Artic Palace by Montagne

Today I review Arctic Palace, a play on words that is descriptive of its inspired expression, Winter Palace, by the French niche house Memo Paris. The OG, released on 2019, was concocted by Alienor Massenet , same nose behind Replica Jazz Club, Emporio Armani Night and many Memo Fragrances…. suffice to say, the DNA and the history is there.

The Opening

Arctic Palace (AP) opens with a strong citrus, it does not have an Italian vibe though, for me it’s the citrus you would expect from a great mixed drink or great appetizer, a different take on orange, perhaps more orange peel to me, darker orange if you must, oily, earthy. I get grapefruit as well and it’s intoxicating… because that grapefruit never truly dominates. At the back of it all, there’s a beautiful medicinal wood that sits with a tea scent, there’s so many things you get from sniffing this and every time I sniff during the opening one of the notes comes sharper, the scream and then retract. Note: I thought this fragrance would be challenging for people that aren’t as involved with fragrances and I tried with at least 10 different individuals (at a party), they all liked it but none of them could describe it to me, many of them mentioned oranges while 1 person described a tea note, however, they all loved it the more they tried it. I was wrong, this is a crowd pleaser.

Mid

You beautiful beast. After 5 minutes on your skin, the slight sweetness of the opening all but disappears and the grapefruit now plays together with a resinous note, a little bit of bergamot as well, I would say the mid is a “fruity amber”… but please, don’t think of fruity as sweet, just as “coming from a fruit”.  The amber on the mid is marvelous, no other word to describe it. The mid, in this case, lasts for about 1-1.5 hours for me, it’s amazing.

DryDown

I’ll be honest, I wish the Mid was the dry down, it’s so potent! Arctic Palace moves into musk and resin for the drydown and those stay with you for a very long time (10+ hours), for me, the dry-down is unique enough because of the tea note that seems to have great duration and what I can only describe as a Yerba Maté note as well, it’s very slight mind you, but I can detect it, it gives the drydown a earthy tea note, it’s very complementary.

Compared to the Original

The openings, as it tends to be the case with inspired expressions, are not the same, the OG is more rounded in the opening, less citrus explosion and more bergamot/ambery opening to my nose, the tea note is prominent faster on the OG for me as well. On drydown, it’d be hard to tell them apart unless you constantly sniff looking for a difference, for example, I think the OG has a more detectable vanilla…but again…only when you really look for it.

Who should wear this?

I think this is perfectly unisex and something I’d wear with a t-shirt and shorts, or, with a slim fit white linen suit… which is my way of saying, it’s fresh …but it has character.

Conclusion

The world is in love with fresh fragrances, we see them everywhere, but, they all tend to blend together after a while, all the “acqua” based scents have created a boring world for those looking to stand-out, the Italian inspired citrus scents are never as sharp as you want them to be, I thought that was the way it is. Enter Arctic Palace, I now have a fresh fragrance that stands out and claims a place on my collection…and it stands there by itself, by it’s own virtue. My dear reader, I’d advise 2 things though: First, let it sit after you order it from Montagne, perhaps give it 2 weeks once you spray it a couple of times, you will notice such a difference on the fragrance! (My written notes from first sniff and the notes now are fairly different!) ..and Second thing, this might not be love at first sniff for you, it might seem “ordinary” but I assure you, wear it a few times, let the scent round up on your skin and I think you’ll be in for a surprise, catch sniffs of it during the day and realize how the notes become sharper for you with time, note how they complement you, let the fragrance do it’s thing while you sit back and enjoy the ride. I think this is a solid 7.5/10 and one Montagne needs to be proud of.

As always, wear it because it complements you, not because of the compliments.


X.


Artic Palace

Mystic Oud by Montagne

Mystic Out is an inspired expression of Oud for Greatness, a 2018 composition from Initio Parfums
Prives. As part of my review, I wanted to see when Initio Parfums started (as a company), the scent is so well composed that I was sure it was an established house…I was wrong (and surprised), Initio started on 2015 and in that short time it has cemented it’s way into the niche perfumery world, Oud for Greatness is a force to be reckoned with but it’s price makes it un-attainable to many folks, enter Montagne and their expression called Mystic Oud.

