Une Amourette Roland Mouret

In Western Massachusetts, I once visited an antique shop that specializes in Asian art. There were all sorts of Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu, and Shinto art. Deities carved in wood, sculpted with bronze. There were Tibetan stupas, elaborate altars, shrines, vases, vessels, teapots, incense burners of all types. The lighting was a low glow, and the running water from a stream in the garden outside could be heard. There was a scent in the air, one of dust, of age, old wood, the sweet echo of incense, waxes and unguents. Une Amourette took me back to this place when I first smelled it. It begins with a flash of camphor, a dry pepper, and floral matte, metallic neroli, luminous highlights. No sooner than this fanfare begins does that feeling of old wood become apparent. Old wood: just a bit musty and fusty, but also deceptively warm and inviting. I smelled it before, elsewhere, time and again, but at that antique shop, it struck me in a different way, perhaps because of my surroundings. Akigalawood is used here by Daniela (Roche) Andrier. This Givaudan captive, fractionated from patchouli oil, is processed with the use of an enzyme called laccase, which transforms the natural starting material into that strips away the earthy, damp, herbaceous qualities and renders it vibrantly spicy, peppery, woody, even somewhat fungal. This can very well account for the "old wood" feel. With the addition of a plangent iris and underlined with lignin-like vanilla, this effect continues to grow throughout the development. There's even a certain waxy, mushroomy feel, reminiscent of gardenia. Suggestions of smoke, whether it be old tar from a censor or that of cigarettes, overlap with the old wood after an hour. It feels fuliginous (there's your fancy word for today), in the space between unnerving and comfortingly familiar. I'm reminded of a hug from a chain-smoking uncle who's preferred smoke is Chesterfield. Then there are violet striations, similar to that of Jolie Madame that sneak in, candied yet blue and forlorn. It sobers up over time, resembling the pages of old books, stone walls, and fine powder, feeling less haunting and more still and restful. Having traversed through so much of what I enjoy in leftfield perfume through wearing it, I feel so satisfied with its peculiar presence.

Overall ELDO fragrances have really worked for me, and Une Amourette is no exception. I enjoyed it from first spray, even more once I wore it. The fragrance is both fresh and rich. The woodiness is present throughout the wear of the fragrance. In the opening that woodiness is very dry and crisp. The neroli brightens up the woodiness adding a bitter citrusy floral note that makes the opening refreshing. In the mid the iris is there, but it is very much a supporting note. If I didn't know it was there I probably wouldn't have picked it out. When I really pay attention to it I can find a papery/powdery iris mingling with the woods, especially as the neroli fades away and before the vanilla is really noticeable. The vanilla adds richness once the fragrance fully dries on the skin. I find it slowly gets stronger until it fully takes over the neroli and iris in the deep drydown making the woods feel a little deeper and darker. I find Une Amourette is masculine leaning unisex fragrance. I find it very appealing on a man, a little bit sexy but casual enough for everyday wear. It is also a masculine leaning fragrance I love to wear myself. I think it is even a little sexier on a woman. It's a fragrance that can comfortably be worn all year. The refreshing opening is wonderful in warm weather. Even though the drydown is rich enough for cooler weather, it is never heavy or cloying in heat. There is something about the crisp, dry woodiness that gives me fall vibes which is when I am most likely to wear it myself. I have no complaints about the performance of this fragrance. It lasts quite well. It easily lasts all day, 10+ hours. I can smell a lovely bubble around myself the whole time. The projection of the opening is quite strong, I can smell it across the room. Although it is strong, the sillage is light, fresh and airy. It settles on the skin after an hour or two, then the projection is more moderate, reaching just a little beyond arms length. I have the 30ml bottle so I don't have the pretty gold bottle available for the larger sizes. It is still the same solid qualitly bottle and atomizer, just not as interesting looking. That's the down side of getting the smaller bottle. ELDO tends not to give the individualized bottle designs to the 30ml bottles.

