Floral, sweet and mysterious, with an intimate scent bubble
SHK II, from the Saoud Alkaabi line by Armaf, was a blind buy. I had no idea what these were but they intrigued me, and this one blew me away: floral, inviting, sweet, dark and mysterious. A lot of people online say it is comparable to Oud Satin Mood. I have plenty of inspired-by versions of that and even tested the original, and I can see what they mean from the sweetness and the rosiness. But no, this is very unique, and I am glad of that.
The notes are peach, rose and bergamot on top, caramel, jasmine, oud and saffron in the heart, and leather, musk, vanilla, benzoin, woody notes, labdanum and patchouli at the base.
I tested it on my skin on a date night. It is not going to be smelled throughout the room, but it creates a scent bubble about two feet around you, so it is amazing for intimate moments, and your date will definitely smell it. It gives a fresh, elegant, sophisticated, flowery vibe. It is straight-up unisex, and a good entry point if you are a guy who does not like floral fragrances. Performance, scent bubble and sillage are all amazing. Armaf did a good job, and I easily recommend it.
A light, airy melon and pear that leans feminine
Mykonos is an Indonesian house that is hyped all over the world, simply because of its fragrance performance and affordability. Monaco Royale has a very elegant bottle colorway and design. The cap is plastic and not substantial, but that is completely fine, and the atomizer was okay.
On the first spray it smelled very familiar: flowery notes, sweet fruits, some pear and maybe blackcurrant. It smells similar to a lot of designer fragrances but has its own twist, and to me it reads like a cantaloupe melon with pear. The notes are pear, melon and green notes on top, cedarwood and softwood in the heart, and caramel, musk and moss at the base.
It is a very airy, light fragrance, different from a lot of the other Mykonos creations. In my opinion it is unisex leaning feminine, and it gives me the vibes of Delina or Gardenia, with that melon and pear combination shining through. Good stuff by Mykonos, and I would definitely give it a shot on one of those light days.
Salty citrus aquatic with a subtle, polarizing oud
Intense French Riviera takes Mancera's best seller from around 2020 to 2022 and makes it richer, darker and a bit polarizing. It opens fresh, citrusy and aquatic, then dries down a little green and darker.
The notes are Sicilian lemon, tangerine, orange, ginger and black pepper on top, sea spray, iodine accord, mimosa, tiare flower, Cambodian oud, Virginian cedar and vetiver root in the heart, and sea salt, ambergris and white musk at the base. Having oud in a fresh, salty aquatic fragrance is what makes it polarizing. For someone like me who likes oud, it reads as a subtle oud fragrance centered around an aquatic, aromatic, citrusy scent, and that is still the most appealing part. Next to the real oud fragrances on my shelf it does not compare. It is still fruity, citrusy, aquatic and salty, with a tad of green woodiness at the bottom.
Do not take this as a recommendation to blind buy. Test it first, because the Cambodian oud may stand out more to some people than it does to me. It is not a bad fragrance at all, and I think Mancera made an amazing improvement on this scent profile, since I was not a fan of the very first one.
Smoky, elegant tobacco that made me want the original
Tobacco Jam 50 was a blind buy, and apparently it is Assaf's twist on Amouage Purpose 50. It is a small bottle, which is rare, but an Assaf is almost always a banger. In my experience their fragrances are long lasting, projecting and well blended.
The opening is fresh, with a hint of tobacco and a hint of incense. It is elegant, sophisticated and unisex leaning masculine. My first sniff had me saying I need the original, if the original smells like this. The notes I read are resin, tobacco, pink pepper, berries and bergamot on top, papyrus, sandalwood and rose in the heart, and Akigalawood, vanilla, suede and saffron at the base. Smoky, woody, a little dark but fresh at the start, elegant and inviting. I cannot get enough of it. You can wear it as a signature scent if you deserve it, and I pictured a sophisticated person wearing it. With those notes I am confident it will last, but I want to do a full wear test first.
Fresh citrus turning into a musky sunscreen vibe
Asteria was a complete blind buy. Based on the bottle design and the color I guessed it was going after a big name, maybe a Louis Vuitton fragrance, and my nose agreed. It opens very fresh, citrusy and clean. At one point I even thought of Pacific Chill, but I was wrong: it turned out to be inspired by Louis Vuitton City of Stars.
The notes I read off the brand page are blood orange, mandarin, bergamot and lemon on top, tiare flower in the heart, and powdery notes, musk and sandalwood at the base. As it dries down a little I get a sunscreen-like vibe that is musky and really nice. I am a big fan of a lot of the Louis Vuitton fresh fragrances, and this is a good inspired-by version of City of Stars. I love Velixir because it gives us so much value. I have not tested its performance yet, but almost every Velixir has performed on my skin in the hot, wet climate of the Philippines, so I expect it to do well, and I will give an update. Highly recommended.
