Splitter

Trend brand Fugazzi. Contemporary appearance. Appealing edgy advertising. Seemingly special compositions. I am intrigued.
Although nothing I tried in stores so far has really appealed to me, I am giving Fugazzi another chance after Esxence. After regretting not buying Passionfroudh at the booth, I have here a sample and miniature set and am treating myself to an extensive testing phase this week. Let’s dive in.

It’s called Sugardaddy and reads like a spicy firework from the house.
Firework, yes. Spicy, so-so. Even if one swears by the philosophy of the fragrance composition that unpleasant beige scents are heavier and integrate later in the course, one would likely shake their head at the emerging cloud of very bitter citrus. Most probably do so with my highlights featuring woody, resinous, or smoky notes. Winking smiley.

But even after the bitter citrus slowly retreats, this composition does not become more catchy for me. The blackcurrant does not want to come across as natural. The spicy components seem too weak to me.
It increasingly becomes just creamy with kitchen spices. Completely unsweet - so I can’t agree with some assessments at all - and, in my opinion, unbalanced. And that’s despite the fact that I am very open to edgy fragrances.

A mega packaging. A somewhat cheap-looking bottle. A synthetic fireworks display.

People, we need to talk about leather.
As far as I know, leather scent has nothing or at least not much to do with the smell of animal skin. At least not through the preservation process. The end result can sometimes smell very unpleasant. To cover up these unpleasant odors, a mixture of various plant materials was eventually used to create a pleasant scent. Ta-da. The leather scent is born. Roughly summarized.

As far as I know, leather fragrances consist of a blend of bitter plant essences. They share the commonality of being earthy and dark green. With light leather, it looks different, but I suspect the principle remains the same.

In recent years, fragrances have become fancy, bringing fruity characteristics to these leather notes. Sometimes it works wonderfully. Sometimes it becomes unpleasant. Sometimes the leather disappears. And sometimes something completely different emerges.

Lattafa has truly shone in recent years with impressive bottles and packaging, and the number of releases is also gigantic.
So I thought I’d try one again that actually sounds quite nice.


From Canned Fruit and Spice Mixtures

The very exuberantly sweet start full of sugar-soaked peaches, cocktail cherries, and red fruits is initially quite alien to me. Because not only is it very sweet, but also very artificial.
Well. It goes away. I thought.
But the synthetic scent doesn’t really go away. Instead, a dry flower joins in, and gradually an earthy spice emerges. No leather. A gentle spice mixture embedded in soft resins. A mild curry. Although I must admit that as the fruits fade, the spice becomes darker. With less fruit, this is a very pleasant, resinous-spicy scent and even feels authentic.

What do we make of this now?
Raw Human is a successful Lattafa that, in terms of fruitiness, in my opinion, overshoots the mark. It’s a synthetic fruit spice bomb and not a leather scent with fruity character. Definitely worth it for the price. Only the opening ruins it for me.

I find similarities to Fleur du Mal and prefer that one. Also because there, not only green spice occurs, but actual leather appears. Even if it is much softer and lighter.
Ombré Leather (2018) Eau de Parfum doesn’t compare for me. It works with notes that remind me of potatoes. Give it a try and thank me later ;)

I sometimes have the feeling that either I or almost everyone else has smelled a completely different perfume. This is also the case here.

Right from the start, this scent opens with candied rose and an unmistakable dessert aroma. It is not just sweet, but inevitably gourmand. And this piece of cake or tart does not disappear. The rose swirls around and bubbles a bit. Pepper makes an appearance and adds spiciness to the fragrance. Wood is not present. Amber provides a sweet foundation that, together with musk, makes it creamy and long-lasting.

The only thing I find disturbing is the massively standing gourmand notes, which remind me a lot of "Plaisir Gourmand | Korloff," where they are much louder. In Cash Flower, they are omnipresent and too dominant. Cake Flower would be more appropriate.

I squinted a bit when I saw that this fragrance is supposed to be like "Irish Leather (Eau de Parfum) | Memo Paris." But I was curious.
However, right from the test on paper, the disillusionment came. First realization: it is quiet.
But hey, give it a try.

Synthetic notes break through. It gets a bit scratchy. And then it becomes quieter and quieter. For a moment, there are dark green tones, then dry iris, and then the final character of this fragrance reveals itself.
Fortunately, the synthetic notes are no longer present; instead, there is rough leather. Between dusty iris, old wood, and brown herbal notes.

So, it’s not a classic leather scent, and due to the very obvious synthetic note at the beginning, I was prepared for a cyberpunk-like fragrance. However, it ultimately doesn’t hit those futuristic tones, but only extremely modern leather notes.
So, not the dirty-spicy classic vintage leather scents, but also not the modern compositions that are soft, edgy, but also fruity-it's a step further.
On one side, medium brown leather, on the other side, dusty iris. But they really don’t want to come together.

Doesn't get me.

Let's talk today about an old Lush fragrance that, to my knowledge, has not been made for a long time and does not appear in any product.

At Lush, some fragrances that appear in products are also available individually, while others are only available as perfume. Or only in the product. This is basically where my fragrance journey began. Hence the specific mention at this point.

Princess Cottongrass is definitely inspired by a Swedish fairy tale and likely joined my collection in 2017. Still going strong, contrary to what some might suspect.

The scent starts with a fresh pine and fresh green. Initially a bit harsher, then the green becomes sweeter. Stems turn into leaves. Leaves turn into shoots. Delicately, Neroli joins in imperceptibly. If it were too prominent, it would be a dealbreaker for me. Spring-like waves surround me and tell me the story of a clearing in the north.

And then I fly away like Nils Holgersson with the geese.