Zorah

So, first of all, I would like to request a name change.
This thing here has little to do with explosives, bang-boom-crash, smoke and so on, but rather with citrus overkill.
Therefore, please tilt the "N" 90 degrees to the right and turn it into a "Z".

Of course, it was once again the Rossmann advertisement that drew my attention to this Rammstein. And the bottle looked quite tempting in color.
May I point out how mean it is to have one Rossmann in close proximity to the workplace and another one even closer to home? The temptation is great.
By the way, there’s a 15-minute walk in between.

So off to the office Rossmann.
To get to Nitro, I first had to shoo away a pack of male teenagers who were trying out the more typical teenage boy fragrances, Adidas, Tom T., and so on.....
Nitro, along with its squeaky red can, was sitting at the bottom of a rather unpopular spot. No wonder, there are at least in that particular store viiiiiiiiiiieeeel Rammsteins.

Found it, examined it, sprayed it..
Oh dear, what is that?
Normally, I can quickly tell whether I like a fragrance or not. Here, it was definitely different.
A single spray reminded me of an accident in a beverage store. The shelf with the citrus juices has tipped over, bottles have shattered, and everything smells - sour.
All in all, it was too close to the typical summer citrus things that either go by the name "Light Blue" or are launched in a similar "form" every summer. Yeah, it really burned my mucous membranes in the first few minutes. (Although I do like Light Blue, or at least the wonderful ALDI dupe. But that only costs a fiver and invites senseless waste. Grin.)

And there I stood, struggling with the scent like rarely before.
Buy? Not buy? I don’t know?

I don’t know.

So out of the office Rossmann, heading home, with a stop at Rewe to buy two bags of Nappo and a pack of nectarines - and what can I say?
Our citrus bomb had significantly mellowed in the meantime. Not only that, it developed in a really good direction.
What remained still had a good shot of citrus in it. But very pleasant, subtle, mixed with a bit of balsamic-woody and well wearable. In fact, the "Wakening Wood of Scandinavia", perhaps also a reduced "Waidmannsheil" with a nice hint of citrus fruit.

I was grateful to have the home Rossmann.
So I went in there and got the last bottle.

My previously used summer fragrances may forgive me.
Nitroglycerin is now in second place on my summer favorites right after Monotheme's Nymphaea.
Who would have thought it - unexpected things do happen often.

@ Rammstein:
I’m still waiting for "Nebel".

On February 22, it was my long-deceased father's birthday. I still think of him often, as we were quite identical wooden heads, and nowadays the gift goes, for practical reasons, not to Dad, but to - me.
It fits that the drugstore with the horseman just happened to have Rammstein fragrances on sale.
Note: If two or three fragrances are reduced in the promotional flyer, all other samples in the same price range are also available at a discount.

It should be Pussy, or, if a tester is available, Diamond.
However, the look at the weather forecast for this northern region said: Forget about the light spring fragrances. You have enough of those anyway, and for now, it's still freezing cold and yuck.
Okay. True.

So it became: Angel Dark for her.
Sprayed on, shockingly in love and obsessed with writing a positive review.....
Especially since the raven-black box along with the equally raven-black matte bottle has a certain charm.
It has something of a black hole, antimatter, or simply Stanley Kubrick's black monolith in the ape horde. If the younger generation still knows the cult film.

So far, the plan.

We don't need to discuss for long that Rammstein fragrances are usually tricky.
Apart from the fact that there seems to be a limited range of fragrance notes that can be quite creatively combined, the compositions are mostly described as slightly offbeat to completely crazy.
They don't work on paper test strips, they don't work on fabric, and if the user's skin suddenly behaves differently due to care products or - quite spooky - medications, they can quickly turn into an olfactory disaster.

So also the dark angel, labeled as a women's fragrance.
Yesterday, right after the purchase, unable to take my nose away from it all evening, I would have described Angel Dark for her as follows:
Starts with the scent of freshly baked anise cookies.
Transitions into a note of herbal toothpaste - a lot of spicy green, a bit of mild mint.
Then follows a powdery-sweet-woody note, sawdust.
At the end, a hint of smoke comes in, burnt aromatic wood. Probably beech.
(This doesn't correspond to the fragrance pyramid, but that's hardly more than a guideline anyway.)

This morning, however, the disillusionment.
Freshly showered, having applied a neutral-smelling body lotion, and then the dark angel......
NONE of what I loved the day before was to be smelled.
Only the scent of Holstein smoked fish remained. Not that anyone thinks it's unpleasant. But it's not what was promised.
And I prefer to smell that delicious smoky aroma on ham rather than on myself. I love ham!

