Superfumista Discovery Set FULL REVIEW

I was one of the three lucky winners who won a Superfumista discovery set from this article. I was pretty hyped since I also learned Superfumista wasn't yet available in Canada. Got to chat a little bit with Benjamin Sachs who mentioned he'd be waiting for my impressions of his perfume. Decided to write an article about it since I've been doing it for other discovery sets, but also because I wanted to share a follow-up to Mr. Sachs giveaway.

Here are the perfumes I asked Mr. Sachs to include in my discovery set: Dolce Nissa, Infra Rose, Lemon Delight, Minty Mint, Poivre Rubis and Tuberotic.

A few things to note before we start. I enlisted my boyfriend for this testing which is why each section is divided in four (impressions from a paper strip for me/him, impressions on our skin for me and him). He was happy to see me try a brand that wasn't yet in Canada, but was also curious to sniff them for himself. He doesn't consider himself a perfume collector or someone interested in fragrance although he has a small collection because of me (you can see his collection here, very few full bottles, mostly decants)

Although I've started delving into niche fragrances (and my boyfriend has also smelled a few), we're not niche-jaded people. We haven't gotten our noses on the most challenging fragrances, nor have we experienced everything niche perfumes have to offer. I'd say we have a bit of experience, but not as much as other people I've seen on Parfumo. Obviously I went for the fragrances I thought i'd like the most from the notes, so I'm expecting to like them all at minimum. I'm curious to see which one will make it to a full bottle (if any). So let's get to it!

Dolce Nissa

Impressions from a paper strip:

Me: Definitely an original, niche scent. It's something I've smelled in more mainstream perfumes, but there's something in there that makes it stand out from the rest. It's pretty fresh, light and airy. Without checking the notes beforehand, I smell some florals and some fruits. Stays pretty fresh throughout on the paper strip.
Him: It definitely smells original, but he gets the fruitiness and the freshness foremost from this perfume. There's something slightly artificial somewhere in this, between a childhood candy, a scented marker and Play-Doh.

Impressions from our skin:

Me: The beginning is fresh, light and airy. I get some juicy strawberries, but they're not overly sweet nor jammy. They stay on the fresh, fruity side. Milk adds a touch of creaminess while raspberries are there to add some tartness. As it moves on, I get a fresh, floral orange blossom. Mixed with the marshmallow and the cotton candy, it gives off a sweet and powdery vibe. That's when the synthetic streak appears. Reminded me a bit of Play-Doh or a scented doll head. I unfortunately knew I wouldn't be getting a full bottle of this fragrance. At this point, it feels like the child of Love Don't Be Shy Perfume and Her Eau de Parfum. The drydown is beautiful. It smells like a comforting, warm cup of fruity and vanilla milkshake. Sounds weird when written out that way since milkshake is supposed to be cold, but imagine that in place of a cup of hot chocolate. Anyways, I get this sweet vanilla while the tonka bean is warm and powdery. I also get the musk and amber that add warmth to it all. This perfume smells like the sophisticated and elevated version of Kilian and Burberry's fragrance. It's definitely on the feminine side of things with the fruits and sweets, but the synthetic streak is unpleasant to me. I rated Burberry's Her pretty low, so I can't rate this one much higher since it reminds me of it. It is better crafted, but I feel like strawberries are difficult fruits in fragrances as they remind me of artifical scented childhood products way too much. Won't be making it into my collection, but someone who loves sweet, creamy and fruity perfumes might fall in love with this niche version!

Him: Not a perfume for him. Smells just like what he smelled on the paper strip. Something in the perfume doesn't vibe well with his nose. He finds it develops better on my skin.

Infra Rose

Impressions from a paper strip:

Me: Fresh, bright and airy are the first words that come to my mind. I do get the lychee and the pink champagne. It's sparkling and effervescent. There's some sort of jammy rose underneath it all that lends a carnal and sweet feeling to the perfume.
Him: Doesn't like. Smells vegetal, but not in the best way. If he had to associate a color to this perfume, it'd be a muddy brown as opposed to a "green fragrance". We both have a feeling it's the immortelle he's not liking.

