NiKaSi

Here, a spicy, dark vanilla dominates. My association is rather "Un bois vanille | Serge Lutens," which is also dominated by dark vanilla. I don't understand why this is often perceived as sweet. The vanilla is dark and slightly buttery, with an almost smoky-woody base. At best, there's a hint of coconut water, which also contributes to the overall impression of being unsweet. I don't find any powderiness here, nor anything creamy.

For me, the scent is absolutely unisex.

Longevity and sillage are strong, making it completely unsuitable for summer in my opinion.

So far, there are hardly any Tom Fords that I dislike. There are still a few on my wish list, and this one - after participating in a sharing and some extensive tests - is also going on it, and not in the coming summer, as one might think with mandarins from the Amalfi Coast, but actually now for winter. This is partly due to the fresh, warm, and for me, fully ripe-sweet mandarin opening, lightly underlaid with herbs. I always associate mandarins not only with summer fruit but also with winter and cozy times at home, as mandarins often find their place on fruit and Christmas plates during the winter season. For me, the winter mandarins, which don’t even appear in the pyramid^^, are a reason to want to wear this fragrance now in autumn and winter. I also find it nice that the mandarin remains present throughout the entire development of the fragrance, so even the base, which is softly soapy for me, is accompanied by the mandarin. The fruity and floral notes listed in the pyramid do not come into play for me at all; in fact, the heart note is almost skipped, revealing a vetiver-heavy and subtly soapy base right away. The fragrance remains bright and clear, with nothing cozy and ambery showing up, nor any musk. Mandarino di Amalfi offers me, in addition to mediocre sillage, a pleasant longevity, which makes it even more interesting for the cool season. So, an interesting alternative for nasal neutralization when vanilla, amber, etc. scents become overwhelming during the cold season.

There are strong opinions about patchouli, and rightly so - there are such different expressions and (depending on the combination with other essences) fragrance compositions. The children of the 70s and 80s among us, who were users and fans of the fragrance oil from the Asian shop, seem to be generally more fond of patchouli than the younger generations, who often attribute an old-school aura to the scent - which is also somewhat justified.

I love patchouli and can even tolerate the more extreme variations; however, this Mazzolari doesn't have those at all. Only the opening brings out the patchouli-typical delicate earthy and musty notes (probably to ensure no one confuses it with an amber scent :-) ), but that is wiped away within 5 minutes. Honey and amber with an underlying gentle patchouli note dominate for me here. I wonder what spices might be in there? I can't think of much... maybe a little nutmeg? It's not cinnamon, I would say. It's not that important, this is a successful and universally appealing patchouli, sweet and a touch oriental, and indeed a hint of old-school. I would place it in the same category as Micallef's "Patchouli," which is similarly gentle. If I were to place a 70s Asian shop patchouli oil as a reference next to it, it would indeed not be a true patchouli scent. I would agree with Jensemann in his assessment that this is more of a women's fragrance.

I wear it in the office and haven't heard anything negative about it; just the frequent comment: "It suits you, but I wouldn't wear it" - which is also a kind of compliment.

After I received a sample of Khol de Bahrein some time ago, and found this rather unusual creation to be excellent, I immediately wanted a bottle (what can I say....), Khol de Bahrein was quickly ordered.

Recently, unfortunately, I have found that I tend to remove fragrances that I initially categorized as "favorite scents" (for example, Tuscany per Donna - suddenly too overpoweringly honeysuckle, Frapin 1697 - suddenly too boozy, ZETA - suddenly had a sharpness) and reclassify or even discard them. This bothers me because I am usually quite consistent. Therefore, I am very glad to own Khol de Bahrein, as it provides and maintains that wonderful consistency of a favorite fragrance over a long time.

Wonderful purple violet pastilles, enhanced with amber and especially Peru balsam, which comes across as slightly sweet and resinous to me, accompany me. I feel particularly special, as no one around me smells even remotely as good (this is not an objective assessment!!!). Overall, it is definitely oriental, but in a strangely unclassical way - for me, typical orientals in the sense of "I am in an oriental bazaar and there are spices, spices, and patchouli and also sandalwood" include Opium, Soir de Marrakech, Fate, but also Sandalo by Etro.
Every time I wear Khol de Bahrein, I wonder how the damn powdery violets fit in there, and I am always so thrilled by it.
For me, nothing sandy-woody develops, I actually don't smell any wood at all, and it doesn't develop into anything overly sweet either.
I just find it absolutely fantastic!

There are a small number of fragrances that do not get along with my skin at all, and today I had to realize that "Fracas" is one of them. Ordered blind two days ago, I have rarely been so misled in my assessment of a fragrance pyramid, and it went straight into the Souk.

The most striking impression I have of "Fracas" is: Mold! Moldy, wilting once intensely fragrant flowers, underpinned by a subtle smell of decay, which I attribute to coriander. I don't like the spice in food, and in higher doses in fragrances, I also find it unpleasant, in "Fracas" unbearable. Coriander simply has this rotten note for me, which seems to be further intensified by rooty ingredients and my skin. I also do not perceive any tuberose here, as some of my previous commentators do.

"Fracas" is dark, which I usually enjoy in the form of "Calligraphy Saffron," "Habanita," "Explosive" - here I find the crypt-like moldy coolness unbearable.

I won't test it a second time... Number 1 on my list of horrors remains "Arabie," but "Fracas" definitely has the potential for number 2.