Bond-T by Giovanni Sammarco

Cocoa, Castoreum, Patchouli, Tonka, Vanilla. Osmanthus.

Giovanni Sammarco is a relative newcomer in the artisan perfume market. By newcomer I mean 2012 going into 2013. He is part of a slowly emerging group of independent perfumers that create substantial fragrances and ones that you won't find mass produced or marketed. Bond-T is the only one if his line I've tried so far, but it has the DNA and tenacity you'd expect from high concentrations and the use of numerous absolutes.

So far, I've worn Bond-T a number of times and have no problem stating that, at least for me, this is a fall-winter scent. It has gravitas and disdains conventional "transitions" as most artisan scents I've sampled seem to have in common. What's conceded in the top-to-heart-to-base and beyond is made up for with substance and longevity.

Bond-T is one of those scents that will envelope you in a shroud of aroma and still be detectable the next day. Fragrances made in this fashion, with ingredients of this nature are an acceptable trade off if you ask me. The trick lies in the "application".

First, allow me to say I experience the "suggestion" of an intermittent and wispy cherry tobacco. I don't mean smoke or outright tabac. Surrounding this phantom is a pungent and dusty cocoa and earthy woods. The listed Castoreum reacts, on me at least, as a subtle animalic as opposed to a leathery quality. You may perhaps experience something a bit different.

The blueprint in this accord is something I've encountered before in a Slumberhouse and Lutens creation. Bond-T has its own fingerprint however and gives its own spin on something done before. Osmanthus will evoke plummy raisin to some, yet the rendition here is responsible for my smelling a soft cherry-tabac as it plays off the other culprits.

Overall, Bond-T is a straightforward and linear semi- gourmand that highlights cocoa, woods, earth tones and hints of tobacco. Sillage is very good and gives the envelope effect for quite some time. Longevity is also impressive and can be easily detected 24 hours later. Thumbs up from Aromi for Giovanni Sammarco's Bond-T and as always, a sample wear is highly recommended.

Comments

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...

Chanel copying Guerlain. Why?

Last month, I had the pleasure of trying Comète by Chanel, the latest addition to their prestigious Les Exclusifs line. This fragrance follows the release of Le Lion in 2020, another standout in the same collection. Like Le Lion , Comète is a beautiful perfume that captures the essence of Chanel’s refined elegance. However, both fragrances bear a striking resemblance to classic creations by Guerlain, leading me to ponder the direction Chanel is taking. Chanel has a great fragrance history. Not as hallowed and old as Guerlain but for past three decades it has far outshone Guerlain. In my view, no other perfume house has come close to Chanel’s excellence in this century. This makes their recent approach of echoing Guerlain classics somewhat perplexing. Have they run out of fresh ideas? Is Roger Dove at the helm of their fragrance division, or have they perhaps...

La Chasse Aux Papillons Extreme by L'Artisan Parfumeur

I read many reviews before or after I do my own and I seem to be at complete odds with the house of L'Artisan. I have previously said on basenotes that for me, L'Artisan Parfumeur is the most over-rated house I have come across. La Chasse Aux Papillons Extreme does nothing to sway that opinion. Yet another linear, floral dominant scent that does nothing to stir me up or inspire me in any way. This house has "pleasant" nailed down to an art form......but damn...can't we go beyond that? The only attempt at polarization so far has been Dzongkha ....and I found it a jumbled mess. At these prices, move me, anger me, hate me.......but please don't bore me. Extreme in a nutshell is a toned down tuberose with assorted "blossom" thrown in the mix. Is it bad? No, it's an acceptable floral scent that's very timid and just lays on my skin smelling like....well....a toned down version of tuberose with blossom this or that added to it. I'm almost a...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog