I love leather fragrances and the smell you get in most is an approximation of 'real' leather. Things like clive christian C (which I adore BTW) and Tom Ford Tuscan leather have an aggressive accord which smells very sharp. Some which have a very animal or woody nature coupled with oud like Dior Leather Oud and Cuir d'arabie but Cuir de Nacre is entirely different. There's yet another type which seem to be heavy in patchouli and earthy tincture coupled with the leather to create a 'dirty' feel. This one is vaguely reminiscent of YSL's Noble leather in that it's lighter and more powdery but still the YSL leans more toward the Tuscan leather end of the spectrum. Cuir de Nacre is an absolute triumph, such an true leather exuding from the top notes of this fragrance. A wonderfully accurate, soft, buttery leather note which evokes shoe shops, handbags and wallets. The mention of handbags includes the contents BTW lipstick and powdery make up vibes which to my taste never once lean too far into the realms of an 'older' lady type vibe. It's not aggressive enough for that the balance of iris, styrax, musk and cassis is perfect and as it dries down becomes less leathery and more powdery. This has a classy finesse to it and just smells really nice...If that leather lasted, was a bit stonger and less powdered I would hail this as the best leather I'd ever smelled. Longevity is okay but soft and retreats nicely which adds to the less intrusive feel overall.