So drawn am I to divisiveness in perfumery, that when I heard there was a love / hate reaction to Une Amourette, I couldn't help myself out of ordering it. For me, the first spray was magical! Chalk dry notes of oud, balanced so cleverly with honeyed orange and neroli. Iris, also parched and powdery, is quenched with floral sweetness. The saturation of scent possesses gladiator strength and eternal longevity. Its very existence and market value justified with the expanse of breath delivered upon application. There's a vintage nostalgia with its scent, like watching men in black and white, project masculinity on screen and in script. It is regally balanced, in gentlemen-like manners, and asserts cleverly, weaving its sillage around the room. I truly wish I owned more of this powerful elixir, and swoon over the top notes every time I hear the sprayer's "shhhp". That is me, utterly enamored. My mother, on the other hand, states that this particular fragrance can never be worn again in her presence, and flinches as I place it back on my shelf, and not in the bin. So there you have it: Division within and without. An intriguing world of opposites. Beyond the brands popularity, exists a forum in which algorithms have no power over the perfumer. After all, scents are, by nature, meant to conjure emotion. Fragrances being the unspoken handshake directing attraction, signalling other like-minded to connect. They were never really intended to become a mark for accolades or acceptance. Ultimately, when companies attempt to please everyone, they please no one at all. Une Amourette makes a loud declaration; and humbly, I am summoned to answer. This is not a safe blind buy, and in point, it's not 'safe' at all. Then again, not many things that are safe end up being very rewarding.

I tried this today from a sample vial and it has put me in a dreamy, cosy state. A swipe from the vial I get notes blended in perfect harmony; Cardamom and Cinnamon sticks (obviously it's the Akigalawood which I have never smelled), the ones you put into Indian tea as a whole and the combination of these two spices releases an intoxicating aroma with some sweetness maybe from the vanilla. In addition to those I smell and I think that the mix of iris and neroli give it that ever so slight detergent quality. It's very faint but it's there in the initial stages. Initially I did think it had a peppery vibe but it was a passing feeling due to reading the reviews on here and then on second application, I didn't get any pepper at all. I see why some people are getting patchouli. It is akin to the patchouli in MFK's Lumiere Noir Pour Homme which is barely perceivable in that too. Here it's paired with the Iris instead of the rose. I could mistake this for a MFK creation if I had blind tested it. Une Amourette could be my favourite from the line-up from ELDO from whatever I have tried so far. There's something magical about it which I cannot describe and haven't smelled before. A close second is Eau De Protection. I feel both are hampered with projection and longevity issues with being really close to the skin that I have to really dig deeper. Having said that, I would still like to pursue a bottle of this because I think a few full sprays from an actual bottle would really satisfy and do justice to the feelings I already feel from a tiny dab.

Like others below mentioned- its wow, its weird, its sexy, its deep, its light, its clean and yet...such an amazing amount dirty! For me, a winner from the first moment. How come? I dislike iris, i'm not into neroli, and certainly not mad about vanilla. Well, its a witchcraft of a sort. There is patchouli, clear and in your face but not as you know it. Instead, patch is clean and dry but with lots of depth that blends in with akigalawood that is a new note for me, but apparently similar, plus adds a touch of oud look-a-like. There is neroli, but again - not as you know it. Very peppery neroli right from the get-go so the scent comes across very spicy at the beginning. Peppery spicy. The mix of peach and iris forms an intoxicating heart with the slight woodiness. Its a bit like Cabotine, but massively modernised and far more lux. Not headache inducing (personal experience with Cabotine). The projection of mid-phase is literally to die for and it is easy to imagine how the trail of Un Amourette after a woman makes the crowd of people turn the head instinctively and in unison. Its one alluring beast getting better and better as it settles. The dry-down is expensive-smelling and impossible to ignore. Big love and FB worthy! p.s. can't believe I'm saying this about something thats essentially a white floral. But there it is. White floral, yes...but not as you know it. Edit: I used the full bottle to skin-test it, not a sample and got pretty decent longevity and moderate sillage out of it, its definitely not a weak one.

