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 ▶️

From the title, I was hoping to get: Rocky running through the forest, being chased by Russian guards, ending with climbing to the mountain top screaming with fury "DRAGO!!!" Sadly, there was no Rocky, no danger, nothing remotely leathery. Just making a snow angel in a snowy Russian forest. This needs a flanker that is full of steroids like Ivan Drago. Ramp up the leather. Where is the musk? Memo, you can do this. If I can change... (Russian translation) And you can change... (Russian translation followed by slow claps) Then Russian Leather can change!!! (Russian translation & elation, and standing ovation) Cue "Hearts on Fire" by John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band and get ready for the dramatic still shot, before fading to black.

Seems like there're batch issues, so be aware of that, if you can. I (luckily) don't have any performance issues with this one. I love my vintage (and new) 80's perfumes. But sometimes I'm the only one. This gives you the same 80's fougere feel, but in a modern rendition. Quality is good and it smells expensive. Is it new and groundbreaking? Not at all. Does it have to be? No! I love this scent. It's made for guys like me. I seek out these type of modern takes on fougeres and I love them. I agree with a lot of the 'reminds me of' - Apex, BV pour homme and I'll even through in Zaharoff Signature pour homme Please note; it's remind me of, not smells similar to. They're all the classic fougere/barbershop with a modern twist

This may well be the Holy Grail of leather fragrances. The interplay between supple leather or even suede, a whisper of incense-like smokiness, crisp pine, lavender and verdant herbal nuances creates an atmosphere of pure autumnal bliss. While projection and sillage are understated, a composition this refined has no need to shout to make its presence known. The price is undeniably steep, yet some will argue that the craftsmanship and balance of the blend fully earn its premium. As someone new to the world of Memo, I’m eager to explore more of the house’s creations—though I suspect few will rival the sumptuous, almost meditative journey to Nirvana that this scent entices you into. A barbershop masterpiece.

When I first smelled it on paper, I thought "this has no relationship to the typical russian leather exercise! I cannot smell the leather even!". Yet for some reason I was really hooked, so hooked that I bit the bullet and bought it. It is on my skin now, and I love it! A beautifully made fougère with a blast of pine needles and basil upon application, with mint, cedar and a subtle note of leather. Chic, mature and all class. Certainly a beautiful addition to any wardrobe. And it certainly is the older brother of the Guerlain Homme Intense/EDP to me. Just keep an open mind before trying this one, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Got a decant because of comparisons to 1828 which I love. First impression: This is excellent. This smells like the somewhat similar to 1828 but with lavender, mint, pine, and tonka for a bit of sweetness. Maybe like a mixture of 1828 and Gaultier Le Male. But here there's background players of guaiac and leather. Many say they don't get much leather but I find it really blooms on my skin on the drydown I think this does a great job at conveying the cold tundra of a Russian forest in the winter. 🐺 Scent 9/10 Performance 4.5/10 P.S. Tested further and bought a bottle. Love this one.

I’ve been hunting for a faithful representation of pine in a perfume, and this is hands down the best I’ve come across. A frozen fougere is the perfect description. In many ways, it treads familiar territory, but that pine is just so impressively persistent and fresh. There is leather here too, but you have to really search for it. At the edges of the scent bubble this creates, it takes on more generic fougere qualities so it’s highly inoffensive. Surprised by the 1825 comparisons, they don’t make sense to me at all.

This is nice, not what I was expecting. I was expecting a green fougere based on the comments, and I am getting a creamy cardamom (dont see it listed, maybe it's a play with corriander/nutmeg/tonka), semi sweet leather with some herbal nuiances. Surprises me looking at the note breakdown, as this should definitely be green. I definitely notice the similarity with 1828 from HDM (which I own), but this is sweeter and creamier. The only real issue I see with this fragrance is the performance seems to be lacking a bit.

I get a whiff of leather at the beginning but this feels more like a walk through pine trees in a bitterly cold Finnish/Russian forest in winter, which is a big draw for me. It is a refreshingly cold (not cool) scent, although the weak leather note, on me at least, could turn leather connoisseurs off. A lovely scent all in all, evocative of winter, although the name appears to be somewhat misleading. Those who are interested in a more authentic leathery scent may want to look at Memo's French and Italian leather.

A lovely blend of pine and cypress is the most prominent, the leather note is noticeable but it stays behind the former two, the other notes create a nice background with warming sensation. The profile of the fragrance stays rather stable during the wearing, only change I noticed - it became slightly sweeter after an hour and I started to distinct lavender more. It is a beautiful fragrance for winter as it sets the scenery of a snowy forest of conifers, in the same time making you feel warm and cozy.

This was a pleasant surprise. Being that African Leather is my number one all time favorite fragrance EVER, i really didn't expect this to be anywhere near as good but I'll be damned if it didn't leave me scratching my head! Beautiful mellow frag with a perfect blend of high quality notes. Really does smell like wearing a leather jacket while walking through the most beautiful forrest with a bed of fern & lavender all around you. PERFECT!

I get the pine-y,minty,leathery fougere sensation here, the leather makes it very masculine, quite unique. performance is quite good on me, a very good work & casual scent, might not work very well on a scorhing hot weather, but I imagine will work perfectly on winter & autumn ( if my country had such a season ). My first buy for memo paris but I tested quite some on their line, most of it performs really good except for winter palace.

Opens aromatic green with a bit of earthy aspect I get an assortment of herbs such as mint, rosemary and lavender They are accompanied by aomwthing wet and earthy, probably oakmoss As it dries more i get cypress along with a fougere accord and leather in the back It still remains heavily green and aromatic with a certain note being very prominent - i'm guessing either galbanum or immortelle even though it isn't listed

I smelt this one just this past Wednesday. Russian Leather is a beautiful, warm scent that I cannot wait to try in the fall. I received a sample from the SA of Russian Leather, and Irish Leather. Both very bold fragrances, both also have hefty price tags. I will have to do some testing in the fall/winter to see how it performs. I'd suggest trying to find someone who decants and buy a split rather than retail.

Wow! What a beautiful scent. I was expecting something darker and what I got was the most beautiful easy to wear, intriguing scent I’ve come across. It’s the most beautiful blend of citrus, wood, and spice in my collection. It makes me feel confident, happy, and interesting. Pleasant surprise as it’s not the most talked about memo Paris fragrance, but now I want to know which one would I like next?

Aromatic dry leather-fern, feels pine and wood in the background (not crazy pine). I would consider it softer than typical Tom Ford leather. I would not say it is the same DNA of tom fordish leather-woody stuff, but it is something not far from it, more delicate, and it doesn't choke you. Something tells me it is more winter-season perfume, it really gives you some frozen fern/wood Siberian vibe.