Josefka

The addition of the name "The Main Act" as well as the comments and statements read here so far made me curious - that must have been a really cool (sorry) drop! The composition of the single notes did the rest. So I tested in my home office, where you can't offend anybody anyway.

The beginning with the top note is fierce: a huge cloud of incense and - right at the front - cinnamon dusts me. Two sprayers from a small tester, and I have to gasp for air. Holla, the forest fairy! But after only a few minutes the chaos subsides and Immortelle and Davana clearly set about drying out the scent. The whole thing is held together by the already mentioned frankincense and especially a note of cinnamon, which is very present throughout the whole fragrance. This note reminds me very much of Carner Barcelona's "Megalium", for me one of the best cinnamon scents of all. But where "Megalium" becomes warm and spicy, "Dev#2" remains somehow cool.

After half an hour, the scent becomes even icier, something herbaceous is spreading. I'm guessing cedar juniper, very distinctive. After an hour or so I even notice a cool mint note and the scent (and I would almost say the texture) of blown out candles. At this stage Dev#2 reminds me a little bit of "2 Man" by Comme des Garcons.

(At noon, so after about four hours of wearing, I go and buy some food. In the supermarket I lie by the bakery because it smells so delicious like cinnamon rolls. Or no, that's me, as I notice despite my mask. Ha!)

So far, so good-time. But I do miss a little the announced animalism. It sets in after about five hours, but remained very close, which I find very appropriate. It is such a very subtle smell of not quite clean skin, actually very pleasant. In general it's more of a fragrance that you wear for yourself, not something you can impress others with.

Through the impressions of cinnamon, incense and cooled candles "Dev#2" reminds me of the Advent season, but not with sweets and spiced tea, but less cuddly, rather strict.

So, if the sex is in a bottle, but then sex at Christmas - and this is a Christmas in lockdown, where you don't meet anyone else anyway.

"Dev#2" is a really good scent, and from Dr. Ellen Covey, who made the original "Bat" by Zoologist, one of the best scents ever, I expected nothing less. If I didn't already have "Megalium" in my collection, it would be a real buy.

On Saturdays I like to go to the Kreuzberg market hall. Almost always I see Geza Schön there while shopping, and then I always have to think of the only one of his fragrances that made it into my collection, but has moved out again in the meantime: "Molecule 01". A milestone in the history of perfume, certainly, which is why I bought it without having tested it before.

When first worn on the evening of purchase, I recognize a clear resemblance to Ellena's "Poivre Samarcande" from the Hermessence series. I have my difficulties with that, and now I know why: PS is also dominated by ISO E Super.
Then the next day in the morning: yes, clearly pepper, but quite discreet. I'm carrying 01 to the office. After about three hours, I notice something gourmand and think it is the perfume of my colleague. Eh? Since when does it wear perfume? No, I guess I am. What does that remind me of? And 1, 2 hours later I remember: "By The Fireplace" by Maison Margiela, a fragrance I love! Where did that come from? It has its characteristics from cashmeran?

So far, so confusing. The next try then at 7 degrees outside temperature. Throughout the day I notice a few woody thrusts, the much-vaunted "pencil shavings". Overall, however, I have the impression that many people today wear better perfume than usual. Could it be that my nose is giving off my own scent as that of others? At these cold temperatures I do not perceive anything gourmand, rather the scent (which is more of a breeze, sometimes here, sometimes there, sometimes gone) seems dust-dry.

Then in June, it's humid outside. I smell mainly wood, a light wood, and that only when I move my arm to my nose. In the beginning this wood is so stinging that I have the feeling that my nose hairs start to brittleneck when I get too close. It's not really pleasant
Now "Molecule 01" is said to improve the durability of other perfumes when you lay it down. The same evening I applied "Osmanthus" by The Different Company, which I also love very much, but which could really use more durability. And I actually imagine that he has a stronger projection with Molecule underneath. However, this wood penetrates! Wood! Wood! still through and is slowly getting on my nerves.

Yes, 01 is too monothematic woody for me. When I wear it, I have the feeling that my scent perception is permanently disturbed by the dominating ISO E Super, as if I could lose the ability to tolerate other perfumes with ISO E Super if I was confronted with it for a longer period of time. Or it is as if the synapse responsible for ISO E Super is so overstrained by 01 that it transmits continuously and I can only smell this molecule everywhere. A bit like my tinnitus, which according to Wikipedia is caused by a neuronal change in the brain. Repeated conscious attention intensifies the tinnitus, and I didn't want to do that to my nose. The latest therapies try to alleviate the tinnitus by playing music to the patient that lacks the exact tone or frequency at which her tinnitus is transmitting. That's exactly how I do it now and avoid perfumes with too much ISO E Super (I gave away my once beloved "Terre d'Hermès").

