It starts off with a caramelised grapefruit blasting out. The sugared citrus has a dark smokiness from the oud and it is just divine.
The deliciousness wafts as I walk and it’s a lovely reminder of how amazing the fragrance is.
The wood and sweet rose is lifted by the green, almost citrusy note from the geranium.
The smoke adds a soft dark blanket round it all.
I want to say there's some leather here, and maybe Iso E, which I think would fit with the scent's story below, adding a further woody, and slightly metallic twinge to it.
From Rook's website;
Top: Wood shavings, Wood smoke, Geranium
Middle: Rose Absolute
Base: Musk, Cedar, Smoke
When I was younger my grandparents lived in Acresford House in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. It was a large house and at times so cold we had to sleep under electric blankets. The bedrooms were referred to by colour, the purple room, the brown room etc. The downstairs was usually nice and warm thanks to the inglenook fireplace.
Behind the main hall was my grandad's workshop. It was adorned with wood and tools. At the centre was his lathe on which he would turn wood for chairs and tables. The air was filled with the scent of smoky wood shavings - a scent I hope you now recognise from your sample.
At the rear of the house was the pictured courtyard. My nan would tend to her flowers, now at the age of 102 with a bad hip - something she wishes she could still do. The scent of roses and geraniums filled the air. I also distinctly remember poppies growing next to the gate. You will now hopefully pick up the rose geranium at the heart of your sample.
These scents are so cemented in my memory that each time I spray Acresford Eau de Parfum, I will be transported back to those times
Amazing sweet plum with a slightly sharp vanilla even though it’s not an official note. Walks the line of being the perfect amount of sweetness while it gets more woody as it dries down. Probably the best release of 2024 for designers. Amazing for winter and fall
Love it
This is a nice spicy vanilla with Amber. I haven't smelled Grand Soir, so I cannot compare. I've gotten a few compliments when wearing Barakkat Ambre Eve.
Way to overpowering and strong. Do NOT wear this to the office. Actually don't wear this at all.
Highly likeable frangance, no abrasive to others
This is a fresh, aromatic fragrance with a hint of spice that captures the essence of freshness. It opens with a herbal burst of lavender, immediately evoking a clean and classic barbershop vibe. As the fragrance develops, black pepper and nutmeg add a warm, spicy touch, preventing it from being too linear or overly fresh. The dry-down is subtle and smooth, with woody and musky notes, making it feel natural and grounded rather than synthetic or overpowering. This is one of the best fresh lavender scents available. It's very versatile and smells great. It is not a crazy performer but it's performance is good for a freshie. This is one of my favorite spring and summer scents.
Blazing Mr. Sam is a luxurious fragrance from Penhaligon’s. It’s a warm, spicy, and slightly smoky scent that radiates confidence. The opening hits with a bold mix of cardamom and cinnamon, giving it an immediate spicy kick. As it settles, black pepper and saffron emerge, adding a rich depth. The dry-down is where cedarwood, vanilla, and tobacco create a warm, slightly sweet yet masculine finish with a hint of sensual smokiness. I have heard of bottles having poor performance, but my bottle lasts a good 5 hours!
Gentle Fluidity Silver definitely nails the category of name - it is both gentle and certainly connotes the idea of silver; clean, crisp, metallic and straightforward. It’s a nice fresh scent, with that recognisable synthetic cleanliness Kurkdjian likes to use so often. Juniper berries are the focal point here - they’re sweet and juicy, yet their dry and aromatic facets are highlighted by vague woods and a hint of spice. However, metallic musks and citruses liven things up a bit, giving you that feel of a refreshing gin and tonic. It’s a good fragrance, and I find myself enjoying it on my skin - it’s refreshing, simple and satisfying to wear. I’ll definitely enjoy using the remainder of my sample in the warmer weather, but I just can’t justify the price for such a simple scent profile.
Baccarat Rouge has become one of the most famous fragrances of all time, but I’m struggling to decide whether I understand why or not. It certainly encapsulates what was driving the market in the 2010s - clean, inoffensive scents which are above all, minimalist and unisex. This, to the mass market, is basically a license to print money, but for enthusiasts it seems to come across as boring and uninspired. Sweet, honeyed saffron and soapy white jasmine take centre stage among a concoction of clinically sanitised amberwoods, ambergris and white musks. It smells very clean, almost too clean - like a hospital. But it’s got the sugary sweetness to at least give it some substance, however still leaves me wanting more. I get why it’s popular, I just can’t feel that for myself. It’s not a bad scent, but in this day and age the countless clones of it will give you much better value for money. Of course it gets lots of positive attention if that’s all you want, but you’re unlikely to be remembered for a smell like this.
