Gotham

So strange, and so good. If you have the kind of mind that can't read the word Gotham without thinking of Batman, you may not be barking up the wrong tree. To my nose, Gotham opens with a strange, almost ominous cold wet clay note that is shiveringly compelling and makes me think of the Batcave, hiding underground in the wet. Almost immediately it shifts into a leathery, peppery accord that could be Bruce Wayne's discrete personal scent-and then it hits you! Animal raunchiness galore! Batman has been out cattin' tonight, and Selina Kyle, rarified sex incarnate with a whip in her hand and a touch of amber behind her ears, has had her way with him. What will Alfred say?

Right from the first spritz I fell in love with this! It’s sweet and fresh and woody in a truly unique sort of way. It’s like citrus and sugar and freshly cut, sappy pine with just a touch of root beer. To me, this doesn’t smell like a menacing city, especially not one as dark as Gotham, home of Batman. Instead, it smells like a sunny day at a small sawmill in the middle of green fields and living forests. The myrtle provides a strong, camphorous note. It’s evocative, but in a happy way, not a sinister one. It dries down into a beautiful amber scent. Gotham is yet another FB-worthy fragrance from Neil Morris.

Yuzu at the beginning. When it dries down, it projects some amber on my skin, kind of spicy amber,with a hint of rose, which is very beautiful. I can't detect much woody note here. For me, It's great for winter. It's worth saving up for, and It makes me keep sniffing my wrist. That's all I can ask from one perfume I really like it, but I have to wait to see if it likes me :)

Quick update: got home, put on yesterday's nightgown because I Am Too Tired, and it was like I'd reapplied this. I've been wearing Afire today instead but Gotham is apparently superpowered on fabric. That is not a complaint. Anyway, back to the initial review: I'm not big on any kind of animalic notes, but leather is one of the few that I can do. This one wears on me as intense, peppery-spicy leather with a hint of florals, warmed by amber. I can kinda see why it's meant to remind of a muggy night out of season, though the connotations of that word usually aren't good, and I mean it more neutrally. This feels to me like it's been raining, and you've just borrowed a friend's leather jacket that still smells like them, pepper and roses, humid and just slightly damp from the rain where it got around their umbrella. I get less of the yuzu than others-- just a brief burst, and the pepper comes out more on my skin and stays there. Initially on spraying, I found this interesting, and liked it all right, but came to really enjoy it a lot during the dry down, when everything feels warmed and blended together. Although this scent does have something foggy or rainy about it, I think the leather and amber makes it a bit much for anything but cooler weather. You could wear this during the day, but I really think of this as a nighttime scent. I found snuggly, more so after about a half hour, because the spices came out more beneath the leather. Impressions, hm. I don't really get a specific person from this, or something especially evoked outside of like I mentioned about borrowing someone's jacket after it's been a little damp. I feel that this fragrance skews traditionally masculine, but could be worn by anyone regardless, comparable to an actual leather jacket. Likewise, I don't especially get a particular personality evoked. It does feel city rather than rural. As for the name, hm. The obvious reference aside, there IS a bit of grittiness to this in the film sense of the word. Every NM frag I've tried so far has been smooth, not abrasive or sharp. It just has a bit of... I don't know. 3am diner-core, looking out the window at wet asphalt and city lights. It's more fragrant than that, has more added in, but that's what it's giving me. Btw, this stuff is eternal, if just so. I wore it for a few hours, went to bed, woke up to get ready for work, and it was still just a smidge above a skin scent for me. Sillage definitely there, projection's strong. Apply with caution if you're going to be in close, indoor quarters for long periods, unless you know it will be appreciated. That said, I -would- enjoy curling up with someone wearing this. Leather is one of the few animalic scents I can do, and I can be iffy on it. Trust Neil to make something that is LOUDLY leather but still works for me. The next closest leather I can do is Teriaq. I also bought a sample of Fetish though, which is another leather-heavy scent, so I'm eager to compare Gotham with it as I move through trying each one.

Very aldheidic at the beginning, turns out to be a well behaved and balanced Chypre. Warm scent - but absolutely not heavy - It leaves immediately way to powdery notes, this is a rose/violet mixed with labdanum and amber. I think the leather accord is given by the labdnum. It becomes cozy and close to the skin, with a faint peppery note, almost masculine. Staying power is average/low. Do not get the name. Gotham evokes something dark, somber, deep and dangerous... this perfume is perhaps dark and "serious" but not dangerous at all. Not NYC in the least. Probably not the most original Neil Morris (there are more outstanding ones in my opinion), but a lovely fragrance and quite easy to wear.