Neptuna

Just as I imagined it; that’s the sentence I wrote in my notes during the first test 15 months ago. After initial concerns about its sweetness, the bottle with the two cherubic angels moved in with me nine months ago.
My Impérial Opoponax EdT starts off immediately powdery, initially still herb - citrusy, almost slightly bitter underneath. Yet it is also sweetish. In my notes after the first quarter of an hour, the adjectives resinous, powdery, spicy, warm, opulent, but not intrusive, soft are noted.
After that, it becomes quite sweetish, while remaining dry - powdery at the same time. I can't claim that a honey-like jasmine or even a strongly sweet hawthorn plays a bigger role here. I can't pick any of those out individually. Rather, Opoponax feels wonderfully cuddly and enveloping to me. A real vanilla rises to my nose, warm and sunny, or is it rather the slightly chocolatey benzoin that is so similar to vanilla? At the same time, a dry - velvety amber wood is also present. The sweetness settles nicely in between, the whole fragrance calms down and gains an earthy depth. It remains dry - powdery - resinous - woody, definitely leaning towards oriental.
Then the scent develops even softer, almost creamy - powdery, which I attribute to the benzoin. Time and again, a spicy - warm wisp of smoke from the myrrh glides by, which feels good and is simply beautiful. The sweetness is now perfectly fine. This soft balsamic base of myrrh and benzoin conveys to me inner peace, optimism, and balance. This may sound boring like pink cotton candy for over-stimulated nerves, but believe me, there are also many sensual and pleasantly enchanting elements involved.
I am all too happy to bury my nose in my forearm the next day to enjoy the last remnants. Impérial/Opoponax is not a scent for every day, but it is wonderfully suited for the upcoming season.

Even today, in the Alpine region, stables and homes are smoked and cleansed with various herbs and resins during the Rauhnächte between Christmas and New Year. This is a remnant from earlier times when pleasant scents like frankincense and myrrh symbolized the presence of a god. The smoke rising to the heavens from burning resins was meant to connect humans and gods. Our term perfume comes from the Latin per fuman = through smoke.
When I first tested Samharan (the ancient port city in present-day Yemen), I was soon reminded of these twelve holy nights; for me, it is the scent for the Rauhnächte. In ancient times, all incense substances were grouped together as frankincense. Today, the term refers to olibanum, a gum resin from the North African tree species Boswellia, which is cultivated in Ethiopia, Oman, and Somalia.
Myrrh is also a gum resin, from the Commiphora tree, found in Arabia and Africa. The sensual, slightly sweet myrrh forms the feminine part to the masculine, cooler frankincense. Meanwhile, the sweet-aromatic benzoin resin, obtained from benzoin trees in Thailand, Laos, India, and Sumatra, beautifully connects the two.
Samharan immediately captivated me with its resinous-spicy, soft-warm, and erotic-sensual opening. A balsamic light sweetness pleasantly accompanies the heavy, warm, slightly dark myrrh resin. For a brief moment, I think of pine resin in the forest, something dense and constricting, and then the characterful frankincense sneaks in. Within ten minutes, a generous portion of spicy frankincense, bright and light, slightly fresh citrus-like, takes on the more dominant role.
It alternates back and forth between more smoke and resin. The following hours directly remind me of the aforementioned Rauhnächte; sometimes conifer notes also come through. The sillage fluctuates back and forth, and the noticeable longevity on my skin is a good eight hours.
The scent spoke to me directly; there is nothing unpleasantly artificial or even piercing. It is noted for the in-between days. My heartfelt thanks go to the generous R3mt9, who made this almost sacred olfactory experience possible for me!

