Master Clandestine Laboratories

This is a warm, brown-black leather, slightly smoky. Rather classical and masculine. The shoulder to lean on. But not your father's shoulder, there's hardly an old school drift nor barnyard attacks. Russian leather as the underlying fantasy note maybe, yet careful and comparatively modern.
If you smell closely you'll find the early bitter orange, but think orange zest in your Old Fashioned rather than the common high impact fruity nose catcher. Speaking of Old Fashioned: Mark replaced the whisky with a spoonful of fine cognac, which I detect when smelling the sprayer but not as part of the scent when on skin.
But this along with other harmonising notes make the overall sensation as I feel it: The vanilla and tobacco smooth out the potentially harsh leather, and so does what I understand as the main player - the aromatic cocoa. While it's not the most prominent note per se, it works wonders. It is a genius move imho to balance this powdery, dry and soft note as a counterpart to the strong leather accord. The result is a comforting scent, bold yet emotional, that surrounds me and makes me smile. Combined with the surprisingly moderate projection you have a more versatile perfume than you would expect from your previous leather lessons.