Cthulu

Often, you no longer smell it on women, but when I perceive it on the street, I am still delighted. I am not dependent on it: I have called this scent my own for many years, because Luca Turin was completely right in my opinion: Tommy Girl is a better men's fragrance than a women's one.
Moreover, when you think of the popular tea fragrances of recent years, such as the very subtle tea scents from Bvlgari, "Wūlóng Chá (Extrait de Parfum) | Nishane," "Armani Privé - Thé Yulong | Giorgio Armani," or "Gris Charnel (Eau de Parfum) | bdk Parfums," Calice Becker's pioneering work appears, in retrospect, as groundbreaking as Jean-Claude Ellena's tea fragrances.
Unfortunately, unfortunately, the scent seems to have become totally diluted by now - the original from the nineties was wonderful.

Ah, one might think, another Oud-rose combination, yawn. But wait: some time ago, I tried Oud 01 and Oud 07 as well as Amber 01 and 07, which had just been released, at the Swiss Arabian Shop in Dubai, and Oud 07 is the one that ultimately won the race and was purchased. So the fragrance does have something that sets it apart from the sea of Oud-rose scents.

The Oud note is quite subtle, gentle, present but not intrusive, much more elegant than animalistic. In the opening, saffron dominates over Oud and rose, then a distinct gourmand note of sweet pastry comes into play, which is listed in the fragrance pyramid as praline and vanilla, but also evokes a hint of honey. The restrained amber note gives the fragrance some depth, but the success of the composition is likely due to the musk base, which ultimately banishes all the dirty, 'stable' associations of the Oud and gives the fragrance an overall bright, light, clean quality.

It all seems so well-balanced to me that it is a pity that Swiss Arabian hides this fragrance behind a loveless numbering ("07") instead of giving it a resonant name, which would surely bring it greater success. Because fundamentally, it is a much 'rounder', better composed - one could also say: more elegant or mature - version of their bestseller Shaghaf Oud, and what distinguishes the two fragrances is precisely the amber and musk base. Oud 07, however, is not as 'loud' as Shaghaf Oud and, according to my tests, does not quite have the same sillage and becomes a skin-close scent noticeably faster overall, but this should not be a disadvantage for more elegant occasions, for which it is clearly more suitable than Shaghaf Oud.

From my perspective, it is unequivocally a unisex fragrance that, despite the Oud and due to the sweetness of the gourmand character, displays a slight tendency towards the feminine.

Aqua Sextius by Jul et Mad is a truly innovative fragrance, a citrus-woody-aromatic-aquatic summer scent with fruity, green, spicy notes. The fig plays a special role in this wild ensemble, and I realize: I clearly prefer the smell of figs to eating them. A lush fruit bouquet is interspersed with eucalyptus and mint, some floral notes join in, while wood, oak moss, and musk form the framework - yes, there is a lot going on here. Now that I know it, I realize that I have been looking for this fragrance for a long time: a fresh aquatic scent that is not under-complex, which also does not follow the Acqua di Gio or Cool Water formula. For me, definitely a winner!

Is this still an oud fragrance? It is quite interesting that oud is assigned to the top and heart notes in the fragrance pyramid, but not to the base, as is the case with the majority of oud fragrances; it is also interesting how the well-known oud-rose accord appears here quite differently than one might expect. The oud does not dominate here, but is integrated into at least a three-part ensemble, which also includes a balsamic-woody-earthy tone that encompasses amber and patchouli, along with a gourmand note of coffee, almond, and vanilla. All of this is arranged more vertically along the horizontal timeline, so that the fragrance presents a complex interplay of elements until the drydown.
Projection and longevity are unfortunately, unfortunately only average, which prevents me from truly embracing the fragrance. Whether I will purchase a full bottle is still undecided.

Oh wow, I have the honor of actually being the first to write a review for this fragrance here. I stumbled upon this scent quite by chance.
We are not best friends yet - at first, I even thought I had made a mistake with Paramour, because the scent seemed to want too much. Fruity, floral, gourmand sweetness, and a base of leather-patchouli and sandalwood are quite a few facets that unfold here. However, the fragrance is very finely balanced, the leather note is very soft and not aggressive at all. Most of the mentioned notes come to the forefront during the scent journey, step to the edge of the stage, bow, and then exit, always framed by leather and patchouli.

I personally haven't warmed up to Paramour yet, but I definitely don't want to disparage the fragrance in its first review, especially since I know there are people who see much more in this scent than I do, describing Paramour as refined, seductive, luxurious, and very sophisticated. I don't want to deny this positive view of the fragrance, but personally, I don't really like the leathery-earthy base of Paramour. When the fruity and floral facets emerge individually, they lack enough weight to counterbalance this slightly dull base and let the fragrance shine overall. It lacks a somewhat more pronounced brightness as a counterweight to the base to really make the scent feel 'rounded.' Perhaps one has to take matters into their own hands and enliven Paramour with a splash of Bergamot 22, Orange Flamingo, or Petit Matin.

The combination of fruity and floral notes with a leather base reminds me of Widian's London and Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather. Especially London, in my opinion, is composed a bit more delicately, and the quality of the individual notes is more striking. But for that, Paramour is also significantly cheaper.

Sillage and longevity are very solid without being outstanding. The fragrance is certainly unisex with a slight tendency towards the feminine.