Leather Rouge

This is nice. I'm wearing both this and Tuscan Leather and, although they of course have a great deal in common, there are a few differences between them that interest me. Leather Rouge more than holds its own against what most would consider a far more illustrious rival. LR, like TL, opens very nicely, with obvious leather and raspberry accords. To my nose, the leather in LR has more of a bitumen or birch tar finish. It's phenolic and has a nice medicinal or cough candy feel in conjunction with the raspberry and supporting florals. The raspberry complements the fruitier organic aspect of the leather in both fragrances but, whereas in TL the raspberry seems soft and sweet like the ripe berry itself (not so much a darkish, purplish raspberry as a quite pale, ruby-red one--the kind that gets wounded so easily in punnets), in LR it has more of a syrupy or liqueur-like quality. It reminds me of the Crusha milkshake syrup that was so popular when I was a child (not that I'm even sure that it was available in raspberry flavour), and if there's such a thing as a raspberry Slush Puppy then the syrup in it is probably like this. Here it is sweet, and the noticeable rose note augments its jamminess, but the violet produces a kind of watery or airy effect that seems to freshen and cool the raspberry. It's very well done and briefly had me thinking of Parma Violet sweets, and trying to remember whether there was such a thing as a raspberry Love Heart sweet. There is a certain kind of semi-plush (or brushed leather) rounded feel that I think must come mostly from the orris, too. This is not something I get from TL. It fits right in with the powdery aspect of LR's violet. It's unfortunate if LR is dropping points because it's most akin to a certain classically masculine scent yet comes from a house that is probably associated more with fragrances for women, or because it's similar to a bigger-name product that's been around for years. LR probably deserves a 4+ rating.

An Amazing Tuscan Leather. Leather Rouge is Miller Harris's twist on the now-legendary Tom Ford Tuscan Leather. It has that iconic raspberry-leather combination. However, the sharpness of that combination is softened and dampened significantly in Leather Rouge with powdery orris, airy/gaseous violet, and a soft Arabic combination of rose and saffron. It this softening that makes Leather Rouge amazing and quite the beautiful twist on Tuscan Leather. Leathery, raspberry, floral, mildly-powdery, gaseous, soft, and intimate. It is as if they wanted to create the YSL La Nuit de L'Homme from Tuscan Leather. Leather Rouge is probably my favorite Tuscan Leather-inspired fragrance. Unfortunately, for its niche price, its performance is very average despite the leathery profile. Mature, cool weather, unisex fragrance. "Love"

It's very expensive but I like it and you don't need much for a long lasting effect. Each stage brings something quite different, evolving like a game of pass the parcel wondering what's going to be discovered next. I really like the raspberry and rose early on then the leather calmed by warm amber.

First impressions: a sweet, rich raspberry fragrance with a leather vibe. A pretty, red-fruit leather, so the name is quite apt.

Finally a leather smell that actually smells like great leather. Love it.