Queen Nzinga

First impression: Lush, vintage. Reminds me of something. L'air du Temps? Coco? Not clean at all like LDT, nor as big and brassy as Coco. Somewhere between. Balanced. A brief breath of something like orange. Something prickles my nose and makes me sneeze, but that sensation doesn't last long. Nutmeg? Pepper? Maybe (probably?) the tamarind, a large dose of it. Not the fresh flesh of a tamarind fruit or traditionally candied tamarind. It's used as a spice here: dehydrated and grated over warm resinous amber. Cinnamon-y spice and tropical fruitiness. Immediately settles in. Restrained resins, your-skin-but-better warmth. This has a glowing aura. The amber too is well-balanced, as it doesn't lean into what little, if any, vanilla might be in there, and so avoids a common pitfall for ambers. I think it might have more benzoin/tonka than vanilla. It's dry, warm, and a little powdery. I appreciate that this fragrance isn't heavy on sweetness. I smell mostly amber and tamarind, with a touch of citrus. I haven't smelled a lot of geranium, but I'm not getting any distinct florals from this. Might edit or add to my review once I get a better feel, but overall, I think Queen Nzinga is a beautiful, sophisticated first release from this house. Well done! EDIT: I'm getting a lot more vanilla from this now, but it's still not overbearing.

This perfume is very masculine and vintage smelling . It's not pleasant . I get very much old, fat and rich oil tycoon sitting in his tacky gold plastered toilet smoking a cigar. The tamarind is not present and all you get is a headache inducing amber. This is like if you mixed Chanel n5 and shitty aftershave from the 80's. It is not a unique perfume and lot of it is amber . Just because something is "vintage" smelling , it doesn't mean that it's unique. If you are under 45 .... PLEASE skip this . Not worth the money. Such a disappointment. This is NOT how I picture Queen Nzinga smelling... a true Queen .

I purchased the 15ml to try out and I have fallen in love. Opening the bottle there is a lovely mix of musky floral with a light nutty tone that immediately gives it such a unique scent. When first spritzing it on, I get the lightest hint of pineapples and floral, which settles quickly into a musky floral on my skin which is my favorite combo. The best part? It lasts All. Day. Long. With one spritz! It's in a beautiful little bag that I carry in my purse in case I feel I need a touch up or for weekend trips. It is luxury in a bottle, and I couldn't be happier.