Black I Widian 2014

Damn - forgot my suit! As soon as I arrived at the office, I remembered that a professional event was coming up. It had been such a hassle in the morning with the kids that I didn't think about the appointment… Hm. Well, at least I looked somewhat presentable in black pants and a decent shirt. They probably won't throw me out.

Best to take the plunge and stand out in a truly odd way. A Christmas scent in July should do the trick. If I smell seasonally confused, maybe no one will notice that I’m not wearing a tie.

And indeed, I am greeted by an opening like a Christmas fruit platter with a cup of steaming Christmas tea beside it. Cardamom - good. Cinnamon - okay. However, it primarily smells like freshly unwrapped, dried figs. Cozy and Christmas-like, indeed. Within a few minutes, though, the woodiness comes through. A prickling sensation spreads, and I wonder if instead of cypress, thuja was used here. But let's believe that only a small corner was meant to be included in the fragrance.

Upon arriving at the venue, I notice: Aside from the representatives of the organizer, exactly one person is wearing a tie. One guest even had his shirt hanging out, can you believe that…

And exactly one attendee was wearing a Christmas scent, I’m sure of it.

The Christmas impression fades in the third hour, as it has apparently realized it is no longer needed as a distraction. A compact, bitter noble wood note takes the lead. Rose might be involved, a dark red fruity variant, slightly tipsy; similar to what is known from rose-oud fragrances. The lady next to me is sending out interference signals in the form of a jasmine-heavy noble rose scent into my testing environment, but I think I can sufficiently isolate that and stick with my own rose.

Nevertheless, wood continues to play the main role. It has transformed and is gradually taking on a sugary-amber quality. I feel a distant reminder of the sugary cedar from Cedarstorm, but the Arabia is a notch more refined, darker, and warmer than the Panouge.

For now. The soon-to-arrive hint of vanilla signals the end. By noon, after just four to five hours, Roman One is already very weak and softly exhales the mentioned two components: On one hand, sugary-amber-vanilla-dusty wood, on the other, the dark red-wine residue of rose. By the way, it is still noticeable after returning to the office, so it was not merely an olfactory loan from my seat neighbor - ha! In a second test with a nose that was aware of this, something corresponding was already clearly apparent when sniffing the tester.

I find the scent quite decent, but for the price asked, it simply delivers too little - regardless of the unsatisfactory longevity. It works better on clothing, where it gives off an impression comparable to a rose-oud fragrance. Well then.

I thank DaveGahan101 for the sample.