Dark Horse

A real dark horse, indeed. Lately I'd been seeing more and more references to Dame Perfumery, without having experienced any of the scents myself. Well, I recently snagged this one, and received a very generous selection of samples as well (thanks, Mr. Dame!). I rarely purchase fragrances without testing, but Dark Horse is certainly among the best blind buys I've ever made. This is an exceptionally smooth melange of notes that is - for me - primarily centered on the interplay between carnation and guaiac wood. The quality-to-price ratio on this fragrance is stellar, which is always a big plus. Although this fragrance is very well balanced, one can identify virtually all of the listed notes. It opens with a bright citrus and very slight sweetness. But really - this is all about the heart- and base-notes. The carnation is very clear and bright, with the baking spices playing a nice supporting role. The cloves are relatively restrained for those of you who fear this note (I would actually like to find a louder clove note in fragrance, but I'm clearly going against the grain..) The primary basenote of guaiac wood is supremely well-judged and natural smelling. As you wear the fragrance, the guaiac seems to slowly absorb the top and middle notes with a velveteen warmth. I don't get great projection with this one, but the longevity is adequate (6-7 hours). Would love just a bit more oomph, but this is still a big thumbs up. As I've transitioned from a 2-3 fragrance guy to a collector over the past seven or eight years I've been a little dismayed by the continued inflation in the niche market. While I'm certainly attracted to luxury and quality ingredients, the proliferation of $200+ a bottle fragrances represents a steep hurdle for most fragrance fans. So I really admire what Jeffrey Dame and other similar souls are trying to achieve - quality, interesting fragrances at reasonable prices.

I think it's high time I reviewed this phenomenal scent. I had a sample, which I used up in short order. I loved it so much that I bought it for myself on my birthday last August. I am a waitress, and I obsessively save all my coins. I purchased the 50 ml bottle with quarters, dimes, and nickels, and it is all the more special to me because of how I paid for it. (I could not have afforded it at that point in time if not for my coins.) This perfume is what awakened my love for Guaiac wood. The guaiac, cloves, and vanilla blend so beautifully together, with the barest hints of florals and citruses, and it works perfectly with my chemistry. I see it is mostly feminine because it is quite sweet, though it wouldn't be out of place on a man. I wore my sample during a special trip my family took last summer, which this perfume will always remind me of. In reading more about Dark Horse, and others' reviews, I kept seeing Dark Horse compared to Fendi's classic, Theorema. So out of curiosity, I snapped that up, too, when a seller on eBay accepted my "best offer." I like Theorema. I might even love Theorema. But while Theorema focuses on the citruses (especially orange), Dark Horse focuses on the spices, with the guaiac wood as a common major note. Theorema almost has a "Graham cracker" accord to me, and it is constructed and blended well. But, I like Dark Horse even better, as it is a far more interesting composition and just as skillfully made.

Mmmm...I love this fragrance. Not only is it delicious, memorable, and utterly appealing, it's an amazing price. I bought a rollerball of it at Indigo Perfumery in Cleveland and enjoy it so much. It's a deeply cozy, sexy scent that manages to avoid the dreaded "scented candle" thing that so many fragrances with cinnamon sometimes take on. I particularly like the rollerball version for putting on at home in the evenings, as it stays close to the skin so that just you and a loved one will enjoy it. The rollerball also gives you a lot of control over how much you put on and precisely where, which I think is particularly valuable with something that comes across as so sensual - it will prevent you from overwhelming your partner, whether for just snuggling on the couch or for something more. Longevity on me varies a lot. Sometimes I'll put it on in the evening and still smell it strongly the next morning, sometimes it will be gone before then (again, this is for the rollerball). For me, it's the perfect sexy, at home pick-me-up to put on late in the day when whatever I wore to work is gone. I personally find it virtually seasonless, but I can see how the cinnamon causes many to construe it as a fall/winter scent. Ultimately, though, the cinnamon comes across as so much more fragrance than flavor that it never feels cloying or predictable.

Drugstore Classics, the reviewer directly below mine, thought I would enjoy Dark Horse, and she is absolutely correct. This is a beautiful, spicy sweet Gaiac wood scent, and very similar to my all time favorite Gaiac wood scent by M. Micallef (coincidentally voted most similar on this page). Both scents open with a dominant clove note and end with the a natural gaiac. I’d describe Dark Horse as having a heavier, thicker overall profile. Compared to my favorite, all the notes are sweetened and noticeably amped up. But M. Micallef’s Gaiac has a more balanced opening—and it’s one of my all time favorite openings of any perfume, I could bathe in that scent forever— but within an hour it’s projection is so low that it’s almost a deal breaker....though the scent stays for several additional hours. Dark Horse has a more robust opening and it’s no surprise that it quietly projects in a 6’ radius for several hours. My favorite Gaiac scent is still created by M. Micallef. But it’s also hard to find as it has been discontinued. Dark Horse is comparable reach for fans of spicy/gourmand and natural gaiac wood. My only wish is that Dame offered smaller spray bottles—I’m not a fan of rollerballs and scented hair oils. I wish I could buy this in 30 or even 50ml, but as far as bang for your buck, $85 for 100ml is quite a deal.

Like others, I found Dark Horse by seeing it compared to M Micallef Gaiac, which I really enjoy. The problem with Gaiac, however, is its performance. My hope was that Dark Horse provided a similar scent with better performance--it somewhat lives up to that hope. First, the scent is very, very similar to Gaiac, though I'd say this one is a bit heavier on the cloves while Gaiac is a bit more powdery. Both are fantastic scents. In terms of performance, I'm still evaluating but so far this is what I've found: Gaiac has somewhat better longevity while Dark Horse has better projection & sillage. They both seem to project for 3-4 hours, with Dark Horse being the stronger fragrance of the two. They both begin to fade at this point though; Gaiac remains as a skin scent longer as far as I can tell. The difference isn't huge though with about 7 hours for Dark Horse and 9 for Gaiac. I'll continue testing the two. All in all, both are great fragrances but because the differences are so minimal, Dark Horse is clearly the better deal. Dame has great service as well--they offer 5ml samples for sale and sent a bunch of other samples with my order.