Daïmo Lubin 2019

Daïmo grew on me. I'm writing this review after my third full wearing; it took a bit of time, but this is a really great one. The main notes I get from it are clove and leather, but it's got a strong fruity component as well. When one thinks of fruit and leather, usually the Tuscan Leather Eau de Parfum combination of raspberry and leather comes to mind. But here, the leather is accompanied by a soft peach note rather than the sharp sweetness of berries. The violet leaf-leather accord reminds me a bit of Fahrenheit Parfum, but the clove and peach take it in a slightly different direction, reminiscent of Vintage. But I think that Daïmo is better than either of them; smoother and softer than Fahrenheit Parfum and higher quality than Vintage. Performance is average, I get 6-8 hours out of it, with 3-4 hours of moderate projection.

The Daimo tells the story of a samurai from the sword nobility, and yes, the fragrance narrates this Japanese tale in its core DNA. I must say that Lubin fragrances can be extremely expensive, so it's definitely worth testing these scents beforehand. The fragrances are by no means poorly made, but they are special and overall rather understated, partly also unique in their DNA; this applies here with the Daimo as well.

So, how does the fragrance smell? We'll keep it a bit shorter this time, let's get into it:

- At the beginning, the scent starts very citrusy and zesty; don't get me wrong, it's not a "Torino21 | XerJoff" mint freshness, but really citrusy with a slightly green-metallic touch.

- Then two major players join in; the clove and the leather; the two dance in a well-balanced manner, so the peach unfortunately completely fades away from my perspective and is hardly noticeable. A bit more sweetness could have been incorporated here, as the missing fruitiness makes the clove too prominent alongside the leather; very spicy overall. The two components diminish slightly in the drydown, the patchouli adds its earthiness and gains some stage presence; however, the clove and leather remain relatively dominant until the end. Fortunately, the sandalwood helps a bit and gives the fragrance a touch, but really just a touch of creaminess, though even that feels rather "hopeless." It sounds challenging and terrible, but it isn't, because there are many people who celebrate this DNA, and I find the drydown intriguing; it's not something I would wear, but the DD is special, and actually quite alright.

- The sillage is rather mediocre, a scent for oneself, not a projection monster, and the longevity is above average.

Overall intriguing yes, but personally for me, not a must-have. It smells unique and not bad, but for the money, the fragrance isn't worth it to me, especially since I don't generally celebrate the DNA; too much clove for my taste.