Ruby’s big brother! But: If you’re not into “creamy” scents, keep your distance
Matured, refined Ruby DNA with lots and lots of creaminess, a red undertone and rooibos-cola with a shot of rum - plus endless longevity and sillage! I think that’s how you could describe the scent journey of Nebiru’s new release :) Ruby Red is the latest creation from Nebiru Parfvms, taking the core DNA of last year’s successful release, bringing it out in a more concentrated and refined form, and amping it up with ambergris and sandalwood absolutes. First things first: YES, it’s worth buying even if you own Ruby (1), because Ruby Red is distinctive enough in its own right - especially if you test it not just on a strip, but actually on your skin. That’s where it belongs!
Let’s get to the scent journey:
• Opening:
A citrusy, sparkling opening alongside bright ambergris, sweet resins and red floral accents. Plus the main player throughout the entire perfume: creamy sandalwood. It’s a considerably “louder”, more complex and denser opening than Ruby had. Rooibos tea and the cola note, which I barely picked up on the strip, bloom on the skin.
Compared to the first Ruby, Red feels more mature and concentrated, almost “undiluted”, as if the essence had been used in a highly concentrated form. I really like it! • after 15 minutes:
The citrus fruits made a rather brief appearance after all. You could call it a “sweet, creamy takeover” now. I can clearly detect the cola note, although rooibos tea connoisseurs here would probably call it rooibos tea. For me, the combination of citrus fruits + cinnamon + clove just gives more of a cola impression :D The sweet notes and spices give me strong spiced rum vibes, though not the 10€ kind - more like a higher-end one.
The (red) floral notes also come much more into focus now, especially champaca. • after 45 minutes:
Powdery, buttery iris makes the already extremely creamy base very, very rounded. A little pampering. Soothing.
I’m also getting more of the brighter ambergris now.
By this point, though, it’s clear: if you’re NOT into creamy scents, this one isn’t for you. The fragrance pyramid and the users’ classifications really aren’t lying -> this is very creamy indeed. • after 1.5 hours:
The spices are fading. It’s now moving into its main DNA: sweet, floral, creamy AF, with a light woody underpinning. Champaca and ylang-ylang are going off.
The scent is completely unisex and likeable. It’s not challenging at all, and it works incredibly well in this morning’s temperatures of under 10°C! • 4h:
Clearly Mysore sandalwood. Buttery-creamy, and I’m picking up the vanilla notes more now. Red-floral, but the flowers and blossoms are slowly fading. There’s still plenty of sillage; people don’t need to stand right next to me to smell Ruby Red.
As for longevity, we’re still nowhere near the end: it’ll easily last another 4-5h. Barely halfway there.
Since I’m wearing Ruby on my other arm, you can tell that the DD of the regular Ruby is spicier and more citrusy. Ruby Red is missing that. This one is straight-up red-creamy-woody. • 6h:
A sweet floral DD on creamy wood. So sweet that it almost takes on gourmand nuances. It could definitely work as a cuddly, couch scent too :P • 8h:
It keeps powering on and on and on. It’s actually still going strong. Vanilla, creaminess, light-colored wood. • after 10h:
The drydown has changed very little. Still very creamy and vanilla-like, with a final trace of champaca and ylang-ylang.
(Almost) final round - after one more hour, it’s/was done here - by my standards. ###########
Conclusion:
Released at exactly the right time in terms of temperature and season.
Cream-haters should give this a very, very wide berth to avoid disappointment. Please don’t buy it if you can’t handle this kind of thing (even in a strong concentration).
For anyone looking for a cold-weather scent that’s definitely wearable every day, with strong longevity and sillage -> go for it!
