Vi Et Armis

At the beginning, the top notes are sharp and aggressive, with the aroma of smoky Lapsang Souchong tea, spices, and tobacco enveloping you, as if you've stepped onto a ship emanating a strong tar scent. The thick air and swaying deck create a lively atmosphere, where sailors playfully curse and blow smoke rings in your face, carrying the scent of sweet, citrusy whiskey.It's a celebration of the age of maritime exploration, marked by plunder, colonization, trade, and the exhilaration of unrestrained freedom. ⚓️ The middle notes feature ylang-ylang and opium, weaving through the fragrance like smoke in a ship's cabin, reminiscent of smoking opium and the lingering, intoxicating scent of the unbreakable haze. The unique scent of birchwood blends with other woody notes, evoking a sense of aged leather with subtle hints of sweetness and acidity, possibly derived from tobacco, caramel, and amber, adding complexity and depth to the fragrance. As a result, the dry down is slightly bitter and smoky, dominated by long-lasting incense and smoldering woods, with a touch of coolness. It's like slowly burning damp wood, until the sturdy ship fades away, signifying the end of an empire where the sun never sets. BeauFort truly encapsulates history in a bottle. However, the original name "East India" gives a more intuitive understanding of the perfumer's intended background. ⚓️ Overall, the fragrance structure is rich, intriguing, and delicate. It captures the chaos within the bottle, with a penetrating oppressive force and impact that paradoxically brings a sense of tranquility. As described in historical documents: "The initial consumption of opium causes dizziness and nausea, but subsequently triggers a pleasurable hallucinatory sensation." I enjoy spraying it on my pillow and indulging in its addictive aroma. ⚓️ The character associated with this fragrance is someone in their 30s, wearing a well-fitted leather jacket, sitting alone at a cigar bar, occasionally engaging in casual conversation with the bartender. The first impression of him is that he is unapproachable and challenging, and "I knew you were trouble." When you strike up a conversation with him, he listens to you while holding a cigar between his fingers, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. That smile feels more than just wickedness; it exudes a seductive and unrestrained allure, a subtle malevolence. He is well aware of his charm. Evil originates from succumbing to temptation. Scent 9/10 (Fragrance may vary based on personal preferences and experiences) Longevity 10/10 Sillage 9/10 Instagram:@desireandmemory_cabinet

Wow Wow Wow! I was not prepared for this. The power, the realism and the spectacular scent. This is not a fragrance you wear to blend in or to stand out. This is what you wear to enter a room with a "superhero landing". EVERYONE will notice you, good or bad. Heavy tobacco, wet and rich. Heavy birch tar, smokey and dense. A brilliant oud bringing balsamic thick wood. Whiskey sweetening and giving the fragrance allure and body. An incense that almost scrapes the nose and "saltens" the air. There is some hints of Tea, peper. But if i didn't see the note list, i don't think i'd pick it up. I can't really find the cardamom, and i have no idea what opium smells like. The quality, artistry, note and accord choice, and blending is flawless. It opens with a strong punch to the nose and an overpowering strength. DO NOT OVERSPRAY! One i'd happily wear in the heart of winter, or even late fall. It's warm and comforting in a way, and at the same time intimidating and hostile. I can barely make up or down of what my emotional responses are. But, i know beyond a doubt that i Love it. Where: That's a hard question to answer. If you're a bold man with a dominant personality, i'd say this could be a signature scent for winter. But for most people, this is a fragrance to be treasured and worn on special ocations. NOT office friendly. Outdoor wear preferably. When: Fall and winter. If you have long winters, like my fellow northern hemisphere'rs it could work for early spring too. Who: Men. Grown up men. This is no kids toy. This is not going to please the young crowd. If you want "Rabanne" and "Chanel" look elsewhere. I see a lot of kids commenting here, and hating it. They're not the target audience. And i don't think this would work well on a woman. Personal opinion. Personal score: 9.5/10. For what it is, it's almost flawless. All in all, i'm Completely blown away. I got an official sample of the whole "Come Hell or High Water" series, and i can't wait to explore the rest of the series. This is on my "to buy" list for the coming winter.

