal else there! Perhaps a woody scaffold but nothing more. I’m not a person to buy too heavily into skin chemistry it's much more likely your nose/perception at a point in time than it is your skin, but that could be a factor I guess. So if a perfume is not viable on my skin, then why am I giving it a chance? Well… again… like mentioned I tried on card and the bergamot was much less flat and more what I would expect, a pleasant, bright aroma of bergamot. So without being rude to G.Franco or the crew behind these perfumes this one is not for me, and just not very good, sorry.
This is a smoothly blended fragrance with excellent materials but perhaps lacks some of the definition later stuff by Les Indemodables has for instance. This is not a criticism I like that this fragrance has a simplistic feeling MO. Actually reminds me of a combination of Ambre supreme (the warm ambergris element) and Des Cendres (the green masculinity) It opens with bergamot, briefly unfurled over a very nice amber accord, and I’m not talking the benzoin/vanilla/laudanum type of amber. This is airy, human, skin like, but with classic perfumery elements which lean into an almost polo green, aromatic fougere territory. This is what reminds me of Des Cendres, take the Galbanum away and and all that ashy stuff, replace that tuberose with a much more slight jasmin paired into that fleshy base and viola! I like it a lot and believe much care and consideration was taken in selecting the materials in this, even though it feels very simple and quite natural.
What can even be said about Nina Illusion? Coming from a house that created the famously beautiful L’Air du Temps… What a fall from grace. Obviously, this is a boring and vapid release with little to no substance or reason for existing. Does it smell nice? Yes, I suppose it does, and if that’s all you’re looking for then that’s absolutely fine. But I find myself wanting more. The scent is a sweet, bubblegummy fruity affair focused around the combination of raspberry and orange blossom. Sweet vanilla and an array of citruses are also present in support. Overall it’s a pleasant scent, very feminine and surprisingly youthful from a house such as this. I wouldn’t mind smelling it on someone else, but for me it lacks character and interest unfortunately.
Spell 125 is the longest spell in the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, covering the ceremonial process of crossing the underworld to reach the afterlife, including the famous weighing of the heart ceremony. Weirdly enough, I believe the imagery certainly comes through with this scent. It’s dominated by this intensely salty, musky and fleshy ambergris - upon first spray it was almost repulsive but after revisiting, it keeps drawing you in deeper and deeper; like the darkness of the underworld pulling you away from the light. To contrast this is a hefty dose of sharp, aromatic pine which is beautifully woody and green, alongside frankincense which has long been known to be a favourite among the Ancient Egyptians. At first I didn’t really like this scent, I found it very daring and out of my comfort zone. But after repeat testing and wearing I can safely say it’s growing on me hugely. I have always been looking for an ambergris which is intense and musky without compromise - whilst the likes of SilencetheSea was far too much, I believe this could be the one.
Kingdom surprised me, as I would never have expected such an intriguing scent from a house such as Alexander McQueen. The notes swirl around in fantastic harmony and smells incredibly unique, in a brilliantly filthy way. I have heard others describing this as smelling like sex, and I would have a hard time disagreeing with them. A bright, zesty and tart opening of a multitude of citrus fruits is combined with the subtle sharpness of just a hint of mint. This tart juiciness is intensified by the note of rhubarb which smells simply fantastic, whilst a spicier heart of ginger and warm carnation develops. When I first smelled this, I was honestly expecting cumin to be listed in the breakdown, the spiciness and ‘sweaty’ nature really comes through - in a good way. A selection of gentle soapy florals and musks brightens things up, but only enough to create an image of clean linen strewn across the floor; a backdrop for the main display of two warm bodies enjoying each others company. I think this is a brilliant creation, would I wear it? Probably not, but I would definitely enjoy it in the hidden serenity of my home.
