Smokin' Gun Borntostandout 2022

… I kinda fell in love with this fragrance. It has quite a special scent of tobacco, some vanilla and floral notes. It’s all very smooth. A very original scent that I haven’t smelled anywhere else.
The only gripe I may have is that the longevity is quite long. Maybe because I’m a non-smoker I enjoy the first couple of hours but at a certain moment I’m like… that’s enough. Still, it’s not overly strong or pungent or anything so it’s not that big of a problem. But it’s such a special scent, I wish it was a bit cheaper and had a bit less longevity.
Oh yeah one more thing. That bottle, omg yuck… for such a price one may expect something more special.

This is the smell of a forest fire after its been put out. Its not complete devastation, there are trees still standing, their bark smoldering and sap bubbling out. But there are trees left unharmed, their pine needles growth bright and green. This is a smokey pine fragrance, the pine is green, balsamic, and woody. For the first hour or so, there is a plastic band-aide smell. After the band-aide and smoke notes fade, you are left with a sweet creamy woody smell.

This scent lasted all day, about 8 hours and the projection was decent. This is actually a fairly restrained fragrance for this brand, they usually make them super sweet and super strong. This is a nice change in pace for them. A 50ml will cost you $205.

Sampling Borntostandout Smokin’ Gun, my final sample of the Dark & Drunk discovery set, a spicy, smoky, boozy pine scent with key notes of rum, whiskey, juniper, incense, and leather, with a bit of an interesting black licorice vibe at the very opening, giving way to a smoother dry down with less of the sharpness and acidity over time. It’s a fun, dark, multifaceted concoction that I instantly loved from first spray, and it’s probably tied with Drunk Maple as my favorite of the line that I’ve tried so far, a really great option for cooler weather and to stand out interestingly, and it performs quite well, also.

As with the rest of the line, this is EDP concentration and priced at $210 for 50ml, reasonable enough for niche perfumery in the current market.

8 out of 10

I honestly expected something stronger. This is actually a pretty mild scent, considering the notes. It is only slightly smoky, there are much, MUCH smokier fragrances out there. It kinda smells like a generic fancy aftershave or like a barbershop. Pity, I expected something truly groundbreaking, considering the name and the notes.

The pyramid reads wonderfully. The impressions practically scream for a blind buy, and more than once I've been on the verge of it. But in the end, I chose other fragrances from brands I already know and love. But now, let's talk about this work from BTSO.
At this point, thanks to DarkWinterCS for the great exchange offer and many exciting fragrances that I will gradually test. This one is at the top of the list!

The scent hits me with a full blast of sweet dough, pastries, sugar cane, molasses, and other gourmand notes. The spiciness of the juniper is kept in check, and Campari doesn't show itself at all.

Gradually, woody notes join in. They are soft, dry, charred, sweet, sour, in a very subtle way cold and smoky, but overall rather alcohol-laden and ethereal.
I have the feeling that the weapons were drawn but haven't been used for a long time.
And then there's the spicy part of the fragrance. Cinnamon, vanilla, and tobacco further soak the scent, dressing it in evening attire and putting on the finest shoes. It's off to a gala or art exhibition, with jazz and rum.
The progression loses its already subtle and intimate sultry impression and becomes more and more sweet and edible wood in my nose. Not wrong, but far below my expectations.
And this very expectation keeps me from warming up to this composition.

Unfortunately, I lack experience regarding which whiskies or rums are popular in South Korea, so I may have had the wrong expectations. But what can I say...

Put the revolver away, today there will be no shooting. I think I’m standing in a paradise of avenger stick coffee pieces.