Cuirs

"Exquisite and unique; a blend of fungal wood and suede leather." Cuirs is Sonia Constant's brainchild for Carner Barcelona, a Spanish niche perfume house founded by Sara Carner in 2009. It is also arguably the most talked-about fragrance in the whole line, perhaps because of its similarity in scent with another cult classic Black Afgano by Nasomatto. Indeed, like many who have mentioned about Cuirs, it is a beautiful fragrance. "Pretty" however, is definitely not the best word to describe it, because for sure it is not meant to please the masses with the usual overly fruity or aromatic notes. This is exclusively for lovers of genuine agarwood/oud and high-quality leather fragrances. The three main notes of Cuirs are oud, leather and sandalwood. It opens on my skin with an explosion of agarwood, and it's not the kind of synthetic overly sweet oud one would get from designer fragrances such as Versace Pour Homme Oud Noir. It's unmistakably pungent and smoky, the decayed/rotten woody feature of a special fungi-infected wood that is preciously coveted in the perfumery world. But unlike many other oud-based fragrances, the oud in Cuirs is blended with creamy sandalwood. As a result, while it has a pungent undertone, at the same time it's smooth and delicate. On top of this is the leather, one of my favourite notes of all time. Truth be told, like many have mentioned, I couldn't detect the leather at first and it made me wonder why leather is officially classified as a main note. But when I used it in a cold climate for the first time, the leather flourished and that's when I learned why I couldn't detect it. It's not the type of pungent black/brown leather that I am accustomed to (especially after owning a bottle of Dior Homme Parfum). It's the light leather type known as suede, and its lack of pungency is likely to be hidden in the shadows of the pungency of the oud instead, which is somewhat the main star of the fragrance. As for longevity and sillage, it's a beast. It stays on my skin well over 12 hours even in hot climates, and the sillage, according to my friends, goes as far as one metre away. Now comes the key question: does Cuirs smell like Black Afgano? Indeed it does, but as expected, there are some subtle differences between the two. Black Afgano, simply put, is Cuirs on meth (it is a pure parfum extrait, after all). In a way, Black Afgano is like the eccentric brother of Cuirs with a conspicuous personality that may rub people the wrong way. There are traces of coffee and hashish in the fragrance too (I highly doubt that there's weed in it; it certainly doesn't smell like it). That's where the differences stand out between the two: Black Afgano is more potent and quirky, while Cuirs is more refined and elegant. Personally, between the two, I'd choose Cuirs any day. I love Cuirs to bits and I think it's heavenly if you wear in cold climates where the oud, sandalwood and leather (especially the leather) will stand out. For all oud, leather or generally heavy scent lovers out there, be sure to give this one a try.

Finally took the plunge!!! Carner is one of those rare brands where their line up is just not typical. They are fantastic in build and performance and hmm... yeah they are relative attractive price points. So, I’ve sampled all the range many times. I own Drakon, Rose and Dragon, Volcano, Megalium and now this. It’s a super smooth creamy saffron inclined suede/car interior leather. Indeed, despite my fussiness and relative disinterest in leather scents my purchase was inspired because it’s extremely similar to Thameen Regent Leather (designed to emulate the plush leather in a Rolls Royce) which I love but is more expensive and whilst impressive is much poorer than this in longevity and a touch poorer in sillage. So this ticks my box for a dominant photorealistic soft leather with saffron, woody cedar, touch oud, beautifully bodied out with tonka and hit with a tinge of warm spices. A warmer version of Carolina Herrera CH Priv which I also bought as it’s a slightly brighter version of Regent Leather being an EDT. I own a number of scents revolving or skirting around leather but for mostly leather centric I have Frederic Malle Rose and Cuir, Daniel Josnier Green Leather, Miller Harris Rouge Leather, Liquides Imaginaires Buveur De Vent, Tauer Lonesome Rider and Nishane Suede et Saffron. These respectively give me a leather dominant spin with Rose, Apple, Red oily Spices, Sweaty Old Biker Jacket, Painted Vinyl Leather Jacket and a spicy strong fresh tanned suede. This is leather how most people would find... on your couch or in a car... sublime...

This is a unique and compelling fragrance. I don't really like leather or oud and avoid fragrances that are considered mostly masculine so I don't know how a sample of this wound up in my possession. And yet, I really like this. To my nose there's something almost fruity and definitely sweet underpinning this. It's not obtrusive but it accentuates a different aspect of the wood and leather than most other fragrances with those notes. I wouldn't call it feminine exactly and I'd probably never wear it in public but I'm enjoying wearing it myself and I'm not sure it would suit a man better. Maybe it's something about how it's reacting to my chemistry but this fragrance has a mellow gentleness to it that I don't usually associate with any of the main notes. I keep looking at the note pyramid trying to find the floral. It smells very nice whatever the note pyramid says. Edit: I wound up buying this. There's something about the black oud-y leather with an undertone of sweet fruit that I find weirdly addictive. Apparently I'm not the only one. My fifteen year old son, who officially hates all my perfume, came sniffing around when the package arrived and had soon claimed it for himself. I thought it would smell terrible on him, being far too "mature" and masculine. But it kind of blends with how he smells and the overall effect is pretty darn good.

I remember it all too well.At 18 when I first met him,I couldn't understand who he was,or who he tries to be.He made me coil back,trying not to show my notion of disgust. From the nozzle,he smelt of a deep spicy scent that was a bit of a reminiscent of Coco by Chanel.But on my skin,he smelt nothing of but dusty spice and stale urine. Fast forward to the present,now 22 at age,maturing and I am becoming more understanding.I moved miles away and you travelled far just to be with me because I wanted to smell you again after those past 3 years. I am slowly falling in love with you.The burst of that dusty spice made me realize that it is the saffron.And as you slowly tame down and caress me all over with your cloud,I get that violet smell that greatly reminds me of the violets from Guerlain's Insolence.A bit sweet but not candy-sweet.As it makes it way over to the it's final stage,I get that gentle leather smell that smells so sophisticated like a Tuxedo suit with zero wrinkles.And on the dry down,it's a beautiful leathery,unburnt incense and soft post-burnt oud wood that lingers alongside that luxurious creamy and wet powder. Fragrances that you hate before,might end up as a love today.We just need to be understanding of what their character is,of who they truly are and by then,we'll be able to appreciate them fully.Cuirs is one of them.

I REALLY love this but have found out that this scent really changes over time if it touches fabrics. My winter coat that has a stretchy fabric right around the wrists picked this up and turned cloyingly sweet. NOW this sweetness transfers back onto my hands EVERY time I wear the coat. It now changes every frag I wear on my hands and drives me crazy, lol. I'll try washing it out of the cuffs and maybe they can handle ammonia? Anyway- amazing leather fragrance with major sillage and longevity. Very nice, subtle oud that just adds to the leather and is equal to the leather. Perfect balance of those two notes, the sweetness IS in the background and I'm not certain what it is(probably the Tonka) I like it on skin and this is a prettier, more wearable version of Black Afgano (as everyone says). What it turns to on clothing over time is NOT good imo, so definitely do not intentionally spray on clothes. It'll transfer if touching,regardless, and it becomes a sweet almost gourmand frag(blech for me).