Armoressence

This is one of the coolest palo santo fragrances I’ve tried. We burn palo santo a lot in my household and this one starts out with a very realistic representation of that initial burst of burning palo santo. Smoky woody brooding. But then it dries down much the same way a room does after palo santo has been burning in it. The smoke fades and gives way to this creamy almost coconutty palo santo wood note. I love to wear this one on a weekend at home where I have time to appreciate the transformation.

This scent is beautiful, grounding, and meditative. It evokes the first experience of burning a piece of palo santo. This one doesn't have a sweetness to it. The birch contributes a smoky, dusty, and charred character. This aroma truly shines in cooler weather, but it can also be enjoyed in warmer temperatures.

Smells like some sort of herbal ointment/balm, opening is kind of harsh but it becomes really pleasant after a minute or two.

I was really amazed by the quality of Ansongo so I eagerly ordered Armoressence since they still have it in the online store in Europe. And this time it's a bummer. I really liked the article in the NEZ 15 issue about the artist and the perfumer and the inspiration behind the scent. But I don't get any of that depth in the perfume. It does have a lovely cooling quality, that is ideal for warmer months. The scent profile on my skin is extremely simple, if not simplistic; herbal, palo santo accord... maybe? Not the best and not my favorite. I pick up a lot of sage, vetiver and eucalyptus. I was wearing Armoressence on my forearms while I went washing hands in the bathroom where I have a Palmolive Eucalyptus hand wash. The two scents were so similar I could not tell where the smell of the Palmolive ended ad the smell of Armoressence began. Shame. I will give this another go in 30+C dry, summer heat. It might be it will work way better on my skin then. In cool winter weather it just does not perform.

This is a very cool fragrance, unlike anything else I’ve ever tried, because it is made up of two different accords or blocks that play simultaneously at different tones and volume. First there is the burnt herbal bouquet that stays very crisp and close to the skin. It’s like the fine detail, the lyrics being sung. Than there is this sandalwood accord tweaked to smell like creamy/minty palo santo that hovers all around you with a warm sillage. It’s like the instrumental music. Neither converge or blend with each other although they remain perfect compliments. It’s like wearing two different perfumes that refuse to blend into each other. An unusual perfume for sure and a pretty nice take on palo santo. They only sell 15 ml of NEZ scents and when they sell out they’re gone. 4 out of 5.