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

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...

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...

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...

Il Mondo di Odore

Search This Blog