Cyprus Cologne The Motley 2014

For the first time, it seems to me that writing just a statement is not enough to describe a fragrance, and for the first time, I really feel like writing a comment.

This was one of the last scents from "The Motley" that I tested from my sample order, probably because I associated the name "Cyprus" with 'Chypre', even though the listed fragrance notes do not support this at all, and the fragrance names in the series rather denote landscapes or regions of the Earth. However, yesterday I stumbled upon the sample that I had set aside for days.

The scent starts with a somewhat herbaceous-bitter note, which I would most closely attribute to ginger. Relatively quickly - and now it gets interesting - a fascinatingly authentic, yet only moderately sweet marzipan note unfolds on my skin, which initially causes some irritation because the scent simultaneously develops a subtly soapy note (the ginger), almost a clean note, which seems to contradict this. Over time, the fragrance becomes softer and warmer, and the amber adds a tiny hint of animalic quality that makes it intriguing. I do not detect pine needle and cedar; at most, they underpin the fragrance structure with a dry wood tone that rounds things out. Whether Cyprus smells like this, I do not know... but I feel surprisingly comfortable with this scent.

All of this remains extremely subtle, quiet, still, and pleasing, and it embodies exactly the magic of this perfume series for me. Although fragrance materials are used here that elsewhere demand attention and almost scream their essence into the world, they only occasionally give a hint here and gently envelop their wearer. From my perspective, the longevity of 5-6 hours is quite sufficient.

You can read the same on the American brand's website: “THE MOTLEY original fragrance blends are truly unique scents for the body formulated with a hands-on approach outside the often over-perfumed designer world. Scents that don’t overshadow the wearer, but rather adapt and compliment one’s own character.” And although this is of course also a marketing strategy, it precisely expresses what I associate with these fragrances.

For some, if not many, this may not be enough, but I find it beautiful. Whether one wants to pay the asking price for this and whether it is justified is, as with many other perfumes, up for debate.
This is probably also one reason why the brand receives little attention here, but I think it is worth taking a look and training the nose again for the fine and subtle nuances in (fragrance) life.

P.S.: On the American website, "Shave Cream" is listed as a fragrance note, which is probably why I have those soap associations.