It's actually a shame that a complete novice like me is writing the first comment on this exciting oud fragrance. After our dear Parfuma R3mt9 kindly sent me her remaining sample, I couldn't resist getting to know it. I cautiously sniffed it and immediately postponed the testing day to a time when no one else was around.
This time I knew in advance what notes awaited me. Uncertain, almost a bit anxious, I held my arm under my nose. Immediately, an animal jumped out at me, flanked by a quite pleasant honey scent, whose sweetness lingers only for a very short time. While I was still pondering what animal this could be, I also noticed a few drops of bitter citrus accompanying it. Horse, yes horse, but not spicy-dirty, more like a noble horse blanket. Horse hooves? Straw? At the same time, it has something of the exterior of a fine blue cheese, this bitterness. I attribute this to the black tea leaves, which I certainly wouldn't identify without a hint. I also don't consciously notice the jasmine; it probably supports the animalistic aspect.
So far, so good. Up to this point, I actually find Ceylon quite fascinating. It's already hearty and robust, but not completely off-putting. Over time, I perceive a really good, warm sandalwood, and the scent becomes increasingly softer, warmer, fuller, almost a bit creamy. I am surprised to also occasionally register a hint of smoke. Everything here feels wonderfully intertwined and very high-quality to me. Really well crafted!
This very nice softness lasts more than a good eight hours. Oud Stars - Ceylon also has a strong presence. But I am still not sure if I would really wear this strongly animalistic scent myself. My heartfelt thanks for this challenging fragrance experience goes to R3mt9!

Although on my watchlist, Ligea fluttered in unexpectedly as a gift from dear Parfuma Cuoredolore with a sample. Joyfully surprised, I immediately sniffed the spray head, and a fine powdery-spicy cloud pleasantly rose to my nose.
On the first test day, I always apply a spray on my forearm without reading up on it. Eagerly curious, I initially perceive something very sweet, almost startled by it, I note down my impressions. Sparkling-sweet, orangey-fruity, mandarin-like, a lot of refreshing citrus. Ligea surprises me with this bright, sunny, cheerful, juicy-sweet, sparkling top note. After a good ten minutes, a spicy-sweet smoke darkens this citrusy-sparkling opening. Together with a floral addition, but not necessarily lavender, which did not stand out to me on its own.
Then I recognize the very warm-spicy geranium, and a brief thought of palmarosa crosses my mind. A clove spreads exoticism through a background of herb-bitter spiciness. The scent transforms, and I now perceive so many contrasting impressions. Time and again, something lighter, woody-spicy smoke drifts by, slowly accompanied again by something spicy-lemony. Until after the third hour, the bright lemongrass provides bubbling, refreshing companionship; while the dominant, sweet-spicy geranium retreats.
Even after the 4th/5th hour, it remains slightly smoky until the very end, or even resinous-smoky. I wonder in hindsight if the patchouli contributes to the smoke. I couldn't identify it individually. In parallel, a soothing, warm-soft balsamic base develops; very slightly vanillic. Is the powdery warm benzoin inviting me to float between dreams and wakefulness?
Despite the contrasts, a harmonious, well-rounded perfume presents itself to me, lasting a good eight hours. Its color fits excellently. Ligea strikes me as both sweet and slightly bitter, light and dark, soft-balsamic and powdery-spicy, calm and lively/quirky. It is very multifaceted; - sweet - bitter - warm - soft - spicy - bitter - still - sparkling - powdery - characterful. A joy and a pleasure to wear. A heartfelt thank you to Cuoredolore!

On a blazing hot summer day, on my way to a mandatory appointment, I tested Bandit. Before that, I quickly looked it up at home and read something about earthy/leathery notes. Oh, not a good choice for such a day, I thought. No matter, there was no time to change.
Bandit opens with a citrusy - hesperidic start, a bitter-fresh entry. A brief thought about aldehydes. From far behind, something almost fruity and resinous emerges, mixed with green leaves and forest. That's not bad at all, here in the sweltering car. Suddenly, for five minutes, it becomes almost piercing, like green leather or leathery resin. But not the leather itself, rather what the leather is tanned with. After that, my left forearm keeps passing under my nose, all by itself. I soon perceive something floral, could be a hint of jasmine, while the citrus notes completely recede. The distinctly green remains initially dry, soft, almost soapy, then becomes mossy and very bitter. Despite the lavishly distributed floral notes, it is still not sweet.
Just before my destination, a beautifully soft, increasingly green, balsamic, relaxed aroma develops. On this hot day, I keep my nose close to it. After four hours, I note with surprise earthy/leathery ????. I experience a creamy-dark green, freshly mossy soft base with a slight delicate woody undertone. A feeling like being in underbrush, without direct sunlight, cool and warm at the same time, almost refreshing in today's heat. This impression of pleasant creamy green remains on my skin for a good 9 hours. Not an everyday pleasure, somehow mysterious and eccentric, this perfume. Bandit definitely stays on my watchlist after a second test.
A heartfelt thank you to our dear Parfuma R3mt9, who once again made this beautiful fragrance experience possible for me!