Mr. Bojnokopff's Purple Hat

Fort and Manle Mr Bojnokopff's Purple Hat Rasei Fort displays his blending expertise by incorporating a very special Oud oil, Aroha Kyuku, a favorite Oud oil from Ensar that is well constructed around numerous other components used in the composition. Lavender Oud Woods Vanilla A CARICATURE OF THE DARK MY TAKE: Along with the Oud, it opens up with a huge blast of sparkling, almost metallic green lavender(reminds me of the unadulterated pure lavender EO from Pampore, Kashmir). To me, the lavender here is one of the finest qualities you will come across, expertly tinkered with the heavier materials while retaining its real facet! The lavender starts to dissipate with time, which envelopes the thicker materials; precisely the Oud, different woods, chocolate and vanilla. As the volatile green floral starts to fade, a wonderful dusty-woody texture emerges, with some barny undertone which is mainly structured on different woody materials and chocolate. The Oud is of dark incense profile with a fruity backbone (Aroha Kyuku, Ensar Oud); slight, short lived barny tones exist in the very initial top-mid transition, which act as a bridge between the lavender and chocolate. With time and skin warmth, the barn tones down elevating the chocolate and woods (mainly Guaiac). Approximately 20 minutes later, in the middle, the oud implemented emits a smokey, incense-like aroma in conjunction with the Guaiac wood that reminds me of olfactory waves playing harmony from a forest fire to a dark lavender meadow. The harmonizing quality of oud is spatially coherent, which means that it does not displace in time with respect to the other players, which is difficult to create in modern perfumery (considering regulations). The chocolate here reminds me of dark Belgian chocolate. The overall harmony in the middle radiates an imaginative olfactory profile of soft, fuzzy brown leather with a xylene sheen. As the volatile materials fade, the imagination broadens with chocolate, perhaps a bite of Belgian chocolate amidst the olfactory wave encapsulated in the field of a "now" dry lavender acre, this time with a man dressed in a polished brown leather jacket with a microscopic layer of forest fire dust throughout, calmly gazing as the cosmos expand. The composition shines in the first 4 hours, and the drydown is mostly a blend of guaiac wood, cedarwood, and vetiver with rough boundaries, all above the pre-existing smokey grandeur. 4-5hour mark is where the scent starts to fall behind, which is not a bad thing for such fragrance. This is for people that have a good hand with oud and want to experience some of the "better" western oud compositions. And, you need time to appreciate this. I'm yet to smell another Oud and lavender interlink. The individual and aggregate scores are listed below; the net performance was also considered(though I don't care about performance as long as it's competently crafted). Scores for the numerical people: Uniqueness in profile- 8.5/10 Quality- 8.5/10 Blending-8/10 Pricing-8/10 (8.25) __________________________________ Longevity-8/10 (9hr+) Projection- 6/10 (arm length for first 2 hour) ΣPerformance: 7/10 (7) ___________________________________ Σscore= 7.63/10

My final sample to try from the present seven-sample pack of Fort & Manle, Mr. Bojnokopff's Purple Hat undoubtedly has the best name, but it's also perhaps the most interesting blend of the lot. Composed of vanilla, chocolate, lavender, oud, cedar, guaiac, and vetiver, this is a great take on the "sweet meets dirty" concept, but admittedly not that dirty, as the oud and vetiver don't nearly match the sweetness of the vanilla and chocolate (and to some extent, guaiac) but rather play off of those key notes. The main players here are the vanilla, chocolate, lavender, and oud, the woody notes adding some grounded evenness in the background, mainly. It's overall a sweet experience with a fresh, floral edge from the lavender and dark, earthy undertones from the oud, anchored by the vetiver, cedar, and guaiac. How fascinating a blend this is, appealing to both gourmand lovers like myself and perhaps oud lovers, and woody-note lovers. It's strong, performance-wise, perhaps not quite as strong as Amber Absolutely but comparable, and so it's roughly the second strongest offering from the house. Bojnokopff scratches a similar itch to what Kerosene Blackmail does, similarly pairing oud with a whole lot of sweetness, but surely the lavender throws off the balance from being essentially the same as Blackmail. It's certainly geared more toward cold weather wearing but it's nice enough that I must just darn well wear it anytime. And I can see these being pretty unisex, too, without any real leaning as far as masculine vs. feminine. Very impressive overall, and it concludes a sample of a very nice up-and-coming house with an already-strong catalog. ***EDIT - it's really on par with Amber Absolutely as my favorite of the house, and it's certainly more innovative than AA, though AA is also executed to near-perfection. Definitely worth checking out, and in my case, full-bottle-worthy. 9 out of 10

