Center of the Universe

God I love this one. I ordered the Curious Oddities sample pack from Alkemia a while ago, along with a few others, and this was the first scent I tried. It was everything the card's description promised, and I was intrigued. How on earth had she bottled the smell of ozone, hot metal, and gunpowder? How did such strange scents mingle so well with sharp raspberry and rum? I'm convinced that the almond is the bridge; a little liqueur-like, a little bitter, the binding tie between fruity rum and heavy machinery. Overall, the effect is incredible. The only flaw in Center of the Universe is the lack of projection, because this is a scent I want to jump off my skin. Maybe I would have better luck with their Ultime? I'm sure I'll burn through my current rollerball soon enough to give me an excuse to find out.

This is a very interesting scent. The first thing that hits is the raspberries, and then you are overtake with synthetic notes. It smells like ozone, fresh almond cookies, and alcohol (the rum, I guess), all at once, creating the overall effect of pure energy and fuel. If I could imagine a smell for "electricity," this is what it would smell like. It's kind of sexy and exciting smelling, but also a bit strong and strange to wear on a regular basis. I love the concept, and the execution as well.

This is so unique! It just might be a love, but I'm still testing. It's a sample. It's been resting from it's most recent flight for about 3 weeks. Raspberry is certainly the most dominant. I am trying to get more almond, but will try to detect that later when I test it again. It's bordering on love for me. Not sure I'll buy a bottle any time soon, but I think that I like it's originality. I'll update this review if it changes with age.

I was very excited to try this and it did not let me down. I'm not usually a fan of fruity scents, but this is the exception. It starts out sharply sour with the fruitiness of the raspberry and a slight sweetness that reminds me of cantaloupe. As it dries though, it gets softer and muskier. If you are familiar with Serge Lutern's Dent de Lait, it's got a similar metallic twinge. Very strange, but amazing nonetheless.

I am completely new to perfume, but I got the Curious Oddities pack as a gift to myself for Christmas since I was so intrigued by its offerings. This was the one I was most excited to try, and so far it is the most nuanced and interesting (yay)! Uncorking the sample, the raspberry and rum were strong, but on my wrist, the ozone notes come out more. I still occasionally smell something fruity or boozy, but it's constantly shifting when I try to pin it. It is a little medicinal, but I think I like it. I'll have to try it again in summer and see if that boosts the warmer scents.

When I first smelled Center of the Universe I was trying to pinpoint what it smelled like because it seemed so familiar. I then realized it's the smell of my shaving cream, which is also raspberry-scented. It's pleasant but nothing crazy. I'm definitely picking up on the raspberries, but I'm also mildly getting the metallic notes/rum. I like it but I was expecting something a little more weird or experimental-smelling.

I’ve smelled this same sharply metallic raspberry before, but I can’t immediately pinpoint it. I actually like it far better--that is to say, I no longer want to scrub it off--as it starts to dry down. The rum and almond notes that almost make it too sweet in the opening fade substantially, and allow a really “fresh” (ozonic?) metal/charcoal accord to enter. I wore it with Alkemia’s Perfume Fixative, and with the booster, longevity is on the longer side of moderate, fading away right around the 6 hour mark. It’s weird, wacky, and like @somefire mentioned, perhaps Alkemia did indeed “exactly what they set out to do with this one”. As much as I love sci-fi in my entertainment, I think my taste in fragrance is quite the opposite--I prefer to smell more like a centuries old forest hag than a cyborg in space. At first, I told myself I’d wear it again to finish out my little sample vial, but I don’t think I will. I’d rather add it to my swap eveners and let one of my swap partners experience this oddity for themselves.

Small niche fragrances are interesting to me. I enjoy the idea of creating a vibe, or evoking nostalgia. I like to read at night with dusty library scents. Sometimes I don’t “get” them though. This is one of those times. My notes for this fragrance: Wow. A lot going on here. Rose. Fruity rose. A bit synthetic. Cedar. Great sillage. Didn’t get the rest. 2nd trial (more focused): Opening very metallic. Can almost taste the gum wrapper in my mouth. I get the idea of ozone too. A weird buzz in the air vibe. Then rose. 3rd: It’s an odd one. I get the fruity opening. Then it’s just sort of an odd blur of off scents. Maybe burned cookies. Not horrible. Just weird. Not sure why I’d want to wear this? Made for someone comforted by roses on the counter and burning chocolate chip cookies on an aluminum pan? Maybe their mom didn’t bake well?

Light and transparent, but I don't feel anything beyond the raspberry and minor cool metal/ozone hints. The actual "center" isn't there for me.

Woahhh! Upon initial application, this smells crazy! Metallic, synthetic, chemical, vaguely sweet, cold. It make me cough and sneeze (for a second.) It's not like anything I've ever smelled before. It dries down fairly quickly into a plasticky, ozonic, charred raspberry. I don't like it, and never want to wear this again--my favorite fragrances smell like sugar, cumin, and/or white flowers...this is pretty much the opposite of that. But it's so *interesting*! This is an extroverted fragrance for introverts. A strong, long-lasting, decent sillage perfume for robots and cyborgs. Imagine the opposite of (what we typically think of as) sexy. This smells vast and endless and mysterious and cold and mean and weird. I think Alkemia did exactly what they set out to do with this one!

I was excited to try it because the components sound so interesting, but on me it smells exactly like the light pink soap they use at gas stations

i’m a big fan of alkemia but this one smells so much like a public rest stop on me unfortunately

fruity, boozy, sweet and a bit minerally. at first whiff I get the raspberries, rum and burnt almond cookies in that order. as it dries down there's more of the metallic/ozonic. sillage is intimate and longevity is weak. definitely an oddity.