Intense Pepper Montale 2014

"What's that great smell?" I asked myself as I was strolling through the practice. Far and wide no human soul could be assigned this fragrance. The scent, strong, dark, but not unpleasant. Male, woody, spicy and resinous, somehow it reminded me of incense. And I love incense.

A week later I walk through the waiting room, again the same smell. Just a few patients in the waiting room, two of them men. The circle of suspects narrowed, the noose tightened.
I used my knowledge of human nature to find the guilty, fragrant culprit who flooded the whole practice with his scent.

I discreetly intercepted him in private and asked him about his perfume because I really liked it.
He wasn't quite sure, didn't know the name right away, but promised to google me and look for it. So I spoke to him again a little later and found out it was "Intense Pepper" by Montale.

I never heard of Montale before as a perfume newcomer. Also "Intense Pepper" seemed a bit strange to me, I was a bit irritated. Was that really the pepper I smelled and that reminded me of incense? Is it really the right perfume?

I thanked them for the information and decided to search the Internet at home, i.e. here, for further information. After the patient had left, you could probably smell him for another hour in the room where he was staying. He certainly didn't dose sparingly ;)

The fragrance pyramid made me doubt my nose, I was depressed. Was it really the right name the patient gave me?
But the perfume, that scent, just left me no peace, I liked it, and that means I had to have it.
So I ordered it in the hope that I got the right information.
Slow waiting, a few days of uncertainty and tension.
Finally the package is there, opened, perfume taken out, safety pin pulled out and pfft on the wrist.

At first the pepper is clearly dominant, and the flowery "orange" is discreetly perceptible in the background.
Those who expect an outstanding top note here will unfortunately be disappointed. Unless she or he's a hardcore pepper fan.

And I think this is where most of those who have tested "Intense Pepper" already form their opinion and stamp it prematurely. A big mistake. Cause you forgot the first rule of Montale.

"The first rule of Montale is: Never judge a Montale by its top note."

In the process the pepper becomes a little milder, and now the smell becomes more woody and also more resinous.
For me it took over one to two hours on the skin until the fragrance underwent a wonderful transformation and unfolded its full potential. Only now did he start to smell the way I remembered him in practice.
And now I was sure I bought the right fragrance.

I deliberately chose him to go out yesterday because I knew he would take me through the evening without a portable sprayer. I applied it a little earlier so that it could take effect after more than an hour at its destination. Although it was a place where people smoked, I could still perceive him well for several hours. If I had sprayed him on my clothes, he would have swallowed all the smoke in the restaurant and replaced it with his own scent ;)

I would say after applying it to the skin it is at least 4 hours well perceptible in its environment, then slowly retreats again, but remains loosely 6-8 hours on the skin noticeable, applied to the clothes even longer I'm always modest about these things, because I don't want to exaggerate. It can also be longer, depending on skin texture and other factors.

Arrived at home, I could still smell it after more than 6 hours on my skin.
My shirt, which only came into passive contact with the scent, smells of it even a day later. I think, with direct spraying there will be several days in it.

All in all a really beautiful scent, which one or the other doubter should perhaps have a closer look at and smell and test, but don't forget the first rule of Montale! It's worth the wait.