Unutamam

I don't give 10/10 ratings easily. For something to get a 10 from me, it really must hit the spot, striking just the right balance of quality, blending, and of course, stink. Unutamam is the first fragrance that manages to earn a 10/10 from my part, yet it should be noted that this fuming composition will not be everyone's cup of tea. Matos' creations in general are not made for the masses, the same way ATH fragrances are not family-friendly. And in Unutamam's case, arguably one of the finest creations Matos has put together, you should expect no apology if your olfactive receptors file a complaint. That's because Unutamam opens with a pungent aromatic opening, fougère-style, with a sharp, herbaceous rosemary accompanying a slightly fresher lavender with its mildest whisper of floral clean sweetness. It's quite an accurate recreation of the scent of lavender too. The juniper, a personal favorite note in perfumery, adds this just-as-potent kick of pine and dry woodiness, with a spicy, resinous backbone. All of this is enveloped in a crisp, lightly sweet mint bubble which is very fitting and adds that recognizable mentholated scent. It all smoothly morphs with the heart notes, with the spiky aromatics from the opening being replaced by a less-obtrusive yet still undoubtedly pungent oregano. It appends a bitter facet to its aromatic, camphoraceous aroma, while some woodiness can also be sensed in the back. The patchouli feels right at home, yet for one of the first times in a fragrance I have smelt, the patchouli gets overshadowed by another note, namely the oregano in this case. In most compositions, patchouli likes to steal the spotlight by overpowering the rest of the notes, but this time it has been humbled. It contributes with musky notes and further enhancing the camphoraceous edge, maybe also throwing in a hint of sweetness. The carnation and jasmine are severely underpowered in this instance, so they humbly take a step back and aid with a mix of spices from the carnation and a sweeter, smoother scent from the jasmine. "Dirty florals" kind of vibe. Once at the base, Matos couldn't have chosen a more fitting finale. Enveloped in remaining minty aromatics and smokiness which only turns denser as time passes, we stumble across a couple of beavers enjoying their cigars (read @CivetOnly's review). The warm animalic muskiness here blends masterfully with smokiness, so you don't get such a strong animalic-driven base. Actually, I'd say that the smoky and leathery facets are the most prominent at the base, not the animalic quality. That's also thanks to some cistus which further refines the smoky-leathery accords, while also adding an ambery medicinal note. Some oakmoss can also be sensed, once again fitting into this blend like a glove on a hand, lending a damp earthy accord. However, what might seem completely out of place when you look at the notes pyramid is the caramel note. But don't worry; it is just as tastefully incorporated in here as everything else. It doesn't scream for attention. It doesn't burn your throat with sweetness. It just subtly and smoothly envelops all the notes with a thin layer of its creamy richness; just enough to not ruin the scent and not go completely unnoticed. Absolute cinema. One other thing that Unutamam is famous for is its beastly performance. It's probably this that makes it more difficult to wear than the scent profile itself. And on my very pretentious skin, I got an interesting result. Unless my sample is suboptimal due to a bad/reformulated batch, longevity peaked around 7 hours at best, which is far from what I'd consider beast-mode longevity. However, projection did not disappoint. Every room I walked into, I left a trail behind as if I was radioactive. Projection was easily surpassing 3+ feet, and the craziest thing is that this wasn't just for the first hour. It was for nearly 4 hours. After that, it would finally start mellowing down, yet it was still evidently projecting. And even after hour 6, when I could barely sense it on my wrist, I would still get a whiff here and there from my neck. So yes, this is potent stuff. Don't play around with overspraying. For me, scent profile-wise, Unutamam is an instant love, and hence I don't find it particularly challenging. But the performance will definitely limit its wearability. Aside from leisurely, I'm not entirely sure where you could wear Unutamam. Probably certain outdoor events would be a main options, but certainly not fit for school/office or your daily errands (unless you want a sequel to Chernobyl). However, I do believe you can get away with it with fewer sprays. So either that or... just go all in and watch as the decorative plaster starts falling off the walls of the city's blocks. Unforgettable. Unutamam, whether you wear it or smelled it in full on someone else, is not a scent you just forget. It strikes with all it has to make sure it leaves a lasting impression, make you react, regardless if it is a good or bad impression. That's the only thing Unutamam guarantees: a reaction. For most people, this will be too much, and the tradeoffs in wearability will make it even seem stupid for some. But all it takes is a little push, a little "Screw it, I like it so I wear it" mentality, and you'll see you'll reach towards it more often. That's something I believe is very important for anyone in this hobby to learn - you wear a fragrance for yourself, not for the others. You wear it because you like it, not because you need some sort of validation or approval from your social circle. And the sooner you learn that, the more you'll enjoy this hobby. Presentation: 6/10 Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 6/10 Projection: 9.5/10 Versatility: 6/10 Value for Money: 9/10 Overall: 7.75/10

