TonkaCat

I was hopeful this would be a less sweet gourmand given the notes. This is really a leather scent with a hint of cocoa powder. This is not sweet at all and most of the notes outside of leather & oud are not present. There is no brightness from the citrus or ginger to cut the dense leather. Chocolates and vanilla are nearly nonexistent. The dry cocoa accentuates the leather and oud, rather than softening them. Drydown is relatively linear with the woods and amber making a subtle appearance after 30 minutes or so. The leather and oud are present throughout. Disappointing fragrance, particularly given the cost.

City Rhythm makes scents to order. When I initially tried it upon delivery, the red wine was overpowering and astringent; after sitting for a few weeks (honestly, I forgot), it has balanced substantially. It's sparkling and vivacious, great for daytime or a date night, likely far less suitable for the office.

Sparkling red wine is prevalent at the open and well into the drydown, the cherry, bitter orange, and pomegranate give a sangria feeling, rich and bright. The chocolate and amber at the end are gentle but quite noticeable and round everything out perfectly, taking the sharp edges from the wine. This is one of the few destination scents I've tried that is actually evocative of the place it's named after. Very well done.

I have a soft spot for attars and mukhalats. With the extensive note list, I'd expected this to be rich and complex, as a mukhallat should be. It's just ok. The overall effect is a fragrance of soft resins and woods, largely undetectable florals and herbs, weak almost stale spices. No single note is ever identifiable, stays pretty linear though the drydown. Longevity is weak, the scent is barely noticeable at the 2 hour mark. There are better mukhallats available from independent perfumers at a similar price.

I'm not sure why my expectations were so low for this one. It was part of several fragrances purchased when I was exploring violet. I still haven't found the violet scent I really love (other than Insolence ofc), but this is close.

Violet Ends begins with a blast of tea smoked leather wrapped around a bouquet of violets and a few iris. There is tobacco, but it lends more to the overall smoke effect than any specific tobacco note. Feels like a light or blonde tobacco. The violet doesn't persist enough into the drydown for me; if it stayed as when it opens I would love this one. The smoke does become less tanin spicy and becomes more smooth leather, tea soaked leather. The violet will occasionally appear, a gentle breeze of florals to cut through the spicy leather. It stays like this and doesn't change much through the drydown, it just fades. The papyrus and birch make themselves known after 30mins or so, blending well with the iris for a soft woody background. I wouldn't say the iris ever becomes powdery.

I really enjoyed this fragrance. This and Rose Load are the only two I have from Boy Smells; I haven't done a review of Rose Load yet. It's not an overly complex smell, at various points most of the notes are individually detectable. A really lovely unisex smoky leather with a unique violet turn. For me this seems best for spring and fall when it's not too warm or cold. I think either extreme would hamper it's presentation.