Since my teenage years and until the sale of the company, I had been a very frequent visitor to a privately owned furniture manufactory. There was an 800 sq meters lumber storage, where several types of solid wood were being kept. The first moment I tried this frag late autumn of 2018, I immediately immersed myself in a well-known atmosphere of the wood processing industry. So crazy! I cannot smell any other notes instead of wood planks. Not a single different note! The funny thing is that akigalawood is a total imitation produced by an industrial giant. Once I sprayed this frag prior to my psychotherapy session. Before telling my therapist about my emotional struggles of the moment, I asked this well-mannered artsy person at his early 40s about his feelings while smelling Une Amourette. He answered that he imagined himself sitting on a rocky lake coast in the foothills of woodsy mountains somewhere deep in Karelia. Fair enough. People, there's no point in trying to detect neither Neroli nor Iris. Just let yourself enjoy the wood substance. The performance is great, it lasts over 6 hours on my skin, over 10 hours on fabrics. As for the naming, it sounds paradoxical and absurd. This smell is not at all about love affairs. The only romantic thing I can conceptualize regarding this smell is Kurt Russel & Goldie Hawn duet in a late 80s mainstream comedy movie :) Music: On Trees And Birds And Fire by I Am Oak Book: Norwegian Wood by Lars Mytting Film: Overboard by Garry Marshall Painting: Jonas I by Andy Denzler

this is another one of those situations where i rediscover a fragrance years after first trying it and not thinking much of it initially. this scent has always reminded me of a theatre. its woody, floral, dark and dusty. dark brown and deep violet. it is simple but so so pleasant. doesnt stay on for very long, though, sadly. but its a real beauty. to anyone who thinks this is a masculine scent - no it is not! it is feminine-leaning and refined, rich, calm and quiet. i am tempted to say it is old-school, even. bears resemblance to cdg's odeur du theatre, but une amourette is, in my opinion, much more cohesive and - again - refined. the florals in this are actually alive, bright and vegetal, in contrast to odeur du theatre's stale bouquet of lilies. no shade to cdg's scent, of course. merely comparing them for the sake of shedding light on une amourette's distinctive characteristics. this is an intoxicating scent, perfect for autumn. it is surprisingly lush and alive, courtesy of the neroli, most likely. reminds me of cacti, for some reason. sort of juicy, vegetal... and woody, of course. very woody. but also earthy and medicinal! maybe this is also a bit of a summer scent as well! ... anyway, thank you friends for gifting me a fresh new sample of this scent for my birthday. i might buy myself a bottle of this. another hit from eldo!

Citrus. Incense. Magic. The opening of the scent is quite intense and for me it felt like fresh citrus notes and incense smoke with spices. However, the citrus notes later turned out to be peach with sweet myrrh, smoke got less intense, and I started to feel neroli on the background. The spices also became more clear and I could feel the pink pepper quickly. The magic happened a little bit later, after an hour or two, when the sweet myrrh (and its smoke) note was no longer so intense and started to play with floral and spicy notes. Sweet myrrh smell was being kind of replaced with the floral iris note and back, then again, and it felt playful. While the incense smoke and pepper notes were still there. The longevity is really well and the smell wears off with delicate citrusy, sweet myrrh, incense smoke and spicy notes that it opened with, but this time they're close to skin and you can feel fruits and flowers as undertones. It's a pleasant experience to wear this fragrance, but it's quite unique so not safe for blind buys. The perfume juice can leave some pale stains on white clothes, but should be okay with any other light colours of fabrics.

Nice but weird, weird, weird... However weird doesnt mind bad and this a very weird but great scent. It remember me a lot to symphonie de neroli by bortnikoff, but in this case the opening is very peppery (i know that It probably doent have any pepper un but all together makes an effect like the pepper smell) while the bortnikoff one is much more oudy. Yo the dry down this peppery vibe becomes more in neroli, so maybe is produced for a high neroli concentration at the beggining. In the dry down both perfumes become more similar because un this one some note very similar to oud begins to appear and in the brotnikoff one the medicinal and fecal feeling fades off. So for me the dry down in une amourette is just lovely!! Vanilla and iris gives some powdery and sweet character tonthe dry down. The longevity is quité, more coparing yo the other fragance that Daniela Rocher has made for the brand which is almost imperceptible. The sillage is good but moderate. I would use more at day than at night and better with colder weather. Totally unisex. Scent: 8 Longevity: 8 Sillage: 7 Quality/price: 7 Versatility: 6 Originality: 9 Global: 8

This is suave, elegant, contemporary perfumery at its finest and the low rating does not indicate its quality, but rather its uniqueness. No one should approach this brand looking for an everyday, mass appealing fragrance but that doesn't mean this bottle is sharp or offensive. It's a pristine scent best suited for a cooler climate: clean, earthy, aromatic and powdery, with immediate associations of medicine cabinets and vintage bathroom products. It balances demure elegance from a bygone era with a cool edgy futurism that places it perfectly in the now. It feels cold and a touch acidic on paper, but warms up and sweetens slightly on skin, so I'd recommend testing it off the strip. It lasts only 4 - 6 hours but I feel that adds to its fleeting charm, and allows us to wear something new in the evening (very much a daytime wear). It's so well blended that it appears a touch minimalistic, in a way that is relatively unfamiliar for this brand. The perfumer did an excellent job in that respect. Elegant with a few quirks, daring in a very wearable way, frivolous and modern - I adore it.

