Smora

Scentrack: Moloko – I Want You

In my opinion Givenchy is one of the greatest fashion houses ever. However, many of their fragrance releases in this millennium were unworthy of this historical name. Dahlia Noir, created by Francois Demachy of Dior, gives a hope that Givenchy got it right. Personally, I really like Dahlia Noir EdP. It is elegant and modern, yet reserved with hidden old time grandiosity.
Dahlia Noir opens with an unusually fresh burst of mandarin, accompanied by short-lived berrylike accord similar to Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noire. Among this fruit interplay, one could sense some perfectly tweaked peppery and powdery nuances. After initial fruity playfulness, Dahlia gradually morphs into a flowery heart of iris and rose. The iris note is rather fresh, juxtaposed to damascone rose of both floral and jam-like aspects. This jam-like aspect is a perfect introduction to sweeter and almost gourmand base. Like every other part of the composition, the base is again very skillfully tweaked. Tonka bean, vanilla and woody notes are very carefully arranged to give a contemporary feminine touch to the composition. Dahlia Noir is a perfect example of hybrid contemporary-classic chimeras. All the contemporary aspects are skillfully paired to classical thoughtfulness by the perfumer. Very nice for professional environment, dinner or theatre due to its duality.
Simply, a beautiful and well balanced creation that successfully avoids all the traps of modern vulgarity. Almost gourmand, yet classical. Almost unisex, yet so distinctively feminine. A beautiful work.

Orange blossom is a flower that one usually associates with light and airy summer compositions. However, sometimes these gentle flowers could grow in a full-fledged cooler month note. The latter happened in Prada Infusion de Fleur d’Oranger - a relaunched version of the original Infusion de Fleur d’Oranger.
This Prada, as it should, opens with strong orange blossom and peppery neroli. The initial blast is fairly strong, and immediately supported by jasmine and tuberose. In fact, the opening is somehow muted orange blossom – neroli - jasmine combo that cancels each other’s known characteristic resulting in identifiable white flower soapy entity. This bouquet is amped up by the purple tuberose, which saves the composition from slipping to flatness and white monotony. These flowers rule for several hours, when they finally let the base notes gradually come into focus. The base is just a tweaked standard Prada’s Infusion base – powdery notes with just a hint of some woods like cedar and Iso E Super. By the description this should be a perfect summer fragrance, but the white flower entity is too strong for summer wear. In fact, it perfectly opens during the colder fall or spring days. Like every note of the entity has an opportunity to finally breathe, and separate from each other.
Infusion de Fleur d’Oranger is a standard Daniela Andrier’s creation of Infusion line. Contrary to other members of the family, this Infusion is not so easy to wear. It prefers colder weather, when become a radiant olfactory memento of summer warmth.

Scentrack: Montefiori Cocktail – Anonimo Veneziano

Prada Infusion d’Iris was released in 2015, as a replacement for Infusion d’Homme which I used to wear. Personally, I still prefer Infusion d’Homme which was a little bit more masculine orientated, possibly due to enhanced smoky vetiver note. Infusion d’Iris Cedre is a tweaked predecessor to fit in a relaunched unisex Infusion line.
Infusion d’Iris Cedre strictly follows Prada’s fragrance aesthetics, it is clean, cold and totally unisex. It opens with just a touch of piercing neroli, and goes straight to iris. This iris is Prada’s signature - cold, powdery, retro and slightly chemical. Not the iris we can encounter in Dior Homme. Woodsy notes of cedar give the slight masculine touch. The warmer benzoin gives this composition needed touch of human warmth, while the incense somehow stays cold and archaic. The overall composition is clean, unobtrusive and little bit retro. Like a retro soap or a bubble bath. I can smell north Italian roots of Prada company (Milan, but also Bologna or Venice).
It is an ideal fragrance for office, and one of my favorites for that purpose. To more appreciate this composition, one should have some gray hair. It even garners compliments in situations where compliments are rare. This is not mind blowing composition, but a very solid one in the Prada’s portfolio. Clean, sophisticated, professional and Italian.

Scentrack: Electronic - Disappointed

I was really excited for this release from the house of Dior, for around 3.5 minutes. After seeing the note list and realizing that iris expelled, I assumed Dior turned its attention to younger demographics and current trends in perfumery for the Dior Homme label. Personally, I have no problem with that. Companies have to earn money and follow the trend, yet I feel a little bit sad that this creation was released under Dior Homme label. Original Dior Homme was a beautiful aquarelle of iris, cacao and dry fruits. It was a trendsetter that tested masculinity, and blatantly copied by numerous brands. Unfortunately, in my opinion, I have to report that new Dior Homme 2020 is none of that. Dior Homme 2020 is like a compilation of contemporary bestsellers, like the “best of “ fragrance album, made of several creations. From the beginning one could smell the spicy aspect of Bleu de Chanel from the pepper note, and Sauvage-like part of bergamot and ambrox. Of course, there is also a tribute to Terre d’Hermes by strong Iso E Super. In the base I can sense some vetiver in a Guerlain Homme manner. Voila, mish mash is served.
In my opinion, Dior Homme 2020 is far less than the sum of its parts. It is just a bland creation, unrecognizable between dozen other releases. Wearing Dior Homme 2020 nobody will smell bad, just OK, and this should not be sufficient for a brand like Dior. Most probably will be commercially very successful just by the inertia from the Dior name. This Christmas’ ideal present for the person we even do not know. At least, they left “original” Dior Homme in the production. For the time being.

From the very first sniff I felt this Zara is something different. Ebony Wood is a member of Zara Emotions line, created by the perfumer Jo Malone of Jo Loves brand and ex-perfumer and probably the ex-owner of Jo Malone. So what is so different in this Zara line compared to their standard offering? It possesses a standard Jo Malone procedure – the creation is usually based on one or the major notes. Furthermore, the compositions has some natural vibe, especially contrasted to usually extremely “synthetic” Zara style. Ebony Wood is no example from the Emotions line. It opens up very unusual for Zara, fragrance layers are somehow easily recognizable, clean cut and almost very natural. Very nice pepper, accompanied by the herbal vibe of clove and some soft minty nuances. The darker, woodsy base notes of burning Guiac wood and cedar come into play almost instantly. This base is very nice, cozy piece of burning woods dancing on the verge of gourmand composition. Like a light version of Carner Barcelona Palo Santo, a full blooded milky woodsy gourmand. However, this dance ends too early due to the running out of the cash spent.
Ebony Wood is a nice creation with the usual Zara problem of low performance. Nevertheless, a solid Zara spin-off attempt.