No 10 Roam

#1305 in my "Tour de Fragrance" Got this as a decant. This is a really nice, masculine leaning, high-quality, mildly oriental fragrance, that if used conservatively can work for business or pleasure, though I personally don't wear orientals in a business setting as they can be distracting. Looking at the range of responses on longevity and sillage. I had to assume something about this scent is very dependent on personal chemistry. I became suspicious that coconut is the culprit as I've noted how coconut in food and drink is very polarizing. So I pulled up thirty scents with a coconut note and found the same broad and contradictory responses on longevity and sillage. So I suspect if you don't react strongly to coconut in your food and drink, you may not find this long-lasting and strongly projecting. But if your taste buds and olfactory react strongly to coconut, as mine do, you'll be more impressed with this fragrance. For me an EDP is acceptable if it makes it to lunch, which is my minimally acceptable EDP performance. I think it's attractive if kept to a spritz, and even a small amount projects a good six feet. All the notes are easily distinguished for me. Not sure I'm in for a bottle as I have a number of coconut scents already, but if I did not have something like this on the shelf, this would be a good candidate.

Roam is beautifully sweet, smoky, and sultry. Roam brings to mind Japanese woodwork, the kind made with dark wood that is heavily lacquered. I'm imagining a wooden ashtray and an incense holder sitting next to a cocktail made with coconut rum, ginger, and mild spices. This tableau takes place in the luxurious, well-appointed home of a man who is confident of his place in life and enjoys being seductive and witty at the same time. Roam is appropriate for many different situations and is wearable for a large variety of men. The composition is technically unisex, but I think it's particularly fitting for men and I'd be very surprised to smell this fragrance on a woman. It is heartbreaking that this scent has very soft sillage and below-average longevity. Roam deserves more bravado in its projection. This fragrance has things to say! It can tell us stories of wild adventures and different worlds. I just wish Roam would speak up loudly enough for us to hear.

My first thoughts were that this was a dead ringer for the EDP version of "Idole" by Lubin. Both have similar compositions of saffron, incense and dry ebony wood, with vague hints of sweetness. The main thing that's sets them apart is that the boozy rum vapours which soak through "Idole" are not present here. Roam's uniqueness comes from its creamy coconut milk note, which adds a pleasant smoothness to the almost scorched texture of the ebony wood and the smoky incense, giving it a softer more luscious feel. They are both sensational fragrances though, so it's a matter of opinion. Very sultry and exotic, like a polished antique cabinet, warming in the sun.

Wow, for my first test on skin from a sample, in a pretty cold weather, i just love it. Pepper is strong and beautiful in the opening, it makes the coconut stay at a reasonable distance, while in between i smell some woody vibes. It evokes elegance and sensuality at the same time, in a subtle way. No screaming sillage here, just a classy and fleshy halo. To me, at least in the beginning, it has a great balance between spice and warmth/sweetness. it has this "piquant" touch i love, nicely rounded with a natural sweetness. Like a drop of honey after a sip of hot spiced tea. i'll wait for its evolution now...

Nothing has ever caused such a visceral reaction of "this is it, this is what I want to smell like, this is what I've been looking for." in me. It's so close to what I had been yearning for and picturing in my head, believing it not to exist. Smoky coconut-wood goodness with just a hint of exotic florals and spice I cannot quite place or relate to anything I know. Easily one of the best things I have gotten my nose on, if only price and availability weren't so prohibitive... but the FOMO is already unbearable.