If you are anything like me and you stumble upon a fragrance and read things like the nose behind it wouldn't wear it, swamp ass, bad breath, more than one spray will kill people, DO NOT blind buy, well, I don't run in the opposite direction. Instead I go online to find out at the best price and click order now. Am I brave or just stupid? Well as it turns out, neither. Looking at the notes and putting the reviews aside, this is something that looked like I would love. I am a big fan of unapologetic animalic powerhouses from the 70s and 80s and this fits that bill nicely. Now I can definitely see why people can be disgusted by this, spray it directly on skin or tester paper and put your nose right in it and yeah, it stinks. But here's the thing, it's an extract, not an edt or parfum. What I've personally learned from extracts is that if you truly want them to shine you can't spray them on you from just a few inches away. You have to mist it on you from almost an arm's length away, this opens up the fragrance and let's you fully enjoy all the notes and transitions. It opens with a green smokey vibe, the oregano is not like the one in interlude man, or at least doesn't come off that way, I guess mixed with the rosemary and lavender give it almost a camphor/tar effect with a minty leather. The next phase on me it gets quite floral, I'm thinking this has a big dose of Jasmine or hedione, but then again to me sometimes jasmine and castoreum can smell similar intially so it's probably an amplification of two together. Now the beaver piss starts kicking in and that slight fecal smell but with the patchouli and Amber and a cold breeze it's quite magical. It's like it a chameleon at this phase, every time I get a waft it's something different, making me wonder if it's actually me. The dry down is my favorite part, the beaver piss has come to it's peak stage (the best part) and the oak moss is phenomenal. Can't say I really smell caramel but it is very warm and cozy at this stage so maybe that's it. Now what I love about this is that unlike with most fragrances where the dry down is the best part but by that time it's merely a skin scent, this MF is still pumping hard. Honestly I put 3 sprays in the way I mentioned and no one died. I was scared about how my wife would respond to this fragrance though. I applied it before going shopping and when I got home she started helping me put away groceries. Great. Here it comes. "what are you wearing?" Why I said. "It smells really good". Hmmm, I told her the story behind this fragrance and she said of course she likes it because I smell like a man, apparently all the fragrances of mine she hates are the overly sweet feminine basic bro fragrances. Even better because this means I can wear this when I please, my wife matters, fuck anyone else lol. So yeah, one man's unwearable is another man's signature scent. To me this is a masterpiece. A 16 hour journey of fragrance art, some may say a lost art. 10/10 for me. Great job Miguel!

It's about time I review Miguel's masterpiece. Man, a while back, I made the mistake of testing this on strip and immediately recoiling and went "nope!" and forgot about it. Now that I'm exploring animalics and getting to know musk better and feel more adventurous, I got a Nishane discovery set and I was looking at Unutumam and thought "you know, let's give this another try" and I dove in with an open mind, sprayed myself generously and here's my assessment of that experience. Oh my god. This is so different. As previous reviewer thnthrn so justly said, please do not use a strip or get an atomizer/cap sniff. You will not understand it and very possibly hate it and dismiss it as a chaotic mess (the same could be said of the sadly often misunderstood Afrika-Olifant which I also love). Right from the get go, yes, it is slightly challenging but musk works in a way that it cold it often can seem unpleasant but it blooms as your skin warms it up. This is what happens here. As soon as my skins warms it up, Unutumam blooms and unfolds in a magical way. What seemed like chaos now aligns. The castoreum is obviously quite apparent here and permeates through the whole experience which is what many might be challenged with but as my skins warms up the formula, herbs start to radiate, first a slightly menthol-ish mint and juniper giving it a suddenly outburst of freshness and then morph into savory vibes from the other herbs, namely rosemary and oregano. It turns into a very warm, cozy experience. Some will say it's "manly" and I agree in part. Yes, you have to assume this, you have to wear it with confidence but if you do, it can be quite wearable. Someone commented earlier that I smell like a soup her mother used to make. Some might think that's an insult but in perspective, if you bring nostalgia and positive memories, that's far from negative. For the record, it does remind me of a dish my dad used to make (it's a stew with vegetables and a lot of savory herbs) and that's probably why I feel so comfortable with it. Make of that what you will. I personally think Miguel made a perfume that's challenging, nostalgic and cozy all at once. Unutumam transcends perfume and brings more than just "smelling good". It stirs up happy memories in me. Bravo!

