jasperdezoet

So I’ll admit it: I blind bought a 100 ml tester bottle of this bad boy. I smashed the Buy Now button once I saw reviewers were associating it with Type O Negative songs. Plus, it was only $25. Sue me.

But man, am I glad I did! As a lifelong New Englander, believe me when I say Jacomo de Jacomo is the black cloak you drape yourself in once the skies darken and the temperatures start to really drop. The second I tested this on my skin, I was immediately transported to childhood memories of attending fairs and festivals on chilly fall days, complete with hay rides and Barbecue cook-offs.

This is as close as you can get to the color black without oud or loud animalics. If notes like patchouli or cumin generally give you pause, rest assured: Jacomo is all smoke and cloves with an a hint of leather and a fresh layer of fougere to pull it all together.

If you want something that will make you feel you’re turning into a dragon when you spray it on, give this a shot. This is exactly the kind of scent I desperately wanted Passion by Elizabeth Taylor, Poison by Dior, Black Orchid by Tom Ford, and Voice of the Snake by Gucci to be for me.

I’m obsessed.

This smells like one of those “healing” clay pore masks made out of volcanic ash and tea tree oil. Specifically, the kind that make you feel like your skin is peeling off your face like a slice of ham when you wash it off with warm water.

This also smells like someone brushed their teeth really well (tongue and all!), ate all the expensive creams and skin rejuvenation masks in a rich-people spa, and then breathed right in your face. I credit that to the musk in the base.

You can argue that this is unisex or that it redefines masculinity or femininity, but really it just smells like some bitter aromatic herb poultice that you would dab on your wrist to help you calm down before bed so you don’t get a sleep paralysis attack. It smells like the kind of rich people who go on spiritual journeys and write poetry while their parents are wanted for their role in destabilizing Latin American countries. My point is, this is devoid of gender and sexuality entirely. This will just make you smell like a fancy paste.

In conclusion, this is an okay perfume, but an even better home fragrance. Thank you for your time.

This is actually quite tame. I suspect that I did NOT get a sample with the Lapsang Suchong note. It’s a bummer, because I think that earthy charcoal smell could have really rounded it out!

The vanilla and amber is much stronger than I anticipated. They seem to hold equal weight to the rubber accord. I would even argue those notes give Black a slight coconut smell!

That being said, the rubber smell is subdued and easy to wear. This isn’t sticking your nose in a used, burnt tire. Instead, this is more like a whiff of a fresh, clean tire from a good distance, or the scent of a powdery rubber doll. Think of the rubber and vanilla fragrance of Halloween masks, dial it down so it’s tolerable, and you have Bvlgari Black.

I was hoping for a win here because this stuff is cheap. It’s not bad, but it’s nothing to write home about. Just like some meetings could have been just an email, some fragrances should have been scented candles or high-end bathroom air fresheners.

Anyone who says this gives off “spiritual hippie spa forest bathing retreat” vibes is correct. Many sniffers have also commented that this smells too much like “man” for them. I personally find that hilarious because all I smell when I spray this, it smells like a Christmas tree, trunk and all. While men are a mixed bag, Christmas trees have always been a delight to have in the house.

I get a hint of gasoline in the dry down about 2 hours after spraying. No fire though. Guess the Grinch never got around to this one.

Who I would gift this to: people who like things like “goat yoga” and “transcendental hip hop”; people who say things like “unleash your inner goddess”; people who think Billie Eilish is their “groovy rock n roll soul sister”; people who embarrass their teenage children but by doing so impress said children’s socially awkward peers.

Full disclosure: I have the dark blue liquid version, not the vintage purple one

Some guy on some website once wrote that no sane woman would willingly wear this. Luckily for me, I’ve done time in a mental hospital, so I’m actually uniquely qualified to wear this.

Sung Pour Homme is simple. I definitely get the comparisons to Irish Spring: it is bright, crisp, and clean. It has that standard aftershave smell. This is the ultimate fresh out of the shower scent. Wearing this will make you feel clean and put together.

While the aldehydes make the scent a little sharp, I was pleasantly surprised by how timeless Sung feels. Sometimes, aldehydes can make a perfume too screechy. Thankfully, this is not the case with Sung.

Overall, it’s an easy reach and it’s easy to wear. I’m a little disappointed I don’t get that smoky scent, but that’s life. I like to think of this as a “go-getter” scent, because it’s invigorating and exudes confidence. I will keep my bottle - and when I run out, I will make sure to test out the purple juice version!

Update: I tried this again, and I can smell the cigarette smoke smell on my arm after maybe 20 minutes of spraying! That is so cool!