DapperChap

The Black Afgano then;

In January of this year, I bought it purely out of curiosity.
I kept seeing Black Afgano mentioned online and wondered what this small, dark purple fragrance was all about. It was described as incredibly strong, as dark as night, as "ultra niche". So I was expecting more of a shocker. A fragrance that would hardly be wearable and exists purely for the art of fragrance.

It arrived quite quickly by post. I tore open the package, opened the very simple and dark packaging and took it out. I took off the beautiful lid and sprayed the fragrance for the first time, ready for the worst. And then? Yes, I was immediately blown away. Not a "shocker" as expected, but a beautiful, dark, herbaceous and also sweet fragrance.

I was so taken aback by this first impression that I didn't touch it for a few hours. Later that evening, I decided to try it out on my skin. This was perhaps one of my best decisions, because it made me slowly realize how beautiful this fragrance really is. I wore it a few times in January and was actually complimented on it.

It is dark, incredibly dark. However, it is by no means repulsive but, on the contrary, very pleasing. The opening with these very dominant dark, green Kanabis notes is very dominant and makes you expect the fragrance to remain so strong and quasi-aggressive. However, this is absolutely not the case for me. It even becomes almost tame over time. The dark, smoky woods, the oud, the green notes and this very light sweetness. They all work wonderfully together to create this masterpiece of a fragrance for the darker seasons.

For me, it was a wonderful introduction to the world of dark and smoky fragrances and I will be wearing it more and more this fall and winter.

Recommendation to buy? Yes, but absolutely. If you are looking for a very nice dark fragrance, then go for it. Let yourself be enchanted by Alessandro Gualtieri.

I would like to say in advance that this is (by far) the best creamy fragrance I have had the pleasure of smelling and owning. I will explain below why I still only gave it 9/10 stars.

This fragrance is really close to perfection when it comes to creamy fragrances and it is definitely my favorite from Initio. However, it does have one major flaw for me, which has caused me to sell it on.

The plum, the sage in combination with the lavender and the sandalwood create such a feeling of security in the whole body, right after the first smell, it really is a true relaxation fragrance. A fragrance that radiates safety and security and really always works. I also love smelling it on other people myself. When a friend wears this very Paragon, they immediately seem more approachable.

The name, Paragon, is also cleverly chosen and invites you to fantasize. Paragon in Latin is the "model". And that's probably exactly how a role model would smell to me. Very gentle but nevertheless determined. Fruity and lively but not overpowering. It exudes a certain calm and maturity that no one would confuse with the arrogance of old age. It is a feel-good fragrance. A fragrance that must suit the person and a fragrance that can shape and complete a person, at least in part.
The sage exudes this certain coldness that projects a determination and elegance in my head, while the combination of plum and sandalwood evokes this special kind of security. However, you should also be a good role model when wearing this fragrance and not overdo it.

And that's exactly my problem. I overdid it. I wanted to smell this fragrance day and night and recreate that feeling of security and safety. And in doing so, I ruined the scent for myself. I can no longer smell it. At least not for several hours at a time and especially not on me. But I still love smelling it on other people.

Nevertheless, there is of course a clear recommendation for it.

Also a good gift for your partner, if I may say so myself.

The fragrance goes absolutely everywhere, don't be put off by the plum/sandalwood combination, it is also absolutely wearable in summer and shows a different side there.

Take an exhausted Black Afghano, fly it into the depths of the Brazilian rainforest and leave it there for a few years. After a few years, you come back to him and no longer see the Black Afghano, but this very Viride.

It has a lot of the Black Afghano. The smokiness, the wood, the cannabis-like note. But it has that one crucial difference that makes it so unique. The green. It's a real wall of green when you smell it for the first time. A wet forest and its soil come to your nose. The wood, the leaves and the earthy soil can each be perceived very well and quite authentically.

For me personally, it is less wearable than Black Afghano, but as an art object and olfactory experience, it is clearly the more interesting fragrance. There aren't that many strong, authentic green fragrances that aren't turned into some kind of summer scent and massacred. A really interesting and cool green fragrance for fall-spring.

If you like Black Afghano and want a really good green twist on it, you've come to the right place.

This fragrance was also only revealed to me through an enclosed sample of another fragrance. The fragrance notes alone led me to believe that I would particularly like this one. I was proved right.

I sprayed it directly onto the back of my hand, as I always do with fragrances that I really want to absorb completely. So I sprayed it a few times, swirled my hand around the room and smelled it. The gin could be smelled immediately and unmistakably, very good. The pink pepper wasn't long in coming either and the vetiver base made it perfect for me. The fresh gin with the spicy pepper on a woody green vetiver base. Everything is perfectly balanced. Is there much to discover here, many surprises along the way or a special twist? No. Does it need that and would it have improved this fragrance in any way? I hardly think so. This fragrance is perfect as it is. Simple, fresh, spicy and elegant.

This fragrance is my first 10/10 that I would like to award here, so I probably owe you a further explanation.

I love English fragrances. If you ask which country has the best perfumes, there are often two answers: France and Italy. Sure, both countries have great fragrances and really beautiful uniqueness. But my heart belongs to England. And this fragrance is the perfect representation, not just of the perfume houses, but of the country as such. The gin, which is already something like the national drink, vetiver here as a representative of the fougère fragrances, which the English houses have perfected, and the pink pepper, the spiciest thing an Englishman still finds appropriate.

Yes, this fragrance is not just from England, it IS England.

But unfortunately that's not so easy for me. At the moment I'm liking him more and more, but I'm still struggling with the opening, but let's start from the beginning.

I have to admit, I bought this fragrance on the advice of a friend after I smelled it on him and was really positively overwhelmed by the sweet, fruity cherry. However, this left me without any assessment of the first 40-60 minutes.

Well, it smelled good, I bought it the same day and was delighted to see the letter carrier at my door a few days later. I thanked him, took the package and unpacked it. I had a date with some friends that evening and thought it would be a good opportunity to try out the fragrance. Half an hour before I had to leave, I sprayed the new fragrance a few times on my neck and wrists. The alcohol immediately stung my nose. At first I thought this was the smell of alcohol that you sometimes notice immediately after applying perfume, but this was not the case. When the smell hadn't gone after a few minutes, I looked again at the fragrance notes on Parfumo. That's where I was struck. Amarena cherry. Yes, cherry, as I had hoped, but AMARENA cherry. I sighed, sank into my armchair and thought about what I should do now. I decided to wait and see. Well, and it was worth it. After arriving at my friends' house, I smelled my wrist again hopelessly and was pleasantly surprised. The alcoholic prelude had dissipated quite well. Now I smelled the fruit, the cherry and the caramel very clearly and remembered why I bought this fragrance. For exactly this smell.

I use this perfume quite regularly at the moment, as I think it's really good for the cold season and I find the drydown really enchanting, but the opening...this tipsy opening. Yes, I'll probably never really be able to make friends with it.