Ermalhali

Every time I visit my trusted perfumery, I bring a list of fragrances I want to try.
I fill this list with random curiosity here on Parfumo.
Under Montale, the name of this fragrance caught my eye, so I decided to try Patchouli Leaves tomorrow.

The test strip that the lady sprayed with the perfume didn't initially attract much attention. After a long conversation about perfume and the world, I picked up individual test strips again to evaluate the development.
I was genuinely surprised by Patchouli Leaves.

By now, it resembled damp earth after a heavy rainfall.
I had never encountered such a naturally occurring imitation of scents from the natural world from Montale. Montale is known for its fragrant outbursts in all directions, without stopping to consider the expectations of perfume lovers. This doesn't always go over well, even with me, but here I can't explain how the juice ended up in the Montale bottle.

I took a sample with me and tested it extensively afterward.
The already perceived image of damp potting soil came back to me, so pleasant to smell, not because I particularly like the scent of damp earth, but because it captures and conveys it so artistically to my nose.


On my skin, a wonderful scent nuance emerged. A fragrance that imitates that of a damp basement. To be honest, I like the smell of a basement, the cold-warm air, the air of the struggle between the concrete walls and the encroaching earth mantle trying to push its vegetation through every weak point.

And it achieves this so well, creating such a beautiful niche in the fragrance world, no synthetics, it's as if the basement has been extracted into a fragrance oil whose base is formed by Patchouli Leaves.
Longevity and sillage are strong and just as interesting in the air for the people around you.

This fragrance almost feels "edgy," but I've really made a wonderful acquaintance here.
In character, it resembles Encre Noir or Black Afghano, perhaps even an Interlude Black Iris by Amouage in the same class..
It has many parallels to Patchouli Leather by Montale, and Montale seems blessed with mastery over patchouli, which they can thoroughly express with all the nonsense surrounding it.


I can imagine that inexperienced noses might not understand this and throw in childish remarks, but for the true fragrance lovers who can recognize and appreciate the art, they might find a lovely acquaintance here, if not even a long-term companion.
And fortunately, certain fragrances do separate the wheat from the chaff.


Don't shy away from the brand and just give it a try, step into the basement and immerse yourself in the damp earth.

I found a good deal for a 2020 badge at the souk and bought it blindly.
The package arrived, and from the reviews I had read, I was expecting a real super scent.
Well, I was a bit disappointed.
The scent starts off fresh with an unfortunately undeniable alcohol note that is sneaked in as bergamot in the fragrance pyramid. After a few seconds, it settles down quite a bit, and the vanilla comes to the forefront. Paired with woody accords, ambroxan, and incense, it actually results in a rather pleasant fragrance. Nevertheless, a rating of 8.4 is absolutely exaggerated and probably due to the hype from some "perfume experts" on YouTube.
The sillage and longevity are above average for an EDT, and it does deliver.
But this is by no means an 8.4.
Don't get me wrong, the scent is really not bad, but there are true olfactory masterpieces on this site that are in a league of their own, and even those don't achieve an 8.4.
It can't be due to a reformulation; the bottle I now have in my collection is from 2020, so I even believe I have the best concentration.
Overall, a solid scent, a good daily for winter with decent sillage and longevity, but please don't be misled by the "perfume masters" and newcomers on the internet; it can't be more than average-good.
As always; not everything that glitters is gold!

Herod first came to my attention in a perfume store, and from the very first sniff, I found it immediately unpleasant.
Coincidentally, a few weeks later, I got my hands on a sample and tried to reconcile with Herod again.

But it didn't work out; maybe I'm the only one with this opinion, but this perfume has such an unpleasant, piercing smell at the beginning that it reminds me of dried meat, something like beef jerky. Very unpleasant and, I'm sorry to say it this way, simply disgusting. The scent calms down over time, and a peppery note reminiscent of dark cherries emerges. However, this development unfortunately does not erase the abominable slap in the face you get in the first half hour. To be fair, some perfumes, especially in the niche category, are simply not made to be mass-appealing, but rather to provoke and create a stir.
I respect that, but I really can't imagine, for the life of me, why anyone would want to smell like this, even if you want to be the biggest provocateur.
In conclusion, one must acknowledge that the scent has very good longevity and sillage, even though I have no understanding for anyone who would want to wear this scent for more than 15 minutes.

Perhaps I was a bit harsh in this review, but that is my experience and my feeling about this fragrance. I am a fan of PdM but simply cannot get along with Herod.
Everything is, of course, very subjective, but what I can say objectively is that one should absolutely, really absolutely not buy Herod blind. The DNA of this fragrance is far from being as simple and predictable as the fragrance pyramid suggests.

Well, you really can't go wrong with this good piece.
When I started getting into perfumes, a sample of this fragrance quickly came into my hands. I received a 100ml bottle as a gift from my wife, who traditionally prefers "blue" fragrances, as she really liked the scent.

The perfume arrived and quickly became my everyday scent, a very pleasant, fresh, aquatic fragrance that plays wonderfully with the spicy and woody notes. There were plenty of compliments as well. The scent projects very well at first but unfortunately fades significantly after about an hour. The longevity is also only mediocre, but that’s understandable for the price.
Since then, I've always wished for a stronger "Intense" version or an Eau de Parfum because I really like the scent but would have preferred it to be more intense. Especially, the perfume would really shine with a stronger presence of the spicy/woody notes, which unfortunately show themselves quite shyly in the fragrance composition.

Well, quite a bit of time has passed since my time with Dylan Blue, and I am still waiting for a stronger version. Nevertheless, I had a very good time with the perfume and am still a fan. It is a great choice for any teenager, which I always recommend. A solid choice with a good price-performance ratio.

I bought this fragrance blind after reading a few reviews about Lattafa-Khamra. I didn't find it difficult since the price of 30 euros for 100ml carries little risk.

The perfume arrived and I was already totally impressed by the presentation, as one would expect from our Arab friends. The box is very high quality and the bottle, of course a cuboid Angels Share bottle, looks very beautiful and high quality.

Now let's talk about the scent. I sprayed the stuff on my wrist and for the first 10 seconds, I had an alcohol sillage around my hand, which I had already expected since this is often the case with cheaper perfumes.
About 10 seconds later, I had a wonderful delicious scent standing there. Date, cookie, and honey, all conceivable in this direction, but also a bit of booziness, which is much more dominant in Angels Share, lingered in the air. The scent is very strong and has a strong sillage, and is very well received by people around you, definitely a compliment magnet. Unfortunately, this fragrance hardly shows any noticeable development, but that’s not a problem at all; for this price, this fragrance delivers a ridiculously strong performance, Lattafa could have easily charged a few euros more. A great companion for winter, super delicious, I often wore this scent on my hand just to be able to smell this delightful fragrance while working. This is also due to the fact that with Khamra, there is a great tendency to become nose-blind, which should not irritate you at all since this scent is clearly perceptible and has a great sillage. Overall, a perfect evening fragrance for autumn and winter, a super strong purchase.