NicheOnly

2022 didn't have many premium niche releases, but if we exclude the Oligarch re-release ("Isola Blu (Parfum) / Oligarch (Parfum) | Roja Parfums"), Clive Christian's "Noble XXI: Art Deco - Blonde Amber | Clive Christian" was the *it* premium release of 2022, beating out scents like "Mana | Nishane" and "Nocturna | Royal Crown". But Blonde Amber isn't as peachy as I would've expected and I quite quickly figured out why I kept seeing female influencers talking about this.

Upon first spray, the first idea that came to my mind was "this doesn't smell that original". I instantly felt like I had smelled it before. The ambers on the open smelled familiar, but what was even more familiar (to the point of no doubt) was the very dense, sweet, syrupy open that instantly reminds me of the plum/cherry cough syrup accord that Clive Christian used in "AddictiveArts - Jump Up and Kiss Me Hedonistic | Clive Christian". An underlying accord that smells quite feminine started to separate itself which reminded me of vintage chypres - this accord would end up being the florals listed above.

Trying to put the scent together with the accords and notes presented at the top, the core scent to me is spicy & floral. The spiciness comes from the amber-tobacco one-two, with the tobacco being relatively mild if you compare it to scents like "Manhattan (Eau de Parfum) | Roja Parfums" or "Boundless | Amouage". The tonka & the amber also give it some noteworthy sweetness, but it is not strong enough to warrant it being the #1 accord. The florals, to my nose, are more present than the sweetness from the tonka/amber, with the jasmine-tuberose blend bringing the previously mentioned feminine flair.

One thing that I find lackluster is the on-skin blending in the first hour which offer quite a synthetic feel from the woody tones of the tobacco and I suspect the amber. The heavier notes in "Noble XXI: Art Deco - Blonde Amber | Clive Christian" do a majority of the lifting as it dries down, clearly separating itself from "AddictiveArts - Jump Up and Kiss Me Hedonistic | Clive Christian", but in an open air environment, the dried fruit note will continue to offer you hints of Hedonistic.

Overall, the scent is largely a pleasant combination of amber, florals, and tobacco. The performance on the scent is just okay - it's not approaching nuclear like "Private Collection - E: Gourmande Oriental | Clive Christian" and it's not as strong as Hedonistic either. I find the presence of the white florals to make the scent lean feminine, but men who enjoy wearing scents like "Casamorati - 1888 | XerJoff" could rock this just the same.

To close, the biggest let-down of "Noble XXI: Art Deco - Blonde Amber | Clive Christian" is its value proposition. I feel spoiled by premium niche fragrances like "Nefs | Nishane", "Oud Stars - Alexandria II (Parfum) | XerJoff", and "Sultan | Royal Crown" because when I put up €500+, I feel like I'm getting my money's worth. For the latter 2, I even get 100ml. Here, I don't feel like this is worth €550 for 50ml. I expect Nefs tier complexity when paying €500+ for 50ml, but the lack of complexity with Blonde Amber has me thinking this should be priced closer to "Oud Satin Mood (Eau de Parfum) | Maison Francis Kurkdjian" instead of "Nefs | Nishane".

Mystic Experience was my most-worn sample of 2022, but after purchasing a bottle in September 2023, I don't find myself feeling the scent as much after getting deeper into the hobby and not having tried it for a year or so.

"Mystic Experience | Initio" opens boozy with some warm spiciness & woodiness, like if "Black Phantom Memento Mori | Kilian" didn't have any sweetness. It's another classic example of a coffee fragrance that doesn't actually smell like coffee, the same criticism that can be applied to nearly every coffee scent in the market. The drydown of this scent is dry, mildly dusty and dare I say even ambry, reminiscent of the feel you get in "Sand Dance | Stéphane Humbert Lucas" if you, again, added something sweet (like the cocoa in the Stéphane Humbert Lucas). There is a very present warm spiciness to the scent, and the sweetness is not sufficient to list that as the #1 accord for this scent.

The glaring weakness of Mystic Experience was always its performance. My first experience wearing Mystic Experience outdoors was in a sub-zero snow storm in Helsinki and even then the scent struggled to get lift. This is one of those scents that I could wear in almost any scenario without it becoming overpowering. On my skin, the performance is a dud.

I don't think this scent can really be called a hidden gem, because there's no gem quality to "Mystic Experience | Initio". It's a poorly performing fragrance in a scent category with quite a few formidable contenders, including scents like "Amber Star | XerJoff" and "Amber Sky | Ex Nihilo" on top of the previously mentioned Kilian and SHL. The only advantage this Initio has over its competition is the value, with €220 for 90ml being the best pricing in the scent bracket. As such, there still are reasons to buy this, but I would recommend becoming more familiar with the competition first.

