Cruel Intentions Tempt Me by Kilian

Upon application of Cruel Intentions, I was astounded at the uniqueness of the top accord. A wave of citrus, orange blossom and violet fighting for their 15 minutes of fame ( okay....in this case 3 minutes ). Take note however that it was a terrific 3 minutes and I had to go smoke a cigarette before the heart accord showed up.

Ten minutes into the wearing, I am compelled to do a side by side with vintage M7. However, I am getting ahead of myself, so allow me to backpeddle a little.

Once the opening settles, the onset of a very low register rose note enters the picture. It's actually fabulous smelling, but I have to put my nose almost to the skin in order to experience it. The farther away I smell, the more musky wood I detect. The closer I get, that rose note is kickin ass and taking names.

The agarwood implemented here is executed in almost the same fashion as M7. That's what prompted me to do a side by side. Ten minutes into the wearing, M7 could be a flanker of Cruel Intentions or the other way around. It isn't important, but I felt obligated to bring it up. Cruel Intentions has more transitions and is a richer fragrance, but the similarity doesn't go unnoticed.

As Cruel Intentions gets in the base accord, the musk becomes more evident and the rose ( which I loved ) is all but a shadow. Balsamic notes intermingle with the musky wood and the agarwood note is front and center, but at a respectable volume. It's slightly cherry and medicinal and not as extroverted as it is in M7. Cruel Intentions never gets animalic on me despite the castoreum and musk. It's more rounded and nowhere near as edgy as these notes can sometimes be. It becomes sexy instead of feral.

This particular release has me continually sniffing and it's the combination of agarwood, castoreum and musk that I'm enamored with. The transitions were very enjoyable in Cruel Intentions, but we all know the base is what we have to live with for hours. After wearing this several times, I can assure you I can live with this no problem.

In spite of the price point being prohibitive, I have to give a thumbs up for Cruel Intentions Tempt Me by Kilian. It's simply too damn good not to.