Cuir Curcuma

As with Cedre Iris this is a great blend if not beautiful. My only issue is... Where is my leather!!! I am borderline obsessive with leather accords in perfumes of all kinds because the scent of leather can only be recreated synthetically therefore a challenge to perfumers and interpreted differently in all perfumes. Leather is one of my favorite notes, and I just had to get my nose on this one. Unfortunately, for my expectations of what leather should be in perfume, this one is a hustle and just past the bounds of what I am willing to accept as "Leather". For Cuir Curcuma to be promising a prominent leather note, or more fashionably - cuir -, especially as the first word in its name it does not properly deliver and I am somewhat underwhelmed. This is more acceptably an Iris Curcuma or maybe a Vegan Suede Curcuma as it smells more rooty, powdery, vegetal and earthy than a true, smokey, bloody, gamey Leather should smell. As underwhelming as Cuir Curcuma was in the Leather department, the "Curcuma" or turmeric part is quite photorealistic and a disarming surprise. If anything I would say Cuir Curcuma is first and foremost a lactonic and spicy rhizome forward composition and I enjoy it immensely for that reason alone. Cuir Curcuma goes on spicy and earthy in the beginning teasing a sort of vegan suede but fails to fully commit and quickly dries to its next phase that posess creamy, rooty and woody, mildly spicy, lactonic properties from turmeric/curcuma and sandalwood with earthiness exagerated by patchouli and made sweet by a glassy and crystalized textured benzoin. This fragrance is described by the brand to represent the scent of the Indian beverage Haldi Doodh (Golden Milk) the "Turmeric Chai" in the United States or "Golden Milk" as it is colloquially referred to by english speaking Indians and those in the UK. It is culturally a medicinal drink and horticulture remedy said to regulate and improve the body's immunization. It is also used as an anti-inflammatory, and is usually made with turmeric and cow's milk. Cuir Curcuma is extremely spot on with the scent of the turmeric rhizome as well as the lactonic scent of sweetened milk. It also succeeds at making the scent of this drink wearable. I am actually quite impressed. As metioned in my review of Godet's Calme Volupté which also uses a sizable dose of turmeric, I tend to drink turmeric tea on occasion and I am content in my familiarity with its profile. This fragrance is a good addition to my record of perfumes that gracefully use the unique note of turmeric. I have not smelled a bad turmeric perfume yet. Unfortunately where Cuir Curcuma falls short once again is that in this stage of the beautiful earthy, and sweet lactonic medley I notice a slightly discordant plasticky and metallic "designer" accord peeking its head. Sandalwood is also an ingredient I obsess over and I can tell from experience this screechiness is caused by the sandalwood note because sometimes natural sandalwood oils can develop a slightly hot-iron, and medicinal animalic facet that could screech quite annoyingly when blended with some spicy notes (cumin, blackpepper, eucalyptus). This facet can also be coming from the combined use of iris and tumeric both of which posses warm metallic nuances especially as a result of the amount of both in the formula. Tumeric moreso because of its spiciness. That is what is happening with the sandalwood and spicy turmeric, and it makes the composition smell a tad synthetic - even though it is not - and less believable, landing it in commercial niche territory once again. So in my opinion based on this flaw in execution as well as not finding the leather I was promised the price to me is not justified, "There is always a serpent in paradise"... The metallic screech in Cuir Curcuma is a little more loud than the "white-noise" screech in Cedre Iris so for me this fragrance sits slightly below my favorites in the line. I would have disregarded the absent leather to my nose in Cuir Curcuma if the sandalwood addition was treated better and less sharp but alas that is just my preference. This is by no means an invalid of a perfume in fact it is blended with much skill and much better than something from the synthetic hell of Ormonde Jayne for example. Cuir Curcuma has great wear length on me, longer than Cedre Iris and has polite sillage. It is in my opinion unisex. Although far from perfect in my opinion, I love the artistic concept behind this perfume and how it was ultimately able to achieve such a smell of Haldi Doodh or a photorealistic turmeric tea and give it an aesthetically French fashionability using only base-notes. I love it because it is an approachable profile and smells quite fine and innovative! I also must confess while wearing, some facet of this perfume was reminding me of something I can't quite recall from my past. Maybe a good smelling family member or friend... hmmm🤔 . I really enjoy the smell ultimately as an approachable signature work-horse, and I will consider a discounted purchase. I sincerely suggest trying Cuir Curcuma out! 8.5/10

