Mysterium

#1505 in my "Tour de Fragrance" This was a very successful blind buy for me. I bought this scent on an impulse, not because of what it's got, but because of what's missing: caramel. It's so overdone and so over-represented in my collection at this point. It's what stopped me from purchasing the Xerjoff "Tony Iommi Monkey" scents everyone is bringing up. I tested out decants of the Monkey Specials (Tony is a demigod to me, a major influence on my guitar performance from Black Sabbath's first album on). But a woman I get together with pretty regularly always wears something with a caramel note (my fault as I introduced her to those scents) and now I've kinda ceded that territory to her. Overall this is a "leans unisex" scent to me. And usually I would have avoided this due to the rose note. I have so many woody, Middle Eastern scents with rose notes at this point. But the rose is not all that prominent and I can get past it. It isn't as fruity and floral, though very similar to a host of more feminine-leaning scents I've given to girlfriends, like V Canto "Stricnina", Gulf Orchid "Exotic Oud", Zimaya "Itqan Gold", Crivelli "Oud Maracuja." But I think the sheer woodiness of this scent saves it for us guys. It comes in a heavy bottle you could bludgeon a zombie with, a container that probably cost more to make than the scent (a product management decision I will never comprehend). The performance is excellent. The price was 10% of the cost of the $300 bottle of Oud Maracuja I gave away ($33), and I would absolutely choose this over that. Car pool, elevator and small office safe, if not overdone, but more date wear for cooler weather than business or summer wear. Good luck and Good Hunting!

BE WARNED—THIS IS A VERY CONTROVERSIAL SCENT! I bought this fragrance and it literally has become one of my favorites. I love the way the patchouli works with the incense, passion fruit, and cinnamon to create this deep, powerful yet slightly minty opening, and then the dry-down pulls more toward the rose and sandalwood with almost a slight vanilla note. This to me is one of the most unique and usual fragrances I've ever smelled, and I love it. However, I wore it for the first time at my current job the other day, and one coworker said I smelled like a stinky old man, and another said I smelled like moth balls and to never wear that scent around him again. That's unfortunate, because while I wouldn't call this a summer fresh scent, it was one of a few fragrances that work on my skin for the warmer months. It's sweet and dark, but the mintiness of the patchouli keeps it from being too overbearing or cloying in the heat. Too bad I never want to wear it to work again to avoid being called moth balls 🫤

As an obsessed fan of Tony Iommi Monkey Special, my answer is clear: no, this is not a clone of TIMS. There are a few similarities, of course, but there's also a huge miss (the boozy note). The performance of this perfume is far from what TIMS offers, but I am happy with the 4-5 hours of longevity and the decent projection Mysterium has. After all, this is a budget-friendly fragrance and you should not expect it to perform the way Xerjoffs do. Did I buy it? Yes. Do I regret buying it? HELL NO! Will I repurchase it? YES, considering the overall world circumstances at the moment: cheap and good perfumes are a must. Edit 10/05/25: today I got two compliments from the ladies working at DM (I am a lady myself), which I did not really expect, considering that I never got compliments for TIMS (maybe the rum, the cinnamon overdose and the ambergris are off-putting to many people and that's why they don't like TIMS?).

I’ve owned this fragrance for a while and I have grown to enjoy it quite a bit. The only thing is that I find it hard to find an occasion in which wearing it seems wholly appropriate. I get the musty sort of old church vibe I’ve read about in comments, but it’s more than that. For some reason, that type of fragrance does something for me. It’s really meant for advanced noses to fully appreciate. That’s just my own personal opinion though. I’m sure older people are more likely to like this one for its classic character, but I’m in my early 30’s and love it. I wear it around the house for the most part, but once in a while I’ll go light on the sprayer before work. Not blind-buy safe. 8/10 for performance, 9/10 for scent profile. The first 3 hours can be a bit sharp, but just be patient and things will smooth over and become one of the most unique in any collection.

I wasn’t sure about this perfume at first, so I decided to get a sample. Immediately after spraying, I could feel the projection and it’s huge. It opens with a burst of leather, rose, patchouli, and a hint of smoke and spices. The blend is surprisingly smooth: fresh patchouli, dark leather, smoky undertones, and a beautiful rose wrapped in a bit of spices. That’s what I get from it. While it’s quite versatile, I think it really shines in colder weather. In the dry down the rose softens and the leather becomes more prominent. Interestingly, I noticed the rose stands out more on my skin than when applied to clothing. I tried Xerjoff in-store a while ago, so I can’t say exactly how close this is to the original, but it definitely feels similar. Overall, I think this is a fantastic perfume and it’s definitely going on my purchase list. Rating: 9/10