Hasu-no-Hana was originally created in 1888, representing the scent of the Japanese Lotus Lily. It is a glorious gentle floral resting on a dry, Chypre style base. A true classic in the world of perfumery, created in a time long before corporate greed and profit-driven creativity. It opens rather fresh initially, bright and zingy notes of bergamot and orange pave the way towards the clean, innocent florals which include: ylang, Iris, rose, lotus and jasmine. This gentle and soapy harmony of beautifully delicate flowers is complimented yet rooted down by the grounding and earthy nature of oakmoss, Vetiver, patchouli and cedar. This contrast is to die for, smelling both mature and sophisticated as it is intriguing and beguiling. I adore this scent, it’s everything I hoped it would be and more. The structure is fairly simplistic, and of course I have no idea how closely the house has stuck to the original composition, but it certainly smells of the time without smelling ‘elderly’. I definitely need to pick this up soon.
Yeah, it’s a little harsh for some modern noses, and yeah it’s super green and earthy, but it’s not really playing it safe and that makes fragrances stand out. I can see how it might be a little challenging at first. This review is from a 1993 vintage sample splash bottle. I liked it, but I wouldn’t buy a full bottle, I just want it in my scent library as a piece of history. UPDATE: a little over a month later, and I’m really liking the scent profile. I’ll probably buy a full bottle (albiet it will be reformulated), crossing my fingers but it’s not a huge gamble. UPDATE: Bought the new formulation and I freaking LOVE it. I recently smelled a few modern men’s fragrances, most with sweet hints of vanilla, sugar, blah blah blah. The colors of the bottle and cap (dark green and dark brown) are perfectly suited to the scent. I love the complete lack of sweetness here. This scent is so beautifully masculine. I get the green notes, the pine, the leather, and the tobacco. I don’t mind smelling like someone’s uncle in the 80’s. It’s not one to wear if you want to get a young lady’s attention. It works in a club (assuming you time travel to the 80’s). It’s one to wear if you are working. Maybe outdoors. Quorum changes here and there. It comes across soapy and green one minute, and dirty and woody the next. It’s so worth the price even if blind buying. Wear it with confidence. Wear it because you like it. You will stand out in the crowd as a man who is comfortable in his own skin. Not a party bro looking for compliments.
This might be a little esoteric, but bear with me: Papyrus Moléculaire by Maison Crivelli reminds me of the midcentury furniture of Cuban-Mexican designer Clara Porset, specifically her butaque chairs. Porset’s designs embraced both industrial and handcrafted production and, like the Bauhaus teachers and peers she studied with, she aimed at elevating living standards and bringing modernist aesthetics to the masses—while also preserving Cuban and Mexican folk art traditions. Her celebrated butaque chairs were based on a colonial-era hybrid of Spanish X-frame seating and pre-Columbian ritual stools. Their ergonomic forms are crafted from polished wood and materials like wicker, leather, or woven agave reeds. When I read that this woody, tobacco-accented perfume was inspired by Thibaud Crivelli’s first encounter with papyrus root powder among a group of tattooed women smoking cigarillos, I immediately imagined Clara Porset’s wood-and-woven chairs being crafted by women smoking Cuban cigars. The fragrance is deep, warm, and smooth, but with bright and peppery vegetal and mineral top notes. I find that papyrus comes across a bit like vetiver: grassy, both green and dry, it feels grounded and a little serious, but the addition of coriander and elemi resin makes this fragrance zing with citric greenness. Like Porset’s designs, this scent is like modernist aesthetics encountering the rootedness of natural materials and craft traditions.
I initially noticed this fragrance being touted as a more interesting alternative to Le Labo’s Santal 33, and I’ll say that they’re very similar, but Santal is heavier and more leather-ish, creamier and more enveloping, while this one is fresher and more lively. I tried them at the same time and Santal’s luxurious soft-focus felt almost flat, dull even, compared to the witty crackle of Papyrus Moléculaire, which rings out as bright and clear as a laugh. It’s an incredibly well-balanced fragrance, delicious and satisfying, totally unisex, that I think could be worn in any season for almost any occasion. I burned through my sample vial of this in record time and promptly bought a full bottle.
gay club bathroom on pride weekend at a sold-out circuit party
standing outside of a factory filled with old machinery leaking liquified candy and melon juice, and all you want to do is go inside and smell more
honeydew milk tea
cozy carrot cake
the memory of your favorite childhood birthday party
