Iberian Leather

Chica Frente A Un Espejo What a strange title I chose for this review. Yet the choice was not at all random. It is the name of a masterpiece by the master Picasso, “The Girl in Front of the Mirror”, which portrays a woman looking at herself in the mirror: her body has been broken down into many small parts precisely according to cubist rules, but her figure is recognizable quite easily. The painting can be divided into two parts: the woman looking at herself in the mirror was created with light colours, to enhance her beauty; part of the woman’s face on the left in the painting is coloured yellow, as if she were wearing some sort of mask, and alludes to her happy moments with Picasso, while the other side of her face is young and free of imperfections. The reflection of the subject in the mirror has unique characteristics. And Iberian Leather is similar: a fragrance with two opposite facets, like a coin, dual I would say. On one side there’s the dark, dirty, leathery, smoky aspect, and then there’s the clean, sweet, comforting one on the other. It is a rather extreme leather, with a very dirty and oppressive start, almost like that of a stable. But then it softens and becomes truly welcoming and intimately pleasant. And since Iberian Leather is not simple at all, the smoky nuance is typical of Scottish peated whiskies. When it comes to whisky, I am always looking for the smokiest one, or peaty, as they say in the jargon, the Scots from the island of Islay, also known as the queen island of whiskies. But this is about perfumes, and in my opinion, this is the peatiest leather perfume I have ever smelled in my life. And ironically, it takes its name from the Iberian peninsula, not the Scottish one. Just to give you an idea of the power of this beast, by spraying the perfume into the cork and screwing your nose in, with your eyes closed, you get the sensation of smelling the cork of the whiskey bottle, for example, that of an Askaig, Laphroaig or a Lagavulin. The smoky, leathery, dense, and dark accords form the backbone that supports the perfume. If you want to risk a blind buy, know that perfumes like #Ombre Leather and #gucci Absolute are like rose water in comparison. It seems that some regions of the Iberian peninsula were anciently known for leather processing; the heart of traditional Spanish leatherwork, Andalusia’s heritage in leather craftsmanship can be traced back to the Moorish period. Iberian Leather is a thick, smouldering leathery fragrance. Black as pitch, phenolic as ink, resinous as a medicinal syrup. Maybe there is something citrusy, but it is sour and ephemeral enough that it is almost not noticeable. The notes reported here are too many, and only an expert and trained nose would be able to capture them, separate them, and classify them one by one. We humans, however, are allowed to recognize the major chords, associating them with smells, places, and memories of our experience. At the opening, the bitter, dark and leathery accord of saffron arrives immediately, with nuances of black, wild and bitter blackberry. There is an immediate smoky dimension with a hint of aromatic and spicy splashes. The spices and aromatic herbs that make up the initial phase give the perfume a taste of pure liquorice, like the chopped logs found in herbalist’s shops, bitter and black and dirty and leave an indelible mark on the tongue. The aromatic note is that of rosemary, minty, concentrated, resinous, like that which grows spontaneously on sunny islands, rich in intense oils. If I pay attention, I also recognize the spicy note, a freshly grated dry cinnamon bark, sweet and bitter, pungent. Damn, the more I spray it the more I like this phenolic, smoky opening. There is an alcoholic streak, which doesn’t hurt, and together with the note of Scotch whiskey, it also adds a thin thread of inky aroma, the one used to dye leather. Slowly, this initial explosion calms down, allowing powder, slightly pungent and dry musky accords to emerge. The iris concentrate is buttery, and the carrot seeds give a dry freshness to the heart of the fragrance. In the background, we begin to perceive a medicinal oud, dense, dark, but never repulsive, unbearable, or with skanky and barny nuances. It is an oud that gives mystery, and depth, and adds that animal touch that makes the leather more vivid, real, and almost palpable. Other flowers contribute to composing the middle phase while remaining mixed with the streaks of leather. You can sense the light touches of rose together with those of jasmine. That dusty corner due to the iris is strengthened with the presence of osmanthus. Although there are flowers in profusion, the fragrance remains masculine, always dark and gloomy, and the tenacity of the spices does not give up. As we move into the lingering leather base, we are greeted by a deep, dark tone. The tone seems threatening, stubborn, distinctive and unapologetic. The patchouli here is incredibly ethereal; the woods, following the oud, take the skin on a harmonious journey that almost seems as if the journey has no interruption. The leather is elitist and mischievous at the same time. The last leg of the journey is all about this exciting twist of gorgeous oakmoss, creamy sandalwood and ever so slightly sweet amber, of course, with a touch of spicy vanilla. In case you missed it, phenols are aromatic compounds that are created when peat is burned. Then, during the drying process, the barley will absorb these phenols. The longer the malted barley is exposed to smoke, the greater the infusion. Iberian Leather has an excellent performance and is recommended for spring and autumn evenings. For me, my gut tells me this is the leatheriest fragrance I’ve ever smelled. I'm expressing my thoughts on a decant I've owned since June 2024.

