Pelagos: A Block of Concrete Washed up on the Shore

Pelagos by Parfums Dusita
Woody Aromatic
Pissara Umavijani

Pelagos is a Greek word that translates into “open sea”. It is an Extrait de parfum, the highest perfume concentration, and it definitely delivers. However, it is not a typical marine scent as one would expect. At the top, I get a woody aspect from cypress and a citrusy splash from bergamot. The heart belongs to iris in all its beauty. I spot some smokiness in the base. Incense?

Pelagos is a woody citrusy iris scent. Unusual, leans masculine. Once it settles, I find it too iris-focused for my taste; plus, there is something that bothers me in the base. I cannot pinpoint what it is. Maybe the iris combined with sandalwood, who knows. It is strong and it lingers but does not overpower simultaneously. It is neither a bad nor appealing scent.

The start is pleasant like any other citrusy cedarwood masculine aroma but the heart and dry-down are not my cup of tea. It smells like sea water, sand and gravel on concrete, no good but perfume is subjective, isn’t it? You are not for me Pelagos!

Moonlight in Chiangmai: Ode to Motherland

Moonlight in Chiangmai by Parfums Dusita
Woody Aromatic
Pissara Amavijani

Moonlight in Chiangmai is another typical example of Parfums Dusita. You get a nighttime fragrance which has heavy hitter notes of wood, benzoin and myrrh; nonetheless, the scent stays light-hearted and soft. Do not get me wrong, it is an oriental spicy woody aroma, but somehow maintains an incredible lightness of being. I suppose it has something to do with Pissara’s south east Asian heritage with hot climate where effervescent and light perfumes are preferred.

Moonlight in Chiangmai is again beautiful. This time it is definitely a nighttime scent which brings you to Chiangmai, a city in mountainous northern Thailand. The scent smells like a magical spice market at night. You can travel all over Thailand with exotic Dusita and discover the scents of gorgeous places.

It is not enough to sit on a beach in Thailand, you need to see the various nature, or buy Pissara’s fragrances to experience her motherland at least olfactive-wise.

Erawan Dusita: A Twenty-First-Century Gentleman

Erawan by Parfums Dusita
Woody Aromatic
Pissara Umavijani

Pissara, the founder of Parfums Dusita, is a Thai perfumer currently located in Paris. Despite the fact is is not a recognized master perfumer, her creations achieved statuses of masterpieces and she has won many awards within the fragrance industry. Her perfumes are artsy all the way connected to poetry and art. She started her brand with a fragrance Issara which was an immediate success. She is a talented and humble individual who breaks conventions and follows her dreams.

As most of niche scents, Erawan is a genderless one; however, I see it more on the masculine side. It has hay, spices and vetiver with an underlining sweetness from vanilla. It is quite a modern take on a typically masculine earthy fougere. It is daring to make fougere sweet my darlings.

It goes hand in hand with Matcha Meditation by Margiela where we have green tea and white chocolate instead. Or also Iris Celadon by Armani Prive comes to my mind where iris is mixed with chocolate too.

Erawan is an interesting choice but definitely not juice I would feel comfortable wearing. The sweetness combined with aromatics does not work for me. I could give the sample to my hubby but I am afraid he is going to say it is too sweet for him. We may need to find you a new home, Erawan.

Perfume Empties 2024: 30+ bottles

Dear follower,

thank you so much for your support. I appreciate it a lot. I have prepared the first bunch of perfume empties from 2024 for you. You know I do not take perfume purchases lightly and I am committed to use up my beloved fragrance bottles. If I seriously do not like a scent, I either return it or re-sell it as soon as possible. The most of my perfumes I am using and enjoying my life with them. Fragrance makes makes me feel alive!

Here, on my blog and YouTube channel, you can explore the journey with me. If you want to see Etat Libre d’Orange, Lancôme, Hermes, Dior and Ormonde Jayne and much more, keep on watching …

Un Jardin à Cythère: Lemon Mint Candy

Un Jardin a Cythere by Hermes
Woody Aromatic
Christine Nagel

Un Jardin a Cythere is the newest release from the Jardin (garden) line. Instead of Jean-Claude Ellena’s, we are looking at Christine Nagel’s creation. I adore her perfumes from Jo Malone to Twilly and all its flankers.

Un Jardin a Cythere is a unique unisex EDT freshie. It smells like lemon candy, green olives and pistachio. One may say that mixing these notes will create a great mess; but in fact, the opposite is true. They balance each other spectacularly. It is sparkling and smooth. It does not remind me of a Greek island but rather a forest near my house in central Europe. The scent is somehow so calming and familiar.

My husband really enjoys wearing Cythere himself. The only drawback is that it is light, and does not stay long. I like to wear Cythere casually during the transition between summer and fall. For more formal occasions, I prefer You or Someone Like You by Etat Libre d’Orange which comes across more elegant.

Bois d’Ebene: Palo Santo from Paraguay

Bois d’Ebene by Matiere Premiere
Woody Aromatic
Aurelien Guichard

I smell organic wood and a hint of citrus. There are no lemons listed, so the aromatic aspect must come from juniper berries. In Bois d’Ebene, Palo Santo is balsamic and sweet, almost edible.

This composition would wear nicely on a man’s man. It is a less formal, modern version of Irish Tweed by Creed. I would like it on a conservative man for everyday wear. It is a decent fragrance which unfortunately lacks uniqueness, which interestingly makes a solid present for a guy. Does not offend but does not blow your socks off either. If that is what you want, go for it. Not bad at all.