Oh my sweet lord! This is absolutely gorgeous! I can't say that I've said that about a perfume in ages but there, I said it. I really like this brand, despite the prohibitive price tag and luxury veneer at first glance. In fairness though I think the natural materials used shine with a brilliance and clarity, and the cofferette presentation is very nice to be fair, so it's not like you're being cheated, I just can't afford them and I'm bitter hahah. Although another plus about this brand, they now offer smaller bottles, and this and the Ambergris one are so mind-alteringly good, that I will have to get them at some point when I'm flush. So this to me, smells much more like a creamy musky, sandalwood with gorgeous irone accents, rather than a straight up Iris or orris root perfume. It has a powdery, fruity top note and evokes DK Cashmere/Fuel for Men, Santal Carmin but it's frankly better than all of those. This is due to the fact it's soooooo thick and dense and voluminous as are everything in this basenote only line. The difference from a mere comforting sandalwood/musk type scent is the fact that it evokes leather quite bloody well, and avoids the usual cliches of known bases like Suederal (even though it's glorious) or the floral 'leather' of a cuir de Russie or the modern leathers with spiky IBQ, or even a really orris laden or cosmetic smelling leather, this seems to achieve something adjacent to these. It stays close to the skin but wears relentlessly and is so beautiful, it's an absolute delight, I'm as intrigued about this as I was with Musk Ambergris one, except this is less bizarro.

OMG OMG OMG OMG!!! Can’t think of anything better for a cold season. But for the charming shop assistant I would have never touched the mono-theme (and yes this brand is a one note/theme - no transformation of notes into anything different over hours whatsoever) having leather in its tittle. The brand has actually brought 5 or 6 fragrances that have base notes as the mono themes - correct - there are no top neither heart notes here... it grabs you straight by the”base” so to say (pardon my rogue humour).... but the fragrance so very addictive and warm, no harshness or unnecessary cloying sweetness here: just a perfectly rounded , no headache enducing mix . The last time the fragrance had a similar effect on me (not just “cute” “I don’t mind” it effect) was Ambre Narguile (Hermessense) : the same perfection of blend, and magnetic warmth ... definitely a keeper, definitely expensive but definitely worth it! And not to mention the posh packaging... sublime creation.

#1320 in my "Tour de Fragrance" Got this as a decant. This is another great, kinda old-school, masculine-leaning Affinessence Paris scent, one that I think most everyone will enjoy. With the myrhh and orris it falls somewhere between Amouage "Interlude Black Iris" and original "Aramis Cologne." And the price is not bad. While I don't usually think of incense scents as business wear, this would work. It's pretty versatile, especially for cold weather use. Acceptable longevity and sillage, but not overwhelming, as long as you don't overspray it. You could easily make any scent like this discomfiting to yourself and those around you if you do more than a spritz or two. In general, I think it's wise to get a sample of any scents that go for for over $100 before getting a full bottle. Especially myrhh scents, but I'm in for a bottle of this.

This is nice perfume, but nothing as astounding as I'd have thought reading the gushing reviews here. It's not leather, it's orris and sandalwood, and of course lacks top notes and is totally linear, which I guess is deliberate. The quality, concept, packaging and performance are worthy of perhaps 150 euros MAX for 100ml. The price as it stands is farcical. But then someone must be paying it. If you want a truly beautiful suedey leather that costs a lot less than this try Clean Suede, which accomplishes this idea more successfully/less boringly. The brand falsely claims on the packaging that this is the first perfume to contain turmeric. Erm, no. 8 88 was released ten years before Cuir Curcuma. It must be said that this perfume starts to smell very similar to Cèdre Iris from the same brand before long.