Of the 20 ELDO fragrances I've tried, this may be the seventh one that requires a full-bottle purchase. I love the opening of this fragrance. It is rich loamy earth, right after an afternoon rain when the sun is just coming out, bringing a cheerful, life-giving radiance to the moment. There is something a big magical about it. Like a transcendent moment in nature captured in a scent. After the earthy accord settles, the neroli-- and to a lesser extent, iris-- come into play. It is just a wonderful experience. As an aside, I completely disagree with the "oud" accord as there is nothing truly oudy about it. But it is earthy. Unisex. Not moderate sillage and moderate longevity. EDIT & a note about ELDO fragrances: they change more upon maceration than most fragrances I've experienced. Four months after the last time I wore it, it is more potent. The loamy, woody earth is much more complex than before. I can even detect a little vanilla in there giving it even more fascinating dimension. I really like this one before, but now, my third time wearing it, I love it.

I'm not a fan of the initial opening - very spicy pepper and cinnamon with a camphory background that could be either the patchouli or the akigalawood. It's medicinal and strong and a bit unpleasant. However, like most ELDO scents, after a few minutes this morphs - in this case, into peach cobbler served on a fragrant wood platter...! Absolutely delicious, a little sweet, leaning more feminine than masculine on me. The baked, jammy peach note is strong and quite distinct from other peachy perfumes - it's not a fresh fruity note, it's golden and dense and sticky. I get strong woodsy notes but no actual oud, which is suprising, as oud tends to be very loud and strong on my skin. Perhaps akigalawood does not smell so very oudy on me? The drydown is soft and quite intimate, less sweet and a bit more floral with a soft resinous note. This one surprised me and does not at all smell like I was expecting based on the list of notes. I actually really like and will likely finish the sample, although I don't expect wanting a bottle.

Narcotic as they come. Found myself needing to lay down in a dimly lit room with nothing much on but the fan. This one takes time to contemplate. Projection is decent but wear this on a breezy evening and you, along with those downwind of you, will be amazed. I can not speak for longevity as I generally pass out shortly after application. I can tell you all traces have booked off by the morning. Fun fact; my otherwise reliably aloof cat, suddenly can't get enough of me. Perhaps Une Amourette is the perfect scent for attracting that special, totally unattainable, someone. Warm but not spicy, like a steaming mug of hot, unisex cedar with whipped cream, smooth, semisweet, woody. A glimpse of something provocative; glorious iris bathing in a pool of camphor and hot white flowers. Sexy ugly magic, I'm in.

Drop dead sexy. I wasn't sure what I was smelling at first. Everything was sharp but my god, the dry down is to die for. Fresh and woody but very unique! I've never heard of Akigalawood before. I am not normally a patchouli fan but to me this Akigalawood has all the aspects I like about patchouli without the dampness which I dislike. Just bought a bottle with expedited shipping. I must have more before my sample runs out! UPDATE: Guys, this is addicting and leaves a phenomenal trail. Longevity is great and lasts forever on clothes! I find myself wearing this quite frequently and my boyfriend has a VERY positive reaction when I do. I think it's more suited for evenings but I've had success spraying into the air and walking through for the daytime.

This is one of those frags that make fragrantica reviews useless. Do yourself a favour and smell it cause it's not gonna be decipherable thru the pyramid nor whatever most people are saying here lol. I personally find it to be iridescent, ozonic, with distinct but not overpowering neroli-jasmine peaks and woody, old armoire valleys. Hyper synthetic, surreal, cold metallic flowers - and old waxed wood, shoe polish... It's very pretty imo! And decently long lasting though delicate. I showered and what's left of it has a moldy thrifted leather jacket/mothballey sweater quality - the way it moves and evolves is so interesting that I can't even stop to categorise it as good or bad. I love the journey and the experience, that's for sure.