What happened?
Apparently, the angel had connected with what I was already wearing during testing. My slightly powdery-sweet hand cream. The scent with juniper note.
Oh man.....

Overall, I would rate this fragrance as rather average. I classify it as unisex, and one must like it.
It doesn't really work for me on its own; I would unconditionally layer it.
Fragrances from the range of Dior Addict to Hypnotic Poison would be cool, as well as balsamic-woody waters.
(To resolve the matter: Right now, I'm spraying "The Hunting Men," the dupe to "Wanted," over it. Works.)

Absolute recommendation as a decorative object; as a fragrance itself, the dark angel remains controversial.

Sorry, Rammstein.

Do you want to part with something........
No, I don't want to..
The dark turquoise-green bottle has only just moved in with me.
(Thank you, Rossmann, for the great discount!)

Actually, the little barrel was supposed to stay closed until Christmas, but well, the spirit was indeed willing, only the flesh was seeeeeery weak....
And why does a woman actually buy such a scent? Of course, because she can! (And the designated Rammstein women's fragrances don't really excite me)
It's a men's fragrance? Oh sh... forget it. Today I feel like a guy.

Of course, the packaging was enticing. And also the interesting scent description.
I have to go back a bit into the past: I already own a fragrance with "forest fire character".
It's called "Oak and Berries", is from Jenny Glow, and is thus most likely a Jo Malone dupe. Love it. Unfortunately, it's usually sold out at my online dealer of choice..

The Rammstein brew is supposed to be the next level. And it delivers on its promise.

First of all, the warning:
If you want to judge this fragrance objectively, please test it immediately on the skin (you can always wash it off).
It doesn't work on scent strips or fabric, or it will give you the olfactory shock of your life. This scent needs nothing more than interaction with the skin.

I find the outer packaging quite successful.
My nitpicking at a high level would be that the opening of the can is not on the top. Then you could still use the barrel later as a storage container. For things that women need: screws, hooks, room pencils, or just makeup brushes (grin)
The bright turquoise blue falcon has the typical cube shape of all Rammstein fragrances and fits well in the hand.
In my opinion, the closure could have been a bit more valuable and made of better material.

And the scent, the main actor? Is definitely quirky.
I am always brave when testing because - water and soap are always at hand in case of a super disaster.. Therefore, a new fragrance is gladly sprayed on various body parts.
For gasoline, a) the decoration.... well, the area above the boobs, and b) the inside of the forearm.

From the bottle came something that smelled more like "Ashes to Ashes" than "Gasoline". Or what was the name of the Rammstein song with the igniting child? Help me?
The opening definitely reminds me of the morning after a heavy campfire party. The fire has burned down, in the morning mist it smells like ash, and since everyone has a thick head, it smells even more unpleasant. Especially for the cleanup crew.
But look: Very slowly, the penetrating ash smell fades, a mineral note comes - wet stones? - and salt, roasted salt. Along with a subtle warmth that reminds of peaty whiskey (Lagavulin, yeah!) and very faintly of resin. The initially overpowering scent softens and becomes a quite noticeable, but no longer dominant companion.

The fragrance pyramid promises a hint of sweetness through rum and birch, which I hardly perceive in the practical test.
But my gut feeling tells me that gasoline can be nicely layered with something bittersweet - I will experiment a bit and already have one or two ideas....... (The combo with the Waidmann should work great)

So, anyone looking for unusual fragrances should give this a sniff.

A few words about longevity:
I'm a bit disappointed.
Both fiery scents were sprayed on about 2 hours ago.
Left arm: Gasoline. Only perceivable in traces
Right arm: The Jenny Glow thing, which smells subtly but is well noticeable with every facet.

Postscript:
I would like to point out that what I describe here refers to a freshly opened bottle. More than 40 years of testing, buying, and using fragrances have taught me that the liquid in the bottle can indeed change in the weeks following the first tentative spray. Once again, my gut feeling tells me that even GASOLINE will mature in the opened bottle.

And anyone who finds typos can keep them.

Somehow, I find it a shame that the Monotheme fragrances are so little noticed and reviewed here.
Is it because they are found rather randomly in Germany?
I confess, without TKMaxx, I wouldn't know them either - it's a pity about the little treasures.

My first encounter with this fragrance label goes back a while; I stumbled upon "Aqua Marina" by chance.
I reviewed it here back then.
I treat it like a raw egg, using it only on special occasions - until I finally find a reliable source for repurchasing.
Maybe I should ask a well-known lady from Italy if she can help.....

