Complex

¡Wow wow wow! I got a medium-sized decant thinking I would not be able to handle this. Many reviews here and there warn of the worst nightmares when applying Complex on skin. In my case, I don't know whether it comes from having already smelled more than 1000 fragrances or this may have been reformulated but I didn't find any monster behind and I am totally smitten. I generally dislike animalic scents but here there's so much more than that... First, I mentally link this to other 2 Boadiceas (Explorer and Invigorating) as I feel the 3 are loud fragrances, chaotic and too "in your face" with resins, herbs and archaic feel, but it is in Complex that such mess smells wonderful and highly wearable. A grand start of green rainforest, comprising the smell of animals, flowers and leaves takes your olfactory sense by assault. Immediately after, a gorgeous mix of overripe lemon (close to yuzu here) mixed with herbs (I feel mate but could be some other), some leather and a cloud of resins work altogether in a similar way as Figment man, making you feel surrounded by a decaying forest where some wild animal could jump over you at any moment. It is very sexy and easy to wear as it develops on a safe line where no wild note screams over the rest. It gets slightly sweeter by the drydown (imagine a daring, 20 years younger cousin of Duel) and it stays and stays for ages. I am very surprised no one seems to smell the close-to-be-rotten note of citrus as it is what strikes me the most (I may be mistaking it with something else perhaps?) I can definitely see why many people find this disturbing or challenging and I wouldn't advise to blindbuy but please do sample as it could easily become someone's holy grail. My friends have had mixed ideas about this. Going from "it smells like an old garden where the citrus fell some days ago from the tree and are rotting on the wet floor surrounded by old furniture and some stuffed cat..." to "this is such a gorgeous masculine scent, so perfect and hot!!" so I guess not the safest around. I definitely want a huge bottle of this NOW.

#1225 in my "Tour de Fragrance" This stuff opens like a combination of walking through an overheated tannery and an incense factory. Similar to Orto Parisi "Quoium" in character, but with an even more phenolic opening that's like huffing camphor for the first fifteen minutes. Like Comme des Garcons "Scent One Hinoki" plus a ton of leather. Actually stung my eyes. Very old school to me. Boadicea does a couple more like this: "Intricate", "Elaborate." Notice the theme? "Complex:", "Intricate", 'Elaborate." Someone in marketing discovered synonyms. If you like DS Durga "Notorious Oud", Liquides Imaginaires "Saltus", Zoologists "King Cobra", this may be your jam. This is not something you wear in a car pool, elevator, small office. It'll be overwhelming. One spritz is all you need. It's long lasting, room filling. Pricey, but if you'll pay for a power scent that everyone will notice, then you get what you pay for with this. I'm at a loss for when and where I would use this, but I'm probably going to get it just because it is so over-the-top in potency and because Jomashop currently has it on sale at $165. Yeah. I ordered it.

I used to have a coat made of grey wool. When I put the colar up it was long enough to cover me from my ears down to my ankles. I wrap myself in that coat again and go for a walk in a forest, sometime in mid-November. The trees are bare, the leafs, now brown and dry, are rustling gently under my feets. The sky is grey and heavy. My breath forms tiny clouds. It might start snowing soon. I know there are four months of dark and cold winter ahead of me and I long for a tiny ray of light, a promise of spring. Something, that would let me cross safely from the dusk of November to the dawn of March. I sniff my wrist and there it is: that smell of green grass sprouting from the ashes, of earth coming back to life again, of resurection. It is uncompromizing and elemental, full of melancholy, but also hope. Brace yourself, arm yourself, leave whatever you have to leave behind you and walk forward.

I sniffed a ton of Boadiceas August 2015 in Harrods. Complex was the one I couldn't stop thinking about. I love oud. This is oodles and oodles of oud. It is savage. This is not "frgrance" or "perfume." This stuff is like having sex in hell with Satan and all his minions. It is burning, burnt, smoke, oud. It lasts forever and projects out the windows and knocks down the wall.s I got 100 ml for under $100 before Boadicea got trendy. I will treasure my bottle. But, this is not for people who want to smell like flowers, butterflies and puppy dogs.As for notes, I would say smoke, rubber, incense with some wood and dries down next day a little sprucey.This must have birch in it. I describe this as having sex with satan and all the minons of hell. It is that burnt offering and smokey. Oh, how I love you when I need to feel powerful.

Really leathery, really green and a bit of musk and civet. I wish the civet would be a little bumped up so it gives even more character, which it doesn't lack. Boadicea say it also has some oud but I don't smell any and that's not a problem as this fragrance is all about smoky leather and greens. I see people are calling it animalic or unwearable. That's not the case if you had some experience with fragrances until now. I really like it. It's special and the dry down is insatiable. Is it worth 250 EUR? I think so but it can be found under 200 with a little patience. Don't blind buy this. It's either an aquired taste or you understand and like it from experience with other ..polarizing fragrances.