Top Notes 
Davana
Clary sage
Ginger
Rum
Humdraxpelum
Heart Notes 
Frankincense
Black tea
Oud
Saffron
Cistus
Base Notes 
Castoreum
Caramel
Cocoa
Oakmoss
Cimi
399 Reviews
Translated · Show original
Cimi
3
When Elegance Becomes a Risk Factor...
Nemea had a good hype for a while, but somehow I never got around to engaging with the brand. Now the time has finally come, and I got to spray the fragrance; yes, anything but conventional or pleasing, a scent that truly polarizes, partly fascinates, and then again "shocks."
Before I reveal too much, let's get into it:
- In the opening, you get the big highlight, a beautiful booziness from the rum paired with a herbal undertone on an almost cool and fruity note from the Davana. The first seconds shine through the ginger, sharp, provocative, a brilliant start.
- Then quickly comes this extremely prominent incense, which completely takes over the oud and leaves little room for other fragrance notes to breathe; yes, it quickly becomes an incense scent, too quickly and too strong, at least for many. Yes, hints of this bitterness from the tea are recognizable, but not really perceivable in the air. Based on the fragrance pyramid, one would expect a slight sweetness from cocoa and caramel in the drydown, but these notes only play a marginal role; yes, as the fragrance develops, the incense note slightly diminishes, but for me, it remains a pure incense scent, only slightly sweeter and more balanced in the drydown. I think they should have left out the animalic notes of castoreum and oakmoss to make it a bit more "accessible," as these two notes intensify the incense note towards earthy, dry, leathery, and make the sweet components almost disappear.
- Performance is beastly, longevity and projection definitely in the upper third.
In the end, the fragrance is definitely a statement scent with character, and yes, it does clash, and I actually like that. The scent generally feels high-quality and special, but you really have to like incense to enjoy this, because even though accents and facets glow here and there, the incense overwhelms any supporting characters on stage.
... but if you can enjoy the fragrance and are an incense lover, then you feel as a wearer like you have defeated a beast and decided to keep it as a pet.
Before I reveal too much, let's get into it:
- In the opening, you get the big highlight, a beautiful booziness from the rum paired with a herbal undertone on an almost cool and fruity note from the Davana. The first seconds shine through the ginger, sharp, provocative, a brilliant start.
- Then quickly comes this extremely prominent incense, which completely takes over the oud and leaves little room for other fragrance notes to breathe; yes, it quickly becomes an incense scent, too quickly and too strong, at least for many. Yes, hints of this bitterness from the tea are recognizable, but not really perceivable in the air. Based on the fragrance pyramid, one would expect a slight sweetness from cocoa and caramel in the drydown, but these notes only play a marginal role; yes, as the fragrance develops, the incense note slightly diminishes, but for me, it remains a pure incense scent, only slightly sweeter and more balanced in the drydown. I think they should have left out the animalic notes of castoreum and oakmoss to make it a bit more "accessible," as these two notes intensify the incense note towards earthy, dry, leathery, and make the sweet components almost disappear.
- Performance is beastly, longevity and projection definitely in the upper third.
In the end, the fragrance is definitely a statement scent with character, and yes, it does clash, and I actually like that. The scent generally feels high-quality and special, but you really have to like incense to enjoy this, because even though accents and facets glow here and there, the incense overwhelms any supporting characters on stage.
... but if you can enjoy the fragrance and are an incense lover, then you feel as a wearer like you have defeated a beast and decided to keep it as a pet.
Floyd
Danny264
ElAttarine
Ergoproxy
Brida
Yatagan
Rosalie234
Kayra
Florian86
Jolanda12
