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Rurality
Breath of Devil?
Initially tried this at a Lush store as I browsed perfumes and gifts simultaneously. I nearly fell into the bath bombs after this hit my nose…
Instant smoky bomb. Best three words to describe it. After trying Lord of Misrule and Junk (which were tame compared to this), it shows how volatile 4:20pm really is among the other softer blends. This is definitely quite niche, and it definitely smells of a homeless chronic smoker who just coughed in your face, but in a good way (unfortunately, that can never be perfect).
The dry down is LEAGUES above the opening; it contains earthiness and the smokiness from the opening; the niche scent is reminiscent of something you would spend £130 for 30ml of despite it being good, but not stunning (may or may not be hinting at Nasomatto and Toskovat). I have pure sandalwood in a massive decant and I have smelt ‘the other prominent ingredient’ as well and I can tell you it’s just spicy pure versions of those.
The main reason why the rating is so low is because it’s simply being sold under the wrong label to the wrong audience. If this was sold as an artistic niche, people would rave over it and it would be rated at least a 7.5, though it currently sits at a 6.7. Very underrated and would definitely be a beast layered with more woody yet smoky accords (e.g. By The Fireplace to add some warmth to this “sad cold cigarette” scent) but not a safe blind buy and you unfortunately can’t smell anything in Lush unless you have trained yourself to consciously block out the ‘smell of a Lush store’. Definitely worth a try for £25 for 30ml!
Instant smoky bomb. Best three words to describe it. After trying Lord of Misrule and Junk (which were tame compared to this), it shows how volatile 4:20pm really is among the other softer blends. This is definitely quite niche, and it definitely smells of a homeless chronic smoker who just coughed in your face, but in a good way (unfortunately, that can never be perfect).
The dry down is LEAGUES above the opening; it contains earthiness and the smokiness from the opening; the niche scent is reminiscent of something you would spend £130 for 30ml of despite it being good, but not stunning (may or may not be hinting at Nasomatto and Toskovat). I have pure sandalwood in a massive decant and I have smelt ‘the other prominent ingredient’ as well and I can tell you it’s just spicy pure versions of those.
The main reason why the rating is so low is because it’s simply being sold under the wrong label to the wrong audience. If this was sold as an artistic niche, people would rave over it and it would be rated at least a 7.5, though it currently sits at a 6.7. Very underrated and would definitely be a beast layered with more woody yet smoky accords (e.g. By The Fireplace to add some warmth to this “sad cold cigarette” scent) but not a safe blind buy and you unfortunately can’t smell anything in Lush unless you have trained yourself to consciously block out the ‘smell of a Lush store’. Definitely worth a try for £25 for 30ml!
Rosemary Molotov
2004 brought the second Miyake from the Pour Homme line, L’eau Bleue D’issey. In the present day, this can be found for around £30/75ml, cheaper than most designers on the market, and after testing, better quality.
The rosemary can be detected immediately, and it is in no shortage. It plunges into your nose and may cause you to feel nauseous or sneeze, therefore I would just not smell your arm for about 3 minutes. It then descends into a better blend.
For some reason, this reminds me of a Tom Ford fragrance, a bit like a woodier and more herby Costa Azzurra. In the latter of the opening, the patchouli, cypress and oakmoss collaborate with the striking rosemary and toned down citruses to create the smell of a picturesque evergreen tree during downpour. Amber and cedar take over after about two hours, however rosemary remains. My (2023) batch isn’t as potent as the tester I tried several years ago, but it holds its own for the price very well, especially with the quality of the blend.
It is extremely mature, an office or work scent or maybe one for leisure. Unless you wear a fully buttoned up short sleeve shirt casually, don’t buy this if you’re under 25. If you really like it that much, layer it with something more youthful like an Acqua di Parma to elevate the freshness and slightly extinguish the sharp rosemary, but whatever you decide to layer it with DO NOT add any more aromatics or spiciness.
The late Mr Miyake has never had a bad release prior to his passing, such as this- the clear trend of sourness from the original L’eau D’issey Pour Homme lives on through this herbaceous masterpiece. Job well done!
The rosemary can be detected immediately, and it is in no shortage. It plunges into your nose and may cause you to feel nauseous or sneeze, therefore I would just not smell your arm for about 3 minutes. It then descends into a better blend.
For some reason, this reminds me of a Tom Ford fragrance, a bit like a woodier and more herby Costa Azzurra. In the latter of the opening, the patchouli, cypress and oakmoss collaborate with the striking rosemary and toned down citruses to create the smell of a picturesque evergreen tree during downpour. Amber and cedar take over after about two hours, however rosemary remains. My (2023) batch isn’t as potent as the tester I tried several years ago, but it holds its own for the price very well, especially with the quality of the blend.
It is extremely mature, an office or work scent or maybe one for leisure. Unless you wear a fully buttoned up short sleeve shirt casually, don’t buy this if you’re under 25. If you really like it that much, layer it with something more youthful like an Acqua di Parma to elevate the freshness and slightly extinguish the sharp rosemary, but whatever you decide to layer it with DO NOT add any more aromatics or spiciness.
The late Mr Miyake has never had a bad release prior to his passing, such as this- the clear trend of sourness from the original L’eau D’issey Pour Homme lives on through this herbaceous masterpiece. Job well done!
Just in time for spring!
Not really anything special in this fragrance apart from the lavender, but it’s a nice addition to the L’Eau D’Issey Pour Homme flanker lineup nonetheless, especially with bearing some aesthetic similarities to the previous releases, however it’s easily beaten by Bois Arctic, PoTN or Polaris; they are works of art by a master of the trade, and this is a watercolour painting which was made a student who got a top grade. It still maintains the original DNA and that’s all that matters. Very easy 7/10 all round from me.
