Johany

You can’t have everything. On one hand, you want the ingredients to be natural; on the other, you expect the perfume to last an entire day. Is that even possible? And is it really necessary? At the risk of making half the perfume community roll their eyes, I personally like being able to wear a different scent in the second half of the day. And I enjoy smelling natural oils and essences.

Aesop takes an interesting approach here, one that I really appreciate: the brand’s fragrances are as natural as possible—and they smell that way, too. They don’t fill the room, you can’t smell them from a kilometer away, and they fade well before the day is over. So what?

By the way, even though the name might suggest otherwise, this “Marrakech Intense” has nothing in common with the Spicebomb line. It’s not a failed spice cabinet and certainly not inspired by a market hawker. No, this eau de parfum is different—more subtle, closer to the skin, perhaps a bit more “niche” in its character (without being overly complex).

The opening is rather sharp and not exactly easy to like. It’s dominated by cardamom, cardamom, and more cardamom. But after a few minutes, the fragrance softens and becomes slightly sweeter. Interestingly, it moves in the direction of Creed Viking Cologne—with a citrusy note (bergamot in both cases), some patchouli and a spice from the same category: nutmeg in Viking Cologne, clove in Marrakech Intense. For me, Marrakech is an interesting winter version of Viking Cologne (though definitely not a cologne any more).

But be aware: Cardamom and clove are strong, exotic spices that you have to appreciate. Not to everyone’s taste. I wouldn’t recommend a blind buy.

Moving back to the scent: After about half an hour the dry scent of Australian sandalwood comes through. This is an eternal love for me. Wonderful! Natural, comforting, warming. It’s a more private pleasure, one that doesn’t create an opulent cloud of scent. The floral notes—especially rose—are barely noticeable.

Overall, it’s a composition that works well for travel, theater or the office, but also for a Sunday at a café. It is not invasive. The interplay of woods (cedar is also in there) and spices oscillates between warm, likable, and quietly sensual if someone
comes closer. Men will definitely enjoy it, though women can wear it just as well. A respectful fragrance with character—lovely for autumn and the first cold days. It suits forest walks perfectly, without overpowering anything else your nose might encounter along the way.

Sometimes, you should just leave memories where they belong—in the past. It's nice to think back on the old times, but that doesn't mean you have to revive them.

My memories of Drakkar Noir are linked to many moments in my youth. That woody, mossy scent with a strong lavender note was just incredibly good. It accompanied me to many parties. And yes, if we want to talk about Eau de Minthé, we first have to talk about Drakkar Noir. Because the expensive water from Paris would hardly exist without Drakkar.

About a year ago, I saw a small bottle of my former favorite for a few euros. You can't go wrong with that, I thought.

I was mistaken. 10 euros was too much for the little black bottle: certainly reformulated multiple times, no longer contemporary, and actually not a nice perfume anymore. If only I had just left it at my fond memories.

Eau de Minthé is—as one would say today—a ridiculously expensive dupe of what Drakkar Noir once was. It is today a textbook fougère with a very strong mint note which I don't particularly like. Here, Diptyque wanted to be "niche" somehow—my Drakkar Noir from the 80s was significantly warmer and smoother in the opening.

Aside from the overdose of mint, I can credit the scent with orienting itself on the old Drakkar and not on the cheap stuff I recently bought by mistake at the drugstore under the same name. The strong oakmoss note is there.

And maybe that's exactly the problem. Eau de Minthé is reminiscent of a great classic. A barbershop perfume that was a great and attractive scent about 40 years ago. The overdosed mint is not enough to make this composition current and modern again. It's not a bad scent, but I don't want to smell like that today. Memories are memories.

I wish my relationship with Acqua di Parma wasn't so complicated. The bottles of the Mediterranean line, in particular, are simply beautiful to look at – the blue is captivating, not to mention the concept behind these fragrances. But what the advertising promises is one thing, and how fragrances develop on the skin is another. Sorry, Parma: all your expensive scented waters have been a disappointment so far. In a nutshell: I don't like any of them – and that goes for other Acquas like "Club" as well. Perhaps the new release "Buongiorno" is an exception – a very lively mint scent. Not bad, not great either.

