Risala Autograph

I'll be honest, as a fountain pen enthusiast and someone who studied Ornamental Penmanship and Spencerian with a late master penman, I blind bought this only for the bottle. It's a very unique pen nib cap presentation. As luck would have it, I also won the blind buy lottery. This smells fantastic. I have tested a few Roja fragrances, but not Isola Blu. In looking at the notes, it does appear to be similar to Isola Blu. I do have Terre D'Hermes and another lesser known fragrance called Cuore di Pepe Nero (Heart of Black Pepper) from Erbario Toscano that my wife carries in her gift shop, and it shares similarities with those scent profiles in the opening: zesty citrus and pepper. Autograph takes zesty to a new level. It's punchy. Comparing to Pepe Nero, I would say it has twice the intensity and projection. Added Note: Probably the juniper berry notes in this will lead some to find similarities with Terre d'Hermes Eau Givree, as well. When I compare them side by side, TdHeG is lighter and less intense, but is closer on dry down than the original Terre d'Hermes to Autograph. In some ways Autograph also has some similarities (not the same at all) to Roja Burlington 1819, but without the divisive cumin note and more sweet vanilla from the tonka bean than Burlington 1819's vanilla note. So, these comparisons are like siblings and first cousins, not clones. This is to give an idea of the scent profile for those that might want to try it as a blind buy, because that is likely how it will be purchased. For those wondering about fake reviews, I assure you this is not one. Since there were not a ton of reviews for this sleeper, I thought I would add mine. I have just started using Fragrantica, so I haven't added scents I own to my profile and may never do so. I have my own spreadsheet for tracking fragrances. As a 55+ man, I have worn very little cologne over the years, but thought it would be a fun experience with my wife, so we've tested close to 200 fragrances recently, mostly via samples from decanters where we can truly experience the complete evolution of the fragrance through dry down in the comfort of our home. If you like TdH, you will likely enjoy this fragrance. To my nose (granted new to the world of fragrance), this is like a more complex Terre D'Hermes with the sillage and longevity of Beach Hut Man. This has strong projection. If you like softer citrus scent profiles such as Afternoon Swim or the likes of Creed Virgin Island Water (Rayhaan Acquatica), just know this is much stronger and more abrasive than those light citrus scents. I would easily give this a 9/10 and think it could work well during any season and time, though I will reserve it mostly for summer for my personal use. My preference is more toward softer powdery and clean scent profiles such as Dior Homme Intense, Prada L'Homme, etc. So, for a fresh zesty profile to get a 9/10 from me is saying a lot.

I applied Risala Autograph this morning, and OH MY, this one deserves the effort of a review. I blind bought this treasure about four months ago and liked it immediately. But when I sprayed it on this morning I was awestruck by how much deeper and more complex it had become. In my collection of ~100 fragrances, Autograph stands alone. I've smelled nothing like this elsewhere, and it is unique and exceptional. Imagine, you're sixteen and your best friend has an awkward, yet adorable little sister. Ten years later you're the best man at his wedding and that same sister enters the room. It becomes quiet. All heads turn to gaze upon a stunningly beautiful woman. Poise has preempted awkwardness. Cute has evolved into enchanting. Adolescence has transformed into sophisticated womanhood. Mistake not my female metaphor, however, for feminine scent characteristics. This fragrance is definitely masculine. Woof! That's what happened to my bottle of Autograph. The initial, out-of-the-box impression was sharp, but not unpleasantly so. The opening was delightful, citrus forward, drying down to a warmer, comfortable, ambery finish lasting 2-3 hours. After maturing some, the opening is still citrusy, but softer and more exquisite. After about an hour the floral notes emerge. After two hours those yield to a woody, resinous, slightly leathery base that last about 6-7 hours. Contrary to the Fragrantica ratings, I wouldn't characterize longevity and sillage of the grown-up version as eternal and enormous, respectively, but long and strong. However, I only applied two sprays. Oversprayers might produce eternal/enormous results. Most of Le Falconés fragrances are feminine or unisex, but based on Autograph, I am eager to sample their other masculine offerings such as Mirsaal Valentine, Qannas, Muharib Alpha, and Symphony Melody. I cannot yet offer a comparison to its inspiration, Roja Isola Blue. Bottom Line: -----------------NEW-----4-MOS Scent:----------9/10-----11/10 Longevity:-----4/10------8/10 Sillage:---------4/10------8/10 Value:---------10/10----20/10 CONTEXT: 65yo professional gentleman with the mature, old-school tastes one would expect from a man my age. I've been collecting fragrances for six months now and have about 100 fragrances. These are just one man's humble opinions. Your mileage may vary with taste and age.

First impression: it's gingery! I get a lot of zingy ginger at first, putting my nose very close I'm greeted by the typical oriental musk note, which I also find in Turathi Blue and likewise fragrances. Staying at this topic I must say, it has a lot of similarities with the TygarVibrato DNA just without the musk dominant note. Given this description Risala Autograph doesn't sound very good, but there is something about it. I cannot pinpoint what exactly but smelling it a bit further away it's just very well composed. I smell a lot of potential after maturation. It is not easy to make this gingery note not cheap smelling. I bought this because I trusted people saying it smells similar to Isola Blue and Basso. I know both and I love both, especially Isola Blue. For me Isola is just such a complete perfect casual but special scent. It sound paradox, I know. But if you wear it and it greets you time to time, you think ohh what is that? It smells good! I do not expect Autograph to do the same, but I wanted to have something maybe similar in a way. Unfortunately that is not the case right now. The citrus note smells a lot like ginger, the musk is too prominent, there's no coconut water accord and it lacks the feeling of standing in nature, just close enough to hear the ocean waves. I also had the opportunity to test Basso a couple of times. Basso develops way more, in the drydown its still complex, but also very negligible in its whole. Autograph is also not even close to Basso. In conclusion, right now Risala Autograph is a very unpolished rough diamond. But a diamond nonetheless. It bears a lot of potential and I'm exited to what it will develop in a couple of months .

Help me understand... Risala Autograph is really hard to find if you don't count ebay. There are but six individual brick-and-mortar stores carrying Le Falconé, all in N.A., NONE of which have it in stock. And there are only ten online stores that carry Le Falconé, two of which have it in stock. [Disclaimer: this info is from ChatGPT, which often makes sh*t up.] Of the five users below who compared Risala Autograph to Roja Isola Blue, only ONE of them had Isola Blue on their Fragrantica "have" or "had" shelves. How TF are they they drawing these comparisons??? * It's IN their collection, but they forgot to include it in their profile?? * They have a sample that's not listed in their profile? * In-store sampling? (Unlikely, since there are no b/m stores that actually have it.) * Just the note listings??? (C'mon, man!) DM me if you've any insights on this craziness.

This one was a shocker. How can such an inexpensive perfume ($32 for 100mL) smell this good and come in such an amazing box and bottle? Really makes you wonder about a place like Roja Dove charging 7x or more for something that smells maybe 20% better. Is it the best thing I've ever smelled? No. But it genuinely smells nice. I agree that it's maybe 70% TdH (which is the GOAT), at least initially. On dry down it's a lot sweeter and spicier, but not overwhelmingly so. Compared to Isola Blue (which I also have and love), it's not that similar. IB is much fruitier and fresh, with hardly any of the spice this has. Autograph also has much better staying power. I have absolutely zero regrets buying this. Love that bottle design.