For a brand as big as Creed, to get an original IP as wrong as this is quintessential corporate perfumery. "Carmina | Creed" opens with a rose that is quite watery/fresh, flanked by the same powdered cherry tonality recognizable in scents like "Duchessa | Gritti". There is no sweetness to help out and as such, the top accord is floral based on the opening. The saffron doesn't really pop at all for me throughout the wearing experience.

However, it is the drydown that I find SUPER BIZARRE and not in a good way - there is a very prominent synthetic feel to this scent. The blend quality is very lackluster and leaves the scent structured like it's from Mancera. I can't figure out what is messing so much with my nose here, but I am thinking it is the blend of amber & musk in the base that ends up very prominent when smelling the scent from up-close. The myrrh/frankincense slightly tickle my nose and add mild warmth to the scent.

I just can't get over the poor blend quality and as such, Carmina goes into the bottom 10 among my 2023 rankings. The performance on this scent was horrible - within 3.5-4 hours we are talking about trace amounts. There's so little left that the deep drydown smells a little bit powdery & minty, dare I say slightly berry-like (so completely different from the core scent). For the first 1-1.5 hours, sillage might be a 6/10 but I'll deduct a point since it's not expected to remain above intimate after hour 2-2.5.

Safe to say this year there has not been anything as overhyped as "Althaïr | Parfums de Marly" and TLDR: the underlying product does not justify as much as an ounce of this hype.

The red lights are glaring into your nose as soon as you spray it on. Prominent synthetic tones, the first accords I get are sweet & white floral. But perhaps more importantly, I instantly notice that it's not a masculine fragrance. As the scent dries, those that have experience with Marly's women's catalogue might even find this scent to be leaning feminine.

The notes in terms of their blending & quality remind me of 2 fragrances: "Silky Woods | Goldfield & Banks" and "Vanille Leather | bdk Parfums". The new BDK, ignoring the misleading name, actually smells white floral & dark woody with shreds of vanilla; while the Goldfield & Banks scent that came out in 2021 smells like an intense vanilla with some white floral tones and woody undertones.

I cannot figure out what everyone is smelling to justify this 8.7/10 rating across nearly 400 individual reviews. The core scent is of vanilla ice cream & orange blossom with mild praline, or alternatively, vanilla ice cream & laundry detergent. Blend quality is not great - this could easily be a designer scent and you wouldn't know. Sillage is average at around 7/10, review is written around 2 hours after first applying the scent but I am assuming it's in the 8-10 hour range.

At the end of the year, "Althaïr | Parfums de Marly" and "Lovers | Fragrance Du Bois" will be competing for biggest PR bottle darling within the YT/IG fragrance community with both products being complete jokes.

I don't usually blind-buy fragrances, mainly because I dislike landing in situations like the one I think I am in with "Smoking Hot | Kilian". After my first wear, I'd say that I like the scent but I don't love it. Take your current wish list and look exactly in the middle - those are scents that you like (and may eventually buy), but don't need. That's where Smoking Hot would be on my list.

The wearing experience offers some layers. Upon first spray, I guess the surprising part is that there is zero smokiness, incense etc. I mainly get fruity & a little bit bitter/sweet. Shortly after, the sweetness starts to accumulate & the fruity/bitter accords turn into a clearer apple note. The scent begins to mimic a winterized version of "Apple Brandy on the Rocks | Kilian".

Thereafter, it's the dry & warm spicy tobacco notes that star with the apple for the next 2 hours. The key comparison here is to think of Smoking Hot as the apple-tobacco equivalent to how fragrances like "Herod | Parfums de Marly", "Manhattan (Eau de Parfum) | Roja Parfums", and "Boundless | Amouage" use their cherry-tobacco tonality. You could even think of the latest Kilian as a blend of (1) an amped-up Apple Brandy, and (2) a milder Herod. Worthy of note is that this scent doesn't actually offer me any resemblance of "Angels' Share | Kilian".

I think as a whole it's blended well. I think it offers some unique edges, as it isn't just another play in the Herod ballpark nor in the Manhattan/Boundless ballpark. I think in the air it's really nice - it's approaching niche-smelling niche much the same way like a Russian Tea, or an Aquila Absolute in that it combines accords in non-standard fashion.

But simultaneously, I don't think it's that innovative. And post-Estee Kilian as a whole isn't putting out anything that has me in a chokehold, much like how Maison Francis Kurkdjian is riding on the coattails of BR540 & Grand Soir. Fall-winter fragrances are the only thing Kilian is objectively great at, but just like MFK, I wonder how much of my sentiment is just nostalgia and the brand living off their household names.

There's no doubt that I need more time with it. But I will start (in my opinion) conservatively and rate it an 8/10. It's a like, not a love. While the performance is subject to change, I'd say I get moderate-to-strong sillage for a couple hours. Longevity is on the lower end of good; my 7/10 ranking is 7 to 8 hours but I did feel like the scent does actually die off far before 7 hours with shred ounces of the warm spicy & tobacco accords remaining for upwards of 10 hours.