12/17/2013
Apicius
222 Reviews
Apicius
Helpful Review
5
An Easter Egg For Christmas!
Let me once more direct your attention to one of those rare series of perfumes that all of a sudden flash like a falling star – but then vanish before they even touched the market ground.
The Ronaldo Esper gents' colognes appeared a few years ago, apparently in Italy first, and so it is likely that this country is their origin. One may have doubts if they have anything to do with the Brazilian fashion designer of the same name. They made their way into very few perfume shops and departments in my country. For whatever reason they apparently didn't sell well and were quickly thrown out. I bought them all, mostly as snippets.
Currently, they seem still to be available at the decanters, and I would like to encourage everybody to risk a blind buy as long as this is possible. It is a pity that this series didn't make it – wrong or missing marketing!
Nobody knows who made them but it must be one single very skilled perfumer. There is a leitmotif in all of them, and that seems to be the use of specific aromatic or maybe musky notes that give each perfume a certain slight "Barber Shop" appeal. The six fragrances cover different facets of gents' perfumery. Within that frame, Exclusive seems to be created for those perfume lovers who have a sweet tooth.
The Ronaldo Esper colognes all had the same cylindrical flacon but with differently coloured caps. Exclusive had a saturated yellow pretty much the colour of egg liqueur! And this is the first picture I get whenever I use this perfume.
Egg liqueur is a marvellous drink. Better then vanilla or cream liqueurs or Batida de Coco, it can be found in every supermarket in my country but nobody would admit to buying it! It is actually considered to be a gift for grandmother's birthday.
I have to say I like that sweet combination of egg and alcohol, and somehow this is also the base of Exclusive. Besides that, there are green citruses, a little pineapple - and the tiniest amount of peach adds a hint of the aroma of cheap carnival candies. Another childhood memory.
I know, so far my description sounds horrible but the fragrance is not. There is a good dash of something herbaceous that perfectly balances all gourmandy or oriental opulence. Certain aromatic notes even add some of the energizing freshness of effervescent powder to it.
Longevity and sillage are okay given the fact that this is a rather broad fragrance that might be a bit difficult to wear. If I had to name a similar, more popular perfume, it would be Micallef's Yellow Sea. Among the mass market fragrances, with some reservation, Exclusive could be put next to vanillic orientals rsp. semi-orientals such as Boucherons Jaïpur or maybe CK's Obsession for Men. The pineapple/peach accords in Exclusive is just as noteworthy as the "papaya" appeal of the Micallef fragrance.
What I really admire is how the perfumer found a way to present accords that could very easily result in cloying opulence – but the way this is balanced by the herbal and effervescent accords is superior.
I am not so fond of sweetish or gourmand orientals in general, but at this point perfumery can be compared to literature. The really gifted authors can write about any topic, and you won't get bored.
The Ronaldo Esper gents' colognes appeared a few years ago, apparently in Italy first, and so it is likely that this country is their origin. One may have doubts if they have anything to do with the Brazilian fashion designer of the same name. They made their way into very few perfume shops and departments in my country. For whatever reason they apparently didn't sell well and were quickly thrown out. I bought them all, mostly as snippets.
Currently, they seem still to be available at the decanters, and I would like to encourage everybody to risk a blind buy as long as this is possible. It is a pity that this series didn't make it – wrong or missing marketing!
Nobody knows who made them but it must be one single very skilled perfumer. There is a leitmotif in all of them, and that seems to be the use of specific aromatic or maybe musky notes that give each perfume a certain slight "Barber Shop" appeal. The six fragrances cover different facets of gents' perfumery. Within that frame, Exclusive seems to be created for those perfume lovers who have a sweet tooth.
The Ronaldo Esper colognes all had the same cylindrical flacon but with differently coloured caps. Exclusive had a saturated yellow pretty much the colour of egg liqueur! And this is the first picture I get whenever I use this perfume.
Egg liqueur is a marvellous drink. Better then vanilla or cream liqueurs or Batida de Coco, it can be found in every supermarket in my country but nobody would admit to buying it! It is actually considered to be a gift for grandmother's birthday.
I have to say I like that sweet combination of egg and alcohol, and somehow this is also the base of Exclusive. Besides that, there are green citruses, a little pineapple - and the tiniest amount of peach adds a hint of the aroma of cheap carnival candies. Another childhood memory.
I know, so far my description sounds horrible but the fragrance is not. There is a good dash of something herbaceous that perfectly balances all gourmandy or oriental opulence. Certain aromatic notes even add some of the energizing freshness of effervescent powder to it.
Longevity and sillage are okay given the fact that this is a rather broad fragrance that might be a bit difficult to wear. If I had to name a similar, more popular perfume, it would be Micallef's Yellow Sea. Among the mass market fragrances, with some reservation, Exclusive could be put next to vanillic orientals rsp. semi-orientals such as Boucherons Jaïpur or maybe CK's Obsession for Men. The pineapple/peach accords in Exclusive is just as noteworthy as the "papaya" appeal of the Micallef fragrance.
What I really admire is how the perfumer found a way to present accords that could very easily result in cloying opulence – but the way this is balanced by the herbal and effervescent accords is superior.
I am not so fond of sweetish or gourmand orientals in general, but at this point perfumery can be compared to literature. The really gifted authors can write about any topic, and you won't get bored.
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