Skip to main content

White Sea by Martine Micallef

Lemon, Bergamot, Rosemary, Lavender, Patchouli, Geranium, Ambergris, Iris, Musk.

Martine Micallef's White Sea possesses a seriously good opening accord of Citrus and spicy Lavender. While this quickly dissipating accord envelopes you immediately after application, the Iris note is already swimming to the surface for a breath of air. Like Yellow Sea, the construction is on the dense side and makes me feel like I'm wearing something well made. Most of Martine Micallef's creations are, in fact, well made and off the beaten path. That's a good thing, but the marketing is another ball game altogether. It's like professional parfumeurs make something of substance, then relinquish it into the hands of amateurs for sale to the public.

White Sea doesn't remind me of the "sea", nor does it bring up images of seashores, wooden decks and the smell of brine. Personally, I could care less if a name doesn't correspond with the aroma. White Sea happens to be a very nice scent that's marketed to Men, but I think it's way more versatile than that. It's a two stage, spicy citric-lavender that eventually succumbs to the ever striving Iris. There's accents of earth tones and Geranium and they're tuned intelligently.

White Sea also isn't boisterous.Projection is moderate after 5 minutes or so, with longevity approximately 4 hours on me before morphing into a skin scent. There's subtle resin in the background during the base and drydown, but the Iris is the star here. Thumbs up from Aromi for Micallef's White Sea and as always, a sample wear is recommended before purchase.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

DK Men by Donna Karan

Citrus, Juniper, Pineapple. Ambergris, Almond. Sandalwood, Lavender, Musk. I felt compelled to revisit DK Men ( Fuel for Men ) after perusing through some older samples and then reading my previous review from 2009. Wearing DK Men again has caused me to revise my original post. I liked it three years ago and have a new found appreciation for this extremely smooth fragrance. My perception of it has changed slightly, but my opinion is still extremely favorable. This time around, I get less of a petrol vibe and much more of a fruit and suede theme. The pineapple note is integrated so well that I am surprised I couldn't previously esteem its deft implementation like I can now. The magic of DK Men is in the blending of chosen notes. The citric opening is very good indeed in spite of its quick dissipation. The pineapple and amber quickly pick up the slack. They are rich, full bodied and manage to keep a respectable presence while offending no one. The volume is intelligent. ...

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...

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...