18 Abel In Abbesses

Not going to lie, tasty as hell. I picked up a handful of very niche scents at a ridiculously low price - 6 decants of 8ml for under 40 quid, and the seller was still kind enough to give a couple of free 2ml samples along side. Made in Pigelle did not truly impress me with Joao - which was a freebie on the order. It was pleasant and I generally liked the fragrance but the performance was dire. This number is a different creature. Granted much more to my tastes. My experience of the scent is completely different to what the notes listed here are! Opens quite cinnamony - it's a clean but sharp cinnamon with a healthy dose of tobacco. There is quite a lot of brightness in to the opening that is definitely the citrus but it's not obvious, there as a supporting character. Opening did smell utterly unique but a somewhat similar vibe to the likes of Penhaligion's Mr Sam or, as another commented, Harrod. I will say there's something else there, but I'm not sure what it is - a kind of red floral maybe, it mostly fills out the smell to something full bodied but a close sniff gives something not listed. Drying down it gets more spiced - less bright and more masculine. I'd argue the open is traditionally fairly unisex. But the more it dries down it is traditionally masculine. Initial dry down is insanely cinnamon forward, it's delicious. That bright spice is so addictive. At this point it feels like Mr Sam's but brighter and more floral / resiny. Full dried down however, it's woody, spicy and not as bright. Sits perfectly on me. Not one note at all. When dried it smells slightly like baked yeasted goods on my chest - labdunum note perhaps. But overall it is very close to that sort of old spice, mr sam scent - with a little funk to it. It's great - for me the mix is good really throughout the journey - super homey and old souled. Performance is better than Joao, projection is low and maybe lasts for about 2 hours at arms length. Intimate scent for 5 hours or so - could probably stretch slightly more as I did not moisturise beforehand. Not sure it's even in production anymore from a quick search. Either way, if it was priced like Joao, then acceptable. Hurts to say, because that 8ml may be the only whiff I get of this but 9.5/10 - docked points since the performance is not great. But the profile... that's the good stuff... pretty much perfection for my nose.

think "Mr. Harrod Penhaligon's" and turn-up the volume on the gritty, leathery, oudy skank - this is such a guilty pleasure.