Omnipotato

Café Mystique lives up to its name. The sulfuric coffee note establishes itself at the outset as a top note. It is listed as "kopi luwak" coffee, which is the infamous coffee that is partially digested by the civet and harvested from its waste. It is joined by its common companion in perfumery, cardamom. But the real star and the note responsible for Café Mystique's mysterious and enigmatic nature is the floral accord, made up of ylang-ylang and frangipani, two gorgeous tropical flowers that are an unexpected surprise in the spicy coffee-dominated fragrance. I think the idea here was to recreate the tropical setting of the Indonesian coffee, and it is done beautifully.

The labdanum, incense, myrrh, beeswax and vanilla create a sweet, resinous bed for the coffee, spices and florals to further interact. The drydown is a woody vetiver/oud that softens and rounds out the fragrance. Very unique, masterfully crafted and blended. The best out of Maksim's first three releases for me.

Musk Couture is definitely a Bortnikoff fragrance. The next generation Maksim has inherited his father's penchant for fruity top notes drying down into boozy sweet tobacco. This is very similar to "Tabac Doré (Extrait de Parfum) | Bortnikoff" and probably redundant if you own that one. However, Musk Couture opens with a rather different raspberry note and the drydown also has some of "Musk Khabib (Extrait de Parfum) | Bortnikoff". A great scent, but not new territory if you are familiar with the Bortnikoff lineup. Also, the performance, again like Tabac Doré, is lacking. Disappears into a skin scent after an hour or so.

Amber Balsam opens with a spicy almost herbaceous clove, cardamom, and cinnamon blast, quickly joined by some light yellow florals. Then the real star of the show emerges: balsam. Sticky sweet and aromatic, these resins dominate the fragrance. The vetiver, ambergris, and oud create a kind of dirty, earthy dampness that the balsams commingle with. It is a very unique and special effect, but unfortunately is a little off-putting for me. I could definitely see it being a 10/10 for the right person, though.

I love Earl Grey tea. The aromatic component of the bergamot oil added to the calming fragrant black tea makes for an amazing taste. It's tough to translate that feeling into a fragrance, but Earl Grey and Cucumber has done quite a good job with it.

The majority of the composition is this honey-sweetened tea accord, with the cucumber note added for freshness. The result is an aromatic, light, slightly floral scent that works really well on warm spring days. It is perfectly unisex and very mass-appealing. Underrated by the fragrance community.

We've all tried the powdery slightly sweet fresh clean scents: "L'Homme | Prada", "Pegasus | Parfums de Marly", "Reflection Man | Amouage". They give the feeling of clean fabric and dryer sheets. And Reflection 45 starts out that way too, lulling you into the false sense that it is simply another fresh iris with lavender and cardamom - but then, the resins emerge. Deep in the fragrance, these mystical ingredients offer power and allure, and draw you in further and further. They create a warm bed for that clean powdery fabric to lie on, and extend the life of the fragrance to absurdity. But the depth and profundity that the myrrh, frankincense, and opoponax provide to an otherwise unremarkable opening is stunning.

If you are a fan of the "L'Homme | Prada" line or the original "Reflection Man | Amouage" but want to go to the next level: to exude power and authority, this can be your next signature. Very versatile and complex without sacrificing wearability or mass-appeal.