Akaster, from Parfums de Marly was released in 2015. The perfumer behind this creation is unknown. It has the top notes of Cypress and Lemon, middle notes of Geranium and Rose, and base notes of Agarwood (Oud), Cardamom, and Musk.
Well I put a big fat 'Dislike' on this without even posting a review which is not unusual for me as I'm super forgetful. I actually think Akaster is a good answer to those who say that PdM is a 'jumped up clone house' full of it's own importance, exclusivity and high prices but actually just ripping off well known perfumes with no originality. A claim which might have a touch of merit but is also slightly unfair, because like most things, it's more complicated than that. I say that Akaster is different from many perfumes because it's pretty stark and actually quite awful! However, I'd love to have the bottle to wear something like this, so off the wall and animal. Akaster has a cheese and barnyard stink to the the oud note which I just can't get passed. There's a rose in here too but that doesn't do any good just adds to the unpleasantness, like a toilet sprayed with air freshener to mask a particularly foul smelling dump! Now, I like some skanky perfumes, animal, civet, powerful middle eastern attars, genuine oud accords etc.. even the manure tones of tobacco or tanning leather...basically I'm no shrinking violet or olfactory prude but this stuff really didn't agree with me at all. What I think makes it worse is the seeming attempt to cling to the 'Marly line' the continuing preppy, Creed like narrative which might not even be deliberately fostered by the brands creator but is still evoked for me. Examples like Pegasus, Carlyle and of course Layton are 'designerish' if that's even a thing? And Akaster has clean elements and something accessible but a heart of absolute crazy, unpleasantness. Like the sterile, cleanliness of a hospital but with the smell of illness and various bodily secretions vague, but ever present. For all it's oud gurth there's something light about akaster. An example of something with dirt and skankiness but that owns it and see's it through from concept to effect on the user, is Imaginary authors Bull's blood. Another perfume I'd say I don't like but for different reasons. This stuff was certainly a talking point for me.
Well I put a big fat 'Dislike' on this without even posting a review which is not unusual for me as I'm super forgetful. I actually think Akaster is a good answer to those who say that PdM is a 'jumped up clone house' full of it's own importance, exclusivity and high prices but actually just ripping off well known perfumes with no originality. A claim which might have a touch of merit but is also slightly unfair, because like most things, it's more complicated than that. I say that Akaster is different from many perfumes because it's pretty stark and actually quite awful! However, I'd love to have the bottle to wear something like this, so off the wall and animal. Akaster has a cheese and barnyard stink to the the oud note which I just can't get passed. There's a rose in here too but that doesn't do any good just adds to the unpleasantness, like a toilet sprayed with air freshener to mask a particularly foul smelling dump! Now, I like some skanky perfumes, animal, civet, powerful middle eastern attars, genuine oud accords etc.. even the manure tones of tobacco or tanning leather...basically I'm no shrinking violet or olfactory prude but this stuff really didn't agree with me at all. What I think makes it worse is the seeming attempt to cling to the 'Marly line' the continuing preppy, Creed like narrative which might not even be deliberately fostered by the brands creator but is still evoked for me. Examples like Pegasus, Carlyle and of course Layton are 'designerish' if that's even a thing? And Akaster has clean elements and something accessible but a heart of absolute crazy, unpleasantness. Like the sterile, cleanliness of a hospital but with the smell of illness and various bodily secretions vague, but ever present. For all it's oud gurth there's something light about akaster. An example of something with dirt and skankiness but that owns it and see's it through from concept to effect on the user, is Imaginary authors Bull's blood. Another perfume I'd say I don't like but for different reasons. This stuff was certainly a talking point for me.