Kleannor

I purchased my first scent from Jovoy as a sample because my then-favorite YouTuber kept mentioning it. It was "Psychedelique," and I initially found it really dreadful. "Les Jeux sont faits," which I bought around the same time, was much more tolerable. And yet: The bitterness with which it starts made me take a step back early on. However, encouraged by others who found its drydown appetizing, I gave it another chance.
The initial bitterness still had to be overcome. (I am now sure that it is the angelica root.) But I found it increasingly attractive and appealing, although also very masculine. (A sincere compliment to all the ladies who wear this scent!) But what comes next, this tobacco aroma + rum/gin: No, it does not smell like a pub. It took me a long time to realize what it reminded me of: A few years ago, I sailed on an old flat-bottomed boat on the IJsselmeer, and there was this magical moment when I was sitting below deck and the overwhelming scent of old warm wood washed over me. I have rediscovered that moment - and the associated feeling of security - in "Les jeux sont faits." It has since become my signature scent.

When I received this sample, I had never heard of Ajmal. A search revealed that it is a formerly Indian company founded in 1951 by Ajmal Ali. In the mid-1970s, he moved the company to Dubai. In 2004, according to their own statement, they invested a significant amount of money to create a modern manufacturing facility that adheres to European standards.

Unfortunately, I must say that this also applies to Aristocrat - in a negative sense. It is a flat, dull, interchangeable mainstream scent that one is not accustomed to from Arab countries. The word "fragrance" is hard for me to utter or type, because Aristocrat does not smell. Not fruity-citrusy at all; rather, it smells chemical.

Let’s take a sniff:

It begins - according to the fragrance pyramid - with bergamot, watermelon, and lime. If there is anything to smell at all, it is the watermelon. Bergamot and lime elude my nose. Luca Turin has already commented critically on watermelon as a central scent note; but even then, Givenchy (Insense Ultramarine) and Diptyque (Jardin Clos) have done better.

In the heart and base notes, there is supposed to be musk. I don’t smell it - and I am not sick at the time I am writing these lines. They have also been so stingy with the oud that I get the impression it has been included in the fragrance pyramid just so Aristocrat can be classified as a scent from the Orient.
Was it perhaps consideration for European noses, which occasionally have issues with oud? Or was it a focus on the European market and its supposed scent preferences to get a foot in the door of the competitive market? With Aristocrat, however, that will not work. I have yet to come across such a sluggish oriental scent.

… I thought. I remember going through the Dior Homme palette for the first time in a perfumery in Amsterdam. That so many people, including my favorite YouTuber Sebastian from Smelling Great Fragrance Reviews, were raving about Dior Homme was completely incomprehensible to me. And yet: I kept being drawn to this simple, elegant, magical bottle. Eventually, my nose understood, accepted, and actually found this somewhat rough, noble scent to be very, very good.
In direct comparison, I then chose the Intense version.
This could have been the beginning of a wonderful love affair if my skin didn't simply swallow DHI. Neither the sillage nor the longevity, which others so appreciate, are convincing for me. What a pity! At the moment, the only solution is drastic over-application and frequent reapplication.
Maybe my skin will learn, like my nose did months ago, how to handle such a fragrance.

Chiaroscuro is a term used in painting, especially during the Baroque period, referring to a technique that achieves depth of expression through light-dark contrasts.

Translating this concept to the world of fragrance fits just as well. I find it particularly pronounced in Just Rock.

It was created by Nathalie Lorson, a perfumer born in Grasse who had good conditions to develop a keen sense of smell; she has already crafted delights like Encre Noir and Bentley Intense. With Just Rock, she has also succeeded in creating a distinctive scent.

At first, a lot of darkness rolls in, manifesting as a concentrated dose of incense rounded off by black patchouli. Only after some time does the fragrance brighten in an unmistakable way: Is it the vanilla that pushes a sweet, almost fruity, fresh note over the dark carpet of incense? The fragrance pyramid doesn’t reveal much enlightening; it’s an indication that the perfumers are not really showing their cards. Whatever the case: I love the scent for this delicate contrast.

Just Rock can easily hold its own against fragrances from niche houses like Laboratorio Olfattivo. Their Nerotic recently came under my nose. I found it quite similar to Just Rock, even though incense is not explicitly mentioned in Nerotic's fragrance pyramid, but "smoky notes" are referenced. I found the sillage and longevity of Just Rock to be just as good, perhaps even a little better.

Unfortunately, Just Rock is on my partner's blacklist. In her presence, I am not allowed to wear the scent. Too smoky, too dark!

In the 80s, the black Trussardi Uomo was one of my favorite fragrances. After that, I lost sight of the brand.

So it seemed like a good opportunity to rekindle the old, happy relationship with Trussardi Red, which I was given as a sample in a perfume store today. But what a disappointment: TR presents an indefinable scent bundle that ultimately feels conceptless, more along the lines of "What ingredients do we have left? What haven't we combined yet? Let's throw it together."

I have no idea which customer segments they were trying to target with this concoction; TR smells somewhat pleasant, but this kind of chemically-sounding mixture has been smelled so often (in one way or another) that one turns away in boredom. The most interesting part is still the fragrance pyramid, but where are the nutmeg, leather, and patchouli?

My old love seems to be lost for good.