There are days like this, who doesn't know them, you have to reward yourself
The day before yesterday, the time had come again and as if drawn by magical powers, I found myself in front of the shelf with the new Lubin fragrances. A few days before I stood here, tested them all and finally decided to go for 'Condottiere'.
I took the remaining test strips home with me, so that I could have a look in peace, and I had 'Gajah Mada' give me a small bottle as well.
Interestingly enough, I didn't like 'Gajah Mada' that much anymore, although he was in the shortest selection against 'Condottiere' shortly before. Instead, two others came into focus: 'Sarmate' and 'Sinbad'.
If I had had to choose one of the two ad hoc without testing again, it would have been 'Sarmate'. The scent is very successful: balsamic, leathery and with a nice oud note.
But that's how it became 'Sinbad', although I'm not really a big fan of neroli fragrances and the penetrating, sweet-Indolic and somehow waxy scent of orange blossom can quickly get on my nerves.
But after spraying both of them - this time on the skin - I found, contrary to expectations, one of them beautiful but also quite boring, while the other one: - Wow! - it grabbed me instantly
Not that it was the first distinct orange blossom scent I had under my nose, no, but what is special about 'Sinbad' is that although the blossom determines the scent (the O-flower is a great determinant, similar to tuberose...), fortunately it does not dominate completely.
Fleur du Mâle' 'APOM pour Homme', of course, also 'Fleur d'Oranger' by Lutens, or 'Dilmun' by Villoresi, to name but a few - all of them nerolli-centered fragrances that I personally cannot wear because the orange blossom here completely kills me.
But I like this flower chord - actually. A little bit withdrawn, embedded in the right environment, I appreciate it very much, and in 'Sinbad' I even enjoy it very much since two days!
Because here the environment is right, at least for me.
With oriental additions such as cinnamon, vanilla, sandalwood and a hint of pepper, paired with a fresh fruity Hesperides prelude and a balsamic base that ends with a touch of ambregris, but above all with my beloved opponent, the geranium, or of the rose geranium (although rose is listed, I rather perceive the fresher rose geranium), Thomas Fontaine creates a beautiful frame that skilfully encloses and encloses the often exuberant neroli.
In the advertising text for his fragrance, Sinbad, the sailor from 'Arabian Nights', is described as an adventurer who, before delighting his listeners with his stories, washed his hands with essences of rose and orange blossom.
And Thomas Fontaine has indeed made this moment the pivotal point of his fragrance.
Here it occurred to me that in my kitchen I also have a bottle of rose water and a bottle of orange blossom water, the contents of which I sometimes need to re-bake a cake that I have eaten several times in Israel: a rather sweet, yet juicy semolina cake soaked with rose and orange blossom water.
As in fragrances, these essences are also quite penetrating in pastries - some would also say: intrusive, as they are anything but common in this part of the world.
But I love her. They take me back to the Carmel market in Tel Aviv and to one of the city's cafés, where a touch of the orange blossom from one of Tel Aviv's many orange trees often blows around your nose in the evening.
For me, 'Sinbad' is Tel Aviv to spray on - at least a little bit.
Apart from that, what I have already written about 'Condottiere' applies to this fragrance: it seems that the perfumers, in this case Thomas Fontaine, were able to work with good raw materials and were given sufficient freedom to develop their art.
All the notes in 'Sinbad' are wonderfully blended, nothing crunches or squeaks here, quite the contrary. Everything is very nicely woven and of almost creamy consistency.
Fortunately the scent is not too sweet either. There is a danger with these fragrance components, but Monsieur Fontaine skilfully circumnavigated the one or other sugar and caramel cliff, and added slightly smoky facets, so that the fragrance, despite a tolerable basic sweetness, can also be appreciated by those who wear rather harsh scents.
Shelf life and projection are corresponding to a perfume concentration, namely enormous! Sinbad' accompanies the wearer with its dense, spicy-floral, but also delicately smoky, oriental aroma throughout the day, the whole night, until the early morning.
The packaging and bottle are extremely elaborately designed, which should reconcile the inclined consumer a little with the horrendous price. But above all, the content is right: in my opinion, an extremely beautiful fragrance concept has been skilfully implemented here with recognizably good materials.
And then - last but not least - the fragrance simply smells good.
What more could you ask for?!
Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
JustPetyrr
