1881 Black Cerruti 2006

A pleasant surprise thanks to the comments I read here and a blind purchase that included 100 ml for just 20 euros. After being somewhat dazzled by superb reviews and perhaps wanting to distance myself a bit from my "perpetual adolescent" image, I must say that Dior Homme Intense and CH Men Privé will likely languish in some drawer as long as no one buys them from me or trades them for something more suitable for everyday wear! :-(

This is one of those fragrances that comes across as a bit softer and more normal: fresh, woody, and oriental at the same time. Sure: The longer it stays on the skin, the more the citrus note fades away, everything becomes a bit sweeter and spicier, without overwhelming me like other "Black" fragrances that often remind me a bit of tire rubber, a freshly paved road, or burnt grill charcoal - fitting for the color, of course! ;-)

I am well aware that no one mixes tar or rubber into a perfume, but once the association is there, it doesn't go away quickly. Perhaps 1881 Black is exactly the fragrance I was missing in the slightly "heavier" spectrum. I don't need 5 or 6 variations of it, no question, but I can also be a bit moody olfactorily at times! ;-) This EDT smells a bit like Boss Soul, if I remember correctly. At least I do remember it at all, and that's something!

So: Better 50 shades of grey than pitch black or pearl white, it may be said in this case. This fragrance still remains a bit of a diva for me, somewhat like Zino by Davidoff, just not quite as overpowering. The mixing of certain fragrance notes may always be a little gamble that the wearer has to either take or leave... But what is life without risk?!