Iberian leather... It keeps getting more and more intriguing as it dries down. At first upon initial I was shocked. I never really smelled anything like that in the opening, and I've smelled hundreds of fragrances over the years. There is definitely a "dank" sort of medicinal scent in the opening in which I cannot detect the cause. It does simmer down quite a bit as it dries but never fully disappears. Then, there is a deep earthiness that dominates the middle of the fragrance. The leather is quite realistic to me, and it reminds me of how a tannery smells. As it dries, I get more of the saffron, oud, and dark woods. I can detect a bit of smokiness similar to how Copal incense smells when burning. The oud is quite nice and is a perfect balance between medicinal and "hay-like". If I could paint a picture... Imagine walking into an apothecary and there is a gentleman working there with a large, genuine leather apron on. He is mixing a tincture of saffron, cloves, rosemary, and white flowers. In his shop there are many potted indoor plants, and you can smell the soil throughout the building. There is also some incense burning in the room in the far corner, and you are getting whiffs of it here and there. The inside of the building is all wood, and it is lit dimly with Edison lightbulbs. This is Iberian leather.

Iberian Leather is the last sample in my Memo sample set, that I purchased over a year ago. I've left it this long because all the reviews gave me the impression this would be too leathery. I thought I'd had enough of leather after buying a bottle of African Leather. I guess I was wrong... This is actually really nice. A bit rough. Not sure if I can pull it off. But very nice nonetheless. I have to agree with the opinion that this reminds of Halfeti Leather. The leather accord is very similar. Built on saffron I suppose. The soft backbone differs a little. Halfeti leather is a little sweeter, with softer spices and more rose. It has the original Halfeti dna. While Iberian Leather is pretty original, with some dry sandalwood thrown in with the oud. And a more astringent feel. It also progresses quite a lot. It's much sweeter, almost floral after a couple of hours, while the oud too is taking more of a front seat. The leather isn't going anywhere, not that I'd expect it to. Beautiful fragrance! Why have I waited so long to try it? It's a love from me. Now I'll just have to do some soul-searching to decide if I can pull this off or not.

Started off a bit shaky at first but now in the deep dry down I’m vibing with it. I love any fragrance that gets stronger 2 hours in. The longer I wear it the better it gets w/wafts of different incense and spice in the dry dessert air. Out of the 5 decants I got in this batch, this is the only one I could rock. Opening: B- Mid: C Dry down: A++ Note, on my skin it takes 1.5-2 hours to bloom. Edit: I bought a bottle. It’s a lot drier then I’m used to and doubt I’ll have occasion to wear it often, but I love what it does. Edit2: after owning the bottle I’ve discovered I have no self control. I’m trying not to wear it everyday and failing. I have now fallen in love the opening. I still love the silage in the drydown. Performance is the cold is muted but still nice. In the heat it’s explosive. Regardless of what I’m wearing I’ll often add 1 spray on the back of the neck to add intrigue. Im sure I’ll get tired of it, but haven’t yet.

I will describe you this fragance in few facts: 1. The performace is equal to a good EDT, the first 2h/1:30h is beastly shooting burst everywhere, after that, it gets closer and closer. The longevity its nothing outstanding, 6-7h on skin, sadly. Im not hating it, it is one of my favourite fragances but lets put the truth out. 2.The first seconds you can tell a bit of alcoholic smell, after that pases, you have a beautiful leather fragance. Its very complex and elegance, the prominent notes are; patchouli, leather, a lot of spices and oud. It has the most beautiful drydown of my entire colection, the smokiness/oud stands out in this phase. 3. Don't buy retail, it is not worth the money. Have good materials, no te best. Have good sillage, not duration. However, if you find it on discount or underretail, go to fucking buy it because its beautifull in overall.