Bought a tester of this at a good price, mainly because of the number of votes saying it reminds people of Silver Oud, which is one of the greatest fragrances I’ve ever smelled but rather out of my price range. I’m sad to report that this doesn’t remind me of Silver Oud whatsoever. I don’t get much wood or Oud here (the Amouage is a glorious, powerful, woody, animalic oud beast to my nose). If anything, this remind me more of Interlude/interlude black iris from Amouage. I get cardamom, some sweetness, a little gunpowder, a hint of booziness, all behind the shadow of an overpowering bitterness. I get the comparison to old, over-steeped tea. It’s weird, and I can’t decide if it smells good or not. Seems to smell quite different close to skin than it does wafting around. The scent trail is at least much better than the up close experience. I normally wear whatever I want, and spray liberally, bystanders/co-workers be damned... but with this one I am actually thinking about how other people would perceive it. I think most people would just be confused/thrown for a loop, and not really realize it’s a perfume that one chose to wear. On clothing/bedding I mainly get just a smoked tea scent which is really really nice. Upon further wearing, I have either fallen in love with or become addicted to the scent. The opening is still rather jarring, but the dry down is just gorgeous. I find myself over spraying and re-applying throughout the day. Once you get past that opening, it’s really not an overly challenging scent and is one of the more wearable smoky scents I have came across (similar to Targa by blackbird in that regard). Some other review said it was like a drug, and I couldn’t agree more... it feels dirty/wrong, but yet I crave it over all other scents I own. The backstory/inspiration of the scent seems very similar to Arquiste Nanban (old timey cargo ships carrying exotic goods/spices from the Indies), but while I couldn’t get on with Nanban, I find this one to be simply stunning.

This is truly SOMETHING. I don’t want to describe the scent because, in general, I’m not good at that - just look at the accords, and you’ll know the style. However, you can't be prepared for this, I'm sure you'll be surprised. And I can't tell you whether it'll be in a good or bad way. Depends on who you are 😎 What I want to describe are my feelings towards it. I don’t wear fragrances just because I like them, but also because I consciously shape the atmosphere I want to create around me - I believe you feel it the same way. So far, I haven’t found a use for this one. When I discussed it with a perfumer’s nose, he said - imagine sitting with one or two friends, each in your own large leather armchair (you know, those with studs, where when you sit, your forearms are resting high on the wide armrests), in a dark bar with intimate lighting. Jazz music is playing in the background and you are drinking whiskey or brandy, smoking big cigars and you’re wearing this fragrance. Yes, I can imagine that and for that occasion I might choose to wear it. It’s very provocative. Whether you love it or find it disgusting, I believe that the first time you smell it on someone, the first thought that will come to your mind is, "What the hell is that?". The power is incredible in terms of projection as well as in creating atmosphere. It’s unlike anything I’ve encountered before... for me it’s completely unique, one of kind. Is it a safe blind buy? If you're looking for something incredibly strong, fascinating, provocative, impressive, hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighly polarizing, grandious, unique, in the style of this accord pyramid - something that will amaze and catch people's attention, some in a positive, but most in a negative way and turn you into a mysterious figure to strangers, then YES, you have to have it 😃😎😃 I love it, but I don ́t wear it...

I've been wearing this scent for a few days and absolutely love it; It hits you hard in the opening with an overpowering (in a good way) smell of peppery gunpowder with the lapsang souchong tea accord present in the background. Over an hour or so, the heavy smokiness mellows, revealing the beautiful smoky tea with a natural herby, slightly medicinal sweetness holding it together - perhaps the tobacco, opium and the whiskey accord. It's addicting to smell. I've been a bit mad and have worn this during the day (4 sprays) in the hot weather, but the first 2-3 hours I'm driving alone anyway. I think it's on par with Sauvage Elixir realm in terms of strength and longevity. Lasts an easy 8 hours and projects well when you're moving about. I think it would sit more flat if you're idle as it behaves more like a parfum. I think it's definitely a night time, fall/winter scent, not office safe. The closest scent I can compare it to is T-Rex by Zoologist. I'd say this is a slightly easier, more pleasant wear, wheras T-Rex has a more abrasive, harsh green burnt smoke constant through most of it's life. I think the tea accord in Vi Et Armis gives it a less challenging dry down. Although it still wouldn't be for everyone, it's still quite a heavy smoky fragrance. I like the history that Vi Et Armis has been inspired by (East India Company) and I think it captures the mood of that period of time well. Rating: 9.5/10 - My only drawback is I wish the opening lasted longer, but the drydown is amazing so I'm not that fussed.