Frustration

Woody, nutty, sweet, boozy gourmand goodness! Personal: 8.5/10 – Dark, boozy vanilla with rum, cinnamon, and roasted chestnut. It's rich, cozy, and a close cousin to Black Phantom and Absolute Aphrodisiac. I really enjoy it. Mass appeal: 8/10 – Boozy vanillas are crowd-pleasers, though the chestnut and rum give it a slightly heavier edge some may not love. Performance: 8/10 – Strong longevity and projection, as expected for this DNA. Value: 7/10 – ELDO pricing is fair, especially for a fragrance with this richness and quality. A great alternative to other big name booze bombs from big niche houses. Uniqueness: 8/10 – Dark boozy vanilla isn’t brand-new territory, but the chestnut note sets it apart from the pack. SCORE: 79/100 Full bottle buy? YES, this is one of the rare ELDOs I’d actually want to own. It would go on my shortlist of bottles to buy. Blind buy? NO, it’s heavy and boozy. Sample first to make sure you enjoy that style, or make sure you like some adjacent booze bombs. Recommend? YES, for lovers of boozy gourmands or darker vanillas. Date night? YES, warm, cozy, and seductive, perfect for colder evenings. Office safe? NO, it’s too rich and heavy for professional wear. Sadly. Pros: Rich boozy vanilla, chestnut warmth, cozy and seductive, strong performance. Great winter staple without being hideously pricey. Cons: Leans a bit too boozy, so could be cloying to some. Performance could be slightly better, despite not being bad. Frustration is one of ELDO’s most wearable and addictive creations. It’s a dark, boozy vanilla laced with rum, roasted chestnut and spice. It's rich and edible, honestly. It's super cozy and seductive without falling into the most common pitfall for such fragrances, which is them being a spicy vanilla syrup. This is beautifully blended, extremely complex, and constantly evolving while being worn. There are so many layers to this fragrance, and I respect that about it. It's not a groundbreaking DNA, but it doesn't need to be. You wear this one just cause you like it. This absolutely makes the bottle-worthy shortlist, and I would happily reach for this alongside bottles like Absolute Aphrodisiac, Black Phantom, By the Fireplace, and Side Effect. Review #120 in my fragrance journey – this fragrance I own as a decant

The most mesmerizing scent i’ve smelt in a perfume. This is the first ever perfume I fell in love with and the one that kick started my perfume addiction. The smell is addictive, sexy, seductive, and all in all a masterpiece in my opinion. First time I saw this was in a boujee clothing store selling the ELDO collection. I initially smelled the whole collection from left to right and didn’t get intrigued to a single one, until this one, Frustration, I thought I could give it a chance. The first initial spray on my wrist was harsh, the opening was stinging and straight up an assault, almost unbearable. I thought to myself, why would anyone wear this? It’s not even the slightest bit enjoyable. In other words, frustrated. Maybe disappointed at the high hopes I had for this one. I then left the store aggravated, thinking how I’m going to smell like a nuclear cinnamon stick for the rest of the day. Then around 10-15 minutes later, this perfume starts to evolve into something otherworldly and unrecognizable. Sudden whiffs of a freshly baked cinnamon bun and caramelized nuts started to pierce my nose. It was almost as if a bakery was baking something right by my side, but there was no bakery nearby. I wondered to myself, “could it be the perfume I sprayed? No. It can’t be, impossible.” Then I smelled my left wrist and it was true. The insufferable perfume I sprayed about 10 minutes ago turned into a love and respect for perfume. If you like gourmand scents, definitely give this one a shot. My rating for this perfume is a straight 10, even if projection and longevity is average. Definitely more for the winter time though, it really brings out the colors of this perfume. Smell: 12/10 Longevity: 6/10 Sillage: 6.5/10 Price: $$$$ i wish it was cheaper

Got my hands on the sample kit with 20 small vials of ELDO's fragrances to try with my girlfriend. This is our seventh fragrance we decided to test out. One of my favorites from the sample kit - but an even bigger favorite for my girlfriend, who won't let me have it! This scent is a bit more linear than most of ELDO's offerings, but not in a negative way at all - this is a delectable gourmand fragrance without going full on into sweet gourmand territory. Opens incredibly boozy and rich with spice. That cumin-cinnamon combo is killer. Drying down, it becomes a lovely, lightly sweetened chestnut with phenomenal woody notes and spice. It tickles your nose delicately when you get a full blown whiff of it, and the earthy vetiver base prevents this scent from straying into being too sickeningly sweet or spiced. This is a deceptively simple fragrance with a glowing, rich, olfactory backbone - and that's a wonderful thing. Some other reviewers have noted that this scent bears a striking resemblance to Maison Margiela's "Jazz Club" and I'd have to agree with that. This is very much in the same place as Jazz Club, just slightly sweeter and with a diligent chestnut accord. Think the same club, but during a festive event in the winter. Also, great longevity on this one. Not too overbearing or strong either, but enough to leave a pleasant trail. This one's a winner for fans of that Jazz Club DNA - if you're willing to spend a bit more on something that's tastier!

I'm new to Etat Libre d'Orange (which I shall refer to as ELDO) and this fragrance was my introduction to the brand, and straight off the bat I am intrigued and looking forward to getting to know this brand better. Frustration is a gorgeous blend of rich nuts and smooth boozy vanilla which seem to meticulously work together to create a warm, inviting aroma that is unique and pretty much unlike anything else I've smelt before. When I wore it as my SOTD I found pretty much all day long I could smell it around me in a thick scent cloud, and I found it did a pretty good job of filling up a room (which was much to my delight). It is also very much unisex and versatile, and I can see this being worn in all sorts of situations or events. The actual scent profile on my skin did end up changing throughout the day, with it starting off as a whole load of nut, but as the day went on I found it to develop into a more sweet and velvety kind of gourmand situation with the addition of an ever so forthcoming rum note, so I suppose for me it seemed like the notes completely flipped, with chestnut at the top/start and rum + cinnamon coming out later on. Overall, I find nothing about this fragrance to be frustrating except for the fact I won't get the chance to smell it for the first time again! It also has me very excited to try more nutty fragrances in the future as this one was so gratifying.

I’m feeling like the perfume industry needs to create a subgenre of gourmand fragrances called “boozy gourmands”. Maybe it already exists. Lately, I have been so into them whatever you call them. Anything even remotely rum and bourbon has been making its way into my collection in anticipation of glorious Autumn weather. I have several fragrances from this house, and I love them all. I blind bought Frustration on a whim based on reading the notes. I’m glad I did. Like my other Etat Libre d’Orange perfumes, this one needs a minute to get situated on my skin. It opens with a screechy vetiver note that made me say “oh no” at first. But as it started opening up, it turned into a warm, cozy, boozy experience that I am so grateful for. It smells both comforting and familiar yet modern and new. It’s so perfectly genderless and JUST PLAIN GOOD. If you like Angel’s Share, Khamra, and Khamra Qawah, this is a safe bet for you. All three of them of course smell unique and are their own thing, but they have that boozy gourmand vibe I mentioned. Add Frustration to that delicious mix in your collection. I now have Frustration on my dresser next to Spice Must Flow and Like This, two other delicious Autumn gourmands from Etat Libre d’Orange that I love. You should look into those fragrances, too.