Carmina

This is NOT what I was looking for in Cherry perfume, but my goodness! This smells pretty amazing to me. On first spray (I did 2 tiny sprays from a 1ml sample), I was taken by surprise by what I sensed as a Carnation scent, one of my favorite flower fragrances. When I came to check the scent notes, I got another surprise...this has Myrhh & Frankincense, 2 notes I dislike very much in most perfumes. I'm not anywhere near the drydown, so perhaps it will come through eventually. For me, I'm getting a nice blend of mostly florals (maybe a little cherry?) with light saffron, pepper & musk so far. I sprayed and walked away about 25-30 ft to do something else and could smell the fragrance coming from the direction of where I sprayed; beautiful trail! I tend to like Ambroxin, but it's not as apparent to me yet 30min in, and the light Cashmere Wood is more Cashmere than Wood to my nose. I don't really care for floral fragrances, but this would be a Floral I would definitely purchace. Will update after a few hours of wear. 3 hours in, it's fading a bit and the scent has not changed much, just slight musk noticeable now (thankfully I didn't detect the Myrhh & Frankincense). It's been pretty linear for me. If I purchase any Floral scents, this is at the top of my list so far. I have, and really like LPRN by Guerlain, but I don't consider that a real Floral or Cherry scent (idk how to catagorize it actually), so Carmina may be a 1st. 12 hours in: The faded scent is still lingering. I could not stop smelling my wrist all day and kept getting a whiff every time I moved my arms etc. I will sample again another day, then decide on full bottle purchase. 2nd trial, sprayed more than before and it is Potent! As I said, I'm not really a Floral scent person but this stills smells very different than most I've tried. I still get a Carnation scent, overall, more than anything (maybe that's the "Jammy" Rose, Peony etc?) but I still like it. Not really noticing the Cherry, which is what I'm more interested in though. This time, the next day (now), I am loving the Musky dry down a lot more than the heavy Floral the 1st day of wearing. It's still pretty potent! Alas, now that I've discovered and purchased Sirène by FDB, (which I replaced as my signature scent), You by Glossier & another 10mL decant of TF Lost cherry, I will wait on Carmina. I have full size Molecule 01 & Cherry Punk on way also. Besides, after using the 10mL Lost Cherry again after having finished a small bottle long ago, I'm going to break down, pay the $$ & buy another bottle lol. Wearing it again just reinforced WHY I loved it so much and picked it as my OG signature scent. 😍 🍒

So I actually disliked this very much when I 1st purchased it. So I put it in the back of my collection hiding my regret. At first test I got a dark, slightly bitter black cherry, a large dose of leathery saffron, sharp Ambroxan, and semi cheap Bulgarian rose water. So anyways EW ..I tucked it away. Well I was craving something different about 4-6 months later, decided to test it again. This time I got something so much more pleasing. This time I got a dark cherry, laying on a bed of cashmere wood, a fresh rose, a dose of leathery saffron but toned down and adds edge to this frag that levels the cherry specifically imo, and I also started to pick up the sweet pink peony adding a sweet airiness to it that I don't get on my 1st test, and this peony is so pretty and keeps the darker notes from going to dark, and the Ambroxan is still here but no where near as sharp as b4 but it does have a slight medicinal feel to it still via the saffron, Ambroxan and rose mix BUT it's so much better now, the cherry is still dark but less bitter and actually has a sweet fizzy texture imo, it's actually wearable now, and slightly unique, edgy, & pretty. Lots of ppl are claiming this generic and I don't get that. I've actually never smelt anything like this. I mean it does have similarities to other frags, but no where near "clone" levels imo. If I had to pick similar frags id guess PdM- Delina ex, mixed with Simone andreoli- vice bomb. But even with that....ahhh not exactly. So ya I like this now and wish it got more love. Maybe it just needs resting time ..b/c it def helped my bottle, also I want to point out this frag differs by season GREATLY! In the winter It does feel a little darker, heavier and woodier! While in the summer its more juicy, fizzy, light leather, with the sweet peony standing out more. But I like this and hope it sticks around for more ppl to experience it and hopefully appreciate it, as I have learned to do.

Carmina is a sexy, nocturnal, enticing fragrance: She is the woman found in a velvet lined corner at midnight, draped in dark silk and radiating an assured, dangerous confidence that makes the whole room gravitate towards her alone. The opening reminds me of cherry liquor; while it doesn't have that cheap alcohol scent, it carries the same depth. The top is slightly syrupy, but not in a negative way, it is very rich and sultry. I get whiffs of saffron: honeyed and warm, as well as pink pepper: very subtle but cuts through the cherry, making it feel less heavy. The heart is reminiscent of bathing in rose water under candlelight: also, the smell of sugared rose petals, maybe even a rose jam? You still get a tinge of black cherry, but it's much lighter, melding with the rose perfectly. The cashmere woods add depth, preventing it from becoming too cloy. The dry down is incredible and very luxurious: a light incense-like quality paired with a lovely, solar amber. Overall, this is a moody fragrance that is incredibly long lasting and perfect for a night-time formal event!!!! I wore it to a live production of "The Phantom of the Opera" and I swear it was perfect for the theme and atmosphere!

Fun fact: this perfume was made exclusively for legendary aviator Amelia Earhart in the early 1930s. Unfortunately, she had the only bottle on board her plane when it disappeared somewhere over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. Don’t ask for receipts, either, Creed cannot produce them at this time. Bespoke perfumery was totally different back then and nothing like today’s industry. Oh, almost forgot, the nose behind this perfume is the legendary Olivier Creed, sixth generation master perfumer. Don’t forget about Erwin Creed, either, he helped get the ingredients! Only the absolute finest black cherries can be found on the dark side of the moon. Erwin spent most of the pandemic up there sourcing these exquisite varieties exclusively for this perfume. After he returned from the dark side of the moon, Erwin jumped into his time machine—not a hot tub, I assure you—and he ripped off, I mean sourced, the finest myrrh and frankincense directly from baby Jesus’ crib in Bethlehem. Come to think of it, I think he ripped off the gold, too...? Anyway, buy this one. Erwin needs the money for more rocket fuel so we can make more of this stuff.

Such a pretty smell -- I douse my coat in it every visit to Von Maur, like today; but have yet to pull the trigger and purchase a FB. I have so many fragrances, and I'm not a millionaire. It's a special treat when I go shopping on the weekends. This doesn't mean I never will, I'll just wait for it's popularity to die down a bit. In the opening of Carmina I get a lot of what feels like Bulgarian rose (but notes here say may rose? I guess I can't tell the difference between the two) and something that feels dark and leathery (saffron?). The cherry is not maraschino or liquor-y like I'm used to, just a bit sweet and fruity. Almost plummy. As it develops I get the powdery violet undertones and resins in light musk. The rose stays the entirety of the fragrance. Carmina can be described as an incensy, leathery amber rose with light fruitiness. Highly unique and very beautiful. Almost formal and regal. The epitome of class and old money. A cherry fragrance for those who wish to be taken seriously.