Chocolate, lavender and oud very nice and Well blended. For this gorgeous smell i would go inmediatly to buy a bottle but... I find two issues here which make doubt about that: 1) the performance: as many other f&m perfumes the performance here is only average. It is true that this one has one of the BEST longebitys between the perfumes of the líne but for the price i dont know really if It worths... There are other similar perfumes, like crime by franck boclet (180€/100ml with. 40% concentration) or drops Barcelona chocolate oud (150€/100ml) also with better performance and very similar smell. 2) the price: why this perfume costs 35 € more than the rest of the perfumes of the brand. There are other f&m perfumes which have also oud or some which are even extrait de parfum instead of eau de parfum (amber absolutely, harem rose...) Which has the normal price (160€/50ml) but this one costa 195€/50ml and doesnt offer anything additional comoaring to the rest. For 160€ i could think of buying It on a future but for 195€ dont! (Because i think there are not reason for doing that, only a marketing estrategie...) So i think i wouldnt buy It but i recognize It is nice and has some quality. I think i would buy only charlatán and harem rose from this brand because although the performance is not great, i think are very good perfumes and different to the rest of perfumes i have tried. This one could be but not paying more for the same juice. Unisex and for cold nights, although as It is very subtle with soft projection you can wear It on summer without killing someone jajjajaa Scent: 8.5 Longevity: 8 Sillage: 6 Quality/price: 4.5 Versatility: 6 Originality: 7 Global: 8

Wow! Took receipt of this one today in the second to last shipment of a recent fragrance haul purchase. Your nose ever meet a fragrance that sent you reeling and dumbfounded for tasking yourself with trying to find some words... any words to describe it? If so, this is it for me! Very unique and artistic. The first hour or so after having sprayed the back of my hand it was just wowza. Funky as all get up! I’m now at about the 5 hour mark and I get a dark cocoa meets woodsy notes meets the funk of a well done oud. It may be a cliché way of phrasing it considering purple is in the name, and perhaps subconsciously the purple led me to this conclusion, but I think if Prince (aka The Artist Formerly Known As, may he be resting peacefully) had a signature scent, this just might be it. This is a very interesting scent. I’m initially inclined to think this isn’t going to garner much in the way of compliments and would appeal mostly to seasoned noses. However, my experience with fragrances of this quality and that have so much going on is that from one wearing to the next, you may experience something drastically different. I’m looking forward to spending more time with this fragrance and I’m initially so taken aback with wonder, I’m wishing there had been an option for something larger than 50 ml because I could see myself wearing this quite a bit just to see where the journey of each wear takes my nose.

Where to start. The opening is magical. The drydown is magical. The concept is magical (literally). The opening is a magical purple hat filled with lavendel, chocolate and vanilla. With a poff and white smoke that character is gone and up from the hat comes a darker, more mysterious creature. A creatute obviously from an anchient forest. A forest where old rituals are performed. You can slightly smell a touch of white airy smoke, but with a woody-chocolat-vanilla in the background. Its not a typical parfume, but a very unique smell with a certain dry texture. The way ancient woods are combined with vanilla and chocolat creates a ying and yang olfactive experience from another world. Edit: after wearing it 2-3 weeks. I am in love with this. Almost addicted. I ask myself if it may be the best fragrance I have ever tried. Extraordinary. Definitive my favourite from the house with amber absolutely on second spot. Edit 2: So mysterious and dark, yet very relaxing and comforting. Lavendel woody opening transition to a woody chocolate vanilla. It also has a sensation of white smooth smoke. Its growing and growing on me. Yesterday I ordered a bottle as this may be my all time favourite scent. As other has said, this is addicting. If you like it, you will crave it. Easy 10/10. Its hard to find any better scent imo.

I have to confess that I love lavender, and as such I'm an easy mark for this perfume: it opens on a fresh barbershop-inspired lavender that scratches a very specific olfactive itch in me. The oud is quick to appear: it's rich, warm and nutty, with an almost fruity aspect, and somehow it just highlights the lavender further instead of replacing it. The smoky notes imparted by the guaiac wood bring a certain dryness that I think is welcome, and that helps bridge the gap between the lavender and the oud. Vetiver comes out a bit later, in all its woody, slightly-bitter glory - complemented by the chocolate, which seems to enter into a kind of feedback loop with the vetiver note so that the two amplify each other. Don't be fooled though, this is very much a lavender- and oud-centric perfume: all the other notes are the supporting cast, helping to deepen and enrich that push-and-pull between fresh and warm, herbal and rich, attar and cologne. It's a perfume that does somehow make me feel like someone is playing a trick on me, although not a magic trick per se, but the kind of clever sleight of hand that leaves you scratching your head, slightly infuriated and yet impatient to see more. Very much worth seeking out, if only out of curiosity.

Mr Bojnokopff's Purple Hat is the first one from the Fort & Manle line that I have tried as it has been hyped so much (just like the whole fragrance house). MBPH opens up with a strong dose of guaiac wood, vanilla, lavander, and dark chocolate. This reminds me of Memoirs of a Trespasser by Imaginary Authors being mixed with some Lavender & Wool by Linda Landenberg. This stays mostly as a guaiac/vanilla smokey mix with cedar popping out a bit. It projects well for just about 10 minutes, to then turning into a skin scent that lasts for about 8-10 hours. It's great, but it is too bad that I can barely smell it. People have been saying how unusual the scents are from this house, but MBPH is uncannily close to Memoirs of a Trespasser (which projects better, lasts about the same amount of time and costs less). Same thing can be said with some other offerings from this house, to which I will get into later, in my other upcoming reviews (after more testing). So, in my opinion, I love this scent, but it feels a bit redundant.

