SmellsFargo

before i begin this write up, I just want to say that i think this is a well done, and fairly unique fragrance, especially for PDM standards: this is not for lack of quality in either the blending or ingredients.


but man this shit might just not be for me. my relationship with oud is fairly open, as im cool with it in my juice(you can say we're polyandrous) as long as its not the overwhelmingly dominant note in the fragrance. its not even in my top 10 of fragrance profiles, but i do possess and have tried other oud based or included scents that i enjoyed rather muchly.

ok so the opening...is fantastic. i mean its really brilliant in the way it takes some (not all) of Laytons strengths and blends it with PDMs choice of oud; makes for a unique and sublime experience really.

but that opening only lasts for about an hour (at least on my skin), and then its just straight wood. and ots really not even an unpleasant wood either, its just not my cup of tea. after about 8 hours or so, i feel like ive been going on adventures with Star Lord and the gang cause brother, I Am Groot.

now, i am holding out. a sliver of hope. when i first smelled Layton, im gonna keep it funky; i wasn't impressed in the slightest. it smelled of a high end version of body wash in spray form, you know the kind they hand out in goodie bags at the Illuminati meetings. but as my nose has opened up and ive gotten a chance to lay my honker on other fragrances, i went back to Layton and came away intrigued and wanting to spend more time with it.

the more i wore, the more i whore; wait, sorry wrong group. the more I wore Leighton the more interesting intricacies I picked up the more respect and adoration I gained for it so I'm hoping that exclusif is something similar.

the longevity is pretty good as i get about 9 -11 hours, sillage is fine and projection isnt super loud but good enough. you can find this on certain sites for $200 and at that value or slightly higher, its well worth it...of you sample first. well you should samlle before you buy most of the time (blind buying is such a rush so i wont ever discourage that).

again it's...it's honestly a great frag, just not for me.

When Martha Stewart was picking out the perfect grapes for her bottled wine collection whilst committing massive insider trading, I imagine this is what the vineyard smelled like on that day the FBI rained down upon her vista. I love the tincture of dirt especially in this, gives it just a bit more authenticity in my opinion.


It's funny because when I first smelled it, I'm mostly got the grape at first but it was a weird grape, then I remember this had tobacco leaves in it and for some reason, remembering the notes unlocked this puzzle in my head and then my olfactory opened up I said "wait a minute this smells like I'm walking down a vineyard".

You know obviously not the fancy kind of the French one that uses slave labor, and not even the cool ones in Napa valley in California; More like if they had a vineyard in New Jersey. But I appreciate it for what it is and the vision it showed and the scene it painted for me.


Projection isn't beastly but I don't think this one was meant to be beastly, nor do I think you'd want it to be monstrous, as the tincture and the tobacco leaf really make it to where you'd want this to be a more soft scent bubble. Longevity is okay at around 6 hours on my skin, but for a niche sometimes you would hope that you can expect a little bit more power than that.

I can see some limited occasions where I would think about reaching for this so please try before you buy.

you know how we all wish we can go around and smell like our favorite bottle of soda? and you figure to yourself "hey let me just pour this old bottle of grape fanta over myself and see what kind of compliments I can pull"? and so you did? and you remember what happened right? you felt like shit cuz you were so sticky from the massive amount of sugar in the soda; insects would not leave you alone all day; and the dread you felt knowing you have to take those classes to get custody of your kids back? yeah you remember, because I remember that day: boy were you an embarrassment.

well what if I told you there is finally a way for you to smell like carbonated, medicinal goodness, all without child services knocking on your door? and guess what; it's only 200 times the cost of that one bottle of soda! judging by that look on your face I'd say you're curious and I am here to tell you that God damn it where there is a will there is a way.


Roja creation e pour homme parfum cologne (I think I got the name right, I really wish Roja would find a better way to name these fucking things) is a resinous, Ambery a slightly medicinal fragrance that has a very unique fizz like quality about it when sprayed on skin, that when combined with the fragrance itself gives off its trademark Coca-Cola vibe.

I am one that enjoys wearing fragrances that I find to smell good, but I also enjoy fragrances as art especially when there's a theme and a vision behind it ( shout outs to T-Rex and Rhino ) even if I wouldn't necessarily wear it. fragrance like this normally wouldn't be up my alley, but there's just a slight nostalgic touch and a calm medicinal factor to it that isn't off putting to my nose, as I'm not the biggest fan of medicinal fragrances.


performance on me is okay I get 6 hours usually; eight in a really controlled environment, fragrance isn't what I would call a projection beast but with this scent profile you don't necessarily want it to or else you would be kind of offensive. it's safe to say maybe elbows length projection? this is the scent that due to the Amber and the residence qualities would you know be better suited for the fall but it's not quite so heavy that it could withstand the punishment of the winter so it might be strictly fall/Cool spring nights.
presentation as with all Roja is immaculate even though this is a flanker of the more expensive parfum version, and the price (390) reflects that.

luckily our friends over at olfactory, venba fragrances, and some Sellers and Facebook groups have this for well on the market value, as I seen it as low as 179.

