I'm greeted by a dark, powdery and slightly cocoa backed by vanilla. It's sweet without being too over the top. I did get some kind of leathery facet in the beginning even though it doesn't seem to be listed in the notes. A velvety, dark leather that pairs very well with the powdery cocoa and the sweet vanilla. Adds some darkness to the scent. As it moves on, I start getting plenty of warmth and the birch note starts to come up. At first, it's woody, but as it moves on the smoky facet starts to appear and crush everything under it. I can still smell a struggling, sweet vanilla underneath, but the smoky birch note barely leaves anything else room to breath. Somewhere in the drydown the benzoin note starts to stir, diffusing its resinous warmth and accompanying the smoky birch up until the end.
I will say I find this fragrance masterfully well done even though the smoky birch drydown at the end became overpowering. The first few hours of this fragrance were elegant and refined. This is clearly an inventive, well-thought out fragrance that stands out among the crowd. I'm very awed by Une Nuit Nomade as a brand right now, even though this is only the second one I've tried. I'm pretty hyped to try out my other Legends samples. This one won't be making it to my collection due to the smoky birch drydown, but this might be due to skin chemistry and personal preference more than a fault to the perfume. I do highly suggest you try it out though!
