Landshark321
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Nice boozy fruity brandy with resinous tones.
Rasei Fort La Whatever is a limited edition of 73 bottles sold by Luckyscent early this year, and I’m glad I acquired a decant to try out. It lives up the billing of being a strong, boozy mix with fruity tones, sort of “apply brandy with rum and woods,” and a sort of resinous funk that prevents it from being over-the-top sweet or gourmand. It’s very nice, only slightly grapey (as brandy is a fortified wine) and instead a sweet but balanced rum/apple/brandy. This is certainly something I’d recommend fans of boozy or fruity, or more specifically, brandy/cognac fragrances should try.
La Whatever not as sweet or tangy overall as another recent cognac release, Happyland Studio Fragrances El Goodo, but La Whatever does have a bit more resinous depth and density, so it packs a bit of a darker punch than El Goodo, one of my favorite releases from Happyland, and the first fragrance I thought of when reading about and smelling La Whatever.
La Whatever was not inexpensive, at $235 for 50ml, in line with the more expensive offerings of the Fort & Manle line, like Suleyman Le Magnifique and Bojnokopff, but its concentration is extrait, unlike the F&M EDPs, so one could argue it has a higher content of fragrance oils, relative to cost, than the F&Ms. Regardless, it’s very rich fragrance and appeals to some of my specific tastes.
8 out of 10
La Whatever not as sweet or tangy overall as another recent cognac release, Happyland Studio Fragrances El Goodo, but La Whatever does have a bit more resinous depth and density, so it packs a bit of a darker punch than El Goodo, one of my favorite releases from Happyland, and the first fragrance I thought of when reading about and smelling La Whatever.
La Whatever was not inexpensive, at $235 for 50ml, in line with the more expensive offerings of the Fort & Manle line, like Suleyman Le Magnifique and Bojnokopff, but its concentration is extrait, unlike the F&M EDPs, so one could argue it has a higher content of fragrance oils, relative to cost, than the F&Ms. Regardless, it’s very rich fragrance and appeals to some of my specific tastes.
8 out of 10
Landshark321 4 years ago
An easy winner of fresh floral coconut
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Coconut Fizz is new acquisition / community blind buy, a 2019 release in the vast Aqua Allegoria line with a fresh floral coconut milk vibe, lightly pleasant and, as the name implies, slightly effervescent, kind of like a crossover between fresh coconut soda and a fresh floral (probably women’s) summer scent. In particular, the freesia stands out as the only actual floral note listed, with some added freshness from bergamot and a sweet dry down of sandalwood and tonka, and tonka especially pairs well with coconut. It’s fresh and easily enjoyable, slightly feminine but overall so pleasantly unisex as to defy convention a bit.
It’s a decent performer and there are deals to be found, I’m sure; I was lucky to buy my own bottle for a reasonable price. The retail pricing is $130 for 125ml, $95 for 75ml via department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, etc. so it’s pricey if considered more of a designer / entry level fragrance but more reasonable within the context of a perfume house with niche / higher-end offerings.
7 out of 10
It’s a decent performer and there are deals to be found, I’m sure; I was lucky to buy my own bottle for a reasonable price. The retail pricing is $130 for 125ml, $95 for 75ml via department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, etc. so it’s pricey if considered more of a designer / entry level fragrance but more reasonable within the context of a perfume house with niche / higher-end offerings.
7 out of 10
Very nice, smooth orris--an orris for orris non-lovers
DSH Perfumes L’Or(ris), a 2020 release of which focus is the eponymous orris, done in an enjoyably buttery smooth fashion in this perfume. It’s very nice: creamy, sweet, woody, and full of bright life. It is, as some perfumes are, an orris perfume for the orris/iris-averse or at least the orris/iris-cautious, as I tend to be. It’s one I’d highly recommend that everyone try, even those that do not typically enjoy iris or orris fragrances, particularly since it’s not really powdery.
It does perform well, and likely due to some rich, expensive ingredients, it’s priced slightly higher than most of the DSH Perfumes catalogue, at $245 for 60ml VDP. I sampled the EDP.
7 out of 10
It does perform well, and likely due to some rich, expensive ingredients, it’s priced slightly higher than most of the DSH Perfumes catalogue, at $245 for 60ml VDP. I sampled the EDP.
7 out of 10
Realistic, smooth, lovely leather
DSH Perfumes Zeitgeist 55 is billed as a realistic leather scent and it most certainly lives up to that, and then some! I’m not the biggest fan of leather scents but enjoy some that are smooth or are effectively blended, and Zeitgeist 55 is both, very much smelling of authentic leatherware (a jacket, purse, or baseball glove, perhaps) but with slight spicy touches. It’s appropriately dark and somewhat dense but not overwhelmingly so, again, so that it’s more realistic.
This is perhaps the most realistic leather scent I’ve ever tried, reminiscent and roughly on par with the discontinued Coach Leatherware No. 3 in terms of the smooth-but-slightly-spicy texture, very much on par with what actual leather goods smell like.
I’m sampling the EDP but the main larger quantities are available in VDP, 60/30ml for $185/100ml, more or less in line with most of the line’s pricing. I’ll certainly want to seek out a decant or bottle of some size, myself, given the authenticity, care, and performance of this perfume.
8 out of 10
This is perhaps the most realistic leather scent I’ve ever tried, reminiscent and roughly on par with the discontinued Coach Leatherware No. 3 in terms of the smooth-but-slightly-spicy texture, very much on par with what actual leather goods smell like.
I’m sampling the EDP but the main larger quantities are available in VDP, 60/30ml for $185/100ml, more or less in line with most of the line’s pricing. I’ll certainly want to seek out a decant or bottle of some size, myself, given the authenticity, care, and performance of this perfume.
8 out of 10
Crafty, bold, evocative, sharp/sweet pine resin
DSH Perfumes Sweet Pine Tar fragrance I was instantly drawn to when I saw it posted about, as it sounds right up my alley, a mix of pine tar, cedar, and charcoal, with the sweet resinous hints of amber from the pine tar. It’s actually a little less sweet than I expected, the sharp bite of the resin being perhaps the most noteworthy feature of the blend. It’s characteristically piney and woody, as well, and feels very evocative of the outdoors (albeit not quite as much as Colorado). Overall, it’s a very solid blend that starts out acerbic but dries down to a comfortable, authentic, robust mix.
As is generally the case, I’m very happy with the performance, even if it is not quite as long-lasting as Become the Shaman, which I tried yesterday. Pricing is $235 for 60ml VDP, $125 for 30ml EDP, on the higher side for the house, no doubt due to the some of the raw ingredients that given Sweet Pine Tar its character. To clarify, I sampled the EDP.
7 out of 10
As is generally the case, I’m very happy with the performance, even if it is not quite as long-lasting as Become the Shaman, which I tried yesterday. Pricing is $235 for 60ml VDP, $125 for 30ml EDP, on the higher side for the house, no doubt due to the some of the raw ingredients that given Sweet Pine Tar its character. To clarify, I sampled the EDP.
7 out of 10
