BDK Parfums‘ Gris Charnel is a cult hit, a blockbuster retail seller, and a fan favourite on TikTok and other social media sites. Does the creamy iris, cardamom, sandalwood amber scent live up to the hype? Well, yes and no. I think it will depend, even more than usual, on which notes your skin chemistry emphasizes.
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Agar Aura‘s Layali has achieved something that I haven’t experienced in years with a modern fragrance: It has left me simultaneously at a total loss for words from sheer stunned, overjoyed impact and also gushing with so many hyperboles that I don’t know how I can do the scent justice without sounding like a blithering, stuttering idiot.
Photo: the fantastic fashion photographer, Kristian Schuller. (Direct link to his full website is embedded within.)
As a tuberose lover, I was eager to try Bortnikoff‘s Sir Winston, a pure parfum whose notes included oud, ambergris, tobacco, and green tea. After trying it, I think you should not be misled by the name because, in my opinion, this is not a masculine fragrance focused on the many things associated with Sir Winston Churchill like, for example, cigars. Instead, it is a unisex, dense, candied floral vanilla amber gourmand dominated by tuberose and loads of real ambergris.
Photo: my own.
Tom Ford Rose de Russie. Photo: Tom Ford.
Tom Ford‘s Rose de Russie is described as an “opulent, darkly dramatic rose” that evokes “the extravagant allure of night.” Symbolically, I suppose the “dark” part of his hyperbole may have some basis in fact. On an olfactory level, however, I have to say “Hmph.” I would – and will – describe the fragrance quite differently.
Rose de Russie is an eau de parfum that is part of the Private Blend collection. It was released in February 2022 as part of a trio of rose scents anticipating Valentine’s Day. I’m unclear as to whether the trio are limited edition releases or if they’re permanent. At the time of this review, I’ve read both that it’s limited and that it will remain as part of the line.