Skip to main content

Akkad by Lubin

Mandarin, Bergamot, Clary Sage, Cardamom, Elemi, Frankincense, Styrax, Amber, Cistus-Labdanum, Vanilla, Patchouli.

Can you say smooth? Well, I can say it, but I'd prefer to wear it. Sleek and somewhat soothing, Akkad by Lubin opens with a rich accord of soft spices, subtle citrus and a balsamic, but mellow amber. Akkad  manages to be full bodied and dense while maintaining a very controlled presence. The amber in the top accord is a precursor to an excellent Labdanum yet to come. A sweet and resinous amber incrementally gains prominence the longer Akkad lives on the skin. It doesn't take one long to realize that Akkad's nature consists of soft smoke, resins, spice and balsam encapsulated in Labdanum.

I wouldn't go as far to say that Akkad embodies an animalic vibe, but it suggests it during the heart stage. I get periodic whiffs that resemble something a tad feral, but it vanishes before I can get a bead on it.

Come base and drydown, Akkad develops a dusty powder that augments the now softening spices and resins. The oriental character of Akkad is now in full view and I must say the tuning of Amber and Vanilla is rather well done. Even at this stage of development, the richness is still present and accounted for. Akkad remains more Labdanum-dominant on me, but that's not to say that you wouldn't recognize something a bit different playing out on your skin.

Sillage is near perfect and longevity is approximately 6 hours before dissipating into a close scent. As a fan of spicy orientals, Akkad by Lubin gets a big thumbs up from Aromi. As always, a sample wear is recommended.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Newport by Caswell Massey

Bergamot, Mandarin, Lemon, Lavender, Geranium, Muguet, Rose, Ambergris, Cedar, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Musk. After wearing Newport by Caswell Massey a few times and then reading what others had to say about this recent formulation, I found some of the opinions harsh. I have no way to compare it to the heralded vintage formula, nor can I use memory as I've never tried the original. Enter the current version. I do agree with some reviews that this rendition does not bring about the sense of beach and salt, but there's a long line of fragrances that fail to represent their depictions. However, Newport isn't so far off the mark that it's a complete misrepresentation. I can imagine wearing Newport ( or something similar ) in a beach setting. It smells classic due to the way Citrus, Lavender and Geranium are implemented. It's assuredly retro, but it seems to have that intangible I like that keeps me sniffing. Newport, at least on my skin, is top heavy in the sens...

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...

Lanvin L'Homme

Lord knows the world has enough fresh woody citrus fragrances.  It's a hackneyed genre of masculine perfume, having been done to death by countless designer firms cranking these things out since the 1990s, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.  Lanvin L'Homme, released in 1997, is one of the early woody citrus releases, but it (along with Essenza di Zegna) stands out because it's one of the best.  That may sound like it's not saying much, but Lanvin L'Homme really is excellent. I won't get into a long treatise about all of the notes contained in this and how they evolve.  Lanvin L'Homme is sparkling, spicy, woody, transparent and dry.  What I love about this scent is how brilliantly it uses vetiver - the vetiver gives Lanvin L'Homme a woody, dry and somewhat bitter smell, but it also manages to create an effect of sustaining the citrus top notes for several hours.  This results in a fragrance that smells fresh and cheerful from beginning ...