OPENING

Saffron medley with Oud, at first sniff, the dirtiness of Oud comes through, that medicinal strain appears if only for a second and quickly gets put into place by the saffron, it’s something to marvel really, your brain is prepared for the Oud to get darker and stronger but instead it’s like it gets punched into submission by the saffron and a little bit of the nutmeg.  The top notes include Lavender, I can’t pick it apart by itself but I know something on the notes keeps it cleaner than just saffron and nutmeg so I attribute the Lavender to that. The opening is complex for the first few seconds and then becomes more linear, but, linear is not a bad thing… linear for me means that it keeps its head and doesn’t change constantly on you, allows you to appreciate it better. The Oud is still there, I can feel it, however, it’s a wearable Oud.. I need to pause here: What is wearable Oud? Well, Oud is very polarizing, for those of us that didn’t grow up with burning Oud at our houses find Oud to be a little too strong, specially the first few times you smell it, Oud after all comes from a sickness that the tree gets and the tree’s defense system creates what we know as Oud, therefore, it’s strong, it’s pungent and medicinal and most new-comers to the fragrance game call it “too strong to wear”, I believe Montagne has created that wearable Oud, something that even the un-initiated on Oud can appreciate and perhaps be that stepping stone for them to get into real Oud. My conclusion on the Opening? If you like Saffron and Oud, this is not to be missed, heck…if you like Saffron and Wood, this is not to be missed. I find the opening to remain for at least 5 minutes before the Mid kicks in.

MID

Hey Patchouli! That’s my first thought. Oud remains on the background and saffron starts mellowing out, I can’t feel the nutmeg anymore but ironically, can feel the lavender now as the patchouli kicks in as well. The mid for me is sweeter than the opening although that’s a hard word to use because sweet is not how I would describe this fragrance, however, if it ever feels sweet… it’s only at the mid.

I love barbershop/fougere scents…heck, I adore them, and this …during the mid only, it’s like a grown up barbershop scent, it’s very strange, like a hipster version of a lavender scent, like Jameson aged in Stout barrels, replacing the softer woods on those fougeres we know by a strong pungent wood, it’s very strange and fascinating. It’s something you want to keep smelling, it draws you in. I went through many of my bottles trying to see if the mid of a different fragrance beats this one, I tried Bois du Portugal by Creed, Plum Japonais by TF, Oud Wood by TF, A-Men by Mugler (my signature scent), Bottled Oud by Boss, Essence #4 Oud by Elie Saab, Versace Oud Noir… none of them touch this on the mid. I love how the Patchouli feels so different from the others but its still recognizable.

DRYDOWN

Off with the saffron, nutmeg and the lavender. Enter musk. Patchouli and Oud continue to be present and the Oud never goes medicinal, never goes pungent or too “earthy”, however, it does remain “oudy” if that’s a word. The drydown is all about that Oud and the patchouli,  which creates this soft note on top of the Oud and it remains like that, its a strong fragrance that has a softer lingering note on top, simply called…it’s amazing. I’m not an expert on types of musks but on this case, I believe it was used to keep the Oud from going too medicinal and it works. This remains a wearable Oud, perfect for colder weather, perfect for date night, perfect for wearing a suit-no-tie with a clean shave. I assure you, once you wear this, you won’t resist the temptation to continue to catch sniffs of it during the day, it’s fascinating.

PERFORMANCE

Projection is around 1 feet for the first 30 minutes or so, after, people would need to be closer to you to detect it. Longevity is 22+ hours on my (hydrated) skin, I’ve yet to wear it and have it disappear w/o showering. Scent Bubble (the one YOU feel), is strong, I feel this fragrance on my for at least 15 hours before I have to look for it on my skin. I love wearing this.

THE BOTTLE AND THE SPRAYER

A new section on my reviews will include comments on the bottle itself and the sprayer. Montagne’s bottles are all the same so if you’ve tried one, you’ve tried them all. They have good weight to them and remind you of the bottles used by Le Labo, a single white label with black letters on front display the name of the fragrance and a customized note (if you choose to customize it). The bottle is nothing special but the minimalist approach can be a winner for your collection.


Let’s talk about the most ignored thing on frag reviews, the sprayer, I have a mental ruling with sprayers that go like this: Dior and Creeds are the ones I used to measure all sprayers, Dior has that regulated sprayer and Creed has that wide spray, both are the best of the best I’ve tried. Montagne’s is not great but its not horrible either (I’m looking at you Mugler), so, where Mugler is 0 and Creed is 10, Montagne is probably a 3.5 to 4. Would I pay way more for Montagne to have a better sprayer? I wouldn’t, but that’s me, the one it has works just fine.