Une Amourette comes out of the gate very neroli and akigala wood heavy. The two notes are in a wrestling match for dominance, and it all smells loud and unsettling at first spray. I waited it out, and when the notes started to finally settle, I found myself huffing my skin in delight. (thank God the neroli calms the F down) On me, it's softly earthy, spicy, a little powdery from the Iris, and the wood notes a "touch" sweetened from vanilla. It's quite a ride from start to finish, and I can see how this can go many different directions based off of your chemistry. There's a lot going on with it. It's a win for me and this is easily unisex. Decent longevity and projection.

Une Amourette is one of my favorite ELDO scents. I find it utterly compelling: sexy and elegant, warm and bright at the same time. It smells like nothing else. Truly unisex. The letdown is in the performance for me. While I do consider scent to be generally more important than performance, on me the sprays from my sample die to a very very close skin scent in about two hours, which is a let-down, given the price. That's the only thing keeping me from buying a full bottle of this. People seem to have different experiences though, so fingers crossed that I'll ever come across a nice bottle and it'll take me by surprise!

Gorgeous. A woody musk (Akigalawood?) is dominant here and I'm loving it. Neroli makes an entrance on the drydown. Long lasting on me too, and I have nothing Iike it in my collection. Nothing. When my husband first smelled it he said he loved it and he's hard to please. So a win-win all around. By the way, I admit to following gtabasso and her observant reviews. She is right on about this, and I thank her once again. EDIT this has turned into one of my favorite perfumes, and if I was stranded on a deserted island, it’s one that I would hope to have with me.

Une Amourette is a weird one, but addictive and gorgeous in the winter! It projects like crazy in -10C, one spray is all you need. None of the notes listed are recognisable. To me, this smells like going to a christmas tree market, and dragging the tree over to a frozen flowershop! Post-apocalyptic, urban taiga, camphoraceous flowers, wood made of inorganic matter, cold cold cold. Bizarre, contradictory, abstract and sci fi. For freezing temperatures only, and for no specific occation, it will be perfectly unsuited for anything!

smelling this throughout the day is truly such a treat. i've been exploring my taste in fragrance for only about a year now and this was on of the fragrances that made me want to branch out more. the opening is strong and is almost medicinal but i personally love it (it's kinda giving herbal tincture or salve). as it starts drying down it gets a lot smoother and a lot sweeter! it's so woody and elegant and intoxicating to me i'm in love <3 by no means a crowd pleaser but i couldn't care less it's a 10/10 for me

They are so many scents that describe themselves as 'multi-faceted', but this is a real one. Intense and airy, dark and bright, extravert and introvert - there are so many personalities in one. I fell all the aspects of the perfume - flowery, woody, powdery - and they create a new olfactory pattern on my skin every few hours. I tried it just last evening and bought it one hour later, it has a lot of character and enormous sillage. Flirty and vivacious, this ELDO gem is a real 'amourette' in a bottle!

There’s something about Une Amourette that I really love. It’s cozy, after the initial shock of the opening. It’s woody, but after the drydown the iris and vanilla give it a warm, cozy, and effortless vibe that I really appreciate. It only lasts about 3 hours on my skin, I didn’t try it on clothes. I probably won’t get a full bottle of this, but it is now on my radar, so who knows, maybe one day I’ll find it for a steal! I can see this being a signature scent for the right person, man or woman.

Daniela Andrier's best ELdO scent. A nice companion to Hermann à mes Côtés me Paraissait une Ombre, with a much easier name thank you very much. The Jets to Brazil to HamCmPuO's And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Very solid. As usual, I'd love a little more projection and longevity, but that's a problem with almost everything in this house and I'm not about to single a favorite out, simply because it's one I particularly want more of.

From a lot of 20+ ELDO samples: I like this one a lot so far. A really nice iris scent where I can detect a bit of the fruitiness with the peach. Maybe a bit similar to Prada L'Homme intense. I think I can detect some patchouli in it as well that's not very stinky either. Like an orangery (almost) and woody iris that's a bit smokey as well. Just really pleasant to smell. Going to compare this one with Soul of my Soul and revisit I think.

Where Rien is the master all suited up, this is the younger feminine brother. I smell a touch of Fahrenheit (old batch) in the beginning. Later on it morphs to a more gasoline loaded 4711/Neroli Portofino by Tom Ford. This will go directly on my "yeah, let's get a full bottle" list because it's the first neroli fragrance that really got me. I smell some very ripe/slightly rotting banana peel as well, to add a kind of sweetness. Stunning!