Impressions from our skin:

Me: This is definitely a perfume I'll have to test out again on my skin. I was not expecting to like it as much as I did but here we are. Bright, sweet and fresh lychee mixed with effervescent and sparkling pink champagne. There's a sting of alcohol at the beginning, but the transition is smooth and it really does end up smelling like a photorealistic glass of champagne with lychee in it. Doesn't take too long before a sweet, carnal rose starts to rise. It definitely pairs well with the fresh, fruitiness of the lychee. Immortelle slowly creeps in, lending a more honeyed facet to the mix, transforming the rose into something thicker (like jammy) and less fresh as time goes by. Immortelle ends up being the star of the show as it takes the front and center stage while rose ends up more on the sidelines, elevating the first flower. I do have to say it's a note I really enjoyed. White suede starts to creep in slowly, but thankfully it's not too strong. It does smell a bit like the interior of a car, but the immortelle makes it more palatable, like a sweetened leather. Since I'm usually not a big fan of leather, it's difficult to explain how it goes, but I have to admit it's pretty smooth and has probably made me question if I really do despise leather or if I just haven't found (up until now) someone who can blend it right in a perfume. White musk and sandalwood are delicate, soft, like a hug and add some warmth and creaminess to the drydown. It's definitely a more feminine-leaning perfume, even with the suede in the drydown, I have a hard time picturing a man wearing this. I see this as a perfume fit for every day but also for a girl's night out. It's a pretty solid blend to my nose and there's no synthetic streak found in the lychee or any of the other notes. I'm hesitating because of the white suede, but I've got to say I appreciated it way more than I thoguht I would. Will be trying it out again in the future for sure!

Him: Floral comes out better on the skin. Almost goes fruity. AThe vegetal undertone that he doesn't like still appears on his skin.

Lemon Delight

Impressions from a paper strip:

Me: Fresh, very far from heavy. Sweet, minty
Him: Smells like lemon poundcake with a hint of green. Would've prefered without the last part. His favorite up until now.

Impressions from our skin:

Me: Somewhere along the lines of "Casamorati - Lira (Eau de Parfum) | XerJoff" and Love & Crime is this one. It's a pretty realistic lemon poundcake scent. The biggest difference from other lemon pastry scents is the presence of limoncello and peppermint. Limoncello adds an alcoholic touch to the scent with some zest and sparkling effervescence, not quite unlike the pink champagne found in Infra Rose. Makes the scent much more light, airy and fresh. Peppermint adds a vegetal, bright and green note to the accord, participating in the whole "lighter" part of the fragrance. As it moves on, it becomes a pretty clear gourmand lemon pastry scent, although it never gets too sweet nor too heavy. The drydown is vanilla with a more apparent cedarwood base and some musks. It's not bad and it's pretty versatile when compared to XerJoff and Ex Idolo's version since I see myself wearing it during warmer temperatures. Like with those two fragrances, I'm maybe just not one who wants to smell like lemon poundcake on the regular. I will be testing it out again, but I won't be going for a full bottle of this one.

Him: Smells like lemon poundcake. Very similar to what he smelled on the paper strip. Very nice, but there's something in there (a note or an accord)that's still dissonant to his nose and that remains throughout the perfume.

Minty Mint

Impressions from a paper strip:

Me: One bright, strong blast of ice-cold mint to my nose. Very close to toothpaste. Has a spicy kick that comes out. Very masculine-leaning to me.
Him: Intense, green spicy accord. Too much, like a punch to the face.

Impressions from our skin:

Me: An intense blast of ice-cold mint greets me as the perfume settles on my skin. When I say it's ice-cold, I feel it when I breathe it in through the nose, just like I would feel it when breathing in -40C cold, hard, sharp, winter air. Probably the most realistic mint sensation I've ever had. For those who love mint, the top note is absolutely stunning and photorealistic. Underneath that green, fresh mint are the citruses that further elevate this blast of freshness. It's very uplifting and energizing. Unfortunately things start to take a turn for the worst in the middle notes. I'm starting to think I'm not a fan of galbanum as most perfumes I've tried featuring that note have had bad ratings. This one is no different. Hard, sharp and deep green accord starts to settle on my skin immediately after the first minute. It smells terpenic, almost paint-like with a strong vegetal, vegetable vibe and I'm pretty sure galbanum is the culprit. Sichuan pepper also comes out to play, lending a very strong spicy and almost woody accord to the scent. This is probably my skin chemistry in play as I know pepper in all of its form tends to be magnifed on my skin. The combo of galbanum and pepper definitely makes this perfume a very clear masculine-leaning fragrance, another reason why I won't be adding it as a full bottle to my collection. The drydown transitions into a deeper woody tone with some resinous accord at the edge. Vetiver and patchouli are on the earthy, spicy side. The top notes are the most beautiful thing in the world. Unfortunately, galbanum is not for me and I should've been wary, but the green tea note unfortunately gave me false hope that it'd be keeping it in check. Wasn't the case. For a guy, this could be a great spicy, woody and green perfume. It's definitely something unique I've never smelled before, but unfortunately, it won't be for me. Try it out for yourself!

Him: A note appears on his skin that further detracts him from the scent. Definitely a no for him.

Poivre Rubis

Impressions from a paper strip:

Me: Spicy and fruity. There's some nice freshness in there. Less aggressive than what I thought it'd be based on the notes.
Him: Perfumey with a weird twist. Powdery.

