Nerosa

Okay so this will be a short story time about my relationship with Nerosa: As I traveled around Japan during the whole of november in 2019, and at the end of the trip I wanted a scent that would let me reminisce about some element of Japan. Said and done I walked out on my last night around Ginza to The Nose Shop and let myself loose. And when I smelled Nerosa I thought that it reminded me of something, and so it wouldn't leave my mind. As I was talking with one of the staff it hit me what it reminded me of: A wooden bathtub in a Sento (a public bathouse). It's woody, fresh and humid - So it surprised me to see so many notes that would indicate that this perfume would lean more on the heady side rather than the fresh side as it comes off for me. I enjoy Nerosa on rainy days, misty evenings and when light generally is more dimmed. All the while imagining birch scented steam rise from a wooden bathtub. It's a quiet moment where you retreat into your own mind to ponder about wonders and mysteries, or simply exists in the moment for the moment itself. Needless to say it's a love for me.

This is the best dark rose ever made. Better than any rose in my collection (1000+) and I tried (thousands and thousands more)

When Nerosa is first sprayed, the first thing I smell is a spicy resinous accord made up of saffron, clove, nutmeg, and related materials. The opening is dense and slightly dry, with a strong dark wood impression. The rose here is a dark rose with a soap like facet. Beside it, geranium adds a faint green spicy edge. It does not smell like a fresh, watery, sweet rose. It feels more like a dark rose wrapped in spices and woods, with the floral aspect kept relatively low. The drydown is a layering of resins, dark woods, and leather. The woods narrow the sweetness, and what remains is a dark leathery smoke with a very slight animalic touch. The oud is still fairly noticeable. What makes this fragrance better is that it does not follow the usual Middle Eastern rose oud formula. The rose is darker and more soap like, while leather and resins take up more space. The overall scent is less sweet and has more depth. Longevity and projection are both within a normal range. A bit of background: Nerosa was already completed back in 2011, at a time when oud fragrances were very popular. Perfumer David Maruitte presented it to Laboratorio Olfattivo, but the brand felt it was too dark and did not quite fit its image at the time. It remained unreleased until the brand later introduced its black series, when this fragrance finally came out.

Dayumn! I have over 530 fragrances collection and yet this is so different , I can't compare it to anything. If I can play with words and explain it, i would say - take your favorite manly leathery-slightly oudy scent and make it a lollipop flavor. That's it. That's Nerosa. So far I'm intrigued, but don't know what ot make of it yet. Will continue testing.

This is different! To my nose it opens with a sharp tangy biting saffron tea, but dries down and softens to a soapy rose+ leather... with a hint of animalic skank, which is nice, because it makes the composition more interesting and slightly vintage. I dig it. Maybe not enough to buy, but I appreciate it. Very unisex.