Akowa

There's just something so mysterious about this fragrance that leaves me polarized and in awe. I decided to reach for my sample to give it another go today, and I must admit it is such an interesting fragrance. Very difficult to describe what I'm actually smelling but I can't get enough. The wafts I get from head turns and body movements are astonishing yet enigmatic. As someone stated below, this is a "spray and go" kind of fragrance. I agree. It's also very potent, two sprays is all that is necessary. Definitely a unique one, no doubt about it. Most might find this fragrance, off-putting and unappealing but I simply can't help but appreciate this work of art. UPDATE My nose has developed a bit more since my review, and now I've grown to love this scent even more. I see a similarity with MFK's APOM as well, with its woody, amber and orange blossom combination. What sets this apart is the wonderful and unique Thiouraye incense. The whole thing is simply exceptional and beautifully constructed -- best suited for the winter.

The scent is pleasant and arouses your attention because it is contradictory as both familiar and alien to your senses in the same moment. There is something in the melange that I am not familiar with, and it does get the attention of your nose. It is new and interesting, but not so much that you want a whole shelf of scents using the mystery ingredient. One is enough. I highly recommend Akowa. The presentation is very good. The sprayer is great. The bottle is beautiful and looks great on your shelf or dresser. The scent is superior. Sample it. I bought it blind and it worked out for me. It is over my usual budget and I enjoy it, but it will not please everyone. I suggest many people try a sample. It is unique and you will be glad to try something unlike any other scent. It will make you nod your head and your mind will work and try to place everything where it should go and find something has no place. That makes it interesting. And, it also, simply smells good. The cocoa note really works here.

I think I might eat a man like a cocoa nib if he were wearing this. I went into this expecting odd, and possibly bad, things. I got the odd. Whatever root was used, it absolutely isn't something I'm familiar with or can describe. If you're into Niche scents, and what they can be when boundaries are brushed aside, you should give this a test run. Ambered lime is just the tip of a truly bizarre iceberg of scent contradictions that keep me coming back for more, off balance and somehow mesmerised. This is animalic, certainly, but not in a way that's easy to place and utterly in a fashion that will be off putting to some. The vetiver leans towards the dry kind I've found in New Orleans, almost closet sachet like, very M/. It's spice-dry while simultaneously seeming marine. NOT aquatic, marine, with all the salt and body connotations that evokes. Honestly, this wears me more than I wear it, but I am fascinated by it, and the man who could pull this off . . . well, I'd be impressed.

I think this is a unique scent. I have worn it 3 times...and each time....I get something different. But...most importantly, I want to smell it again and again.....!! Hard to describe scent...but yet...."familiar". I tried so hard to think of what other scents it reminds me of. I think finally that it "reminds me" of other scents that have been combined...??? Thus, the getting something different each time I've worn this...??? I get a very different "type" of orange blossom in this....probably because of the other notes blended in...not really sweety floral orange blossom. The vetiver is here also,for sure....as is a earthy musk & slight amber. I was surprised to see cacao is listed....again....not the "typical" cacao smell. And the bergamot is only pronounced, IMO, at the first spritz. I am very intrigued by this scent...and it is a LIKE....but I think it could become a LOVE. Sillage/projection /performance is decent....so far.

Unfortunately, I’m describing Akowa from a memory from 3–4 years ago, but the impression this perfume left on me is still incredibly vivid. I received it as a complimentary sample when exchanging another fragrance—and what a compliment it was! Dark, dense, like freshly laid black asphalt, yet at the same time cold, clean, like the best-smelling laundry detergent. I’ve never encountered this combination of thick asphalt and crystal clarity anywhere else; it really struck me. That evening we were at a garden wedding, and I asked my husband to spray himself a few times with the tiny sample—you can imagine how little that is, three or four small spritzes. My God, I sensed the trail of that perfume all night long—so exciting and magnetic! My husband said it felt strange to him, but I was absolutely mesmerized!