XXV Marzo

Beautiful sweet incense with a nice smoky wood in the base. It’s also somewhat balsamic and has a gooey resinous “aftertaste”. I think it’s a very unique and versatile fragrance: amazing balance of sweetness and darkness.

Gorgeous. Dark, sweet and rose’y. Smells like Oud Satin Mood toned down a little bit, but still a loud fragrance.

In love with this fragrance!!! Dark and sweet and very affordable for niche perfume.💕

The incense, vanilla and rose notes comes together to create a bubblegum-like smell that I can't get out of my head. I do get some oud and leather in the background along with the saffron, and it's important to state that the oud in this fragrance is not a bad-oud. Some ouds have a tendency to smell like a log mixed with wet dog - there's none of that here. Instead, the oud helps shape and support the rose note so it feels more unisex and is less sharp and feminine. Sandalwood is almost unnoticeable to me. So the majority of what I'm getting is a mix of this vanilla, rose and incense. It's not a fully synthetic feel, but slightly. Not a safe blind-buy, but it is an inoffensive smell. I could imagine it being a nice pair on a night out at an upscale bar where you want to smell good, but don't attract too much attention. The notes work well together but I can't shake this feeling that most of what I get is bubblegum. Going deeper into the dry-down, some of the rose becomes less pronounced, and the oud starts to be more in-focus. I would've loved some more sandalwood in the base, as it does seem like a bit of a soft fragrance. it's like there's a painting missing its canvas, which the sandalwood would've been a perfect candidate to be.

Despite having different notes, XXV Marzo smells remarkably similar to Voyage Royal's The Conqueror (by the renowned Jordi Fernandez, no less), with their "dirty" spicy scent profile. Except where XXV gets its grittiness from coffee, "spices" and agarwood, The Conqueror's comes from tobacco and agarwood. Still the execution of both fragrances results in similar scents. XXV *almost* smells like a boozy-less version of Initio Side Effect, but far less potent. XXV smells nice, but given the price difference, The Conqueror is probably the better option (currently only $27 on Jomashop).

On the night between 24 and 25 March 1300 a poet (later we will see who) found himself starting a journey. A journey to rediscover himself but which will indelibly mark the culture of Italy: I am obviously talking about Dante Alighieri and the beginning of the Divine Comedy. This fragrance takes on the darkest aspects of his journey: there are light incensed and leathery notes, dominated by a cloudy Oud, almost like a fog that envelops the nose, made even more incisive by the spicy part. The beginning of everything, the darkest part that will soon find the light again. Canto I of the Divine Comedy painted by Dali (he worked for nine years to create the watercolors commissioned for the entire work of the Supreme Poet).

This is a more palatable version of Oud Bouquet. It's an easier wear. Not saying it is better than Oud Bouquet but this is kind of like a more day time version of it. For my preferences it is a 7.5/10. Enjoyable and I would wear it but don't know that I need to go out of my way to buy a full bottle. I am testing from brand sample.