Malbec Vert

The fragrance opens surprisingly sweet and fruity, pairing that sweetness with a green note that gives the scent a masculine edge. The sweetness—likely from pear and/or grapes—doesn’t feel overly sugary, and the fragrance still keeps its masculine character, especially once the greener, more bitter notes come in. The green notes don’t come across as ‘shower-gel-like’ at all; instead, they remind me of Hugo Boss Just Different —an ultra-masculine, green everyday scent, though with noticeably weaker sillage. I personally really like this fragrance, and it’s one of the better ones in the Malbec line. If you enjoy scents that start sweet and then develop into a green-fresh, masculine direction, this can be a great daily wear. As a general note, a large portion of O Boticário’s fresh, aquatic fragrances have a very sharp alcohol note right at the start, which can slightly numb your sense of smell in the beginning. This one doesn’t.

Hmmm, I'm mixed on this one. Upon spraying, there is a refreshing peppery grapefruit with some nice sweetness from the pear. My first thought was apple, mostly because that's what I'm used to, but it's definitely pear and a nice surprise. The mix has an almost a cold, sweet mint quality - nothing crazy like spearmint or wintergreen leaves, but almost like the green spice jellybean that Grandma always has at Easter. Like other O'Boticarios I've tried, the alcohol is pretty stringent when you spray and it obscures the top notes for about 10 seconds before subsiding. I had higher hopes for this one. I was looking forward to the green Malbec, with an herbal zest and that cardamom everyone loves so much these days. I can definitely see people comparing this to La Nuit, if only because every woody/spicy with cardamom gets that comparison these days. I guess they were going for an ice wine quality here. I do get the ice, as I already mentioned the cold, sweet minty quality at the top. But it's kind of a drab combo that loses its sweetness pretty quickly and ends up as a pedestrian green woody scent, more vegetal than anything else. Not bad or anything, but there are better fragrances in the style and for the price. It's also worth noting that I'm not the biggest fan of La Nuit and all its friends If you're expecting something bold or refreshing like Heely - Menthe Fraiche, look elsewhere. With so many comparisons to The Blend Cardamom and my appreciation for The Blend, I may have to try that when it's more available to see if it hits this mark better.