Cuir de Marrakech: Light Ambient Chill

Cuir de Marrakech by Maison Maïssa
Woody Spicy

Cuir de Marrakech is a surprising fragrance. Despite its name, it is not a leathery scent and it is not a heavy perfume either. It is full of resins and balsams and has a warm and inviting character.

The top envelops into a fruity zest. Later, it smells like an exotic market with kitchen spices. There is cinnamon, opoponax, Tolu resin, to name a few. The aroma is aromatic with a gentle touch of seasoning. The note profile is a heavy hitter so one would expect a beastly lasting and projection; however, it is not like that. It is a soft atmospheric smell like stress relief music you play in the background.

The top envelops into a fruity zest. Later, it smells like an exotic market with kitchen spices. There is cinnamon, opoponax, Tolu resin, to name a few. The aroma is aromatic with a gentle touch of seasoning. The note profile is a heavy hitter so one would expect a beastly lasting and projection; however, it is not like that. It is a soft atmospheric smell like stress relief music you play in the background.

Look, if you wear mass-pleasing freshies and want to venture into spicy and gourmand scents, Cuir de Marrakech can be your ferryman. It sits on the skin nicely. You can put it on all year round and it is unisex. Pricing is also reasonable for a niche brand.

As for my personal experience, Cuir de Marrakech did not totally blow my socks off. I am not in a hurry to buy a bottle but it is vital to acknowledge: “What a lovely scent!”

Rehab Initio: Spices & Dried Herbs for Every Home

Rehab by Initio Parfums Prives
Woody Aromatic

When I first smelled Rehab, I swear I smelled cinnamon. There is no cinnamon listed of course, so where does the sweetness come from? Some lavender mixes come with licorice nuances, so that must be it.

Rehab is a tricky scent because you expect aromatic woody but what you get in reality is Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford – a night-time scent heavy on species and vanilla. Okay, I am exaggerating here. It is not as sweet and gourmand as Tobacco Vanille but the core is there.

It is a winter night-time type of scent, beautifully blended but is it juice worth having a full bottle of? If you want to splurge on a lush scent smelling like warm cooking spices and do not already have something similar in your collection, then the answer is yes. Apart from the sweetness, there is not much feminity in the fragrance, so you must enjoy wearing masculine fragrances on top of that. Little goes a long way. You do not need to spray a tun to make it last. Both performance and staying power are extraordinary.

Vétiver d’Hiver: My Potential Signature?

Armani Privé Vétiver d’Hiver (Vetiver Babylone) by Giorgio Armani
Woody Aromatic
Alberto Morillas

I am going to be totally honest with you guys, I have fallen in love with this fragrance. It is when you want to be elegant without thinking too much. Great for a man as well as a woman.

It has a heavenly opening with bergamot, lemon, and mandarin orange. I also smell something a little bitter and grassy. Probably bergamot? The best part is the heart though. It is mild spices of pink pepper, cardamom and corriander. I get especially the cardamom. It is somehow milky and sweet here. It is what gives otherwise a nice fresh scent a character. Then the soft creaminess mixes with woodsy vetiver. Still very refined and classy. I think I am in heaven.

There is just one thing that is getting in the way and I am sure you already know what the hell I am talking about. It lasts literally 30 minutes on the skin! I do not know how it works on clothes but what a disappointment for a private line?

It happened to all of us. We finally discover the perfect perfume. It is slightly overpriced we are willing to pay. Then we realised longevity is crap. We think we can buy a bigger bottle and heavily overspray. Yeap, yeap, yeap. But it is too expensive for that.

Anyway, enough of rumble, I did not buy a full bottle. I recommended it to my father instead. His signature scent has been Irish Tweed for quite some time. It is a classic that is slowly falling into the old-fashioned category. Therefore, I think Vétiver d’Hiver could be a great alternative for him. Plus, he works in the medical field where something light and inoffensive, if anything, is a must.

HUBO BOSS Alive Collection: EDP, Intense EDP, EDT

ALIVE EAU DE PARFUM: A Universally Likeable Fruity Vanilla Perfume

Woody Aromatic
Annick Menardo

A fruity vanilla scent – plum, apple, and black currant is melting together with your vanilla. There are cinnamon and thyme added to the mixture for an extra kick. The perfume is grounded in sandalwood, cedar and olive tree. When looking at the notes, you think, hmmm, that must smell yummy and outstanding, and yes, it is an all-year rounder type of fragrance. Alive is juicy and warm with some nice touches of physicality, yet it does not knock my socks off. It is a more refined and spicier Christina Aquilera fragrance. The more scents I try, the pickier I am. My apologies.

ALIVE INTENSE EAU DE PARFUM: An Appealing Jammy Raspberry Flanker

Amber Woody

The top is fueled with pretty detectable raspberry. I find a similarity to La Vie Est Belle Intensement by Lancome. I could almost swear I smelled iris too, but apparently, there is vetiver instead. The whole composition is sweetened and deepened with benzoin which is quite enjoyable. It is a sensual combo, yet it does not reach the qualities and eroticism of the Lancome beauty. If you are not on a strict budget, get La Vie Est Belle Instensement. It is levelled up.

ALIVE EAU DE TOILETTE: A Watered Down Summery Version of Alive

Floral
Honorine Blanc and Marie Salamagne

Guys, common. What is this? A burst of apple and orange toned down with jasmine and may rose, balanced with some standard woods and moss? Fruity – floral – woody, meaning I am tired of this profile. There is nothing outrageous about it except that it does not last. Why would you take the original Alive which is already light, and make something even lighter? It is a fresh, watered aroma with no potency. I know I know, it is common to make an EDT after you have done EDP intense, so business-wise, it makes sense. At the end of the day, you can spray it on your way to the gym or work when your goal is to fit in with no intention of being remembered.