Collezione Privata - Cuoio Pal Zileri 2012
1
Helpful Review
The Secret Door To Hell
For starters, many reviewers claim that this is a duplicate of Tom Ford Tuscan Leather, an excellent clone that is virtually identical. Since I can't afford TF Tuscan Leather, or instead I don't want to afford it, I can't comment on their apparent similarity. Well, what I know for sure is that I love the leather genre, and I love this ambrosial leather gemstone. Pal Zileri's Private Leather Collection is not the leather you might smell in many other leather goods offerings; at least it doesn't remind me of the leather-based perfumes I have in my collection. You know whether perfumers make them smoky and phenolic or animalic and sweet in fragrances, leather notes can add considerable complexity to even the simplest chords.
Cuoio immediately opens like a fruity leather. The sour red berries are fully pronounced, and the leathery accord reminds me a little of burnt gum. Immediately you feel the bitter and smoky notes mixed with dried fruit. However, the raspberry seems to be the most prominent note on the first splash, sweet but not overly sweet, with the other notes positioned in the background. After a few minutes, the intense and robust saffron dominates. And it's not just a brief note. It's there. It's cheeky, blatantly synthetic, and in the face, in a way, I especially like, the same way I find it enjoyable to take a hit of gasoline while refilling my car. The saffron adds such a dark and dense nuance, which makes me think of the redolence of Hell if Hell had a scent. However, the raspberry note is not too intrusive, but it softens the otherwise too opulent background. This puff lasts a few minutes before the raspberry, invigorated by thyme and saffron, introduces the perfume's heart.
The fragrance turns a smidgen fresh, floral, and smoky in the heart. It merges the brilliant and indolic jasmine blossoms with resinous and fumy notes of olibanum. I perceive jasmine clearly, not as a dominant and robust note, instead of as the smell you feel when jasmine is blooming, and a gentle breeze caresses it. This apparent brightness, oddly enough, may come from the incense note. The middle stage is pleasant, smooth to die for, non-invasive, distinctly masculine, yet a little sweet, and yes, I get a bit of floral from that. I do smell a morsel of incense, which melds with the woody notes toward the base, and as the fragrance goes on, more and more amber.
When the scent wears off, the leather accord is phenomenal, and here, it's done to perfection. The base is all leather, as one would expect. Rich and super velvety, made even stronger by the addition of deer chamois and notes of saffron. Everything turns out very dark and profound. Leather and saffron are truly fantastic together in fragrances, like oud and saffron or oud and rose. And Leather is a noble example of this, and that juicy raspberry note ties it all together. The agreement is not what we feel when we wear an Italian leather or Nappa garment, but rather what the shoe polish releases, which smells like gas and tastes like gum. It is treated, colored, worked, and well cared for leather. As it dries further, there is a subtle smokiness in the skin and a warmth provided by the amber. I get smoked balm, leather, and amber, and its character remains unchanged during its development. It is a very modern leather composition. The animal notes have a dry quality, and amber is not the classic sweet base of vanilla and labdanum, but a transparent and crunchy woody note. In the end, the main actors are leather, saffron, raspberry, and suede. The scent persists with the skin accord all the way, unlike other skin fragrances, which have a skin stage but don't seem to stay there.
Seasonally, this is an autumn gem. It lingers beautifully in the cold air. You could also wear it during the winter months to significant effect. I will avoid it in the summer months or if you live in a tropical climate. Not great in the heat; it could annoy. The cologne is classy enough and suits both business and formal occasions and sexy enough to go out at night during the cold months. Longevity looks superb as I sprayed myself this morning, and after a day, I still feel it. The projection is not huge, but it's better this way. Otherwise, it could bother those around me.
This review bases upon a 100ml (3.4 fl. oz) I own since
-Elysium
Cuoio immediately opens like a fruity leather. The sour red berries are fully pronounced, and the leathery accord reminds me a little of burnt gum. Immediately you feel the bitter and smoky notes mixed with dried fruit. However, the raspberry seems to be the most prominent note on the first splash, sweet but not overly sweet, with the other notes positioned in the background. After a few minutes, the intense and robust saffron dominates. And it's not just a brief note. It's there. It's cheeky, blatantly synthetic, and in the face, in a way, I especially like, the same way I find it enjoyable to take a hit of gasoline while refilling my car. The saffron adds such a dark and dense nuance, which makes me think of the redolence of Hell if Hell had a scent. However, the raspberry note is not too intrusive, but it softens the otherwise too opulent background. This puff lasts a few minutes before the raspberry, invigorated by thyme and saffron, introduces the perfume's heart.
The fragrance turns a smidgen fresh, floral, and smoky in the heart. It merges the brilliant and indolic jasmine blossoms with resinous and fumy notes of olibanum. I perceive jasmine clearly, not as a dominant and robust note, instead of as the smell you feel when jasmine is blooming, and a gentle breeze caresses it. This apparent brightness, oddly enough, may come from the incense note. The middle stage is pleasant, smooth to die for, non-invasive, distinctly masculine, yet a little sweet, and yes, I get a bit of floral from that. I do smell a morsel of incense, which melds with the woody notes toward the base, and as the fragrance goes on, more and more amber.
When the scent wears off, the leather accord is phenomenal, and here, it's done to perfection. The base is all leather, as one would expect. Rich and super velvety, made even stronger by the addition of deer chamois and notes of saffron. Everything turns out very dark and profound. Leather and saffron are truly fantastic together in fragrances, like oud and saffron or oud and rose. And Leather is a noble example of this, and that juicy raspberry note ties it all together. The agreement is not what we feel when we wear an Italian leather or Nappa garment, but rather what the shoe polish releases, which smells like gas and tastes like gum. It is treated, colored, worked, and well cared for leather. As it dries further, there is a subtle smokiness in the skin and a warmth provided by the amber. I get smoked balm, leather, and amber, and its character remains unchanged during its development. It is a very modern leather composition. The animal notes have a dry quality, and amber is not the classic sweet base of vanilla and labdanum, but a transparent and crunchy woody note. In the end, the main actors are leather, saffron, raspberry, and suede. The scent persists with the skin accord all the way, unlike other skin fragrances, which have a skin stage but don't seem to stay there.
Seasonally, this is an autumn gem. It lingers beautifully in the cold air. You could also wear it during the winter months to significant effect. I will avoid it in the summer months or if you live in a tropical climate. Not great in the heat; it could annoy. The cologne is classy enough and suits both business and formal occasions and sexy enough to go out at night during the cold months. Longevity looks superb as I sprayed myself this morning, and after a day, I still feel it. The projection is not huge, but it's better this way. Otherwise, it could bother those around me.
This review bases upon a 100ml (3.4 fl. oz) I own since
-Elysium
Elysium