In summer 2023, TKMaxx had a range of fragrances from this house again. A rose scent, a cherry blossom scent, a vanilla scent - all uninteresting to me. But then there were "Monoi" and "Nymphea".
Monoi, described in wonderful words on this platform, with associations to the South Seas, unfortunately smells to me of - hair salon and cheap hair gel. Maybe the scent is just overlaid / gone off. Or my nose simply doesn't like Tahitian gardenia scents and the collected white flowers. Somehow they are overpowering. However, I don't want to verify that or buy a new bottle.

My current secret star is Nymphea.
Let the word glide slowly over your tongue. It has something - somehow sexy.
Weren't the nymphs the ones who always went through the world with great pleasure?
I pondered for a long time where I had heard this word before. Think, ponder, consider. head slap!
Of course, Nymphea Lotus. The tiger lotus. A water lily.
I had one back in the snow year in my aquarium. An unattractive bulb at the bottom, a long stem, but attractive spotted leaves on the surface - with a lot of luck and good fertilization, that thing would have bloomed. Even the Egyptians knew it......
However, I never thought that this rather inconspicuous flower could smell so beautiful.

What do you get here for little money?
A very pure, floral-fresh scent that just barely scratches the classification of "Aquatic". Light, airy, floral, minimally green, but too intense to be considered watery.
Some might call it a shower gel scent. For me personally, that's not a downgrade, as I've had shower gels that I would have loved to see transformed into EdT / EdP.
Nymphea is a beautiful, sunny spring/summer day, e.g. in a garden by a lovingly designed pond - your own or one in a botanical garden, with many other green and blooming bushes and trees around. It is warm, but not too warm. Perhaps there's still a hint of a rain shower in the air.
Unfortunately, the longevity is rather modest. Nymphea doesn't really survive a summer sweat attack. You have to reapply quite often.

However, it rarely happens that I stock up on a fragrance so thoroughly - but this one is a candidate.
I will scrape together my money and buy the remaining lotus brews at the sale price. There should still be some left.
I love!

PS. If anyone finds typos: Keep them!

It's not that I don't hoard enough fragrances.
Some of them are well-known brands, others are more hidden gems (Thanks TKMAXX), and one or two might even be successful dupes.
I just often can't resist, and spending money on a fragrance is definitely better than on chips and chocolate. It lasts longer, doesn't make you gain weight, is good for the soul - and also delights those around you.

Now it's "ROSSMANN week," so there are offers.
This time among others:
Rammstein fragrances reduced by 25%. Let's quickly check which ones they are.
Oh, Waidmanns Heil. Never heard of it, is it new?

A look at Parfumo, devoured reviews, became quite eager. I have to have it.
So off to Rossmann.
First store: Sold out
Second store: Sold out.
Third store: Yay, just one left. But where is the tester? No one around? Well, never mind.

No matter. Mine! Paid, wrapped up, and happily transported home.

Two fragrance families I absolutely love: scents with a hint of the sea and forest fragrances.
(My absolute dream is still a combination of both, but I haven't found that in bottles yet. Maybe layering could lead to that?)

Removing the lid from the box, the folded inner packaging fell apart and revealed the bottle.
A simple rectangle in the color of fir trees, where Till Lindemann once wanted to go.
Admittedly, I found the cap a bit silly. They could have imitated the twig better.

From this dark green bottle, it now smelled intensely of coniferous forest.
"Timber" you want to shout, because the explosive opening of Waidmanns Heil reminds you of freshly cut trees, still soft, sticky resin, summer sun falling on a clearing and kissing the sawdust.
After a while, the resin note moderates, a bit of citrus comes in, later something herbal.

But wait - how long the Waidmann stays depends greatly on where it is sprayed.
The first, test spray is usually applied by the cautious person on the forearm, the wrist, where it can be quickly washed off if necessary. So rather dry skin. In my case, this initially led to great disappointment, as the scent lasted less than half an hour there.
Applied more broadly on the well-moisturized alabaster body, it holds well without being intrusive.

Conclusion: I like it, I will buy it again.
I find it amazing that Waidmannsheil smells quite natural.
No artificial fantasy notes, rather the full power of quality essential oils - I wouldn't have expected that given other Rammstein fragrances. It somewhat reminds me of the "Wakening Woods of Scandinavia" from 4711, but is more pronounced, less sweet-fresh.
Still definitely unisex.

Oh, Rammstein, if you happen to be reading this:
I would love another fragrance called "Nebel." You know, "..where the sea ends"
(Scandinavian fjord in the morning, seawater, spruce forest on the slopes, a hint of exhaust from the cruise ship....)