I've been in the closet for gourmands for a few years now. Proud to say this is my stepping out fragrance—a newly acquired bottle of Mr Bojnokopff. Loved the brilliant review likening this scent to Prince's Raspberry-Beret-era avatar. I discovered this line at Ministry of Scent. They make you spray samples and have a nice program where the sample + shipping cost is credited towards a full bottle purchase if you decide to buy (about $10 off for me). The most addictive part of this fragrance for me is definitely the plum/stone fruit note that is just bursting through. It's almost as if all the other notes are just soaking in this one, amplifying an irresistible juicyness(?) to it all. Perhaps its the herbal foil of lavender (which I'm normally quite tired of), but somehow Bojnokopff never becomes cloying or syrupy as many gourmands do...especially on my skin. To those (fairly) bemoaning its weak longevity: my understanding is Rasei Fort is reformulating Mr Bojnokopff. Fingers crossed its only to address this!

I agree with scentedgenie and the other reviewers that the old and new formulations are wildly different. In short the new one is better performing and has a more prominent oud note, similar to house of oud crop 2021 (the one with chocolate). The old formulation is superior as a scent, it's smoother, well blended and has that Rasei Fort magic! As with all f&m fragrances, great fragrance, bad performance, good collection piece but be mindful of the price-performance ratio if that is important to you. I own the old formulation and enjoy it for what it is and I'll probably scalp a backup.

Reviewing the old bottle: Opens up with a well-blended mix of lavender & chocolate and vanilla. To me, this isn't gourmandish but something refined, something that demands your attention (positively). It's a skin scent to me, diffuses around me like a scent bubble. Doesn't project too much. I don't detect oud nor anything natural about it. Might not be a bad thing as it is not animalic, off-putting or barnyardy. I enjoy it and would see myself using it during a ball or an anniversary dinner.

Finally something that I love from this house! Lavender/chocolate/woods and oud! Simply 1 of a kind and amazing. After trying the floral scents which were way too fem for me I checked this out and am in love! The lavender is more on the fruity side giving it a grapish vibe but not in a childish way. The chocolate is not overwhelming and does not come off as synthetic as it does in many scents. The oud is present but not on the barnyard/skanky/oppresive side at least on my skin.

Notes: Lavender, Oud, Vanilla, Chocolate, Vetiver, Guaiac Wood and Cedar Wood What an interesting blend!!! Chocolate and Woody notes combined here are make this fragrance magical. When I sprayed this, I couldn’t stop sniffing it, it's very addictive and lovely. Oud and Lavender are prominent from the start but Lavender quickly fades away and the chocolate starts to cover the oud. Drydown Vetiver and Cedar are noticeable. Definitely getting a bottle of this one.

Artistic Inspirational Gourmand This one is definitely different it’s the kind of fragrance you can bet no one ever smelled anything like it the combination of notes makes it a wonder a delight to wear the only downside is the performance it could’ve been stronger which would qualify it to be one of my all time best But for one of the rare occasions this ones lack of performance doesn’t affect the score for me

This perfume is so much more than the sum of its notes - the phantom fruity accord keeps me sniffing my wrist, the wood/smoke is a gorgeous and realistic campfire scent memory, the gourmand elements are well blended and seem to infuse the aromatics instead of contrasting them. It's a surprising crowd pleaser too, I got many many compliments from coworkers. Can't wait to try it in colder weather.

Magic and mysterious scent! The notes create an illusion, like "smoke", the lavender is very evident at the beginning, but in the drydown woods and a touch of sweetness (vanilla) give a touch of light sweetness to the composition! Very nice, i was very surprised and I will definitely take a bottle! Beautiful! Sillage: 7.5/10 Longevity: 8.5/10 Scent: 8.5/10 Overall: 8.5/10

A complex, skanky Indian oud with a schnazzy accord of cheese and chewing-tobacco. The description from the house is unintelligible. I like this fragrance quite a lot. Very ruggedly masculine. A close comparison would be either Shaghaf (Anfas) by Mr Carbonnel or Fall Into Stars (Strangelove) by Mr Laudamiel. Well done: beautiful scent, beautiful bottle.

There's something very addictive and comforting about Fort & Manle fragrances and this one is no exception. First few minutes, I smell camphor. After that, I smell something resinous and green at the same time. Initially I was not that impressed, but the more I wore it, the more I wanted to wear it. Addictive stuff. And long lasting as well.

Totally unexpected wow on this one for me. Notes don't match the experience imho, there is a really nice stewed fuit (stonefruit, apricot or plum) in this too that mixes against the clean lavender and the smoky oud to really bring it all together. Have one bottle already, will likely back this one up with another. Excellent stuff.

One of the best from the discovery set. It’s beautiful and completely original! I cannot comment on performance yet, as I am just sampling, but if the performance is good this is definitely FB worthy! I find it unisex bc I would love to wear it, and would love to smell it on a man!

Don't smell any oud in there. Lavender, Chocolate/truffle and something woody. I like the scent. very calming and soothing.