Impressions from our skin:

Me: I was pretty wary of this one since peppercorns do tend to come out magnified on my skin, but I was pretty confident Benjamin Sachs knew what he was doing. I get a nice blast of fresh and uplifting bergamot as soon as the perfume lands on my skin. Doesn't take long though before peppercorns and raspeberries arrive. I've got to say the raspberry in here is the most photorealistic one I've smelled up until now. I find raspberries are rather hard to emulate in perfumery as they're often too tart, too sweet and almost always synthetic to the nose. This one smells like raspberries freshly picked from the field. Slightly sweet, but with some subtle tartness and lovely freshness. Peppercorns are very well blended here. They aren't overwhelming, but lend a nice, deep and complex spiciness to the perfume. I can't make out every different peppercorn here, but they're gentle and well-behaved. They also remarquably fit in well with the raspberry note. As it moves on, peppercorns turn to woodiness while raspberries move to the background, lending a sweet fruity vibe to everything. The drydown is warm like a hug thanks to the cashmeran and sweet with a relaxing woody note that brings everything together. I'll definitely be testing this one out again as the raspberry note and the peppercorn have positively surprised me. I don,t know if I'll be going for a full bottle, but I've got to admit I'm amazed at how Sachs combined all these notes together to form a great, cohesive scent. A must-try for sure!

Him: Similar to what he smelled on the paper strip, but more peppery on the skin. Drydown is very feminine-leaning to him.

Tuberotic

Impressions from a paper strip:

Me: Smells very floral and feminine-leaning. Some powderiness and a strong green accord.
Him: Smells like what an older woman would wear. Floral and powdery.

Impressions from our skin:

Me: I get a strong blast of fresh bergamot and then I get angelica. I haven't encountered this note much in my fragrance journey, so I had to do a bit of research to learn what it's supposed to smell. I've got to say it's pretty herbaceous, fresh and slightly spicy. It won't be a favorite note of mine. It has a strong vegetable, green accord that's not quite my cup of tea. Neroli lies behind, fresh and floral. As the perfume moves on from the top notes, it's the tuberose and the jasmine that end up taking center stage. Tuberose is bubblegum, a little bit animalic and carnal sweet. Jasmine is on the powdery side, but does offer some freshness. I do smell a lingering smokiness coming from the black tea, but it's pretty subtle, almost faint. Tuberose ends up taking a lot of place. Now I might get ripped apart for saying this since people dislike the term when used in fragrance reviews, but it smells like what an older woman would wear. There I said it. The strong tuberose note might be the culprit for my association. Atlas cedar comes up right behind with a deep, rounded woody note. Drydown leans a bit more generic with vanilla and musk closing everything off.
It's definitely not my favorite Superfumista perfume of the bunch (and it won't be making it to a full bottle) since the tuberose is so overwhelming. It takes up a lot of place, but that might just be my skin chemistry magnifying the note. It's very feminine-leaning and I see older grown-up women wearing this fragrance. I'd recommend testing it out before buying as it's definitely not blind-buy safe.

Him: Smells like florals: tuberose is the strongest contender. Black tea does come out and the powderiness is a little less strong on the skin. A floral with darker notes and very feminine-leaning. The one that has changed the most on his skin vs on the paper strip.

What I was expecting vs what happened:

Here are how I ranked them before trying them out on my skin, based on the notes alone:
1. Lemon Delight
2. Dolce Nissa
3. Infra Rose
4. Minty Mint
5. Tuberotic
6. Poivre Rubis

Here are the rankings after having tested them on my skin for a full day:
1. Infra Rose
2. Poivre Rubis
3. Lemon Delight
4. Dolce Nissa
5. Tuberotic
6. Minty Mint

As you can see, you can never only trust the notes you see on Parfumo. Testing them out on your skin is absolutely necessary and sometimes, you might be surprised by how a perfume develops on the skin. This further emphasizes (to me) the need to avoid blind-buying and FOMO, something I still struggle with now.

Infra Rose and Poivre Rubis are currently the strongest contenders to becoming full bottles in my collection. The others won't be making it to that status. If I ever decide to go for a full bottle of either my top 2 choices, I'll probably be also ordering the remaining Superfumista fragrances so I can "complete" the house. These are: Boozy Boy, Nu Blanc, Oud Galant, Our Blurry Note and Terra Moka.

I just wanna thank again Superfumista and Benjamin Sachs for having done this giveaway on Parfumo. I never expected to get my hands on a free discovery set since I'm not an influencer, but there's something truly magical when receiving a prize from a giveaway. Also, much thanks to Mikayla who's always writing those cool articles about perfumes.

I'll be seeing you in the next article and don't forget to like, subscribe and leave a comment!