COMPARED TO THE OG

The OG has a great opening with more saffron, it’s almost reminiscent of BR540 for me, a great opening without a doubt. The Montagne is less saffron heavy and the Oud comes into play sooner, in simple words, it goes stronger faster.  Although the dry downs are not exactly alike, it’s tougher to note as time progresses, 1 hour in, you’d be hard pressed to either tell them apart…or….pick a favorite. Now, I’m not saying “don’t buy the original”, the original is a great fragrance with amazing performance, its a work of art both from the fragrance itself down to the bottle, I’m saying, if you need this scent profile in your life, the Montagne version will bring it for a lot less money, if however, you need that beautiful bottle and the original scent untouched….only the OG would do. Me? I can see myself getting the original eventually and reserving it for special occasions …but wearing the heck out of Mystic Oud!

CONCLUSION

Oud is polarizing. If this is your first Oud fragrance, Mystic Oud will start your journey into Oud in the best possible way and I envy you! If you are looking for a sophisticated and complex scent to add to your arsenal, this needs to be on your short list. Is it Unisex? Totally. The opening is beautiful with the Saffron and the nutmeg and the drydown is not only long lasting with the Oud, it’s potent and complex with the Patchouli and the Musk, it has a presence that will stay and complement you all day. This, for me, requires a certain confidence to pull off as you are not wearing a necessarily crowd-pleasing-scent but you are wearing a fantastic scent, make no mistake. Is this blind buy worthy? If you already have some strong fragrances on your collection (or are into those), I would say yes, you will like it, if you prefer airy non-wood-heavy scents, I would get a sample before committing. Mystic Oud is a solid 8/10.



What do you think of this fragrance? Let me know on the comments below!





X.


Get Mystic Oud here: https://www.montagneparfums.com/fragrance/mysticoud
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/99bottledscents/

Elysian Zest by Montagne

Review of Elysian Zest (Roja Elysium Parfum) by Montagne

INTRO

Elysian Zest is an inspired expression of Roja Dove’s Elysium Parfum Pour Homme, a fragrance that goes for almost $500 for the 50ml bottle! That’s almost $10 per ml which is roughly $9.20 more per ml when compared to  Montagne’s rendition! I usually don’t write too much about the prices and comparing those when I do my reviews but I think it’s important in this case because the difference is so big! I digress…back to the review.

Roja Dove, master perfumer, created what can only be described as a “unique freshie”, it’s hard for freshies to have character because they can get lost on your skin after a while, Elysium broke that rule…so, how’s this inspired expression?

OPENNING

Elysian opens up with a blast of citrus, lemon and grapefruit… the latter taking more precedence as an opening note. The name of the fragrance really speaks to the opening as Zesty was the first word I thought of when I applied it. Grapefruit can be sour to some and I think Elysian has a little of that, it’s not sweet , the lemon & lime keep the opening on edge, also, the opening is more rooty/earthy than what you would expect from the notes.

It has a unique opening and one that I can describe as “loud” for a freshie (a freshie with an earthy vibe), it does not sit un-obstrusive on your skin, it has character, it demands attention, it’s very complicated and the grapefruit is amazing on it. The scent bubble it creates extends for at least 2 feet away from you. When I apply Elysian I always think of Acqua Di Parma if someone turned up the volume of those to the max setting, why? because it has that Italian vibe, that play with the bergamot, that citrus and lime but this time around is not tamed or subtle. The opening for me is a solid 8 out of 10.

MID & DRYDOWN

Vetiver! Amazing vetiver coming alive! The vetiver is a little dark, perhaps better described as earthy & grounded Vetiver (ethically sourced from Haiti to boot!), side note: Vetiver from Haiti is like saying Chocolate from Switzerland, but again I digress, I can detect Lily of the Valley as its a flower scent that I recognize and adore, pepper keeps things edgy and musk creates a beautiful base for the composition. Let me be clear here, this fragrance keeps its “freshie head”  all through the dry down, it changes from the opening but the DNA remains through drydown.  A note on the drydown, if I were to describe it simply I would say: A salty and earthy vetiver on a cedar and resin base. It’s pretty amazing, the drydown is a 9/10 for me, why? Because the freshie head is still there and the vetiver really pops.

Important note to make here: Freshie is not the same as Aquatic, they are very different, this is not aquatic to me, it’s not reminiscent of the beach for me, this is fields with flowers & fruits before they are ripe, it’s airy but it’s not “beach airy”, it’s earth-airy. I know that’s hard to follow…but it’s how I feel about this!

PERFORMANCE

Projection is about 2 feet for the first few hours, after, the projection remains to around 1 feet, becomes closer to skin after 3-4 hours. Longevity is around 7-8.5 hours before it becomes a skin scent but even at that stage, it still pops from the skin nicely.