I knew it wouldn't be something I could wear, but that was the exercise’ Miguel Matos Unutamam created by Miguel Matos for Nishane is unlike anything I have ever smelt before. The fragrance has been described by some as offensive, yet it has also been hailed as masterpiece in perfumery. I read a lot about this fragrance before I decided to blind buy it, so I had a good idea what I was about to experience... Fortunately, I am in the category that hails this a bonafide masterpiece. Yes, the opening of this fragrance is offensive but never dismiss a fragrance on first sniff. If you happen to be the adventurous type of person in fragrances, you are in for a huge treat with this one. This is a fragrance that has no room for apologies, translate the name to English and it means ‘I can’t forget’ and trust me you will never forget the intensity or smell of this fragrance ever! Thank God for perfumers like Miguel Matos who are ready to delve into a no boundaries territory and give fragrance enthusiasts something to look forward to in a fragrance world where something edgy seems to attract a lot of negative comments. I predict that this will be a fragrance that will be sought after by serious collectors. The 30ml bottle will last a lifetime as you just need one drop of this fragrance on each arm. It will fill a room. The opening is a very strong animalic herbal note, it almost smells like wood varnish, but after a few minutes other notes start to open and I could smell the mint, the oregano and the caramel sweetness amped with a bit of smoke in the dry down. On skin and paper, it also smells a bit different, on paper I can detect a touch of anise which I would love to smell on my skin. I am positively sure that there are many other quality ingredients in this fragrance that I have yet to discover by time. I will end this review by saying that somebody who smelled this on me said I smelt bad only to do a complete u turn after an hour and complimenting me on how great I smell. Patience is the keyword to this hidden masterpiece.

Allow me to preface this by saying that Unutamam is so concentrated that its a fragrance that must be smelled in the air. Upon my initial spray of Unutamam I made the mistake of bringing the back of my hand up to my nose. It's opening notes of Mint, Rosemary, & Juniper literally smelled like Turpentine. And as it began to dry down I smelled nuances of black vinyl & brand new tires. But when I waved my hand back & forth through the air & allowed this fragrance to waft I then smelled Mint Tea with a nice dose of earthiness from Patchouli. As the fragrance wore on further I began to pick up on Castoreum. It was in that moment when Unutamam smelled like a cup of earthy, green, Mint Tea sitting next to a very expensive black leather briefcase. There is a sweetness from the notes of Amber & Caramel here. But it doesnt smell like either. They combine & create a nuance that smells like spilled Whiskey that dried. I find the note of Patchouli to be a life saver for this fragrance because its showing all of its facets. 20 minutes into this fragrance the Patchouli starts showing its spice. Which smells like a very subtle Cinnamon. Its here where Unutamam becomes King, & smells of a pair of Rich Black Leather Gloves with Spiced Whiskey spilled on them. On the other hand this fragrance smells industrial. Like the essence of soldering tools, leather aprons, grinding metal gears & the lingering scent of toxic black smoke plumes. For me Unutamam conjures images of the Black Leather Gloves worn by Jack The Ripper on the dark foggy streets of Victorian London. In the very dry down of this fragrance is where I pick up on the subtle floral notes of Lavender, Jasmine & Carnation that were weighed down by Unutamam's heavy opening. Unutamam is without a doubt the most concentrated fragrance I own, & needs 20 to 30 mintutes to develop on skin before it can be appreciated. Is Unutamam unwearable ? Well, thats up to you.