Once again I am under the spell of Roja Doves' gorgeous perfume collection. I am captivated, bewitched, enslaved by the glorious splendour each of his fragrances exude. Until now I had the chance to try the following Roja Parfums: Amber Aoud, Aoud, Scandal pour Homme and now Fetish pour Homme. Some years ago I tried Diaghilev and Unspoken, but I can't remember how they smell anymore, what a pity! It was a time where I had so many samples that I could not pay attention to one fragrance for more than 2 seconds, so I also forgot about these two treasures. But I will definitely refresh my memory some day. My absolute favorite so far remains Amber Aoud. Never before did a perfume cast it's magic upon me this strongly. Never before did I fall in love with a smell like I did with Amber Aoud. Trying Aoud was also a magnificent experience, even though I prefer Amber Aoud just a little bit more. Today, my journey through the collection of the worlds sole "Professeur de Parfum" continues. Fetish pour Homme, a fragrance for men with a distinct leather note. For me, there are two kinds of leather perfume: The "soft leather"; including fragrances like Guerlain Cuir Beluga and Tom Ford Tuscan Leather. And there is the "bitter leather". Robert Piguet Bandit and Montale Aoud Cuir d'Arabie are but two of many examples how bitter leathers smell. Fetish pour Homme is supposed to be a bitter leather, and usually these kind of leathers are not for me, I prefer the soft ones. But thanks to my fragrance journey I learned, that sometimes there are fragrances that don't belong to ones favorite olfactory family, but they appeal to you nonetheless. So what about Fetish pour Homme?
Just a single drop is enough to endulge in the rich aroma of Fetish pour Homme. At first, the scent shows a lot of character, is spicy and intense, almost dusty. A hint of citrus can be found in the first few minutes, hiding in the background. This scent is voluptuous and wicked, in a most beautiful way. Parts of the base notes are present from the fist moment on: Cinnamon, Pepper and Leather are the notes that stand out the most in the scents first 15 minutes. If you want to try Fetish pour Homme, be prepared for it's highly potent and opulent nature, or else you might be unable to cope with the sheer abundance of facets. At first, I was a bit sceptical. The scent seemed to be much to harsh, spicy and rich. Luckily, this was just my first impression. I know that Roja Doves creations often need time to reveal all their beauty and liveliness to the wearer. Often his scents change dramatically after just a few minutes. Lo and behold: It is true: Fetish pour Homme is one of those perfumes, that change over time. After 30 minutes on my skin, the scent becomes softer. The floral heart takes some of the sharp edges out of the fragrance, the scent becomes like a second skin. The warm, leathery and amber like aroma is enriched by a subtle powdery note, could this be the violet? Without letting the scent actually smell floral, it gives the whole composition a beautiful mildness. The fragrances striking character is luckily not lost during the tranformation, Fetish pour Homme stays powerful and distinctiv. All of the Roja Perfumes I tried, stayed beautiful even in the later stages of development. More and more of todays perfumes start to fall apart after the head note is gone. They fade away, like a withering flower, becoming unrecognizable. The reason behind this is, that many modern perfumes are composed to impress customers with just their initial notes, trying to seduce the customer into quickly buying them. The heart- and basenotes do not matter, as there seems to be no time for them in modern perfume stores. Not only designer fragrances are the ones to blame, but also countless creations from the niche market. I do not talk about linear creations, which are fine, but only about those who fade too quick. Roja Doves perfumes, however, are not like that. Fetish pour Homme showcases how magnificent even the basenotes can be: Intense and lasting, complex and deep. All the facets from before are still here, but are now embraced by a soft whisper of Vanilla and Patchouli. Warm, attractive, sensual. These attributes are perfect to describe the fragrance. A subtle Chypre accord is crowning Fetish pour Homme, it is probably rooted in the oakmoss listed in the notes pyramid. Just like Scandal pour Homme, Fetish pour Homme is an excellent fragrance. Even though I usually dislike leather fragrances like this, there is something about this one I just adore. Every perfume lover who prefers fragrances with a wild and intense nature, will be thrilled when smelling Fetish pour Homme. Roja Dove created a cinnamon-spicy leather Chypre beyond compare, and I can't get enough of it!
I surely am in loe with Rojas fragrances, I want to thank him for creating these modern classics! There are so much more Roja Parfum fragrances I need to try, and yet they are pretty hard to get their hands on. The ones I want to try the most are Amber, Enigma pour Homme, Nüwa, Diaghilev and Musk Aoud. But, to be honest: I want to try them all! This collection is refreshingly different, and my passion for these creations if just beginning!