Academy of Pleasure

I ordered Academy of Pleasure as a Sample, and I let it sit for awhile before trying it. In the bottle, it definitely smells almost astringent and masculine. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it on my skin. This the citrus and cedar wood come through brightly but well balanced initially, then as it dries down the suede notes really come through and the citrus drifts around throughout. After about 2 hours, this sits very close to the skin on me with little projection. Nice clean scent. May be slightly too masculine for those who really prefer gourmand and fruity perfumes, but I feel like it works well with my skin chemistry to create a nice mellow citrus forward aura.

A lot going on here. Too much? Perhaps that leaves much to discover on multiple trials. For me, it was a bit incongruent. Bright opening. Citrus. Laundry sheets. Then comes a boozy, amber, suede and warmer heavy dry down. Kind of like a metal song with an acoustic intro. Tried it a few times and just not for me. First trial I only got a couple hours out of it. Second 3-4.

Reminds me of fabric softener, without any of the other notes (no coffee, booze, tobacco, or cardamom). Less an academy of pleasure and more an academy of learning to do hospital corners.

I received a sample of this and whilst not for me, I know exactly whom I am giving this to. He is a male friend, who is multi-lingual, highly educated and not at all pretentious. I feel this fragrance will give him a dirty and decadent edge. It smells polite yet with a filthy undertone that weaves in and out keeping your attention. The linen should not work with this boozy and tobacco scent but it does by ever so gently wafting by you leaving you confused if you should be in bed or sitting down for dinner. This is a clever scent but not for everyone.