Namba

The scent of Revachol (iykyk). It reminds me vaguely of the scent that lingers once you leave a mechanic's shop, of all the oil and grease and slightly stale cigarette smell, but with the vanilla and "ice cream" making it quite sweet without being cloying or obnoxious. An ultimately very subtle scent, but one where I find I'm often idling with my hands folded near my face so that I can just keep breathing it in; it doesn't throw far and is only noticed when reaching near someone. A quiet hidden nostalgia that grounds the whole thing with the sort of salty undertone it has; I'm reminded of when I used to live on the coast and not in the desert. It's rain-slick ground warmed in the sun after a light shower. It's a little treat stolen after a good sweat. It mixes work and leisure. Love it. I find that the next day after wearing it, it deteriorates on my skin into a scent that is not far from the smell of petrichor; ozone waft that makes me picture oil on a puddle of water in the street.

I am sooo glad that Fantôme included this with my order as a free sample, because I might have never smelled it otherwise. Vanilla is a note I avoid like the plague; it tends to become overpowering and cloying on my skin while wiping out most other notes in a composition. Happily, that is not the case here. This is a marine fragrance first and foremost, with a hefty dose of noxious motor oil stirred into a glass of warm seawater. I find Namba robust and intriguing on my skin and keep going back to sniff my wrist over and over. There is a smooth undercurrent of vanilla below the depths, but it respectfully stays in the background and adds an unexpected element of coziness to an otherwise bracing fragrance. Namba is delightfully salty and atmospheric. Smells like a mechanic treating himself to an ice cream on the boardwalk during his lunch break. Unlike anything in my collection. I am most certainly going to purchase a larger size. As always, I applaud this house for its creativity.

I think this is a really cool, interesting atmospheric scent for summer. It's very ozonic and aquatic with a lot of realistic motor oil and a bit of a hot printer paper note. A little strange but inoffensive and wearable. Unfortunately, I don't really smell any vanilla ice cream in this at all... Maybe the scent of the air wafting out the door of an ice cream shop from across the street... Mostly it's just straight ocean air and motor oil. I still like it though. It's fun to layer under other fragrances to make them a little more complex. I don't wear it as much on its own, but I think it could be good on its own if you're looking for a subtle skin scent, but one that's unique and a little weird. In a good way.

Earth, ozone, petrichor, and something papery and vanilla in the background. Super fresh and comforting yet a bit solemn. It's the scent of a crisp stormy day where it is too dry to rain and the sky is a stark white above. The beach is rocky and empty with no signs of life or the typical delights of the seaside, and you are reading an old paperback, the binding slightly vanillic and falling to pieces in your hands. I love this so much. Perhaps to some the petrichor, earthy, airy note is akin to motor oil, but this scent has never given me that energy. I've tried both the EdP and the perfume oil and find them to essentially be the same, but I prefer the EdP for easier application.

I am in love with this scent. Reminds me of my childhood by the bay. Motor boats. Cafes. Love it.