COMPARISON

I tried this against Supernova by DUA because in my mind they were the same fragrance, when they were so different I went and checked, thus realizing that Supernova is actually a hybrid of the Parfum & Cologne, I thought my nose was playing tricks on me! The opening is similar given the notes, the grapefruit is very present on both, however the DUA one amplifies that note (in my opinion) way more than the Montagne does, this is not a ding on DUA necessarily as the hybrid is meant to be different, just saying that the lemon does not come across the same way for me. In terms of comparing versus the original… this is where my comment on price plays a factor, the original is untouchable for me so I was not able to get even a decant!

CONCLUSION

The zesty and citrus opening of this fragrance is on a different level from any designer fragrance you can throw at it, heck, even niche frags can’t really compete, the mix of notes create a scent bubble that is unique and you will realize why Elysium is such a known and admired name. This will get noticed and even un-unitiated noses will appreciate the little intrisicancies like the grapefruit and lemon/lime notes. The drydown will envelop you on a beautiful vetiver base that will remain with you through the life of the fragrance. Should you buy it? Remember when I talked about the price difference? If you like freshies, I would say, the value per price proposition would be hard to beat if not borderline impossible, by a designer or by a niche house. If you don’t like freshies….I think you should try this, it might convert you!

Let me know your thoughts below! About Elysian and about the review!

Thanks for reading,

X.

AFTER-CONCLUSION-THOUGHT

I am a reviewer and I want to continuously grow my review catalog and I’ve realized that all my Montagne reviews are positive and I end up recommending them… I thought to myself, “X, how can you be credible if you are always recommending them?” There’s a simple answer to this….if I reviewed Guerlain, I would arguably like all of them because I like their DNA, in the case of Montagne, there’s another “easy” reason when I think about it…they smell natural! I cannot confirm that they only use naturals because I don’t work for them , I go by what they say and my nose and the truth is, when I put them on, that’s how they feel to me, that’s what my nose picks up. So, why do I recommend them? Because the fragrances (so far) are true inspirations and they smell natural, if one of those things is ever not true, I would express it, you have my word.


Get Elysian Zest here: https://www.montagneparfums.com/fragrance/elysian-zest

The 99

I recently curated my fragrance list on Fragrantica and realized that I no longer have 99 fragrances after my son took some away from me :)

What fragrance would you say I'm missing from my collection?
99BottledScents @ Fragrantica


On my short list:

1- Pour Homme by Rêveur -  Leather, Saffron and Amber? Yes please. I reviewed Ambrosial Nectar and the quality of that fragrance makes me think this is a special house.

2- Black Phantom by Killian - As part of my "inspired by" collection or the clones I own, I have Dark Knight by Alexandria Fragrances, however, I was lucky enough to try the original and I just like it more.

British Oud by DUA

British Oud by DUA, an inspired expression of Fragrance du Bois London Oud.

OPENING 

This fragrance is a mental game, it has Oud on the name…yet the liquid is clear, it has Oud on the notes yet the other notes express a fresh scent. I went in, not knowing what to expect,  the lemon and the mint dominated my first sniff, it blew my expectations out of the water, this is all fresh, not woody. After two minutes…jasmine enters the play like the soprano enters an opera, with conviction and demanding your attention. Perhaps other notes play but those are the ones I can decipher, lemon becomes richer and perhaps I can change my mind and think it’s bergamot.. Or both. It’s a fantastic complicated fresh opening comparable to none.

MID

Follows the complicated theme, notes come and go, oceanic salty notes meet nutmeg, crisp notes with cardamon to the mix. This is the kind of fragrance that is not linear, it jumps all over your senses, it’s very hard to discover but very pleasing to try to. Bergamot is there adding that crispness but the fragrance is not airy, it’s not meant to dissolve into thin air, it’s meant to choke the air with it’s presence (not a bad thing if you like fragrances that don’t disappear).

DRYDOWN

Again…same theme….complicated freshie. Agarwood does come through but not medicinal and instead it truly creates a base for the fresh notes, jasmine is still there., sea notes are more present now…salty & clean but dirty at the same time, it sits heavy for a freshie but it’s not woody or musky, it’s not “light”.  I notice lavender as well with the wood notes but again, no note truly dominates. It stays on your skin very heavy but very fresh too. Notice please how I jump from one thing to the other, that’s this fragrance in a nutshell, it triggers so many of your senses! Its not a linear progression, its a scent bubble that rotates on you.

PERFORMANCE

Perfect for a cold day, great projection and silage, the scent bubble is no joke, my wife could smell me 3 feet away.

CONCLUSION

I always thought Xerjoff’s Naxos as one of the best fresh openings, this is better for me (although it sits heavier on my skin). It’s a very complicated fragrance and I must say it’s not for the un-initiated, not because it’s challenging but because someone who isn’t into fragrances might only pick up the lemon and not really get it. Note: if you are worried about the Oud note, don’t.

