Alexxx

Anyone who likes to deal with concepts of art and aesthetics may have come across the term concordia discors. Basically, it means the perfect harmony of the contradictory, the manifold. As a great fan of English poetry, the poem "The Thames" by the poet Sir Jonathan Denham comes to mind as an example. In the last lines, the essence of the Thames is described, so to speak, as the perfect middle between the forces of opposites:

Though deep yet clear, though gentle yet not dull;
Strong without rage, without o'erflowing full.

In my opinion, Geza Schön also created such a perfect form with Nawab of Oudh Intensivo. Even though oud and rose are part of its genesis, they are so completely unique in this fragrance, and are implemented in a completely different way, that any prejudgements à la "another rose odour" are completely out of touch with reality. Instead, an exciting process awaits the inclined scent friend, which opens up contrasts, to finally bring them to perfection without compromise. Nothing is pompous. Neither the floral nor the oud is in the foreground.

Green is the prelude, characterized by a tart, acidic freshness: very distinctive, very angular, very masculine, this is how the start goes. More and more dabbed with sweetish floral tones, the fragrance soon turns its course towards unisex. Then the next turn follows: The floral notes are distinctly spicier, the floral notes are distinguished, become a bit quieter, but remain present.

In its substantial exclusive base with at most a subtle sweetness for my taste, the fragrance then lingers for many hours. And leaves the wearer behind with an aura of elegance, of power resting in itself. Despite its suppleness, evoked by labdanum and ambergris, it seems a bit distant and not as caressing as one might expect. Finally, the oud with its in this case fine and unobtrusive accent completes the whole thing to an olfactory extremely round, not to say perfect composition.

I don't necessarily see him as a true unisex scent. I think he's at least 70% masculine. But he will probably do his best on a woman who can cope with a green-tangy, quite distinctive opening and who is not afraid of concentrated power. I just want to emphasize it once again: The rose plays only a minor role in this play, like all perfumes. As much as I love powerful rose scents, I welcome the moderation here.

The concentrated substance richness ensures a formidable shelf life. People who are looking for a fragrance that lasts a day are in the right place: Yes, I am one of the species that appreciates such fragrances - after all, I don't change my clothes three times during a long working day (apart from the fact that in my industry - the creative sector - the working days are sometimes longer and more intense). The projection is really pleasantly dimensioned. With a perceptible, but completely unagitated presence. At no time there is screaming or raising the voice. But also at no time hiding under a shirt in shame.

Conclusion: Opposites. Attractive and at the same time again distanced, slight coolness. Edged, but finely honed. Spicy, tart - and yet soft and smooth. All this in harmony. In addition, a fragrance that can feed its wearer for a day. At a price of 240 euros for 50 ml, you can also expect concentrated fragrances. And yet, more has been achieved here than fulfilling expectations: I know some of the Ormonds, some of them I liked, but none of them really inspired me. Even Ormonde Man, who convinced me the most from the series so far, could not completely inspire me. But Nawab of Oudh Intensivo plays in a league of its own for me. A fragrance worthy of the name. And yet, despite all the praise - with its slightly bitter aloofness, I wouldn't recommend it for a romantic candlelight dinner or a movie night on the couch ... we prefer not to open up such contrasts in the first place, as the perfect harmony could be on the verge of collapse.

Winged words are what Gertrude Stein, American writer, once said. With her abstract poetry, Stein played with language, bringing objects and things more into consciousness. And with the tautological headline of this commentary she did something quite different from the countless bards, poets, musicians before her: she did not romanticize the rose, she gave it back its identity as a thing of this world and described a rose again for what it is.

As someone who is a big fan of roses and has many copies of them at home, I can say that she is right. Because roses do one thing above all else - a lot of work. You fight aphids, you fight aphids, you water (not a little!), you fertilize, you cut, you prick yourself. You are rewarded: with blooming elegance. And with scents, oh yes, with scents: some have a fruity scent, with notes of berries or lemons, some have a spicy scent, for example of cloves, or a spicy-sweet scent of myrrh, others have the scent of old French roses, that's generally what we describe with rose scent - that deep, intense, slightly fruity floral scent. And it was precisely as a fan of roses as of rose fragrances that I recently came across "Rose Orage" from Chabaud. Orage means "thunderstorm" in French. This is how the fragrance is supposed to describe a rose as it blossoms in the light of the sun before a shower of rain pours down on it.

As someone who sees his specimens exposed to the weather of the world every day, I naturally found this thematically extremely exciting. And I was all the more surprised that the scent kept its promise (at least I seem to have succumbed to this suggestion). It is of a rather subtle nature, but I can follow the whole thing very well. And I also find the course of the fragrance with its iridescent presence amazing. When I wear it for many hours, I have the permanent feeling that something is constantly happening to the fragrance, as if it were alive, like the rose itself, out there in a thunderstorm, shaken by the wind, hit by the rain, and again irradiated by the sun.