AKIGALAWOOD was created by Givaudan, patchouli oil was added to an enzymatic bath, washed, and what remained, the new material, was patchouli with all the earthy herbal qualities removed. The spiciness and the woodiness are what predominates. thumbs up for antonpan, scott.lauze and Sezyvex for their descritpions, I have nothing to add, except: I think this bizarre, georgeous, modern, FB worthy perfume is, IMHO, absolutely unisex.

This one is good! I am a woman but I think it would work well as unisex. Very woody and cedar-like opening. Very modern and unique while still feeling mainly woody but in a very unisex way- if that makes sense. I would follow a man who smelled like this and have to ask him what he was wearing. It doesnt seem to last too long- maybe three hours or so. But it is a pleasure to reapply. I love the opening very much.

This has an old school vibe, but appeals to modern perfumery sensibility. VERY creative, and for myself hits me with older power house scent profiles. For some reason it reminds me of original Polo Green, minus the strong pine notes. I honestly love this scent so much, very rugged and manly to me. Not for everyone, probably very divisive for others, but I certainly enjoy it. Bliss

Agreed with the other reviews in that I wish this fragrance lasted a little longer. At the same time, my extremely scent-averse family actually likes this one (as do I), and while the opening is definitely noticeable, no one I've met has found it overwhelming. A woody, clean smell with a hint of sweetness that honestly pairs nicely with Old Spice Swagger deodorant.

Nobody needs more than one heavy akigalawood perfume, so for me, this is the GOAT, and the only one worth a bottle. The opening is a bit much, and it's very strong, but it's a beautiful sci-fi iris/patchouli that sits perfectly on the line between strong and overwhelming, just don't overspray. If you're wondering, no it doesn't smell like a Bisch.

this one is exactly related to afternoon of faun and cologne from the same brand, an amazing perfume indeed but only for private time near to the body nothing further and too weak, it can make you happy for only half an hour but you know we would like to catch the happiness even if for a few minutes:) thank you eldo you are the best

Tester- A very clean smell! Like coming out of some Turkish baths after a good scrub:-) I like it! I find it more masculine,but super nice! Edit: I bought a full bottle, LOVE it! Not too masculin, neither too feminin- original fragrance, oily,warm, seductive in some kind of way but not extremely feminin. Super nice :-)

I love it! I do not find the notes listed...for me it is a real mature version of Karma from Lush... and a niche and more sophisticated version of Fruitchouli from Tauer. On me a fruity patchouli with at the end a soft note of cocoa that remind me cacao porcelaine from Atelier Materi.

This is, for me, the most creative use of neroli that I have found. Blending neroli with patchouli and beach over a base of woods and resin is just beautiful! When I wear it I have to spray my hand and wrist so I can sneak long whiffs throughout the day.

An aromatic fresh neroli bouquet in a new shaved wooden bowl on a table covered with dry iris. A nice paradox between bitter wood and sweet fresh neroli. I love it.

Really pretty, unique and mysterious. Date night perfume, floral but with something going on underneath. Well blended, i cant tell any note from the other really

Oh yea !!! Surprised here !!! Woodsy/green/neroli........patchouli......IMO...so different !!! Odd combos of notes that just...WORK.( On my skin) Big love.

This smells like sticking your head inside of a polished wooden bowl and just inhaling deeply. That's it. It's extremely atmospheric to me and I love it.

Love this one. It's oud, but a soft, gentle approachable oud that is lacking the Band-Aid/camphor aspect. I find it a rather cozy and comforting scent.

This is my favorite ELDO, but it doesn't last long on my skin. I have to constantly reapply. Oh how I wish there was an extrait version of this.

Really gorgeous. Tart opening, dank wood and muted floralcy. Very tasteful and stylish unisex number. ELd'O always does amazing scents.

this perfume was my first niche i loved it i love the iris the only cons is that is not a long lasting fragrance

Opening blast of cardamom, a little citrus, then a wealth of mild oud and patchouli. Very mysterious and sexy!