But everyone who is involved in perfume should at least once meet 01.

True story: A few years ago, at the beginning of my passion for perfume, I wore Dior Homme Intense for the first time. That day I went to Prague with my girlfriend. It was in September, and the days began to get cooler. As refreshment for the trip we got some more chairs from the baker at the station. We were about to pay, and the salesgirl said, "One of you smells damn good!" Ha, I knew who that was! :)

Since then, this fragrance has been the quintessence of autumn for me, and I also rang in autumn 2018 with it last week. When I wear it, I just feel at home. This iris in the top note is unbelievable. You have to like Iris and her qualities, otherwise you won't get warm with DHI. "Men's powder" is my short form for it, even if in my opinion this fragrance is completely unisex. The longer you wear the scent (and it lasts at least eight hours with me), the more a vanilla sweetness comes through, but it never gets sticky. The fragrance develops a creamy enamel that caresses the wearer all day long. The Sillage is obviously not to be despised, see above.

Meanwhile I also own Dio Homme EdT and Le Parfum and I am convinced that this is one of the great modern classics. Each of these releases has its justification - for example, you can wear the EdT during the day and let the perfume follow in the evening without any problems. But Dior Homme Intense will always have a special place in my heart.

And, by the way, always remind me of the old lady Prague. Just like she also has this scent claws.

I don't think Hot Cologne gets enough credit here. Compared to his brother, the Cologne von Mugler, he has more to offer in my opinion. Both are in my collection, but I already like Hot Cologne a lot more. The main reason for this is the coffee note (green!), which is not violent at all, but nevertheless clearly determines the course of the fragrance together with the ginger and simply gives the fragrance that little bit more "Umpf". In the beginning the relationship to cologne is very clear, with a little more spice, but in the course of the day the emphasis shifts, and ginger, cardamom and coffee let an almost smoky breeze blow over them every now and then. The Sillage is not enormous, I doubt that others perceive it at all large, but the wearer has always something of it in the nose. With me he has been through a whole working day today, and still now I can clearly see him on my skin.
From the "Exceptions" series, Hot Cologne and the elegant Chyprissime are my favourites. In general, this series is highly interesting, because it gives classic fragrances an extra twist. In my opinion, Mugler proved a fine hand there, Chapeau.

Has anybody already done that (see headline)? Hahaha, roar!

But from the beginning: Today is the 1st of May, I am sitting at the border between Kreuzberg and Neukölln, above me the helicopters are circling, and I can imagine that it is because I smell so forbidden good!

But even further from the beginning: It is the morning of May 1st, and I feel strong enough to let two (!) sprayers of this stuff on my skin for the first time. And yes, indeed: at the beginning there is definitely a urine note. I suppose it is the rose honey that gives this impression. Not really repulsive, but already noticeably strange, so I like to let 20 to 30 minutes pass before I dare to go out into the street. After all, I want to meet nice people for breakfast!
After said time, this piss note gets much weaker and leaves room for lots of incense (which I love), honey and an amber-like note. All this is very finely woven together and has enough stamina to catch me from the side every now and then during the next hours when I move. Warm, soft, mysterious and very, very noble. Although I'm still a little inhibited - maybe I don't notice that I stink myself? - there are no comments from the other people at the table, and when the obligatory street vendor wants to get rid of his homeless newspaper, he smells much stronger than I do.

Later on we go out a little further by bike, the smell blows pleasantly around my nose in strong winds. After about 3.5 hours this conversation with my girlfriend follows, while we sit on a bench:

- She: You got Tom Ford on today?
- I (asking): No? Is MFK.
- She (silenced).
- I (after a short thought, careful): But if you compare this to Tom Ford, I suppose you smell Amber? (Two days before that I was wearing Amber Absolute.)
- You: No, Rose
- I (breathlessly): Aaaaah, very good, I'm glad!

(It really pleased me!)

Now it's almost 8:00 and APLS is still sitting on my skin. I don't dare to say if it is still projected, but my nose keeps moving to my arm as if automatically and is thrilled. Fine flowers and their honey are still clearly visible.

To sum up: Absolue pour le Soir is certainly not made for every skin and for every day. But if both fit and you have a little patience, you definitely won't smell like the revolutionary who walked in off the street. (Let alone his spoiled, bourgois offspring) but simply forbidden good!