The fragrance begins tangy-fresh and fruity before the rose takes the lead. But not only with its blossom, there are the leaves that I think I can smell, there is the wood that I think I can perceive. The rose blossom is present, but not overly heavy and baroque. On the contrary, the whole thing is a subtle, delicate play with a pleasant freshness. The way she's been brought in here is masterful. And indeed, the whole thing smells as if raindrops had settled on the petal of a rose and as if the climate had become somewhat fresher.

And the smell works. When I started my test, I thought: nice, but a bit too subtle. But no, it's a little less noticeable at times, but then again quite clear. Through shirt and mask and out in the fresh air I suddenly thought: Persuaded, I will have to correct your sillage upwards. Also the durability is not to be believed at the beginning, but it is easily more than 9 hours. This is also a perfect balance, which makes the fragrance never intrusive, but at any time extremely stylish. I really like that, I must say, I find it very artistic

When is the best time to wear it? Rose Orage is a fruity, fresh, floral, but by no means overladen jewel of a fragrance. With its subtle scent characteristics it is certainly versatile. Its floral freshness is made for spring and summer - after all, autumn and winter are not the time for roses. Although it is certainly everywhere else, it definitely does not fit in with the cold season.

Who wears it best? I am still not quite sure whether I would like to enjoy such beauty more on me or on a female person. Although unisex, it does leave a mark on the feminine. Since the rose is not too heavy, the fragrance does not drift too much into the floral-sweetish, but stays fresh, I find it basically wearable for men. And yet - the olfactory spectacle is staged very subtly. The fragrance is beauty, the scent tells a story, but is definitely not a statement. So as a man, he really needs to think more than once about when is the right moment to wear it and whether it might not be too delicate for the type of person wearing it.

Conclusion: I am thrilled. What a lovely rose scent. What a beautiful, delicate, honest and largely unadorned rose. In my opinion, Chabaud has succeeded with Rose Orage in creating a fresh and fruity rose scent that is always lively during its fragrance. Whether he will make it into my collection, I cannot yet say. Whether he can play a role in my everyday life, I am still undecided. Fans of rose fragrances should definitely try it out. Maybe one of you shares my enthusiasm ...

Ozone is a natural component of the air. But it is also formed as a reaction of nitrogen dioxide. This increases the concentration of ozone, particularly in strong sunlight - and the high temperatures that go with it. Especially for residents of conurbations, such as the Rhine-Main area, the increased ozone formation can lead to health problems such as headaches or migraines.

One could describe the nature of ozone in this or a similar way. And the ozone that Aaron Terence Hughes fills into his flacons has a similar effect. As a trained chemist, he should be familiar with the alleged side effects of the substance also known as O3. Unfortunately, there is no warning note in this regard on his flacon.

But more on that in a moment. Because the idea for this summery cocktail is not a bad one, on the contrary: there is the sweetness of coconut, the freshness of lime, there are some woody notes. All this awakens - especially for a travel-mad spirit like mine - holiday feelings of the exotic kind.

You only have to close your eyes for a short time and you dream yourself to a tropical beach. Ozone sounds like Virgin Island Water, but its tropical wind is much stronger than the quoted scent of Creed. The projection has power, the durability is good.

But on the way to the perfect summer scent, unfortunately, Ambroxan gets in my way all too quickly. I count myself among those who sometimes react sensitively to this scent chord. And here it happens now:

The Ambroxan brings me back from my mental journey to the South Seas. My island paradise becomes a traffic island, in the middle of the city traffic, at 40 degrees. And the inevitable happens with too much ozone: I get a headache

And so the South Sea longing ends at the sink. With plenty of soap and a towel. Conclusio: not for me

But who can it be for? For a fragrance of ATH is rather less loud and from its composition more balanced and therefore more suitable for the masses. It has not been created according to ATH's usual inyour-face principle - if this has bothered you so far, you can be happy here. Likewise, if you like Ambroxan and are looking for a summer scent that has more to offer than citrus or aquatic. Friends of Virgin Island Water can also be happy here, because Ozone is similar to it, but a bit more powerful.

Conclusion: We are dealing here with a unisex fragrance that comes at an extremely attractive price by ATH standards. Its mentioned mass suitability does not mean however that it will not split you, dear Parfumos. The Ambroxan probably decides everything. It's all about inhaling Ozone and getting blissful. Or falling down.

PS: There are hardly any research results available on long-term effects and late damage caused by ozone; a health hazard can therefore not be ruled out with certainty even if there are no acute complaints.