It's my first time with ELdO, and only the second time I’ve invested in a real perfume (so this will be a very amateur review), not counting dupe brands etc. It was a risky blind buy, and I am really surprised, didn't got what I was expecting. To me there was only a very dense pink pepper in the opening, I was really, really disappointed. After one hour or something, I understood both the criticism of it being too medicinal but also the "skin fragrance" thing, I think it sits close to the skin and there's a metallic/artificial undertone to it. I sprayed very little onto one of my wrists and that one really smells very human-like, an intriguing sweat smell in there even. I expected this to be more floral and fresh somehow, after reading that it's a very "cold" fragrance, but maybe as the result of my inexperience, this happens to be much more warm than that to me. I can say that I liked it. I can't say that it can be someone's signature (at least mine), smells a bit awkward for that (it is the first day though, maybe it'll sit better in a few days). But very mysterious and intriguing, I want to smell it every few minutes or something.

The feelings and thoughts I have on this one...oh, they are many. Trying Une Amourette after I blind bought it I thought to my self, well, you just threw away your money, because what even is this. With ELdO however things are never as simple (might be why I'm not scared enough to blind buy their perfumes even now). This scent embodies the idea of an older, distinguished gentleman in well worn, tailored, tweed suit which still fits him perfectly. He is eloquent, tactful, soft-spoken but you can tell he guards his secrets...and you are intrigued. Am I an older gentleman? No, but I can pretend to be one anyway. I can't imagine wearing this in any other season than winter or late autumn though, it really comes alive in cold weather. If you survive the challenging opening (smells borderline fecal at times) it developes beautifully, and also lasts forever. It's complicated and thus so interesting that I can't let go of it.

This one definitely needs time to develop on the skin before making a judgment, because that first spray is intense and almost gives off a bug spray vibe. I’m unfamiliar with akigalawood, but it gives oud, patchouli and pepper (according to this site) and that’s what I’m getting, and I’m quite fond of those notes. It’s just a jarring combo with the neroli at first, but then it settles. The iris and vanilla come into play and make this so much more wearable. The performance is pretty good, and this scent is unlike anything I own, so that’s nice. I like it, and I’m happy to have this sample, but I don’t think I’ll ever purchase this. I’m not in love with it, therefore I can’t justify its price point. This fragrance house is very unique, but I haven’t found a scent from them that’s really for me.

I was gifted a small sample which I don’t know the history or age of, so who knows if some of the notes have changed due to the way it was stored... anyway, on initial spray I got a huge huff of the akigala wood which was battling with neroli to dominate the scent, but about 20 minutes in, the woods faded and the bitterness of the neroli backed off a bit. The scent began to change- the wood was still present, but more as a support to a surprisingly creamy, gently vanillic scent with a touch of purple iris that my brain interpreted as lavender-colored wood with a bit of dry earth clinging to it. It had me compulsively sniffing my wrist to discover how it was going to change next.

A classic akigalawood profile: white pepper, cold, thin, almost metallic patchouli with some smoky, green woodiness. It's definitely making my scalp tingle but that sheer hint of metal is rather beautiful. This time testing I got more of the orange flower, opoponax and iris in the opening. As Une Amourette develops the orange flower and resins fade out and it settles into a transparent, light patchouli with dry blond woods. This is refined for a patchouli — almost sweet like armagnac — compared to some of the more robust and traditional patchoulis I've been wearing recently. It's sneaking up on me here and I like this austere woody beauty.

First blast of warm sweet wood and unlit incense, like you're walking into an overgrown courtyard of a Buddhist temple. There's a sharp floral sweetness floating through the heavier wood notes, lending an airy quality that complements quite nicely. Fascinating. After a couple minutes, the scent settles down into a creamy sweet woods, almost gourmand even. However, after a few minutes more the whole scent starts to pull slightly menthol/eucalyptus. Unisex but leans masculine and would suit all weather, methinks. 6+ hours later: The scent is still there when I press my nose into my skin, still on that sweet woods scent.

This is a very interesting one from this house...I've never experienced such a "dry" patchouli...that's how I describe this scent. I agree with most that you can't tell from the opening where this scent is going to take you. After about 2 hours it settles into my skin and the note that lingers is the patchouli. I think it is very interesting. You need to layer this with something sweet to re-activate all the notes. I mixed mine with coconut an jasmine perfume oils and the results were WOW WOW WOW. Give this one a try, just know you will need to mix it with something else. FOLLOW ME ON IG: @ MoctezumaC