El Born

I agree with Arabian Knight. This smells "rum raisin ice-cream" or Rum Cake. Either way, this is deliciousness incumbent, a must have in any gourmand collectors possession. I received two unsolicited compliments today on way to work, one at work... and a few heads turn on the train also. Again this is a simply ravishing fragrance, that anyone one with a sweet tooth will need to have. There's no rum note in this frag, but you will get a hint of it. The Benzoin, Vanilla, Honey & Peru Balsam shine throughout this fragrance. Truly truly unique! Can't speak badly about this jewel. Update: It's not rum...it's licorice I'm picking up...Little hints of it, when the wind blows. I used six sprays...both wrist, back & front of my neck, chest, and front of my shirt. Will I buy this again?...Yes(This time a full bottle). Does this fragrance enter BEAST MODE, good, just okay or weak sauce at best? Sexy Beast Mode. What's the strength of this? EDP. Am I willing to trade this fragrance? No. Should You Skipped It, Sample It First or Blind Buy It? Blind Buy Worthy, hands down!(If you're a gourmand lover). For everyone else, try it via Scentbird or eBay. But get a promo code, so it isn't full price. Can you use it as a unisex scent? Yes. Is it the old, new formulation? New. What's its availability; in production, limited edition or discontinued? In production. SKU Number: 8437011481177 Batch Number: 60301 (Production Date: 2016) Age: 25+ for men & for women 21+ From: ScentBird Size: 8 ML + 100ML Scent: 5/5 (This Is Amazing). Value: 5/5 (Cost $6.19 & $80.00). Sillage: 5/5 (Six feet). Longevity: 5/5 (Ten hours plus). Creativity: 5/5 (Gourmand Bomb & I'm loving it). Projection: 5/5 (Two & a half hours). Versatility: 5/5 (Perfect for the mid-fall, early spring and all of winter, and great for any time of the day). Compliments: 5/5 (Flawless victory). Until next time, I'll catch you on the flipside.

Whew! The opening of this is like walking into a tobacco shop - you want to be repulsed, but somehow keep finding excuses to stay. It's that sweet, slightly vanilla hue tobacco gets while it's virginal, fresh, and uncut; carefully nurtured in the proper humidity, pampered and loved. That's the smell that makes every cigarette smoker secretly, and quite seriously, think about switching to a pipe. And that is exactly El Born's affect. The opening: Solemn, brooding, contemplative, like an Englishman reading in front of a fire, at the precipice of telling us a gripping tale of perseverance and brawn. It is fantastic! And damn well should be at nearly $200 a bottle. (Insert second whew)! I see there are fig, heliotrope, and sandalwood notes present. But I will tell you, it takes tremendous concentration to pull those chords individually, for it truly stays tobacco all the way through. As we approach the heart, and further, the dry down, dusty notes emerge. I struggle to refer to this as a 'powdery' production, for this is terranean - dusty, like the boots of a saddle-weary cowboy, or the cobweb neglect of an abandoned church. Not much effort was placed on frivolous 'pretty' notes, just masculine contours - strong and dependable. There's just something provocative and niche about this scent. It slams us with the formality of a stuffy gentleman, and leaves us wearing the essence of John Wayne. Who wouldn't want to bid that into reality?! Exquisite masculinity for the men, and patriarch-defying solidity for the women. And quite an interesting addition to fall and winter wear.......until you remember again, the price tag staring down your bank account. Whew!

I have fallen in love again - I am turning into some kind of perfume floozy! El Born is delicious. To me there is a strangeness in that I get both a gourmand scent and a woody scent, from one perfume. I almost feel as though I have layered a light gourmand on top of a woody citrus. In the opening, for me woody notes dominate and I almost get a woodsmoke vibe initially and for the first hour or so. Its a really nice note though don't get me wrong. As this woodsmoke and woods with a hint of lemon note settles this is where it feels kind of like layered perfume - there is sandalwood, light clean jasmine, and lemon, and there is also something I find harder to identify, an almost chewy caramel gourmand note, which I guess must be the fig, honey, vanilla and benzoin? I am not sure. Unusually I am actually having a hard time picking out any distinct notes. When I concentrate I can clearly see the lemon, sandalwood and the "chewy caramel", but overall this is blended so well that I just get an overall feel. Kind of a black and white photograph of a city street in summer, looking across an intersection, there is a white square building on the corner, and in the photograph this building alone has been coloured pastel yellow. And I really love this. I have worn my little decant as a sample and then worn it all day today and I have been getting wonderful wafts of scent all day, I still smell fresh even in this heat after 12 hours since applying (with a 1 spray touch up at lunch). This projects well, maybe thats just the heat today, but I have had 2 compliments from people sat 4-6 feet away, and longevity is great. In all, I can see a FB of this in my life!

The very first carner i sniffed was El Borne and it was the one i discarded as an "okay" fragrance. So, Palo Santos and D600 became my favorites and those found my hand on their triggers very often. Until i revisited El Borne again. On initial blast you get an almost citrus like honey note. That honey note is so authentic that you actually feel it dripping down the sprayed area. While the honey note remains in the background after initial dry down, fig joins the party making this blend almost edible. But the note that makes this whole concoction majestic, is Vanilla. Vanilla is unlike any i have smelled in a Gourmand Fragrance, it is buttery smooth and velvety. This mouth watering blend is enveloped by Peru Balsam (not that i know how Peru Balsam smells like but i know how balsamic fragrances does), making this fragrance sophisticated and elegant. I would rank its performance somewhere between D600 and Palo Santos. While it does hold subtle nature of D600, at the same time it has sweet nuance of Palo Santos as well. Longevity is fairy good, lasting for about 6-7 hours. Projection in first hour is around an arms length but soon becomes close to skin, not skin scent mind you but nevertheless very close to skin. If someone passes by very close to you, they will be able to smell you easily. Occasion wise, this can be a perfect office scent as well as Dinner one. Season wise, apart from scorching heat, this would do great in all weather. Recommendation: This is totally lovable fragrance, you just can't hate it. If you like to smell good, you can't go wrong with this fragrance.

El Born has a blend of vanilla and dry, warm honey. Dry and warm to the point of having a powdery appeal. An excellent sandalwood base makes the honey and vanilla’s properties pop effortlessly. Here we flirt a lot with the idea of going gourmand, like french crepes/pastries with boozy, warm, dark brown raisin sauce over them, while not totally getting there as it is balanced by the key element in this one to me: Peru Balsam. Finally I’ve found a fragrance I love and where this note shines. While it helps the slightly darker and boozy part, it is first and foremost sticky and resinous, also a bit sour like pine sap (Helped by Angelica as well here), which brings some great complexity, uniqueness preventing this scent from being too sweet and joining the endless row of straight gourmand choices we can find on the market. It's just like a painting in Picasso Museum in the neighborhood of El Born in Barcelona. One that is easy to appreciate right away yet very different and where you find out more about it and its nuances each time you stare at it. I enjoyed Carner Barcelona’s creation right from the first time and I’m loving it even more with each new wearing. One of the most interesting vanilla or vanilla+ honey fragrances I've tried. It's in the top 3 of my best discoveries of the past few years.