I have been very excited about trying Mystic Sugar from Coreterno. First of, yes, the notes are absolutely mouthwatering, but have you seen the bottle? Swoon!
Black and gold is always a good idea, but the Gothic twist is just the icing on the cake. Speaking of cake, Mystic Sugar is an ambery vanilla fragrance. I get a creaminess from sandalwood without the characteristics of sandalwood. Sweetness from vanilla without the typical vanilla scent. Mystic Sugar is truly mystical.
On paper, I haven't been able to smell the pineapple or even the ginger. Maybe just the slightest idea of pineapple is there, but the fragrance is mostly an amber.
On skin, I do get a juicy pineapple scent! It is not tart, but sweet and is not like that of Lamar, but realistic nonetheless. After the fragrance dries down, the note of pineapple is gone. Mystic Sugar becomes an amber yet again and reminds me of Gold and Milk by Commodity. Milk without the lactonic note and just the DNA of Gold.
I had high expectations for Mystic Sugar and don't get me wrong, the fragrance is good, but I'm not compelled to break the bank and purchase it.
I have difficulty describing it beyond being an amber vanilla. It is creamy, warm without being spicy, skin-like, pleasant.
I hoped to add this to my collection just for the look, but I think I'll skip this one.
SPUN SUGAR. Warming spices… Fruit. In that order and magnitude. The pieces all play together so nicely, but I feel that the sugar can definitely be Too Much, and I wish it was toned down to mix more smoothly with the citrus/pineapple and rich spices. I wore this to a work event and had literally 6 compliments in the space of an hour… so it’s definitely a literal crowd-pleaser.
If you want something similar, this smells like Saint Julep from Imaginary Authors, but neither have great longevity. It also smells like a more refined Cloud Pink by Ariana Grande - cotton candy + pineapple. As much as I’d love a bottle of this for my gothic heart… I'm not sure that I can justify it for a 'so-so' scent.
Renaissance meets PUNK - If Michelangelo knew, the statue of David would have a face tattoo.
Coreterno is a brand that I only recently discovered. However, its artistic approach and particularly this fragrance impressed me so much that I am now attempting to write a review where I strive to express my enthusiasm as briefly and concisely as possible.
This review will therefore be divided into the following categories:
the art.
the scent.
But first, a few words of gratitude.
As is evident from my first review (on Manteuse - SHL), I have been a passionate frag-head for quite some time now, like most on this platform. This passion has steadily evolved over time and now feels like much more than "just" a hobby.
So it is not just this platform that provides a way for people like us to exchange ideas,
but each and every one of you who enrich this platform.
I have discovered many things over time that you already knew.
Your earlier contributions encouraged me to muster the courage to gather my own experiences, beyond often very disillusioning, spontaneous visits to the turquoise perfumeries in our city centers.
Now I hope that with this review I might awaken the courage of some interested individuals to discover something they might not yet know;
because Coreterno is a brand that deserves much more attention and recognition.
One of the particularly fascinating aspects of the niche world for me was that, alongside quality ingredients & beautiful packaging, a piece of history and/or art was often integrated.
So what do we think of a fragrance that not only contains high-quality ingredients but also, through (its) conscious brushstroke, defaces these sometimes monumental works in a - and this may sound contradictory - loving way? the art.
- l'arte della ribellione
No soup on Van Gogh, but an inspiring message on the chest of a nobleman. In the words of the creators:
"Through Coreterno collections, language becomes the medium of expression in people’s constant quest for happiness (...)"
This extremely rough art style feels almost blasphemous, as some of the portraits remind the untrained eye of works that one could also find in the vicinity of important museums and churches.
If it weren't for the graffiti-esque writings and face tattoos.
This art form awakens primarily one thing in me: interest.
But if we, as humans, are on the "constant quest for happiness"... then there is hardly a path that leads so directly to the heart as the olfactory one. the scent.
- il profumo della felicità
So let's come to the scent of happiness. This can have many faces. I would
not want to pin "Mystic Sugar"
down to this definition;
as it can mean so much more than "just" that.
First, it should be mentioned that this is a very beautiful but in certain aspects quite atypical gourmand.
I will mention why exactly that is at the end, as this is something that only struck me when I asked myself, "Yes, and why do I like this so much?"
DNA:
The fragrance starts right at the beginning with a very beautiful, albeit subtle fruitiness.
Sour citrus notes over the orange and slight floral hints form the prelude.
The almond blossom gives it a rounded, almost creamy touch, without smelling purely of almond or even marzipan. The dessert association follows later through the other notes, while the almond blossom only contributes a hint that is carried by the jasmine and smells as much like almond as almond milk tastes.
Amidst these restrained top notes, a pineapple note flickers back and forth and seems to come through intermittently throughout the fragrance without resembling the usual representatives. Not pineapple juice, but a pineapple nuance.