I’ve always been a big fan of Ganymede, I love it in fact, there’s something so undeniably addictive about it. With Ganymede Extrait I was hoping for a similar situation as B683 Extrait - an improvement elevated beyond imagination. Instead, I’m left with what is basically just the same old Ganymede with a slightly spicy twist. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t make it a bad fragrance - as I said I adore Ganymede, and so the fact that this retains the exact same core scent profile means it smells absolutely incredible. The only difference to my nose is that very subtle warm spicy, incense-y touch which is lovely, but not all that impressive - as B683 Extrait took on an almost entirely new scent profile. Overall, I think this is a fantastic smell, which is why I’ve rated it as a love because I truly have loved wearing my sample. But for the difference in price? You might as well save yourself a good chunk of money and just get the original Ganymede.
Ambre Sultan really is a fantastic reference Amber, for those that want to familiarise themselves with this fragrance family more, but it’s so much more than that. This is easily one of the best ambers on the market even today, which is seriously impressive given how cheap it can be found online. It takes Amber into a more aromatic direction than you might expect. The Amber accord itself is very rich - heaps of dry, thick resins and powdery woods resting on just a whisper of sweet, creamy vanilla. Before this gets too warm however, this dense aromatic herbaceous-ness comes into play which is utterly sublime; what smells like bay leaf which is both dry and green, leafy and stemmy which somehow complements the antagonist notes perfectly. I adore this fragrance, it’s easily one of the best from Serge Lutens and for the price it would be insane not to own it. I’m going to thoroughly enjoy wearing this sample and will hopefully pick up a full bottle very soon. Incredible perfumery here.
All I’m saying, if I had to choose one fragrance for the rest of my life this would be my choice. 10/10
This star shines, a gentle gourmand, not overpowering but also not weak. Smells much more expensive than it actually is
No set for that home was pretty good. Longevity wasn't that long, but for the most part, had a good aroma and having smelling pretty good.
I first learned of Hanae Mori on a blog that I was pretty obsessed with, back in the early 2000s. This person wasn’t a perfume enthusiast or fashionista, or even a popular blogger as far as I could tell...she seemed to be a gentle quiet weirdo, like me. She had a goth Betty Page bob and she did something in tech and updated sporadically about her little Seattle apartment. I thought she was the coolest. When I began to really delve into fragrances a few years later, I recall her mentioning this one in passing, and so sought out a sample. I was disappointed at how ordinary it seemed. Twenty years later I quite disagree with past me! Hanae Mori is a perfectly lovely woody vanilla and creamy, milky musk with hints of dusty dried grass and the airy green tang of blackberry leaves. A lot of reviewers mention fruit, but I don’t get any of that at all. If you enjoy the sweet comfort and nostalgic 90's whispers of Vanilla Fields or the bitter Miss Havisham melancholia of Fleur Cachee, I’d say this scent falls squarely in the middle and I am surprisingly obsessed with it.
Someone mentioned that I should try M from Mariah Carey because it smells like marshmallow incense, and though I love marshmallows and incense, I didn’t have high hopes because I think most celebrity fragrances are either boring or kind of awful. But how could I doubt the performer who sings what can only be spoken of as the most splendid and fabulous Christmas song of all time? Mariah’s version of All I Want For Christmas Is You is perfect and excellent and I am taking no questions on that point. These are *cereal marshmallows* perfumed with lush, night-blooming flowers, sweetened with rich amber rock sugar, all gone soft and creamy in a bowl of milk. And then left on an altar to smolder lazily in a dish combined with dragon’s blood and pomegranate. Not a summoning. But an offering of thanks. She doesn’t want a lot for Christmas. Because she’s a giver. And she gave us the best holiday-themed song to ever exist in this world or any other. All hail Mariah, the vocal acrobatics of All Want For Christmas Is You, and to a lesser extent... this perfume which is actually pretty ok
I have had to reframe and rescript all of my internal dialogue about Lady Vengeance from Juliette has a Gun. It is an entirely different creature today than it was when I first tried it. Almost a Jekyll and Hyde performance, if the good doctor was a sociopath and his alter ego was actually a hapless hero. Let me explain. Initially this was a fragrance of soft, cedary woods and ambery musks, a combination which I tend to love... but it was missing something. It was like observing someone with a human mask on, going through the motions of what humans do, but behind their dead, black eyes there was no light, or spark, or soul. Today this scent is the most theatrical, scenery-chewing rose; a rose that sweeps in to save the day with roses embroidered on its cape and a rose between its teeth and some sort of rose-related catchphrase-- in case you, you know, forgot it was a rose. On one hand, it’s too little, and on the other, it’s Very A Lot and between the two, this lady has forgotten about whatever she wanted vengeance for in the first place.
