MCM Diamonds

Warm and richly brown, this to me is a fantasy gourmand style with a wood base. The opening is sweet and fruity, and somewhat creamy. I do get the cappuccino notes - they are not the sharp espresso notes, but rather the warm, velvety steamed milk after it was steamed a little too long. The plum note is prominent - the fleshy part of an overly ripe plum. The oud peeks through every so often, and the wood base grounds the fragrance, and the tonka bean is always intoxicating to me. Overall, this is something I'd wear in fall or winter, and definitely at night, especially before bed, because it is so comforting and sweet. Leans feminine, but can be worn by a confident male.

The stunning black diamonds edition feels like the bolder, moodier sister of the original. The opening hits with a burst of bergamot and juniper, then sinks into this gorgeous cloud of cappuccino and tonka ... rich, cozy, and addictive .. The plum and heliotrope peek through with a soft sweetness, while the base of sandalwood and oud gives it depth without going too heavy. I love how it stays warm, creamy, and just a bit mysterious on my skin. It’s a total vibe, confident, velvety, and unapologetically bold. – Bhavna Darira Chesan

I got this for about 29 bucks at ROSS. My wife got a pink version and I love the smell on her. This reminds me a lot of warmer middle eastern fragrances but less strong and doesn't last as long. Is it a good scent, absolutely, Unfortunately it dies down fairly quickly to Tonka and oud which I don't mind but I was really hoping the cappuccino note was way stronger and lasted a lot longer. Would I buy again, sure at the price I paid but I have middle eastern fragrances that do the same thing but much better

This fragrance is absolutely wonderful, it s warm, rich and spicy. It starts off very much like a Guerlain, citrusy, animalic and deep. It has fantastic longevity on me and the drydown is where it has melted down into floral, warm loveliness. Try it, it s great.

This was something of an unexpected hidden gem. Most people outside of Europe don't know MCM very well: Mode Creation Munich are a Munich-based luxury monogrammed leather goods specialist probably best known outside of Europe for doing the natty little amenity kits for various airlines in premium long-haul cabins. They are a slightly teutonic version of Louis Vuitton but with somewhat lower prices, or like a less gaudy version of Gucci, if that makes sense. So it logically follows that they should follow their Italian and French near-contemporaries with a fairly comprehensive fragrance line. That said, their fragrances and much less well known than LV, Gucci etc and are still very much peripheral players on the scene. So I wasn't really sure what to expect when I picked up an MCM tester of Diamonds at Dubai Mall recently. Immediate observations were that the price was around half what you'd pay for a Gucci and a quarter or less of what you'd pay for an LV. The natty little bottle is a reproduction of the company's trademark backpack design and feels heavy and high quality in the hand. They have the same design for a series of fragrances but in different colours for different profiles. It is a bit of whimsical fun, just the right side of tacky for me. The opening is a fairly blustery spicy experience that sits a little untidy to my nose, which surprised me a bit as it feels as though German brands should be a bit more squared away. It takes five minutes or so to calm down and figure out what it wants to be, and then it all makes sense. I have to say, I was quite impressed. The spicy opening has some really nice coffee (sweet mocha latte feel, not bitter) notes in there and you find yourself wanting there to be a fruity accord to keep it balanced, which is why I say it is a bit untidy in the first couple of minutes. I don't get much juniper or bergamot here. It is a sweet and spicy opening but doesn't focus on one spice so it is difficult to pick one note out over the rest. I get some cinnamon and a tinge of cardamom, which makes this quite *die aktuelle mode* in terms of what is going on in perfumery generally right now. The tonka beans are what brings this together and the result is very nice actually. It dries down to a very comforting sweet, tonka bean skin scent with just the merest hints of rich woods to anchor the base. I wish this lasted longer. It is sweet and supposedly has oud in it but I find myself wanting more of the plum accord and yearning for more oud in the bottom end. This just feels a bit lightweight without these. It is nice and the skin scent is very alluring but it doesn't project as much as I'd want it to and sillage is non-existent unless you spray a lot; like two either side of the neck, three on the chest, two on the top of the head and two on each wrist. Thirteen sprays of any EDP concentration plus one more for luck is a bit silly but thats what you would need here to get you where you (I!) need to be. It isn't a very bold fragrance so you need to be bold with the nozzle. Even so, longevity is four to five hours before it becomes a skin scent and eight to nine on the skin. I wonder if the performance gets better with a couple more months of maceration? All that being said, I think if you want a nice, slightly left field personal scent that has a bit of character up close but doesn't offend anyone out past a couple of feet, it is pretty good. It doesnt smell like anything else I own and it is as confidently refined as you'd expect from a German brand. It isn't brash or overstated and that is quite German too. It is the sort of thing you'd wear when traveling which I think would make this a good choice to put in those nice amenity kits the company used to do. It is probably a very decent work fragrance too as it isn't intense. Because it isn't very projecting you could wear this to the gym as well, which sounds an odd thing to say about a spicy fragrance with oud in the base. You'll have to take my word for that one. It is very unisex and I think is a very wearable daily driver for a man or woman. I picked this up in a natty little 75ml little backpack bottle for less than EUR70/US$90 and at that price it is very compelling value for money I would say. You can pick it up from discounters online at considerably less than this as well. You arent getting LV quality or Gucci blending refinement but it is not LV or even Gucci kind of money and sometimes you want a nice, inoffensive sweet spice and wood fragrance that doesn't challenge or ask questions of others around you. I would say it is a fragrance aimed at and for people who don't really have big collections and only rotate one, two or three bottles. It sits in my collection as something I enjoy as it is a bit different and I do wear it when its profile suits. I have a preference, some may say addiction, to heavy hitting fragrances and I do not own many that are as restrained as this one is. Restraint doesnt mean bad - I think it smells great and is incredible value for what you get. Not every day needs to be an Ombre Nomade sort of day, right? Three Word Summary: German Designer Fun Scent - 8/10 Sillage - 4/10 Drydown - 5/10 Bottle/packaging - 7/10 Performance - 5/10 29/50

Smells like spraying Angels' Share inside of a new purse. 6.5/10

This has the most unique, cozy yet striking opening that grabs your attention. The cappuccino-juniper mix is oddly charming, like sipping a fancy coffee cocktail in a warm lounge. Unfortunately, as it settles, the spices start to take over, blending into something too synthetic and sharp for my taste. The opening is undeniably appealing but the dry-down... it just doesn’t stick the landing.

I really like this! Spicy but sweet. Peppery and smooth. I have to see how long it lasts but this is a unique smell that i enjoy.

I'm liking the notes, and I'm looking forward to trying it.

Great one here, great price for 75 ML, awesome smell.