Bacio Immortale is the second fragrance I’ve tried from the house of Argos, and another let down yet again. This is a blatant copy of Tuscan Leather - which is a scent I find repulsive. The overwhelmingly sweet raspberry alongside that thick, heady leather accord is well known in the fragrance community as a ‘love it or hate it’ combination. For me, I can’t stand it. I appreciate Tuscan Leather is massively popular and a cultural classic, but this is just a basic clone with little to nothing of worth being added. Overall this is a boring, sickly scent which simply isn’t nice in my eyes. If you’re a lover of Tuscan Leather you’ll likely enjoy this, but if that’s the case you might as well just get Tuscan Leather.

Dahn Oud Ateeque is claimed to only be composed of aged Indian oud and nothing else, which is very interesting considering the variety of different notes people are voting for on fragrantica. This definitely has complexity to it. The oud itself is dry and earthy, it’s got dark connotations with very gentle animalistic edges. However, it’s also got a definite freshness about it - this is very reminiscent of soapy white florals and citrus fruits, but apparently these are not present whatsoever. This fragrance is actually very affordable, and so I suppose the quality is actually very good considering. It’s not a love for me but that doesn’t make this a bad scent, I actually think it’s great for the right person.

Buveur de Vent is my first encounter with Liquides Imaginaires, and it’s definitely motivated me to go out and discover more from this house. This scent is a gorgeously unique and captivating aromatic leather scent with heaps of masculinity herbal charm. The leather accord is dry and thick, quite old school and musty at the same time which is contrasted by sharp aromatics of cypress and sage which give it an almost fougere feel. A heavy dose of soft cedar and creamy mosses are furthered by the sweet fruitiness of juniper and herbaceous greenness of tarragon. All of these notes envision an old leather knapsack resting on an earthy, mossy forest floor. Overall this is a fantastic scent, a really unique take on leather and a fragrance which I’ve rarely seen anyone talk about.

Over the course of my fragrance journey I’d seen endless hype around Triumph of Bacchus and so I was very keen to see what all the excitement was about. I was underwhelmed to say the least. It’s a pleasant, sweet and boozy gourmand with fruity elements - in a similar vein to Side Effect but better. The rum accord is nice I’ll admit, it’s not too strong but noticeable enough to give the scent some edge. The juiciness of green apple with dry peach creates a sweet aura which is then furthered by the creamy indulgence of vanilla and tonka - I don’t really get much tobacco. It’s a pleasant scent and an enjoyable wear but if I’m honest my expectations were higher. I’ve heard the extrait is better so maybe I’ll give that a go, but for now I will enjoy my sample but have no interest in buying a bottle.

I’ve never understood the desire behind combining oud and tuberose, I’ve yet to find an example where it actually works. Lunosa is a pretty good example of how easy it is to stick something in a pretty bottle and get away with charging obscene prices for a mediocre scent. This fragrance is dominated by a dry, ashy tobacco alongside a hefty dose of oud - synthetic I’m assuming. A rich, sultry cypriol emerges with its unforgiving and powerful embrace, which is when the white florals come through and ruin it for me. The tuberose is thick and heady, intensely soapy and slightly gummy backed up by and even cleaner gardenia. Every other aspect of this scent I enjoy. But I find the clean soapiness of tuberose combined with the dirty aspect of oud just makes it smell a bit like public toilets which haven’t been cleaned properly - I had the same issue with EO Green from Ensar Oud. It’s a pleasant scent I suppose, but £740 is a joke.

Nebulous is simply stunning - a contemporary and refined scent for a wealthy but subdued individual. It seems to create a perfect balance of the innocent beauty of soft flowers, with the animalistic capture of oud. As I’ve mentioned before in previous reviews, I’m unsure if Boadicea even uses natural oud but who knows. The oud note is front and centre here, initially it comes across rather medicinal and sticks to the back of your throat. This soon calms down however, revealing a sophisticated and lustrous concoction of sweet saffron, gentle rose and a significant allure of powdery violet. I must say I love this fragrance - the perfect balance of exotic oud with that unmistakable powdery, makeup-ey floral aspect is absolutely divine. Would I pay over a £1,000 for a bottle? Absolutely not. Despite how amazing this smells, there are other fragrances I love far more for much less money.

I’ll be honest, I’ve not tried the original Blue Sapphire so it feels strange to be reviewing Supercharged first - obviously I can’t compare between the two but this is a gorgeous scent. It absolutely screams power, strength and masculinity. Initially I get a huge burst of tart and juicy fruits, most notably sharp mandarin and sweet raspberry. A massively warm and intoxicating cardamom swirls around gentle touches of soapy rose and light jasmine, to reveal a dank and punchy oud note. The fruits seem to persist as earthy patchouli and punchy leather resonate, however the oud and cardamom dominate the senses. There’s no doubt this is a good perfume, great even. But does it smell like something that costs just under a thousand British pounds? No it does not. Who knows if they use real oud or not, I couldn’t seem to find any information on their website regarding their source for oud so I’m unsure - but what I do know is that despite how lovely this scent is it doesn’t smell like it costs more than £300 unfortunately.

Archives 69 is an interesting scent from ELDO, one that I’m not entirely sure I enjoy. It combines the worlds of intense warm spices with aromatic green florals in a way which feels slightly off-putting in my opinion. It features an overdose of pink pepper and fry paprika which I think is the element I can’t get past. A thick, smoky incense is combined with this overwhelmingly green and herbal note of camphor which is very unusual. From here there’s elements of orchid and plum but they’re very subtle. Overall this is not the sort of fragrance I enjoy, I’m simply not a fan of the notes utilised here but I won’t deny it feels well made.

Santal Sky is another creamy, lactonic sandalwood scent which wasn’t really needed on the market to be honest. Sandalwood at the forefront with hints of sweet saffron and aromatic vetiver, it’s not a very interesting scent profile but it’s pleasant enough. This has the same sharp pickled feel of Santal 33 which many brands seem to have copied in the past few years, Santal 33 is a fragrance that I love and so I actually enjoy this aspect of the scent. It’s then got this strong creamy, milky facet which feels reminiscent to VC&A Santal Blanc, it smooths everything out nicely. Overall this is a pleasant scent, it’s nice to wear but fairly boring and forgettable in my opinion. I would much rather just stick with Santal 33.