Tears On Mystic Sand

The hardest one to identify and classify. It's definitely mysterious as the name suggests. It has something zingy and sparkling but also a woody and creamy feel to it, mixed with a powdery feel and a slight fruitiness. This, until further notice, remains the most inoffensive but also the most uninspiring. 6/10

Not sure what I smell here. Woody, creamy leather? Notes says theres oud here, only slightly so. Its decent and nice enough, but not something I would reach for. 6/10

On paper: The opening smells like sweeping dirt, then it becomes odd but slightly church lady. I get the powdery note with florals and church incense. Slightly astringent. It makes me think of a funeral parlor full of old people with bug spray perfume you know the one. Update: skin test, The dusty dry earth smell is short on skin, I get the citrus mellowing with a floral as this dries down it makes me think of powdery stale sweet tarts. I’ll just stop here, I don’t know who this is for but it’s not for me. In my opinion there’s nothing attractive about this fragrance to me. The one nice thing I could say is that it is more pleasant on skin than on paper. One of those Goth or Alt. People would like this.

This fragrance carries a mysterious charisma, enriched by the conceptual story of the brand Mystikum, which I find truly captivating. Inspired by the spirit and aesthetic of the Art Deco era, Mystikum takes you back to vibrant metropolises like Berlin, Paris, and New York of the 1920s, a time of artistic avant-garde and cultural upheaval. The brand seems to echo the film Metropolis—the monumental 1927 work by Fritz Lang, which even today, nearly a century later, resonates as a symbol of dark futurism, a dreamy, decadent world where human imagination and mechanization intertwine. Mystikum blends nostalgia with modernity, turning the fragrance into a sort of time machine, just like this scent, as if it carries the echo of past times, yet with a touch of freshness. The bottle itself exudes subtle elegance and mystery, evoking shadows of the past in a contemporary context, thus creating a unique olfactory identity and an overall mystical impression. The brand’s creations come from the hands of three renowned "noses"—Alexandre Illan, Ralf Schwieger, and Mark Buxton. Mark Buxton, like an alchemist, crafts a composition that evokes the color gray—a shade of ashen elegance. This fragrance has a texture of powder, with a hint of sweetness, reminiscent of fine dust. Orris root brings in an alluring layer of ashen freshness, yet also a touch of powdery softness, creating an unusual contrast—the fragrance is like a mist that obscures light, yet leaves room for sparkling hints of Oud, Freesia, Frankincense, and Rose. Speaking of ingredients, I would say that litchi also adds a sweet nuance to the composition, while bergamot provides a slight tanginess, softened by the freshness of orange. The base notes reveal Leather, Musk, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha, and Guaiac Wood. Slightly creamy and smooth, yet strong and full of character. If I had to describe the fragrance in color, it would be a gray, semi-dark shade—enigmatically appealing, both smoky and mildly sweet. In a way, the scent evokes a blend of Philip Plein's No Limits and Pernoire's Amoral, but with a more mystical, introspective tone. Solid 7 for this one here :) Bravo Buxton !!