Gambardella

Langston is an obvious copy of Angel's Share that is both impressively similar and worse than its inspiration in every way. The Kilian original is built on the balance of the cognac accord with apple pie spices and sweet vanilla. The woody, alcoholic liquor balances the sweet gourmand to great effect. Despite being an unmistakable copy, Langston tips the scales into decidedly sweet, synthetic candy territory ruining the cocktail illusion of the original.

The first distinguishing feature of Langston is the elevated sweetness and a much stronger cinnamon apple emphasis—a candy, cartoon version of its inspiration. While the initial apple candy backs off a bit as it dries down, the heart also reveals an odd synthetic cherry lurking under the apple, perhaps from too much ethyl maltol and benzaldehyde. Stays fairly strong and linear, especially compared to the others from this brand. Seems like a Lattafa perfume.

Can't imagine making this sugary knock off and deciding to call it "Langston"

Soul of My Soul is the clean, floral cousin to Frustration’s spicy gourmand profile. Together with Frustration, Soul is one of the very best ELDO perfumes and my favorite of the “Orange Extraordinaire” line. I previously appreciated how Frustration elevated a very wearable spiced vanilla through the addition of some more dynamic evolution. Soul performs a similar song, but with a different set of notes.

This perfume is interesting because it deftly balances a sour, soapy rose, with a powdery-musky heart, and a spicy vanillic base. The initial impression it gives is soap, bergamot, and rose. Smelling it blind, I was shocked to see the marketing describe this as a spicy vanilla wood fragrance. I was also surprised to see other reviews second this description, or instead classify it as a mostly powdery scent. However, neither of these parties are incorrect, and the magic of this fragrance is in deftly balancing these different profiles without letting one dominate entirely. Some of the sour soapiness persists even as the iris powder becomes much stronger, but throughout one can also find themselves drawn to sweet tonka and vanillic warmth. These are notes that can easily overwhelm or conflict, but which feel harmonious and intriguing here. Even more than Frustration, this is a dynamic fragrance that provides some wonderful twists and turns while avoiding quick recognition.

Unlike so many other ELDO perfumes, there is no gimmicky hook here—no cyberskin, puns, or shock value, but don’t be dissuaded. Compared to these others, Soul of my Soul is the more exciting perfume. One of the few ELDOs that I would actually want more than a sample of. A delightful surprise.

Has a pleasant herbal-lemon opening. A little sweet and fizzy - I can see the lemon soda associations others have noted. However, I mostly find this rather boring. There are no standout accords, it feels muddled and quickly becomes an unremarkable citrus with a little herbal freshness. Loses its opening zing quickly, leaving a timid lemon-rosemary scent. I could see it being a practical, agreeable summer fragrance, but there are many cheaper options that are much better. Not bad, but not very interesting and no especially excellent notes. Lacks contrast and drama.

Sour rose, light coriander, harsh, and muddled. Not easy to find most notes but neither does an accord that feels intentional or finished ever take shape. I don’t find it gross or especially BO-like as others suggest, but it does feel undercooked—sharp and synthetic but still vague. Becomes more pleasant as the opening fades, though it never becomes particularly good. Hard to puzzle out what this perfume was aiming for.

The fragrance is reminiscent of the marketing copy which offers only confusing, hasty sketches of its “space” theme. Why is Mercury a “sophisticated and elegant” planet that should smell of roses? You’ll never learn! They seemed to think they needed a “niche” branding gimmick but had no ideas about what to do with the one they chose. Does not even come close to the quality, or the clever luxury branding, that lets one charge these prices.

As a child, I found mountain stones oddly appealing and almost appetizing. When hiking through a carved canyon or scrambling up a rockslide, I would happily inhale the dusty air. There is a particular kind of dust smell, specific to shale-y rock that I still quite enjoy—almost a cousin of petrichor. I love Mea Culpa for coming close to capturing this “clean dust” scent through a deft use of resins, cedar, patchouli, and whatever a “slate” accord is.
It opens with a strange blast of patchouli and “sand” that is intriguing and a little off-putting. The intense patchouli luckily backs off as the top notes recede, though it remains strong throughout. This is accompanied by an interesting use of resin and cedar. The “pencil shavings” quality of the latter is pushed past the point of recognizability to instead support the rocky, dusty slate core of the fragrance. The quasi-edible appeal of this rock dust is enhanced by a nice vanilla base that becomes more prominent as it dries down.
I could see this perfume being reminiscent of cold, gothic architecture or sharp, craggy mountains depending on one’s background. Really interesting, and to my nose pleasant, patchouli-wood fragrance.