Kuznetsky Most by Novaya Zarya ( Henry Brokar )

Grapefruit, Lemon, Blackcurrant, Cinnamon, Pineapple, Cedar, Musk.

Not long ago, I won three bottles of Novaya Zarya Colognes at auction. They were dirt cheap and between 90 to 100ml bottles. One of them was this Eau de Toilette bottle of Kuznetsky Most. The other two were "Crazy Rain" and "Casino".

I've had occasion to wear all three for full wearings and have to say that they've kind of grown on me. No, they're not sleepers that anyone needs to go hunting down, but they're a bit more enjoyable than I had anticipated them to be. For the price point and functionality ( work rotation frags ), they get the job done and are understated. These Russian masculines are just as good or possibly superior to, some of the better known el cheapos I own from the past.

At any rate, they are at least as wearable as other economical frags I have and they aren't boisterous. There's nothing worse than a drugstore type fragrance with ultra presence. They tend to be shrill and screetchy and to me, that's where those have gone wrong. I don't want the ability to detect all imperfections from 50 feet away. Flaws are acceptable in almost anything since that's just a part of life. In a fragrance, I'd prefer inherent shortcomings to be tuned and blended accordingly; this way ensuring its best foot is put forward.

Kuznetsky Most is assuredly flawed. It's also tuned politely so the imperfections aren't flaunted. It's pleasant enough and a casual aroma as well. It opens with a surprisingly nice rendition of sharp citrus, mild pepper, woods and wintry spice. This accord lasts about 5 minutes on my skin and is the best part of the wearings. It's a vibrant and uncomplicated greeting that I only wish stayed around longer.

The transition from top to heart and beyond is the appearance of a rather dense accord reminiscent of fruit and musk combined. There's a wood quality in this mix as well, but it only accents the slowly dominating musk rendition. The fruit, while not exactly a terrific facsimile of pineapple, is acceptable and gives way to the musk, by the time drydown commences.

Sillage is moderate with longevity approximately 3 to 4 hours on my skin with heavier sprays. A positive-neutral rating from Aromi for Novaya Zarya's "Kuznetsky Most" and a strong suggestion to sample before purchase.