praalka

the newest release by goldfield & banks is advertised as a seasonal beachie. although i'm not a huge fan of neither aquatics nor freshies, as a declared white flowers hooligan i ran on the double to check out this one, when i found it as a freebie, in one of my recent purchase shipments. creamy tuberose is what i'm always after, regardless.

and there it is, undoubtedly but the white flower accord's creaminess is just SPFy. it's a coconut type of creaminess, and a sweet one. along with it come white floral tropical freshness, coastal air waves that fall rather sweet (i expected saline notes but didn't find them), all paired with light blue water chill. and if you sniff it deeply, you can find a faint clue of tropical greenery.

could be more carnal, more saline, more woody to my liking.

it opens up with the sweetness of apricots followed by the sunlight of narcissus, one of my favourite notes. together they create an extremely refreshing and energising intro, that develops into a smoky deep vanilla rum cloud, with chocolate glimpses flickering here and there. the warm, dense and smoky cloud lasts for a good couple of hours. although there are three varieties of oud used in the base of the fragrance, they are very well blended into the fruity vanilla deepness, all is well polished, no tripping. laotian oud very demure. almost everyone can use it.
including, of course, me.

first of all, it's perfectly blended. there are no dominating notes. you sniff it and it forms a mysterious whole. it's sweet in a posh way, with a wonderful cumin/guaiac twist, which keeps in the background - a lot less pronounced, compared to amouage fate where the herbs, guaiac and cumin are ample. it's a winter/fall perfume, and elegant one. there's something festive about it. i always feel epic while wearing it - just makes me feel good about myself.
and btw - it's totally unisex!

many people say that oud monarch is the best creation of the bortnikoff perfume house. well, after trying out a couple of their fragrances, of which mysterious oud has turned out to be the most satisfying to me, i took up the challenge of oud monarch. it has to be said that i am not a fan of chocolate or even gourmand notes, but i really wanted to know oud monarch.
and it's... incense? it smells church to me. there are the namesake precious resins, of course. there is a whiff of bitter, dark chocolate. there is a pleasant vanilla ribbon here and there (not a huge fan of vanilla too, though), and there are some hints of flower petals but it is just... overwhelmingly incense?
the monarch is serious, smoky, spiritual, as if he was actually a hierophant presiding over his temple.

as a big tuberose fan, i can't help myself but try every tuberose-themed perfume i stumble upon. this one is no difference. the tuberose here is well rounded, creamy and very feminine. interestingly it seems kind of chypre. the white petals are a bit woozy but the spin is in the positive direction - there's an elegant, carnal and animalic note that keeps me sniffing. i could easily wear it every day.