Russian Leather

Memo calls this a Frozen fougere and frozen fougere it is indeed! The opening of Russian Leather is green, yes, but I pick up many other hues - purples and greens and crisp whites -a camphoraceous lavender, a beautiful pine note and a prominent peppermint that combine with (I believe) an unlisted iris note to create a thick and rich accord that transcends the sum of its parts. Very Guerlinade, in fact - the opening actually IS somewhat reminiscent of Guerlain Homme/Intense with the mint and Guerlinade combo. The opening is bracing and cold, but neither thin nor shrill. A prominent clary sage comes to the fore in the heart and is joined by nutmeg and these two notes warm the opening accord, especially as the leather note slowly surfaces as the fragrance moves to the base. Ever present throughout the frag is a gorgeous "fougere accord" - so very Guerlainesque - and it is in this context that the leather accord makes total sense. The leather in Russian Leather is more of a supple white suede coupled with a bit of warm and fuzzy animal fur. No hardcore leather here, no petroleum notes, no harsh or synthetic vibe. Honestly, the choice to go this route with the leather was brilliant as it adds so much depth to the fougere-spine of the fragrance, and it blends seamlessly with the brisk accords that come before it. I think the key to enjoying this fragrance is to go into it expecting a beautiful Guerlain-esque take on a fougere, because that's what it is. If you go in expecting hardcore animalic leather you'll surely be disappointed. But the fragrance, evaluated without expectations based on the name, is gorgeous. It is what Guerlain Homme should have been. Rich, sweet, green, vibrant and deep - a modern take on a classical structure. With regards to the rest of the base notes, the patchouli is used to add depth and a bit of darkness to the base, and the guaiac is noticeable later on, taking on an almost rosy-sandalwood like quality, but neither are major players, both being used to add shade to the central accord. Lastly, I will say the ingredients in this one smell very very natural. That's not true of all Memo fragrances - surely not some of the other leathers (Irish Leather has a nice, if rather synthetic leather accord), but this fragrance is the most natural smelling of the 12 or so Memos I've smelled.

I cannot believe I finally found this scent. There's this candle I have, it's a random candle, it says nothing but eucalypt on it, the shop I bought it in closed so I couldn't repurchase. It was fairly cheap, probably less than 5 euros but I burned it with such care. The scent was fresh, like pines and eucalyptus, kind of what you could envision a christmasy forest to smell like, fresh and covered in snow. There was also something sweet, I couldn't pinpoint it but it wasn't vanilla, kind of made me think of cinnamon (now I know it was tonka) and It just made the room smell absolutely amazing. Everytime someone came over and It was placed on a table, not even lighted on, everyone complimented the scent. I couldn't for the life of me find the candle again even if I exhausted my nose every weekend. Then I came across russian leather. There it was! My favourite candle in the entire world in a perfume, it was like someone decided to grant me a wish. It opens so fougere, so herbal, fresh, almost like a turkish bath in a hammam: opens your sinuses and makes you feel warm at the same time. It's almost resinous, waxy at times. It might not project as potently as others in the leather line but you can still feel the leather underneath the freshness, mixed with the tonka, a sweet and ever so slightly animalic ending, so creamy in contrast to the beginning, it mixes and mashes and transforms from the pine trees to a breeze at home, in the winter, under a blanket... The most notorious notes for me have to be the pine, lavender, leather and rosemary. A gorgeous barbershop scent. I think with the right attitude anyone can pull this off, I'd recommend to wear it in the winter but it's so good I can see myself craving it in the summer as well.

Purchased it due to it being described as a more potent niche version of Bottega Veneta Pour Homme Extreme which is discontinued. The description is pretty accurate. I also smell a slight resemblance to Margiela At the Barbers too. This one and Beach Hut Man are probably my favorite quasi-barbershop type niche fragrances at the moment. They are like Neo 80s powerhouse fragrances in my opinion. This one is definitely the darker of the two though. Gorgeous pine forest and high quality leather type smell that reminds me of the Van Cleef and Arpels Tsar that my dad used to wear back in the 90s. l Honestly too gorgeous for words. Definitely my favorite of the Memo leathers too. $125 on Jomashop was an absolute steal for this. I would have been willing to pay Amouage level prices for this beauty.

This is great for my tastes. I was a little concerned over the "green" label that I saw many give it, however upon smelling it, that green front is extremely aromatic and naturally sweetened by the lavender and clary sage. The greeness is extremely refreshing and aromatic as opposed to being vegetal or earthy. This is more of a pine christmas candle scent than an earthy plant smell. There is a great woody note as well giving the fragrance great structure. Definite fougere presentation. The mental picture it gives me is a snow ladened spruce or pine tree. So if you are like me and hesitant on the green label, dont be concerned. I think if you are into fougere fragrance, this will be great for you. The only knock id give it is that the leather is not very present at all.

This is first and foremost a coniferous fragrance! 🌲 As is the case with most Memo Paris Leathers, they all lack a true leather accord unfortunately. So if you're looking for a green leather fragrance go for Polo Green better. 💚 This reminds me of my childhood in Siberia 🐻 🗻where the wilderness and the forests are just like a fairy tale 🌲🌲It brings back those memories of the beauty of nature, which is the greatest beauty on earth. 🌏 The fragrance also has some icy coolness to it ❄️ ❄️ I believe that's coming from the mint, sage, lavender and pine notes (also Iso E Super). The icy coolness coupled with the coniferous vibe makes it a very special fragrance. This is my second favorite from the house after African Leather. 🐆 A video review is also available on my YT ▶️