I don't know why I never tried the black line. But a few days ago, I finally did – what a surprise! With "Sandalo" in particular, Acqua di Parma has done everything right.

I can still tell it's an Acqua di Parma, but this time, nothing bothers me. The scent starts fresh, but not nearly as citrusy as the listed notes would suggest. Floral notes of lavender are present from the beginning. Cardamom makes the composition distinctly masculine, while amber and tonka bean round it off with a slightly sweet touch, making the fragrance more modern and sexy. And the sandalwood is there too – but overall, "Sandalo" is much more than its name promises, and not just sandalwood.
Some describe the scent as very dry. I can't confirm that. It definitely has a sweet component that leans towards tobacco.

Overall, "Sandalo" is very soapy – and that also makes it smell so clean. An expensive soapy signature scent that works for me both in the office and in the evening. Wonderful!

A word in advance about the name: Just forget it. Angels what? I have no desire to go into these (sometimes somewhat clumsy) marketing attempts. If anything, angels should smell like the universe. Like flowers and leaves, all natural and magic. But not like Ambroxan.

And yes: this perfume smells like ambroxan. A lot! And of cashmeran, a synthetic composition that has nothing to do with cashmere wool. There is also a lot of ambergris in it, with greetings from the chemist and regards from the house of Creed. It is a whole laboratory in a bottle and you know it when you smell it. Angels Share is honest: It does not pretend to be natural, and it doesn't have to. Because... oh well, be aware, this is dangerous stuff. Not woody, not peppery, not fruity, not powdery - but a whole hallucination of woods and artificial peppers, a little fruit of some kind that you cannot eat, chemical powder straight out of the test tube. Nothing that would exist in reality, and yet... oh so good.

At first sniff I just liked it, it was a nice one. Then, an hour later, I found it was too strong for me. Too much Ambroxan. Then I used it again one evening, and that was when it all started. Angel Dust sticked around like an erotic cloud, and it stayed with me until dawn. The morning after I could hardly smell it, it was almost gone. Was it? Maybe a hint in the air. I took a shower and put on fresh clothes on and another scent... but somehow it was still there. Or did it come back? Was it just a memory in my head? I could not get rid of it any more. A couple of hours later I had to spray it on again. In a word: It's addictive. It´s a synthetic drug.

I'm not sure if others really like the scent when I wear it, but I suspect they become intoxicated just like me. Angel Dust Extrait de Parfum is an erotic version of Bois Impérial, which I also like. Except that Bois Impérial moves more in a fresh shower gel direction. It is much more innocent than the extrait of Angel Dust.

If a woman were to wear this fragrance (which she could, it's completely unisex), I would think at first that she smells a bit too overpowering for me. Then I wouldn't be able to get the scent out of my head. Get her out of my head? I would just stick around all evening, trying to come closer... damn, what is it?! This perfume should be forbidden.

Angel Dust is the most intoxicating perfume in my collection. I prefer to wear it myself before others enchant me with it.

The name is very attractive and interesting - in fact everyone is talking about a "ginger scent". And because ginger is so beautifully fruity and summery, the conclusion is obvious: a refreshing, summery perfume. Well… in my opinion and on my skin, none of this is actually really true.

I was surprised when I smelled Ingenious Ginger for the first time. Yes, I tried it on my skin. To be honest, for me it is not a refreshing perfume and it belongs more in the cooler season. The reason is that the perfume starts with the sharp, fruity scent of ginger. This is not an elegant aromatic well-dosed ginger note like in LV Imagination - it really is freshly sliced raw ginger. However, this subsides after about 20 minutes. And what remains for hours is… vanilla with a hint of ginger. It screams vanilla so much that it lacks the subtle sandalwood (that I usually love). In short: I would classify this perfume as a strong vanilla fragrance. And personally, I like ginger but I don't want to smell so strongly of vanilla all day long - and certainly not in summer. I love citrus fragrances for this time of the year.

As for the age group, I see Ingenious Ginger as more for young people up to the age of 25. For them it might be an interesting fragrance, but with a somewhat misleading name (Ingenious Vanilla would be better) and only refreshing for the first 20 minutes. Be aware of this before you buy the fragrance.