Shay & Blue Salt Caramel, Blood Oranges & Blacks Club Leather

Shay & Blue London is a British brand that arrived in America last week. One of its fragrances, Salt Caramel, has received a lot of buzz, but I was eager to try the line as a whole. So, I ordered samples, and I’ll take a detour from my ongoing Italian series to talk today about Salt Caramel, along with Blood Oranges and Blacks Club Leather. Next time, I’ll focus on Oud Alif and Amber Rose.

SALT CARAMEL:

Source: Fragrantica

Source: Fragrantica

Salt Caramel is an eau de parfum created by Julie Massé in conjunction with the brand’s founder, Dom De Vetta. It is a 2014 release which is described on Shay & Blue’s website as follows:

Salt Caramel, the pure temptation of the gourmand. Inspired by English chocolatier to the Queen Charbonnel et Walker’s Sea Salt Caramel Truffles, this is an irresistible fragrance composed of waves of caramel and bourbon vanilla cut through with sea salt and sandalwood. Tempting and indulgent.

Top Note – Liquid Caramel On The Nose, Expertly Offset With Tangy Sea Salt.
Heart Note – The Smoothness Of Tonka Bean Adding A Touch of Elegance.
Base Note – Refined Bourbon Vanilla For Depth In The Base With Sandalwood A Woodsy Counterpoint To The Sweetness.

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Maria Candida Gentile Noir Tropical & Exultat

I’ve long been curious about the Italian house of Maria Candida Gentile whose founder who is the only Italian to ever earn the prestigious title of Maitre Parfumeur. So, I bought samples of several things in her Classic Collection, and will focus today on Noir Tropical and Exultat. The first is a dry, dark, woody vanilla, while the second is an citric, incense, woody violet fragrance. Thus far, I’m left cold by one, and actively loathe the other. I’ll look at each fragrance in turn.

Source: ParfuMaria.com

Source: ParfuMaria.com

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Guerlain L’Homme Idéal: The Essence of Mediocrity

Disappointing, low-rent, and an exercise in banality. Guerlain‘s new L’Homme Idéal isn’t the worst fragrance that I’ve tried this year, not by any means, but it’s certainly the worst thing I’ve sniffed from Guerlain in quite a while. It’s a sub-par, synthetic creation without any distinctiveness or refinement. Furthermore, the extent to which it mashes up almost every single one of the commercially popular genres of male perfumery feels like something that is both intentionally manipulative and driven by basest of financial considerations by LVMH. I haven’t found a lot to admire in the LVMH-era of Guerlain, but I’ve never previously thought that one of their fragrances belonged in a discount shop next to Justin Bieber’s concoctions. L’Homme Idéal does.

Source: Monsieurguerlain.com

Source: Monsieurguerlain.com

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Profumum Roma Vanitas: Foghorn Vanilla

Source: Profumum website.

Source: Profumum website.

Death by vanilla. Or, in my case, death after a diabetic coma from sugar overload. Vanitas by Profumum Roma is a fragrance that should come with an advisory label that warns: “For hardcore gourmands and sugar fiends only!” For everyone else, I would advise serious caution. If you’re like me, you should avoid it entirely.

Vanitas is a concentrated eau de parfum that was released in 2008. The notes provided by Profumum on its website are:

Vanilla, Myrrh, Orange flowers, Sandalwood.

Vanitas opens on my skin with burnt sugar vanilla, times a hundred. To be precise, it’s a caramelized vanilla with burnt brown sugar, burnt candy floss vanilla, and a strong dash of orange syrup. Thanks to the myrrh, there are hints of something that is both dark and a tiny bit musty lurking at the edges, but it is a very small undertone that is completely overwhelmed by the burnt sugar. (Please be prepared for the word “sugar” to be used ad nauseam in this review.)

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