Bois 1920 Come La Luna

Sicilian Mandarin, Sicilian sweet Orange, Rose Wood, Pink Pepper, Coriander, Indonesian Patchouli, Cedar, Amber and Incense.

The very first thing I noticed about Come La Luna was the retro opening of citrus. This top could have been on any number of classic feminines. It's one of those accords that you can literally taste in your throat and it doesn't take much of this to get noticed. Over apply this one and you will be noticed on the lunar surface. I'm not badmouthing here, just giving a heads up that Come La Luna is no lightweight and if you have issues with sillage and longevity, pull the trigger on a sample of this. Your worries may be over.

I always enjoy citrus implementations and especially notes such as mandarin and tangerine. I cannot say that I like the rendition here in Come La Luna. It smells brash and synthetic to me. It's also tuned too loud for my taste, but others may have a different opinion of the opening.

The Pink Pepper is also a bit abrasive, so I guess it's safe to say that the intro isn't winning me over. After 15 minutes and the scent settles down some, I like it a bit better. The citrus now has shed the heaviness that bogged it down and the spice has eliminated the caustic aspect it possessed in the beginning. Come La Luna is still strong, but the combination of the notes dissipating and olfactory fatigue permit me to move along in the wearing.

The transition to the base accord reveals an earthiness compliments of the patchouli-amber duo. There's also a wood component arriving at about the same time, but it doesn't resemble rosewood to me. If anything, it's a shadowy cedar note and these new arrivals salvage the wearing. Up until now, it hasn't been that great a ride.

Extended drydown produces a more interactive, resinous amber. That along with the subtle incense is a nice touch. Other than that, I have to give Come La Luna a neutral rating. Sillage and longevity are very good, but I have to love what I'm smelling in order for those things to be an asset.

Comments

Oriental Lounge by The Different Company

Bergamot, Curry Leaf, Pepper, Red Rose, Tonka Bean, Labdanum, Satinwood. I suppose the first thing I noticed about Oriental Lounge is that as a man, this is a bit of a stretch to pull off. Since the core of Oriental Lounge is a powdery tonka and amber duo, it really does lean a bit too far feminine for me to wear. However, it would smell just as lovely on a woman and more appropriate as well. I bring this up simply because it's marketed as shared. I was wondering about the curry leaf. Actually, this "note" brought nothing to the table with the exception of possibly enhancing the pepper note just a bit. Even so, the pepper note itself was low key ( at least on me ) and both blended nicely with the citrus opening. From the onset of Oriental Lounge, it's unmistakable that this fragrance is.......well.....an oriental. From other opinions, I read some gripes about longevity, but it lasts on me quite awhile. This fragrance is uncomplicated and without much movemen...

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

Paco Rabanne Pour Homme

I am reviewing the original Paco Rabanne Pour Homme ( circa 1973 ) thanks to a generous basenoter who sent it to me recently in a swap. He also sent me the current formulation in order for me to do a side by side comparison. The side by side resulted in what I had already imagined would be the case. Not that the newer formula is terrible by any means. The original version simply is better by being deeper and a bit more masculine. No......you shouldn't go to ebay searching for the vintage formula and paying stupid prices. It's simply a notch or two better than the current and noticeable by comparing the two in real time. Rabanne Pour Homme opens with a slight shimmer in conjunction with lavender, spices and a subtle woodiness. It's an old school introduction, however a good one. The lavender takes about 5 minutes to raise its volume and evolve into a soapy rendition. I dislike when a boatload of soapy lavender takes over a composition, but here it doesn't go over t...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog