Icio

Strange that there are no reviews for this masterpiece. Anyways - I will start off then. I bought this as a blind buy late last year. Reasons were purely based on the background story that Fabrizio (Also above in the description) spoke about. Plus it had tobacco so all in all, when it appeared (here in Melbourne, Australia) as a special sale, I just had to get it. AND I'm glad I did. I don't mind incense in little doses but don't like it as an intense note and this has it in the right amounts. I like woodsy notes and would prefer an intense dose. This has it in a way I like it. And lastly, my favourite note - Tobacco. I wish it had a little bit more but what it has - is fantastic. Like an expensive unlit cigar or inside of a humidor. It's always in the background, just sitting there where the wood and the incense notes switch back and forth along with the notes of patchouli and saffron coming into play as well. IMO - Perfectly blended and comes with a strong performance. Best part is the fragrance on the shirt when I take it off at the end of the day or when I pick it up for a wash (from the clothes bin) - I catch that whiff and smile to myself for having this in my collection. Wore this 2 days in row and just loved it. Some words that come into mind - Classy, Gentlemanly, Suave, Feelgood and I might add sensual as well. Those oak/woods nuances along with the tobacco notes make it very very smooth. 9/10 from me. Would have been 10/10 if the tobacco note was a bit more stronger but no complains here from me.

The Bad: There is nothing vintage, or fougere about this fragrance. The sutble underlying smoke is a generic one and is not a representative of tobacco. In fact, I pick up NO tobacco. This is not an ideal fragrance for tobacco heads if you're looking for it in this composition. In the opening, you will pick up oud, but in a nail polish kind of way The Good: I actually don't mind the oud in here. Im used to different kinds of oud anyway. It's not too sharp so it's at least enjoyable. This has a stage where it smells like mauby (the island drink) concentrate. Orange peels, mauby bark, (woods) anise, allspice. It actually has moderate sweetness which I didn't expect but it's nice. Further in the drydown, It starts smelling like soft vanillic pastry cookies; I would say it has that similar gourmand vibes in the same way Carner's palo santo has. The opening is just good as it may take some time getting used to but the dry down is better. It does have great performance. 7 out of 10