Askew

Edited review coming soon that is far more positive. There's a slightly bitter/metallic chemical in here that I used to be really sensitive to and it was seriously *grating* to my nose. It's still present but my sensitivity has faded and it's now really wonderfully balanced and a very intriguing scent. I want to do it proper justice with a good review, but my old sample is now empty and so I'm awaiting new samples in the mail now. ***Original review below*** I get the mimosa briefly in the opening - it's nice and smooth and joins with a (at the time) sweet grapefruit. This quickly warms up as cardamom joins the fray and the grapefruit begins to show its sulfurous side. There is an iron-like note here, too, and I get a blood-like accord in the heart. The odd thing is there's still a cool menthol sheen here - the coldness of revenge that fuels the smoldering heart. Dry cedar, sharp ginger and cardamom, and the metal shavings/iron note persist into the dry down and make this spiky and rough. Askew sends a clear message - "Do NOT cross my path!" It's artistically interesting, but unless I was angry all the time - or a true misanthrope - I'd never use more than a couple of milliliters. I'm considering a small decant though. There are days when this is the perfect scent.

I agree with alfarom's second take on this gem. It is an amazing piece of modern perfumery art. What I get from it are citruses, some fruits, woods, cardamon and ginger. I can find here some kind of masculine woody fougere skeleton. And yes - it has something in common with Fierce but it is not evident. Lovely fragrance, hidden gem. Great sillage and longevity. It definitely needs time and more than a few fair wearings to be really recognized. It smells literally like nothing else on the market. A perfect signature scent.

a killer on my skin - reminds me on leather gloves by HERMES - well done mr laudamil.... need to smell banana leafs - dont they also smell cis-3-hexenol like??

I get a lot of smooth, spicy citrus and leather upfront. As others have mentioned, this opening is reminiscent of some mass-market masculine leather fragrances. The intriguing development - the part that initially sold me on the full bottle - is about 10 minutes, in, when birch tar, ginger and cardamom send the whole thing up in smoke and ashes, revealing a structure that's almost gourmand in its sweetness, pungency and burnt notes. The perfumer's concept - a cycle of destruction and creation, the force of human emotions - is evident in the structure of this perfume. However, I don't think it makes the leap from concept to a wearable scent. I loved this from the sample, but after purchasing a full bottle, I almost never find myself wearing it. Ultimately, the smoky birch tar and the screechy synthetics become grating and unpleasant over time. It's great conceptually, but not for daily wear.

I've got a sample from someone years ago. It smelled absolutely stunning. Probably still one of my favorite smells, and I own at least 100 perfumes, and tried several times more. 2 mini-puffs were enough to drawn out rooms, lasting easily for an entire day. Garnered compliments from people I would never expect. A perfect 10/10 fragrance. Fast forward 1-2 years later, and I finally decided to spend the money on it. Ordered a bottle and... received a big fat disappointment. Smelled somewhat sharp, boring and unpleasant. Non-existing projection and longevity with 30+ sprays. Kept it for ~2 years hoping it will macerate. Didn't change so I just sold it. There are probably batch variations just like with Aventus and I definitely don't recommend you buying it because of that.