Mystery Tobacco Carolina Herrera 2016

My first comment on Parfumo goes to Mystery Tobacco. Many thanks to Yirmiiki for the small sample!

When I smelled it on the test strip, I was blown away. Great expectations built up because I thought I had found a new beast mode perfume. However, my expectations were absolutely disappointed when I tested it on my skin.

Scent-wise, it falls into the same category as PdM Carlisle (2015), Mancera Red Tobacco (2017), and Argos Triumph of Bacchus (2019).
I can't say which of the mentioned fragrances is most similar to MT, as I don't have the others available at the moment. Since both Carlisle and MT were created by Quentin Bisch, one can assume that Carlisle served as inspiration here.

Fruity opening, then develops into a spicy-sweet-oriental scent and becomes woody towards the end. Top and heart notes are very nice, base note is also pleasant but unspectacular.

Unfortunately, I am not someone who can perceive every single ingredient. I thought the woody note was due to sandalwood, but according to the ingredient list, it should be guaiac wood. Contrary to some other opinions, I am sure I can smell tobacco.

Overall, a good scent, but it has gone through the pyramid on my skin within an hour and offers a poor performance of about 30 minutes. Sillage is accordingly, longevity afterwards as a skin scent is decent at 7-8 hours. In my opinion, it is unisex with a masculine tendency. I tested the fragrance at temperatures around 20°C; perhaps the performance will be better in winter, hope dies last.

Conclusion: definitely smells good, but unfortunately has a terrible price-performance ratio regarding the performance. A too-tamed interpretation of Carlisle that cannot be recommended at this price.

I was able to order a bottle blind through Best Secret and initially had mixed feelings about the scent. It smells faintly of tobacco on me and gradually settles into the skin. Over time, it becomes soft and sweet. On me, the fragrance lasts about six to seven hours, and the sillage is pleasantly and unexpectedly subtle. A plus for me is the spray head, which perfectly doses the liquid and disperses it on the skin like a light breeze. For cold autumn/winter days, this scent is certainly very fitting. I am already looking forward to testing the other perfumes from the Confidential collection.

I hadn't heard much about Carolina Herrera's exclusive line until now, except that, as the name suggests, it is rarely available and expensive. The bottles look valuable and elegant, in contrast to the "F*ck-me-Pumps line" (Good Girl, etc.), and feel heavy in the hand, each colored to match the fragrance (the Tobacco is therefore golden brown).
Since I love tobacco scents and also own a few masculine ones, I couldn't resist letting Herrera's unisex tobacco be the first of this luxury series to come under my nose.
The first impression nearly knocked me over: super strong, slightly sweet tobacco (much less sweet than Kilian, Tom Ford, or Pure Havane) immediately filled my nostrils, and I had to "sniff away" first. But just after a few seconds, the slight tobacco scratchiness faded, and the fragrance found its way. From then on, I began to like it extraordinarily. I detected a flashing Cointreau note, which gave the fragrance a gourmand, slightly bittersweet touch, but also some sophistication.
However, it also has a dark side - a gloomy smokiness, a bit of ashtray, a bit of a gentlemen's club, a bit of the Middle East.
I don't want to say that I can identify Oud, but it has something reminiscent of the Absolus d'Orient from Guerlain, which I still vividly remember in scent. It lasts very well and long, and doesn't change much after hours, so you can look forward to 6-8 hours of slightly sweet, slightly fruity, but very intense tobacco with a minimal oriental touch. And long after that, a warm tonka note remains, also very beautiful!