Celadawn

Very solid. I pick up on the amber, musk, and cedar the most. Imo this was worthy of being a art and olfaction award finalist. It has piqued my curiosity into the house.

Celadawn as a perfume is an interesting idea, the perfumer found a commonality behind his different cultural backgrounds and created a perfume around it. Horchata is a beverage found in a number of cultures and Matthew Sanchez chose to explore this delicious rice and spice based beverage as a scent. The first hour of the fragrance is my favourite, where an accord that captures the sweet vanilla and rice drink is successfully recreated along with an ambery undertone. Unfortunately after the first hour the composition falls apart on my skin but the perfumer’s amateur hand really shows in the lack of skillfull blending: a sour blood orange starts to dominate, the amber mutes out the vanilla and spice and the black pepper has far too much presence to make this pleasant. An interesting first showing but not an enjoyable perfume in my book. The bottle is also poorly constructed, the scales on the side easily fall off. Matteo also included two samples of his next creations, a his and her scent, that read of generic designer imitations.

This is an art and olfaction award winner that can now be had for pennies on the dollar from places like ebay - we're talking sub-middle eastern clone, sub-$20 prices. For that kind of money its a complete no-brainer. You really do pick up on the horchata accord in the opening and its almost mouth watering. It dries into something that bears far too much resemblance to Oajan and other things in that wheelhouse for me to think it ever deserved an art and olfaction award, but nonetheless, its a great scent - especially if you don't already have something occupying that niche in your collection. Solid performance and projection, exceeding that of Oajan but maybe falling short of something like Khaltat Night.

The reviewer below is a hater, with that being said, Celadawn stands as a warm, suave, and sophisticated fragrance that draws quiet attention. Its thoughtful composition and unique Horchata Amber accord make it a compelling choice for anyone seeking a scent that embodies the essence and richness of Mexican culture. If you’re Mexican this is your fragrance.