Notorious Boadicea the Victorious 2016

Ah, a Fire Collection sounds very interesting just by the name of a fragrance line. Fire sounds warm, but also wild. Destructive, but also cleansing.

Notorious, on the other hand, translates to infamous. So known,… even if it probably refers to a rather negative trait for which one is known… like me and my eternal rants here when a fragrance should smell stuffy, or when I encounter coriander, or find milk in tea, or even just when my cat has slobbered on my food :D (Yuck,… recently he has been sniffling and has developed the habit of shaking his head extremely quickly from time to time… so that his snot flies everywhere… so much for the “oh so sweet” cat… :D).

Anyway, I have generally had good experiences with the Boadicea fragrances. I find these scents not only pleasant but also strong in terms of sillage and longevity. Especially the heavier fragrances fit particularly well with the cool weather, especially now that autumn and winter are approaching.

**The fragrance:**
The beginning is spicy, resinous, slightly green (the green note fades quickly) and sweetish. However, the sweetness is not floral or sugary sweet, but more gourmand-chocolatey.
Sweetspire? Of course, I don't really know much about shrubs, and if they are now dressing up in wigs, then I am completely lost, argh… :D However, I do smell vetiver briefly at the beginning, which soon becomes a bit weaker (but then reappears stronger from time to time, especially later in the base).
The chocolate note somehow becomes stronger, which I find great. Added to this are woody notes, like cedarwood, and resinous frankincense, with everything combined having a slightly oud-like note. The patchouli makes the fragrance earthier, so that with the resinous and woody notes, it smells a bit like fragrances with pine and similar scent notes. So it doesn’t really smell like pine, but it has something forest-like about it.
As for the animalic notes, I am unsure how they really smell, as I have tried too few fragrances with castoreum, etc., and therefore cannot say much about whether I perceive anything “exciting” here! However, over time I do detect leather, not too strong, but also not too weak. From the middle of the heart note, unfortunately, the chocolate-like scent gradually disappears, so the fragrance loses its sweetish note. And fitting the name of the Fire Collection, the fragrance also has something warm about it, almost something burning (but don’t understand that as if something were being set on fire :D). It’s a flickering, fiery fire, but nothing burnt!
At the very end, the fragrance smells of forest (as mentioned due to the earthy notes like patchouli and vetiver as well as some moss), resins, and woods, a bit of leather, and remains warm. The sweetish notes are almost completely gone, even if amber should still be listed, because you cannot smell it. After many hours, the fragrance mostly becomes an earthy vetiver scent, as you then almost only smell this scent note.

**The sillage and longevity:**
The projection is good, the fragrance is room-filling with strong application, and thus you leave a nice scent cloud wherever you appear.
The longevity is top-notch. It smells all day and a little into the next morning.

**The bottle:**
The golden bottle is round and has a metallic “label” on the front side, covered with intertwined patterns reminiscent of Celtic symbols. The cap is also gilded and resembles a noble doorknob. A very beautiful bottle, like all from Boadicea.

Notorious has become a successful fragrance that has a masculine touch rather than being unisex, in my opinion. It smells great with resinous, woody, and earthy notes and, as described, has something flaming about it, which I really like. Of course, one should not imagine it as if standing in front of a burning forest, but there is just a slightly fiery note in it.

The resinous and smoky elements make the fragrance distinctly more wintry, so it is especially suitable for cold days in autumn and winter. It can be worn as a daytime fragrance, but also for going out when one doesn’t want a fragrance that is too sweet. Because sweet (after a lovely initial cocoa-like sweetness) the perfume only smells at the beginning. Personally, I find it a pity that you can no longer smell the wonderful chocolate notes later on, but I still think the fragrance is well made.

Should definitely be tried if possible!