Some of the names that Aaron Terence Hughes gives to his fragrances are not exactly subtle: Dirty Slut, Boss Bitch, Boss Bastard, etc. If you take a look at him on his YouTube channel, his rather tattooed figure, his slight hubris, you don't think at the very first moment of the traditional elegance of the great French, but also of the Italian and English perfume houses. But as the saying goes: don't judge a book by its cover.

To me personally, he seems honest and authentic, sometimes funny, without being too wanted. At the end of the day, of course, it's not so much the perfumer that matters, but the fragrance itself. And of course the new names in the industry bring new spirit, new methods, new momentum to the business. So you can find the good man any way you want. Also his marketing and his pricing. What counts is what's in the bottle.

Onyx it is. The first thing that comes to mind is the black jewel. So something special, dark. This dark association is certainly conscious and it is well chosen because the scent has a floral-woody heaviness. But its base is a very familiar one, which is ultimately just another variation of the well-known ingredients of rose, oud and spice. A combination that has proven to be extremely effective in recent years in making roses - and with them their sweet florality - wearable across the gender spectrum, so to speak.

Thus Onyx evokes associations with many a familiar scent. In the top note it reminded me of MFK's Oud Silk Mood - but most of the time Onyx evokes another scent - Tom Ford's Noir de Noir. As I already mentioned in my commentary on Montale's Sensual Instinct, as beautiful as I find Noir de Noir, it's a touch too feminine for me.

Onyx is more unisex in that respect. He doesn't have that powdery-sweet heaviness. It is a clear trace more animalistic - due to its musk portion which cannot be concealed. It is also a bit woody, which also counteracts a primarily feminine scent impression. Otherwise, the quoted DNA of the Tom Ford fragrance is unmistakable around the rose, the distinct patchouli, the vanilla and the oud. But this does not speak against onyx, on the contrary, onyx is really beautiful. Sensual, dark. But warm. Flowery. Woody.

Aaron Terence Hughes describes his fragrance as "perfect date or sex fragrance" and praises it for lasting 12 hours in a massive projection. Well, there we have the hubris again, but also the aforementioned honesty: in fact, Onyx takes on the powerful sillage and durability of the quoted Noir de Noir as well. And like Noir de Noir, Onyx is of course first and foremost an ideal fragrance for the evening (and for whatever else it may bring), thanks to its deep, sensual, warming presence.

Conclusion: If you like Oud-Rose combinations and are not yet over the top, this is the right place for you. Maybe even as right as hardly ever before. And if you like Noir de Noir, you should definitely give Onyx a chance. Especially for men, it is certainly a very successful unisex scent, as the woody and floral parts are very pleasantly balanced. Even though I am a fan of Tom Ford, who doesn't have much to gain by marketing an Aaron Terence Hughes in a niche market, he has succeeded in creating a really beautiful, incredibly sensual, powerful and expressive fragrance with Onyx, although it is not necessarily the most innovative.

I was in the mountains once. Well, like, really. In Bavaria. All on foot. For somebody who had previously taken on the vineyards of his homeland at most, a real challenge. On several forced emergency stops and stops I wished I had never set off on this expedition, which was disastrous for me. Take a deep breath, pant, take a deep breath, pant - it was almost as if my lungs wanted to leave my body. Then all of a sudden the rows of trees thinned out and what had not been thought possible was reached: the summit. As I had used up all my liquid supplies on the way up (including those of my body cells), I used the last remaining energy to order a currant spritzer at the mountain hut.

What can I say? That was definitely the most blessed refreshment of my life. Boy, was that delightful. I pulled that .5 glass out in no time and ordered another one. Out of all the pain a smile was born on my face

And to this day, to this place, to this state Aqayisos brought me back. The key: a deliciously fresh-smelling currant. Even though some people write cassis, which means the same as blackcurrant, depending on the region of origin, I would avoid the word cassis. Simply and poignantly, because I always associate cassis with the sticky-sweet syrupy aroma that is sold by Monin, among others.

Aqayisos however is sweet and tart at the same time. This makes it extremely wearable and predestined for the summer. This interplay of sweet and tart is also rather masculine for me. Although it can pass for unisex, I really don't know if I would find it suitable for a woman. But of course it depends on the woman. And the biochemistry of her skin.

Speaking of which - on my skin the fragrance puts on an average performance. But for the summer, it certainly has an extremely pleasant silage, which should not cause thick air at any time. But I would have liked to take a bit more. Also the durability will probably lead to repeated spraying, if it should be a permanent companion for the long day.

Let's get back to the sweetness. Which in turn conjures up childhood memories. When I was a little boy, sitting in a meadow, stuffing currants inside me. Until, yes, until that one fucking wasp actually stung me. The howling was big. And the currant remained a branded food until my successful mountain ascent

But today I know: I would go anywhere in the summer with Aqayisos. Even mountains. And even if a wasp stung me, it would be worth the risk