From the very beginning, a base sweetness is evident that consistently runs through the otherwise rather linear fragrance progression.
In the heart, alongside the calm pulse of a finely balanced tonka, vanilla, cocoa combination, there is a lively vision of spicy notes, primarily characterized by ginger, which hints at cardamom here and there. However, this lively vein of ginger is quite tame, owing to a dense heart of hip gold :)
This is never sharp but only adds a spiciness that gives the whole an interesting character. The rest of the fragrance progression behaves roughly as the listed fragrance notes suggest. However, it is not sticky like a sugar glaze, but rather rough & dry like raw sugar.
Overall, we have a rather atypical gourmand here, but why?
Because so far everything sounds quite like a classic representative of the fragrance family.
On the one hand, there is the performance. Many gourmands tend to overwhelm after a certain time and dose due to their sweetness & warmth.
Mystic Sugar, however, retains its mystique through a restrained DNA that comes across as overall seductive and unobtrusive - a comforting companion that radiates quietude unobtrusively. While only an indefinable sweetness is perceivable over a greater distance, the individual nuances can be distinctly smelled upon closer proximity.
With a moderate longevity of up to 7 hours on the skin, one can also determine that the fragrance is almost "underdosable." More sprays = same experience, just longer.
On the other hand, many gourmands are quite limited in their applications, especially concerning temperature.
Mystic Sugar would be wearable year-round and daily, except for a hot summer day.
Especially for a date, as the focus never falls on the "oh, too strong perfume," but always creates a beautiful atmosphere that offers space and time for dreaming and talking.
Do I need to mention at this point that the fragrance is (of course) unisex?
Just to be safe: (Like actually all other perfumes too) This fragrance suits men, women, and non-binary folks - I would highly recommend a test..
I also have the other fragrances from the brand as testers and will definitely test them extensively, as I want to see what twists await me there!
Little Parfumo exclusive spoiler: I would like to raffle off the entire sample set at the end of my review of these fragrances.
Further elaborations and details about Mystic Sugar can be found in the following video below :)
At this point, I would like to thank @Felsn again for recommending this new discovery
and all of you for your attention!
.......it’s all about seconds. If you want to cook a delicious dessert with caramel, you should stay at the stove. Because if you turn around for just a moment and chat with the saucier, you’ll end up with burnt sugar. But you don’t have to throw it away; just before the sugar starts to smoke terribly, you pour water on it and have sugar color, which you can use to color dark sauces. But no one does that anymore; we prefer to buy color.
Mystic Sugar excellently leads us through this process in its scent progression. I almost nailed it in my statement below. Now this sample has come under my nose again today. At first, it comes across as floral and fruity, already with a decent punch of vanilla; the scent practically rolls into your nose, so creamy does the combination of the fragrance notes appear. Then cocoa absolute comes into play, which likely creates the feeling of burnt sugar. I’m also now sensing a slight sharpness from the ginger. Tonka is also present, while cardamom is less so. Right at the end, I also smell a bit of sandalwood. While the scent was very warm the whole time, it now feels cooler. I’ve often experienced this with scents containing amber - I don’t know how else to describe it. Maybe like this: the coziness is gone ;) The combination of sandalwood and vanilla seems almost a bit smoky at the end. In my mind, I would briefly compare it to "Dulcis in Fundo | Profumum Roma."
Thank you very much, dear BlackbirdHH, for this very generous sample; it will probably last for this lifetime. And today, 4 months later, I like it half a point more.
For those who want to know what’s going on quickly:
In the first minute, you get a cloud of something sweet with fruits that already smells slightly liqueur-like. My colleague said it also has something of a sauna infusion. Minute by minute, the scent becomes more powdery, and a bit of smokiness joins in. The fruits disappear; it remains sweet, but not cloyingly sweet, rather "muted." At the latest after 5 minutes, I smell cocoa here, and the fragrance transforms into a delicious creamy dessert. The drydown is a dream. Days later, I enjoy smelling the collar of my shirt that I haven’t been able to wash yet ^^
Sillage is good. After about 4 hours, still an arm's length, then it becomes less.
Longevity is also good. I can smell it well on my skin for about 7-8 hours. On clothes, as mentioned above, it lasts forever.
For me, this scent is a 10.
I have rated several fragrances with the highest score (but later adjusted them down again)
However, I have never had the feeling that my top fragrances fit me or my appearance/complexion. I just made them my fragrances. Mystic Sugar is the first scent where I immediately thought, "I have found it. This is my signature scent."
Top Notes 
Almond blossom
Pineapple
Orange
Heart Notes 
Tonka bean
Cocoa absolute
Cardamom
Ginger
Jasmine
Base Notes 
Vanilla absolute
Amber
Sandalwood
Mlleghoul
JenBen
ScentedNeko
merklinwoah
HoneyMellife
Theris
Stella73
Maren11
MaKr
Amadea70
