Kintsugi

EDITED March 2026: Revising my initial review of April 2023. Here it is some three years later. I just reordered a 50ml bottle of Kintsugi after emptying a few 100ml bottles over the years. THREE YEARS LATER and I still LOVE this perfume!! I love it! Kintsugi opens with a BIG & HUGE flowery magnolia scent, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE!! Yes, citrus is present, along with some amber. But on my skin I detect mellow, smooth and beautifully bloomed magnolia. And ROSE...beautiful, sweet Centifolia Rose Grasse. Within minutes, suede arrives but in a very soft leathery way. I am NOT a fan of cashmere-suede perfume bombs but this is heck-YES lovely. Sometimes leathery notes can become overpowering. But this perfume is so well done, the leather-suede note adds the perfect balance to prevent the magnolia and other florals from overpowering the fragrance's performance. But make no mistake about it...Kintsugi is an opulent, rich, floral-forward fragrance. Violets with their leaves & stems emerge, along with lots of benzoin, vanilla and patchouli. Kintsugi lands as an INTENSE, mixed-floral, slightly powdery, creamy, fragrance with benzoin, vanilla, musk & patchouli throughout. The rise of creamy, woody, resinous notes provides the perfect backbone for a blend of fragrance notes that is seamless and effortless. This perfume is lovely lovely lovely. Perfection. Longevity is good at 4-6 hours. Silage is moderate and very nice. And despite Kintsugi’s hefty list of dense notes, this perfume is practically ethereal and diaphanous. Did I say "I love this fragrance?" Heaven in a bottle.

I visited Perfumology on a trip to Philadelphia this past spring. Of all the samples I bought and things I tried, it was the spritz of Kintsugi on the back of my hand that was my obsession for the long drive home, and the bottle I needed among the more hyped scents I thought I was there to try. It’s a unique scent. You can see it in the lack of consensus in the "reminds me of"s above. Despite the notes of leather and raspberry, no one is mentioning the Tom Ford leathers. There's rose and patchouli, but no comparisons to Portrait of a Lady. And rightly so - it's not like them. There's a uniquely earthy/mossy quality, floral-sweetened - flashes of purple, pink and white flowers emerging from damp mossy earth, beautiful and layered and naturalistic. The concept of Kintsugi resonates deeply the more I've worn it - the art of repairing broken pottery with the joins and lacquer intentionally highlighted, beautiful in themselves, drawing attention to the repaired nature of the piece. There's no shame in being broken, and you can highlight rather than hide those fractures. Kintsugi may not be a "perfect", crowd-pleasing or obvious scent. You wear it to celebrate your flawed uniqueness and all the scars that brought you there. Also - these Masque Milano bottles are gorgeous, the thick crystal, tactile rubber cap, fantastic sprayer ... total joy!

So I got Russin Tea, Mandala and this Kintsugi and this is by far my favorite. Russian Tea is th highest rated, but I think this smells the best. More proof that you can't always believe the hype. Not getting much suede or vanilla, but getting decent floral and fruits. This smells really high quality. Others that note fruits are an ethyl Maltol bomb. This is really subtle and classy, but does project decently and lasts an acceptable amount of time. I have a few others I'm testing on my skin and those are projecting better, so I'll have to try it on its own to give a more solid opinion. Unisex

This is 'Mitsouko' 2.0. The new chypre fragrance for the 21st century. There is bergamot, some flowers, a fruity aspect, but above all there is a base of patchouli-coeur, which is a wonderful earthy material with green and wet facets. No oakmoss is needed anymore when patchouli-coeur is used this way. Excellent!

Kintsugi is absolutely stunning! The magnolia and bergamot opening is so fresh and uplifting, and the rose and suede heart is just divine. It's both floral and leathery, sweet and slightly tart. I get compliments on it all the time. This is a truly unique and unforgettable fragrance.