hedonist222

Take Infusion d'Iris edp & add

Benzoin
Oppoponax (Manoa from Memo)
A bit of mastica
Concentrated vanilla (vintage Shalimar)

Very very nice.

Smells like oppoponax.

Burning oppoponax.

Dry down is a copy/paste of Ambre Fetiche.

I give it a neutral rating because it's not bad.
Nice oppoponax based perfume but it could've been more complex.

I see a lot of notes mentioned but in reality it smells crammed.

Opens with sparkly lemon & brilliant bergamot with a clear styrax/tolu accord in the background. Some Clove.

Instantly recognizable as an Andy Tauer.


Transitions into a a soft floral accord sitting on a dusty base (the signature Andy base).

The base is the typical Andy signature base but with a dusty floral accord.


I get some resemblance to Fate Woman.

Must be the labdanum.

Opening is a handful.
It starts out unapologetic.
All notes radiating at maximum capacity.
Bitter almond (no sweetness) and apricot made dusty by the tobacco leaves. A faint sparkle from the bergamot.
The tonka balances the patchouli.
No dainty frills.
There's an overall austere mood to it.
There's a strong correlation between it & Rahat Loukoum.
I'm getting a likeness to that supple leather & plum accord in Boxeueses.
But here it's supple leather & almond.
I'm GLAD the rose isn't prominent at all.
We all love roses but there are enough outstanding rose perfumes available.
There is rose and I can tell its not the regular fluffy rose but its not rose centered.

Then an interplay of notes commences.
Here is where Andy's craftsmanship in complexity is most vivid.

The premise is as such:
A bonding of gourmand & noir (leathery resinous accord)
Composition :
The apricot & almond create a marzipan accord. The gourmand aspect.
The tobacco (excessive use of) , geranium & musk make up the noir effect.
This demonstrates Andy's craftsmanship with complex compositions.
It opens with strong presence then harmoniously transitions to its peak purpose -interplay of gourmand & leathery/resinous (dark)- and then settles to a base that is the sum of all its parts.



I'd have named it Marzipan Noir.

Starts out very industrial.
Adhesive chemicals mixed with tar & petrol.
Along the lines of Le Labo Patchouli 24 but no where as warm and enveloping.
More like the whipping gesture of Gomma mixed with Etro, Nostalgia & Xerjoff’s Hommage.
But the final touch is a vanilla, bonding it together peacefully.
It is no doubt typically eccentric – like Le Labo is usually.
It remains medicinal for a while.
Soon the musk appears and adds another dimension.

Its not an animalic musk. It’s a industrial workshop musk.

Smelling Cuir 28 reminded me of when I got lost in Suzhou many years ago.
I’d gone off the beaten path and found myself next to a huge factory. Where apparently petroleum by products were processed.


The middle bit is where the excitement deceases.
It turns into a glowing vetiver (very synthetic – not that that’s a bad thing but its certainly not natural smelling).
The tar, leather, musk and anything that added flair is now gone. Very similar to Jovoy – Private Label.
It’s a warm glowing single dimensional vetiver .
Its sad because I am from Dubai and have been waiting 3 years for this to come out.
I’m a big Le Labo fan. I own and enjoy around 10 and will pick up another 5 soon. I had high hopes for Cuir 28.
To summarize, it starts out nice. Not unique mind you, but nice. A superb middle and ending would've made this a winner. That, it lacked.