Reminds me of the lavender room spray you get to spray on fabrics (pillows, furniture, etc) if it was turned into a mall cologne. You could use those room sprays as testers. Extremely inoffensive and mass appealing, won’t make any heads turn to you but won’t make any turn away either.
Best suited for the office or a therapy session, one you might need for financial irresponsibility for spending all your money on cologne.
Is it worth buying a bottle? Yes, the 50ml size is actually ideal for how much of this stuff you need, as it’s not a reach for leisure in my opinion.
Reminds me of the lavender room spray you get to spray on fabrics (pillows, furniture, etc) if it was turned into a mall cologne. You could use those room sprays as testers. Extremely inoffensive and mass appealing, won’t make any heads turn to you but won’t make any turn away either.
Best suited for the office or a therapy session, one you might need for financial irresponsibility for spending all your money on cologne.
Is it worth buying a bottle? Yes, the 50ml size is actually ideal for how much of this stuff you need, as it’s not a reach for leisure in my opinion.
2 Comments
You’re quite Escentric…
I’m going to cut this as short as I can for those who don’t want to read on- this scent is alright, the bottle is beautiful and the price is a robbery.
It smells like rotten celery in the best way possible, but the vetiver(yl acetate) shines through. It’s like a mix of Chanel’s Allure Homme Sport Cologne (if it was left to oxidise for 2 years) and Lalique’s Encre Noire’s dry downs, the celery originating from the Allure and of course the vetiver and earthiness coming from the Encre Noire.
For some odd reason, I get a grassy note from the earthiness. It reminds me a lot of a day out at the park, and I would say that this is no doubt my scent for spring. It’s strange, but surprisingly quite mass appealing; if you like Encre Noire but you were disappointed by the Sport flanker, here’s the jack of all trades.
If you aren’t familiar with Encre Noire and still want to buy this scent, like many of the Escentrics and the Molecules, it is essential you purchase a sample before buying. I bought this off the basis that this was a quote ‘beachy Encre Noire’, and while that’s not exactly true from what I can detect, it’s close enough.
Speaking of detection, the sillage on this isn’t great. It’s solid, but it’s a personal scent bubble; you won’t get ‘Followed’ (if you know the reference). Longevity is decent, I get a good six hours before it ceases. Price to performance ratio is pretty poor at a retail value of £100 for 100ml, if not over that price. However, I would say this is one of, if not, the best Escentrics out of the line, however it could be argued that 04 is better but it’s all (skin) chemistry really.
The review ends here, but I really love the bottle. It’s very much reflective of the scent as a whole as well as the background of Escentric Molecules with the binary code dotted around alongside the linear minimalistic design. The green colour scheme is perfect summary of the scent profile.
It smells like rotten celery in the best way possible, but the vetiver(yl acetate) shines through. It’s like a mix of Chanel’s Allure Homme Sport Cologne (if it was left to oxidise for 2 years) and Lalique’s Encre Noire’s dry downs, the celery originating from the Allure and of course the vetiver and earthiness coming from the Encre Noire.
For some odd reason, I get a grassy note from the earthiness. It reminds me a lot of a day out at the park, and I would say that this is no doubt my scent for spring. It’s strange, but surprisingly quite mass appealing; if you like Encre Noire but you were disappointed by the Sport flanker, here’s the jack of all trades.
If you aren’t familiar with Encre Noire and still want to buy this scent, like many of the Escentrics and the Molecules, it is essential you purchase a sample before buying. I bought this off the basis that this was a quote ‘beachy Encre Noire’, and while that’s not exactly true from what I can detect, it’s close enough.
Speaking of detection, the sillage on this isn’t great. It’s solid, but it’s a personal scent bubble; you won’t get ‘Followed’ (if you know the reference). Longevity is decent, I get a good six hours before it ceases. Price to performance ratio is pretty poor at a retail value of £100 for 100ml, if not over that price. However, I would say this is one of, if not, the best Escentrics out of the line, however it could be argued that 04 is better but it’s all (skin) chemistry really.
The review ends here, but I really love the bottle. It’s very much reflective of the scent as a whole as well as the background of Escentric Molecules with the binary code dotted around alongside the linear minimalistic design. The green colour scheme is perfect summary of the scent profile.
Dentist’s Incense
I’ve had a few visits to the dentists in my time and the opening embodies the aroma. It smells more like the dentist’s than the dentist’s does itself.
However, this is but the opening. The grapefruit begins to shine alongside the musk, and fuses to make this weird but wonderful smell of incense or candles, yet it is much sweeter.
154 dries down to be unmistakably natural, and this is made possible by the lavender and basil notes, which enhance the two stages of the opening and binds them together to make a respectable and clean scent. Hours later, near the end of the scent’s lifespan, the vetiver and patchouli begin to shine to create a different scent, but as this cologne is weaker than a dad joke, it’s not too relevant.
On the whole, this is a very inoffensive, very unisex and very formal scent. Any hate this receives isn’t justified but it’s understandable, as this is one of the more mediocre colognes which Jo Malone has created. Definitely one for the workplace (preferably medicinal).
However, this is but the opening. The grapefruit begins to shine alongside the musk, and fuses to make this weird but wonderful smell of incense or candles, yet it is much sweeter.
154 dries down to be unmistakably natural, and this is made possible by the lavender and basil notes, which enhance the two stages of the opening and binds them together to make a respectable and clean scent. Hours later, near the end of the scent’s lifespan, the vetiver and patchouli begin to shine to create a different scent, but as this cologne is weaker than a dad joke, it’s not too relevant.
On the whole, this is a very inoffensive, very unisex and very formal scent. Any hate this receives isn’t justified but it’s understandable, as this is one of the more mediocre colognes which Jo Malone has created. Definitely one for the workplace (preferably medicinal).
