LicoriceRain

Still Life in Rio is warm and spicy, despite the opening citrus. I always loved the smell of chili peppers. DEFINITELY worth sampling. A new favorite. Reminds me of Chanel's Allure Pour Homme.

Okay, I ordered blind because it was so cheap (inexpensive), and here is what I think about it. For a fragrance titled after roses, there's nothing "pretty" about it. Or even feminine. But definitely sweaty, like hot summer sweat. My first reaction was, "This is a cumin bomb", but cumin isn't listed, and since I'm not familiar with the actual cumin spice, I can't really say what it smells like, except I honestly cannot discern any single notes. In fact, Rose Noire Black is quite linear. And I don't say, "linear" as an insult, it simply means it is well-blended. And for the price, I could certainly do a lot worse. If I HAD to nail it down and say RNB "smells like", I would have to say it's a weaker version of Xeryus Rouge. A much weaker, and far more tolerable version because, to me, Xeryus Rouge has a truly "rotten" vibe to it that I find repulsive. But Rose Noire Black isn't bad, although it requires several sprays, and is better on fabric. This may not be very office-friendly, but I will probably be wearing it often because I think I like it.

A Xeryus Rouge clone. I'm not sure I have ever smelled another fragrance that was so exactly the same as another.

I don’t usually care for anything rose-scented, but lately, after reading about the new Carolina Herrera fragrance Burning Rose, I decided to search for something featuring rose and patchouli. Rose Anonyme has more OUD than patchouli, so that’s a big minus in my book. (Not everybody is crazy about oud!) I was hoping that patchouli would be blended well enough that the rose note wasn’t so noticeable, but it’s very noticeable, and the oud (and possibly the patchouli) cause it to smell a bit like coffee. Yes, that’s exactly what it smells like to me, roses and coffee. Well, this might be nice for many, but I am one of the few people who doesn’t like the smell of coffee. As with ALL Atelier Colognes I have sampled so far, I am left wanting more. Even my favorite Atelier, Mistral Patchouli, seems muddled, and off.

First I want to say I have never been a fan of amber, but I wanted to try a Baldessarini fragrance, and Ambré was the only one available on the website where I shop. Plus, it features an apple note, which I like. My first impression is it smells like some kind of cola. Not unpleasant, but definitely cola-scented. Apple-amber cola. If it weren’t for the apple and mandarin orange top notes, and possibly the violet middle note, it wouldn’t appeal to me at all. I can see why people like Ambré, but it really isn’t my type of fragrance. Strong amber scents give me a headache. The apple note is nice, but for me, Ambré is a headache in a bottle.