Amber Narcotique

From the moment this hits the skin, I'm immediately aware of how complex this is -- I instantly got that there are about 6 to 10 individual accords going on here, and it was abundantly clear that there was deep complexity and nuance in this. I thought it was a mix of balsamic resins, white floral and spice -- beyond that, it felt like a blur. I didn't expect there to be ylang ylang in this (I thought it was lavender) and the inclusion of star anise shocked me. This is by far the most 'niche' of the line, by feel, but by and large, this one doesn't appeal to me. Not because something is lacking, or because something is overmixed or anything 'execution' related -- this is just something that I personally do not like. I can see the style and artistry here, really I do, it's just something that I do not care for. Having said that, it IS layered excellently, and even though I don't like that this smells like (I don't hate it, it's just not my cup of tea), I am enjoying the evolution and development. I guess this is like coffee -- I've been stuck in workplace conversations where people are getting all poetic and romantic about different types of coffees and all of that, and because I don't like coffee, I don't get the hype. But I appreciate the application...