I keep forgetting to give my fragrance review scores so I will leave you with this; it's a nice unique fragrance that you probably don't already have in your sent profile especially if you're a beginner but please sample this or walk into a local Neiman Marcus or saks and try before you buy because this certainly isn't for everyone.

I know yesterday in conversation with a few folk, I said that lyric man was pretty formal, or at least a little too formal for everyday casual wear. am I wearing a suit today? no of course not, I've never been one to follow the rules and you can ask my doctors about that.

I fucking love this thing man, ever since I started on my true fragrance journey about this time last year, this is the bottle that I put the biggest dent in. I told you guys that I love Rose based frags and this is not shy on the red at all. If i could describe it in a way that does it justice, it would be a really really intense Rose bar of soap that was mechanically placed in your nostril by those robotic spiders that were chasing around Tom Selleck in that one movie; you know the one*. it's so loud without being abrasive but still has that trademark Amouage darkness, but only a dabble of the darkness. performance is also outstanding as I usually get around 10 hours or 9 at the minimum.

this is an all year fragrance, even in the hot hot hot, hot days of August; just got to be a little careful with the sprays, and shit, on me it works best in the winter so go figure. as for occasion I already said that its surprisingly formal, but i also said i dont give 2 shits about convention and wore it today wearing a tee, running pants and some trainers. a lovely facet of this frag is that it can often be found at discounters for a pretty damned good price; ive seen it as low as $125. so if you haven't and enjoy freshies or rose based affairs, give this. a shot.

*the movie is called Runaway, and it also stars GW Bailey, the police chief from the Police Academy movies, so get educated.

The year is 2011; you just finished getting off at the local pharmacy and guess what baby: it's payday. you admire the fresh lineup as you head out of the barbershop, you got "niggas in Paris" and "Gucci Gucci" blaring from your iPod, freshly cut true religion jeans and a pair of Jordan 5s that you've been waiting 3 months for just the occasion to finally break these puppies out. for you see, tonight's your hot date with Kimberly; the chick that you have been trying to date for the last 3 years but to no avail. she used to claim that you were immature, that she was well beyond your years but she has seen how well you have taken care of yourself physically your hygiene, now you have a job and a bank account and she thinks to herself "okay he's an actual adult now let me give him a chance".

so you guys meet up and taking an off Broadway show, not really taking mental note of the chemistry between you two, just excited to be there. after the show (which as hard as you try you had no utter idea what the fuck was going on), you guys go out to get a bite to eat. Kimberly then proceeds to pull one of those moves where she has a clear idea what she wants to go and she's trying to nudge you in that direction without directly telling you "hey this is where I want to eat". so you guys pull up and looking at the rest of the people in the establishment, you aren't even sure if you meet the dress code but after talking a little bit to the maitre d, you guys are let in.

after she orders two lobster new burgs, three Manhattans, a martini, a shot of Louis XIV, you are filled with slight contempt as you are about to blow two weeks worth of paychecks on dinner, made worse by the fact that it looks like she's enjoying the food more than your company. she thanks you as you guys are leaving the establishment as she's 5 lb heavier and youre three hundred dollars lighter, looks up at you and says "hey I know of a great after party let's go". you get there and you're excited for what the night's going to bring, suddenly Kimberly gets hit with a "hey girl how have you been" and before you know it : boom she's disappeared into the crowd of hundreds of strangers none of which of you know.


as you sit there miserable, chin in palm, the realization hits you: I spent time eagle money she didn't enjoy herself and most importantly, I didn't either. "hi, my friend left me too. I'm Sasha" you look next to you and a woman decked out in a style that you usually do not like but for some reason she managed to pull off. you guys spend an hour at the after party just gabbing it up and it's like the whole world around you might as well not have existed cuz all you guys were focused on was each other in that moment in time.

as you're heading out of the party she make certain that you guys exchange contact information. over the next couple of months to a year, you guys link over playstation 5 matches, go to a few ball games, go out on random billiard dates, feeling stupid for spending so much time obsessing over Kimberly when it feels that Sasha was lying under your nose this whole time, yet you feel grateful necause Kim lead you to Sasha. you guys have fantastic chemistry, you guys enjoy each other's time, people enjoy seeing you two together: it feels like the stuff that keeps people together forever.


baccarat rouge 540 is Kimberly: dainty, sweet, very pretty, very well put together, everyones got eyes on her; very expensive. While Sasha is none other than spirito fiorentino; similar frame, a little more rugged (will probably box you and win), very much appreciated by those in the know; alao expensive but not anywhere near as much as kim.

finally I say all that to say this: both are tremendous fragrances you should just sample figure out which one suits you the best.