Artistscent

Whenever a new special perfume comes out for a house there's a big hubbub around the question of value. Some of us stop on the edge of the cliff, others dive right in and try to convince the rest that the water is warm. I feel that the same thing is happening here.

Is this a good scent? It's pleasant, it's acceptable, it's wearable, it won't raise any eyebrows but it won't turn any noses away in disgust either.

Nefs is a pleasant, comfortable oud scent, a little creamy with ginger and whiskey, saffron and spices, but it's very shallow. It doesn't show any soul, none of the materials really come forth, they all hang in the background never really declaring themselves, none of them showrunners.

I personally enjoy when a fragrance has some kind of character, this is one of the most run-of-the-mill perfumes I've ever tried.

Muscs Koublai Khan has an excellent time evoking the time from which its name originates. A world of conquering tribes and wildness is perfectly captured in this bottle. In short, it smells like the interior of a yurt filled with animal skins and an orgy of men and women copulating, sweat, saliva and fluids permeating throughout the air.

That, and the note of raisins that can be found in baked goods is also thrown in there. Absolute sweaty, musky animalic notes and a bit of baked sweetness. I'm reviewing a vintage formula.

One of the best offerings from the house, Corticchiato knows how to mix crowd-pleasing while maintaining a unique narrative. Body Paint is adeptly named, this perfume acts as a second-skin, enveloping the wearer in a solid colour of synthetics, it even smells paint-like at time.

Opening with lemon, peppers and juicy pear, it doesn't take long for the refreshing top notes to disperse and to make way for the cloves and wood - I feel, at this point, that the perfume takes on an almost Caronnade-like presence, rooted in a twist of antiquity. I wish the opening lasted a little longer because it is a beautiful hydrating tonic that would work exquisitely in the hotter months.

The cloves and lemon hang around a little bit at the end of the fragrance's life but the dry down is rooted in the peppery woods of Iso-E Super, it's not novel, but if someone loves the molecule and wants a little more depth than anything from the Escentric series then this perfume is for them

I have to preface this by saying that I have loved everything else that Francesca has put out (except for Sex and the Sea Neroli), so I ordered this when I saw it would be all about leather and iris. Or at least, that is how it was advertised but upon receiving it I did not smell any of those notes. The leather in this is a lambskin-like leather, not the typical black leather, brown leather, suede, or any of the more well-known forms that leather typically appears as in perfumery. What this soft leather does accentuate the florals: the narcissus, the heliotrope and the magnolia. The labdanum is also not the typical ambery note we're all familiar with, its sweeter, and refined, honey-like.

Orris/iris doesn't appear to me, not as an earthy peppery note, not as a beta ionone-laden violet facsimile, not as rich, cloud-like iris pallida. I don't know where it's hiding, but not as the forefront or the dry-down or in the heart of this perfume.

This perfume is white and purple florals with honey and I feel that it was mismarketed. Luckily I sold it to a friend who loves it.

Opens up with opulent orris with freshness coming from the bergamot and with a tangy twist in the violet leaves. Rosemary adds a herbal greenness into the sweet amber mix and a restrained smoky facet holds throughout the life of the perfume from the oud note. The transition of scent is smooth that you don't even notice when you reach the drydown, but the patchouli, leather, sandalwood and cedar can all be perceived in a rich, butter marshmallow cloud. I think it's a stunning fragrance, an excellent follow up to the predecessor that refines the aggressiveness of the original.

Would recommend for perfume lovers who adore iris scents or liked aspects of Interlude Man but found it to be too brutal.