Mojave Ghost from Byredo is a wistful floral. A little milky, a little woody, a little sad. With a gently soapy violet aspect to it, more like laundry soap than handsoap. Something that you might use to clean a dusty Edwardian frock. It first calls to mind the girls in their frothy ivory dresses from the film Picnic at Hanging Rock, and their mysterious disappearances. It makes me think of ruffles and lace period, I suppose, worn by people who’ve yet to encounter loss or grief. A child who one moment has no concept of death, and then in the next second when they learn of their missing sister who will never return, or their terminally ill relative or a grandparent who died in their sleep...and then with that knowledge that none of us will be here forever and eventually we’re all going to shuffle off of this plane of existence... things are just different. Perhaps we’re not going to disappear into a massive and uncanny geological formation, possibly ushered along by unseen forces (like the Hanging Rock girls) but that our lives will one day end is a certainty. Mojave Ghost smells like the moment just after you’ve come by this information, and you know you are never again going to be as happy as you were before you knew it.
Poudre de Musc from Parfums de Nicolai is all shimmering, gossamer aldehydes and soft, musky rose, and a gorgeous arrangement of sandalwood and orange blossom that a particularly artsy florist composed. It lights up a room with scintillating conversation, it’s both lively and restrained, people would invite it to parties and no one would ever give it weird looks or call it “extra,” or say, ",man you were acting weird last night." Mothers-in-law would love it. It would never ever forget its mother-in-law's birthday, as a matter of fact, it probably calls its mother-in-law once a week to say hello. Objectively, it is beautiful. It’s perfect on paper. But it makes me feel awful about myself because those attributes are all of the things I am not.
Fleurs d’Oranger from Serge Lutens is everything lush and lovely and radiant about a little bottle of orange blossom water, right up until the time I add it to a cold drink or a confection, thinking how exquisite it will taste and then realizing, uggghh... this literally tastes like a mouthful of perfume. Fleurs d’Oranger is the extreme version of that ill-fated swallow, all syrupy narcotic, summer damp, fleshy-musked florals, balmy honeyed jasmine, and tuberose, intensified by cumin’s bitter, polarizing pungency.I adore the scent of orange blossoms and enjoy this interpretation more than most. It’s heady and heavy-lidded and hypnotic whereas many others have a lighter, somewhat “clean” aura. I’m fairly certain that the deliciously cunning and charismatic Lady Sylvia Marsh, immortal priestess to an ancient snake god in Ken Russell’s trippy 1988 horror film the Lair of the White Worm, wears this exact scent and as she goes about her days, heartily seducing and eating men, looking fabulous, and enjoying herself tremendously.
I’ve been trying my sample of Squid on and off for three years, hoping to find something different in it. It still does not wow me. But it’s not terrible, either. I’m typically really impressed with Zoologist's myriad creations and from this scent I expected something that shares a kinship with the moody, murky, and mysterious nature of this creature, or at least the slithery and inky perceptions of it? But I’m finding it overall an oddly crisp aroma, like freshly snipped sweet green herbs, coupled with a vanilla salt aspect very similar to Tokyo Milk Dark’s Arsenic, and the added subtle floral zest of pink pepper. It’s pleasant enough, but it’s not terribly interesting, and it certainly doesn’t evoke the squidly wizard vibes of the label illustration. Now if that artful cephalopod depicted, say …an executive admin who gets you to sign an office birthday card? I could have tempered my expectations appropriately. This is less marine monstrosity from the deep and more Angela from The Office.
One of my favorite Manceras. Beautiful and versatile scent imo and the performance is very good.
