Amour de Palazzo

Roasted Oud Phenomenal scent and phenomenally under-rated. In fact I think the whole house does not get enough amour. The scent itself can be described as an amber oud. Dorothee Piot did an exceptional job with these luxurious ingredients, most of her pieces I like. Very much like an artist I choose to follow. The frag is more nutty than powdery, more warm than spicy , more sweet than leathery. In the mid you will notice a woody oud. If I were to describe this in two others words it would be "Oud Spice". The high price tag brings high expectations. And as such, raises a possible concern. I think this is mostly natural ingredients and I hope this is real oud at this price, but I think it may not be. However, all things considered it still gets high marks and if one is bold enough to layer it with BR 540 your mind will be blown, especially if it is a colder evening and you are going out for a warm, romantic dinner. 4.2/5

I got a sample of this beauty at first for my husband in a store in my region. I loved how it was warming up on his skin, how the spice, the leather and the patchouli blended in to make it a perfect match, sexy and masculine, yet with a touch of sensibility... He also fell in love with it instantly, so he had to have a FB... At first I was a bit hesitant to buy it, as I remembered its price was a bit high for me. So I decided to buy him the 20ml format to start with, much more accessible. But, once on their online shop, the best surprise was yet to come: there is a new 50ml format avaialble now at 145 euros! OK, it doesn't come in the same leather case and it doesn't have the travel spray included, but it is still a beauty! And at this price, I replenished on my Stilettos on Lex as well, as the shipping was complimentary. I must say, this is a smart move from jul et mad!

I’m going to keep this short and sweet. It instantly shot to my favourites list. It’s awe inspiring and unisex enough for me to love it. It’s just the right blend of everything and stays warm without being sweet. I’m going to leave you tempted to try it. But I will say this, it does remind me a little of Cartier’s L’Envol (the parfum version) in its chewy, woody, amber, smooth gourmand-ness, but this is much more refined, elite, serious and committed. It lasts for about 5 hours on me (I wish it lasted longer) and projects like crazy for the first hour and a half. Then it calms right down until you think it might be gone, you get gentle wafts of it through the night as you sleep. It’s magnificent and I’ll cherish my bottle for special occasions only. Update: Just found a fantastic and cheap alternative to this - Amber of Yemen by El Nabil.

I am sad to see people just criticizing a brand because they are not Guerlain or Chanel... (please see below). FORTUNATELY, there are other brands out there that make this fantastic perfume industry what it is today. It is also thanks to these small brands that the Niche market, with its fantastic creativity, exists! I am very appreciative of Guerlain and Chanel, but I tend to really favour a small and exclusive brand like Jul et Mad! In my opinion, being new doesn't mean inferior quality or creativity... On the contrary! And, this brand in particular is truly special and really stands out. Not only by the level of quality and originality, but also by their presentation and unique offer. And $280 for 57ml of Extrait de Parfum seems quite a deal compared to other brands, JUST AS NEW, and in most cases offering only EDP concentrations...

This is a gorgeous scent with a transitional character - it smells both classic and modern. Its woody, spicy and ambery notes remind me of legends like Nina Ricci Farouche and Lancome Magie Noire, and it covers its oriental essence with a semi-transparent smoky and musky veil making the fragrance dual and non-obvious. Men can consider it feminine, women - masculine. It plays on both sides shimmering like water in Canal Grande on sunny day. For me it fits the story of a mysterious Venetian adventure perfectly - when at the Masquerade behind the mask, male wig and camisole can hide a pretty woman, and vice versa. Please try it before you buy it. Because you never know who you see in the mirror when you put it on.