Should you buy it? I think DUA did a great job, it feels well blended and the ingredients don’t invoke a sensation of chemicals….but….its a complicated scent and one that will take time and effort till you love it, if you are willing to  invest that time….get it, you will not be disappointed, if instead, you want a airy freshie that sits lightly on your skin and is simple and linear, I would skip this one.

X.

As always.... Wear it because it complements you, not because of the compliments.

Get British Oud here: https://www.dua-fragrances.com/products/british-oud?variant=30904599576655

Buko by Montagne

Quick Review: Buko, inspiration of Virgin Island Waters by Creed.

I have to disagree with many people who have talked about this in the past, this is not a coconut bomb for me, not at all. The opening is lime & bergamot sitting on a base of coconut, it’s very airy and feels very natural, it’s pleasing and easy to wear, inoffensive without being forgettable. You will not bother anyone (even if they aren’t into fragrances) while wearing this, the most common comment from the un-initiated will be “are you wearing expensive sunblock?” I like replying “Yep” :)

The drydown is white rum, coconut, jasmine, I don’t get musk myself although it’s mentioned as base notes. It’s like a Piña Colada without pineapple.  Yes, the drydown contains coconut …..but…… it’s equally important as other notes on the drydown, it does not overtake. The drydown makes me think of the beach (I’m originally from an island on the Caribbean, Puerto Rico), but it reminds of the beach not because of the coconut but because of the freshness and lightness it brings to your skin, the clean feeling you get from standing very close to the water on a windy sunny day, it reminds me of that. It’s crisp on your skin, although, I wish it created more of a scent bubble, I have to reach to smell it even with multiple sprays.

Should you get it? Being from the Caribbean, I’m biased, I like beach-reminiscent scents, they put me in a good mood upon wearing. I’ll be honest, Yes, I would say… this is blind buy worthy and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed from owning it, also, I think you’ll reach for it more than you think, at least, I do.

As always, wear it because it complements you, not because of the compliments.


X.

Get Buko here: https://www.montagneparfums.com/fragrance/buko

Eau de Montagne by Montagne

Quick Review : Eau de Montagne, an inspired expression of Creed’s Silver Mountain Waters 

OPENING

The liquid is very clear so I was expecting ultra fresh, I was expecting almost aquatic,  I got mandarines and lemons immediately and this metallic scent that I couldn’t decipher at first, then the mandarines hid and out came the green tea and it stayed on, took me a few sniffs to figure out what it was as I didn’t research this before applying, it’s a good green tea, natural and potent. The metallic scent was there and for the life of me I couldn’t figure it out, I researched, now I know it’s the black currant, it makes you think of metallic, of Silver, I get it now.

DRYDOWN 

I think it’s inoffensive, it’s a dark and complex freshie that is not woody, that’s the best way to describe it. The metal scent remains, it’s like a blade, long gone are the mandarines and lemon, it’s musky now and if there’s wood in there I can’t pick out which one it is. It does have character and presence but I don’t think this is the best scent for day to day wear, or, for blind buying. It’s definitely different and, as a collector of scents, this is important to have and experience. Important to note… The ingredients feel natural, Creed to me feels airy as I’ve said before, Eau de Montagne retains that.

PERFORMANCE

This is not beast mode projection but it has a nice scent bubble, I would say about 1/2 a foot, it’s crisp too. I don’t have to look for it on my skin, it’s there. I literally just applied it to my skin for the first time so longevity is unknown, will update once I know.

COMPARISONS 

I have the Armaf clone of SMW, there’s no comparison, Eau de Montagne smells natural and well blended, Armaf’s version smells fake and incomplete. I don’t own the original so can’t do that comparison.

CONCLUSION 

If I wasn’t a collector, I wouldn’t own this, it’s not a typical scent and I think people who aren’t into fragrances won’t understand why this exists, however, as a collector, I do get it, it’s melted snow running through mineral heavy rocks… It’s the feeling of being there surrounded by snow but water is still flowing. Creed is an inspiring house and I’m glad Montagne decided to go with natural ingredients  on this, it sits so comfortably on my skin, it complements me…and it saved me a ton of money as I don’t have to pursue the original (even if the original is better). Do I recommend it? With the caveat above, I do, specially if you like natural smelling frags.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this! Comment below and let me know if you like this or if you disagree with my assessment!


X.

Get Eau De Montagne here: https://www.montagneparfums.com/fragrance/eaudemontagne