Winter Palace

Sipping on a warm and cozying up next to the window with a cup of tea that has a hefty squeeze of every citrus you had available, a drop of sweet vanilla extract, and a twinge of milk. The snow or cold rain beats against the window as you curl up with your blanket and sip your tea. Life is good. This scent starts with a bright citrus and tea blast, a creamy blend mixing them together oh so delectably. As it dries down it gains more and more of this sweet and resinous vanilla amber combo that is just so good. This opening might not be for everyone, but give it 10 or so minutes and some room to breathe and this fragrance is divine. The dry down base on paper is very similar to a much less labdanum heavy “Grand Soir” by MFK. This is super cozy and I have worn it nonstop since getting it from a trade (thanks Grady)! This is a great fragrance for any snowy or rainy day/date in, or if you want to bring that energy with you :) Long last performance with moderate projection. Surprising compliment magnet. Unisex. Happy smelling! EDIT: I have worn this more often than most of the fragrances in my collection ever since I got it back in late January. Now that I have really gotten to know it, it has become one of the easiest reaches in my collection just because of how wonderful this sings off my skin. It starts off really fresh and sharp with this medley of freshly squeezed citrus (the orange and the lemon being the most noticeable to my nose), but smoothed out by this WONDERFUL red tea note that is to die for. Then as it dries down it warms up, getting creamy and velvety smooth resinous/vanillic sweetness, but never venturing too far as the tea and citrus still hold strong. I don't get orange soda, as the tea is super noticeable for me, but the orange in this is super noticeable. For those who claim to smell only the lemon, I'd spray it a few times and let it sit somewhere dark and cool so the blend can smooth out a little bit, was a bit sharp for me when I first got it in too. This is super good, but a fragrance that really had to grow on me as time went on. This is easily my favorite tea focused fragrance, and probably in my top 10 or 15 fragrances I've smelled. 10/10. Signature scent worthy. Edit 2: This has become my signature scent for foreseeable future. I am already halfway done with the bottle.

Winter Palace is definitely one of the best tea fragrances I've tried so far, and it's certainly my personal favourite Tea fragrance bar none. It opens up on my skin with a lot of citruses, but Lemon is definitely the most prevalent, and beside the citruses the tea is very prominent in the opening smells very fragrant if that makes sense, and while the opening is quite good, the drydown is even better, more than I expected first going in. Once it settles down, the Lemon settles into the back and provides some brightness, the and a very prominent Maté note pops up on my skin even more than the Tea does but its still quite pleasant, and all of that is finally complimented a sweet and soft Vanilla and by some sweet ambers to top off the scent profile. Tea fragrances in general are quite easy to wear and this is no different, but it wears so elegantly yet it's sweet enough to be inviting and universally liked yet unique that makes it quite special, I personally can't see many people hating this fragrance unless they don't like tea or maté. The Tea/Mate + Sweet Vanilla-ambers + lingering citruses are a really nice evenly balanced combo, that stays quite level even when the citruses start to fully fade after 3 or so hours in. Touching in the wearbility I think this is a pretty good all rounder for most occasions and weather outside super hot days, but its definitely office safe and could work as a formal fragrance. Perfectly unisex, and it lasts up to 7-8ish hours on my skin with a soft-medium projection for the first few hours. I havnt heard it be discussed openly in quite some time but I still think its so timeless in its quality and appeal, and I can see many people using it as a signature scent for now and in the future. 8.9/10

My nose might be off -- my wife has a very different opinion of this fragrance than I do -- but I only smell citrus in the opening, with only a hint of herbal tea in the background. It is reminiscent of Creed Viking Cologne on the one hand; on the other, like those old scratch-and-sniff dolls from back in the day, if one had a lemon scent -- what @saiaise called "super synthetic citrusy candy." And, yet, I really like it. The mid takes on more of that menthol note that others have mentioned (although I think spearmint is more accurate for the opening; I don't detect menthol until the dry down), but the citrus is still prominent. @lfir3, I don't know why people are calling this a winter frag. Maybe they've bought into the name? Winter Palace is to me a citric freshie more appropriate for the spring / early summer. But again, my nose may be off. Whereas I only detect the lemon and orange accords, my wife smells something completely different. In her words, "It smells very Middle Eastern." I own a few Mid East frags, though, and they're oudy / spicy -- notes that I just don't detect with Winter Palace. I'll have to give this cologne another go in a few weeks when my olfactory senses might be reset (assuming they even need to be). Whatever the case in the moment, I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I like it. I sprayed many Memo fragrances on test cards when I was at the mall, and I wasn't super impressed with Winter Palace at the time. I know it's Memo's most popular fragrance; maybe knowing that at first made me cynical. From those tests, I thought Argentina was actually the better version of Winter Palace, even if they don't smell exactly the same. But now that I've bought a bottle of Winter Palace, I'm enthralled by it.

Winter Palace, from Memo Paris An utterly beautiful masterpiece that has captivated me in every way possible. First of all, this is my current favorite perfume, and I do not see that changing. The bottle design caught my attention before I even smelled it. It was like it was drawing me in, I found myself staring at it, wondering what it could smell like. Then, when I finally got my hands on a sample... I was a bit disappointed. At first I didn't love it, it wasn't bad, just not a love. However, after wearing it a couple times, I found myself addicted to it. Every time I smelled it, I would be filled with this uplifting and zen sensation. This quickly became my favorite fragrance of all time. I have many fragrances, and this one is still king. Winter Palace can be worn day or night, dress up or dress down, any season, any time, any occasion, anywhere. The versatility is one of the best I've ever come across. The longevity is moderate, but I overspray this and I tend to get about 8 hours from that. Is this full bottle and full price worthy? To me, absolutely, but it is a scent that everyone might not enjoy. The most prominent notes to my nose are citrus, tea, and amber. If you like tea scents, you might want to grab a sample of this. It is not an earthy tea like some others, but a citrusy and delicious tea. Winter Palace is addicting, inviting, and uplifting. This was my first review, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Winter Palace deserves my first review, and it certainly deserves my money.

Intoxicating scent - intimidating price. But oh, goodness, it makes me weak at the knees. A tea unlike anything I've smelt before in perfume - rich, malty, herbal all at once - mellow but tannic, golden-brown, fragrant enough to restore you after a winter walk along the Great Wall of China. Garlanded with all the aromatics I love most, with the opulent, mellow resins and balsams hinting at some more that probably aren't even there (? star anise? cinnamon? fennel?), and the styrax and musk perfectly discreet and not distracting from any of the more individual notes. For some reason (OK OK it's probably the dragon on the bottle) this makes me think of Gong Li looking lovely in 1920s luxe Chinese winter fashion in the film 'Raise the Red Lantern' - fur, silk, spice and steel all at once. Beautiful fresh-then-warm citrus notes up top give it echoes of Fendi Theorema, never ever a bad thing, while the benzoin's kept in impeccable balance. Good survival on my skin, too- 6h+, which is better than average if not amazing - a stunning trail of sillage, and still giving out wafts of supreme gorgeousness from a scarf 48h after application. I'm a commoner and I'm in love. Must work harder, sell assets or commit crimes to break into this Palace. I want it badly. So very very badly. I had thought that after finding Mona di Orio's regal Bohea Boheme I'd never really fall so in love with another tea fragrance, or feel the need for one. Wrong again. This is SPECTACULAR. Sigh....