Kafumi

What a top note! It completely took me by surprise. I won a sample in a raffle from Verbeene and did a sort of blind tasting without reading anything beforehand. I sprayed the sample on my arm and suddenly cardamom exploded in my face with resin and subtle fruit. I am totally thrilled by this excess of spiciness, but at the same time, I wonder if I want to smell like this, as it does have a certain eccentricity. However, what follows soon is a noticeable softening of the overall package, with the cardamom still remaining in the foreground while the woodiness gains a bit of space. I can't smell any chai here (for me, a mix of cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom), but really just that one spice very dominantly.
The papyrus note mentioned can be sensed with a lot of imagination. For me, it’s more of a noble soapiness in the base with a hint of resin. The "volume" definitely decreases significantly. The final act is very composed and calm in contrast to the loud opening.

Conclusion:
Really charming opening that doesn’t turn bad later, but the fragrance doesn’t manage to maintain its magic for me. It also slightly scratches my palate when I smell it.

When I sprayed this fragrance from the sample onto my arm, I had absolutely no expectations. I hadn't read any reviews and didn't know anything about the background story, which always forms the basis of the concept for I.A. fragrances.
So I sprayed the scent, brought my nose to my arm, and had to remain still for about 2-3 minutes. So far, no fragrance has managed to create such a specific image in my mind. A musty, dark room with shutters in front of the windows, some boxes next to the door, and otherwise shelves full of ancient books. You sit down on a dusty chair, open one of the books, and bring your nose close to the pages.
To be honest, I am thrilled with what I.A. has created here. I have often read fairy-tale-like comments about dream journeys that people have experienced when smelling perfumes, but every time I smelled them, it was more like "meh" - quite good, but whatever. This time, however, I can't help but have this vivid association in front of my eyes. Really crazy.
The more the fragrance dries down, the more the dusty shelves, boxes of books, and musty carpets fade away, and what remains is a dark, greasy vanilla. But not a vanilla that makes your mouth water, rather a (if you can say it this way) serious vanilla.
Whether the fragrance is particularly wearable is something everyone has to decide for themselves. I think on colder days it works quite well. What is clear to me is that it is an experience I won't forget anytime soon.

Today I smelled "Enchanted Forest" by Vagabond Prince and compared it to this fragrance, and I have to say that although I clearly preferred the former in the long run, I had to admit that the image of a forest only emerged with Cape Heartache. The sticky sweetness of the perfume is what ultimately spoils my enjoyment (just like I feel nauseous after too many sweets over time).
At first, you get a big dose of fir forest, herbs, and resin, with a slight freshness. I really feel like I’m inhaling the essence of a fresh breeze blowing out of a coniferous forest. Above all, a large and loud fruity-sweet strawberry hovers, which recedes into the background after a short time, making way for the forest.
Then the coniferous character remains dominant for quite a while, until after 2-3 hours the strawberry comes back, but this time not fresh, rather like jam. And it sticks around for a long time... Unfortunately, that’s where it ends for me. After the promising start, the fragrance becomes a bit annoying, and after 4-5 hours, I don’t want to smell it anymore because it becomes too sweet, too much for me.
Cape Heartache is a fragrance that I would occasionally like to spray on paper so I can enjoy the first half hour. What happens afterward has no place on my skin. However, since I like the beginning so much, I can’t give it less than 6 points.

When I sprayed this fragrance this morning, I was completely taken aback. I suddenly found myself back in the warehouse of the Edradour distillery in Pitlochry, countless oak barrels in front of us and this breathtaking scent... people often say that they associate the scent in a whisky warehouse with that of an apple orchard, which is probably why many smell apple directly when testing Baraonda. This fragrance is 100% authentic whisky and I can't believe that after 8 hours it still radiates exactly the same from my forearm.
So far, with fragrances that are supposed to smell like fires, I always had to sniff very carefully to even get the association with spirits, but Baraonda screams "Scotch Single Malt" in your face, which I personally find wonderful.
I will definitely buy this fragrance.

I am cursed with a nose that does not perceive smoky notes in perfumes as smoky notes. What I smell here directly is, instead of a campfire note, a slightly medicinal rubber glove note. That may sound disgusting now, but wait! I am a big Scotch fan and I particularly enjoy heavily peated whiskies. The whiskies from Laphroaig, for example, have a strong medicinal character combined with a soft, sweet vanilla note. I feel similarly about By The Fireplace. While I do smell this intense hospital scent, it marries with spices, chewing gum, and heavy vanilla (a dusty, heavy vanilla like in "Memoirs of a Trespasser" by Imaginary Authors) and creates a wonderful scene in which one feels comfortable, where I would like to stay. The smoke (or in my case the medicinal note) gradually recedes, leaving a soft, sweet, spicy aftertaste that lingers for hours. A true work of art.