Emblaze

Reminds me of if Sun Force by The Harmonist had a love affair with Ombre Leather. It's got a very strong opening but beyond that is one of the best colognes I've ever applied.

It's a nice fragrance with spicy, woody and leathery blend..it's too spicy for my likings... Definitely a masculine scent.. Can be worn in cooler weathers.

Hello all I return with my final review of Emblaze. Certainly this fragrance has embodied its name. It is indeed a spicy fiery punch and it takes some time to become comfortable around because it breaks your expectations. When we think of an energizing fragrance we might consider a zesty citrus, a driving pepper, or an invigorating herbaceousness. Here we find a very different kind of impetus. It’s a darker, dirtier, smouldering energy. The coals of a train, powerful in this unstoppable way, not merely a pick-me-up type of energy. I think this is mainly a result of the earthy dark coffee, the almost savory pepper, and the tarry labdanum/leather. But this is only half the story. Had we stopped at creating this smouldering engine we would be left with a harsh creation. The magic here is that it is laid atop a wonderful semi-sweet warm spice blend. Cardamamom, nutmeg, cinnamon calls to mind a Mexican hot chocolate. (Mexico’s traditional got chocolate is much darker and less milky than supermarket chokie. It is heavily infused with cardamoms, cinnamon, nutmeg, and even chili 🌶. ) Over time it smooths out and becomes a chai coffee combo. Not too sweet and not vanillic, but it almost feels as if there is some powdery herbaceous tonka at the base adding sweetness. I would love smell flouve raw material because the sweetness is almost like a sweet wheat smell. This takes the sheer mechanical energy and infuses it with Eros. Not the mythological god, or the sexy Netflix eroticism, but instead Eros, the life preserving force itself; vicious and direct when needed but at other times tender, comforting, and fulfilling. It Feels like a journey through the spice islands. This one grew on me a lot. Unfortunately my collection is very selective so a really big like from me but not a love. What would make it a love? Maybe a tiny floral of some kind to lift it, flouve adds a great effect but a floral would complete it. And lastly a curious fact but such an energetic fragrance actually feels perfect for bed time, those spices are really warm and comforting.

Emblaze is one of the latest three releases from Navitus Parfums, once again directed by Steven Gavrielatos. Emblaze is a very nice spicy, woody, resinous, and even leathery (now that I see the notes) blend, with just a pinch of sweetness that does not take away from the overall spicy vibe. It has complexity, and in that respect it immediately feels like the more fall/winter-friendly partner to the more warm-weather-friendly Aweigh. The variety of spicy notes is its most noteworthy feature (also reminiscent of Aubade, in this respect), with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and pepper resting on a bed of labdanum, leather, coffee, cedar, and sandalwood. The blend calms down a little from opening to dry down but the balance feels largely the same throughout wearing after a few hours, with very good performance, like Aweigh. I’d argue this could be a signature scent, especially for men, but like Aweigh (and most entries in the line) is reasonable unisex, but is surely best worn in colder weather, as I could see it being quite overwhelming in the heat of a summer day. It may be too spicy for some but I think most will enjoy the spices, leather, and woods in a sort of familiar cold weather formula that nonetheless does not smell exactly like anything I’ve tried before, and no immediate comparisons come to mind, even in the smooth/spicy incense genre. 7 out of 10

I will do a more thorough review later but right now I wanted to leave a first impression since there are no reviews yet. Notes here sum it up very well. It’s like you took dried and used coffee grounds, nutmeg, and pepper and ground it up into a dry pungent powder. This isn’t entirely pleasant to me, but not entirely unpleasant either. It’s is not discordant, but it almost has a dry tarry texture, without smoke. Later on everything remains but cinnamon woods and labdanum became more prominent. Still not sure what to make of it. Sometimes I get the amazing scent of dipping really dry wood in a super spiced black coffee, and other times I get a tarry harsh laudanum and Used coffee grounds. I think I might just have to acclimate to this fragrance since I wasn’t prepared for the spice punch. My girlfriend reaction: couldn’t identify any notes, neither liked nor disliked, very interested. Told her it had coffee, and she says “oh yeah there’s coffee, but as if you added salt and pepper to it”. Make of that what you will.