Signature

I tried this today as well as another two RM fragrances. I bought Oxford in the end but this was a serious consideration. I think it's fresh, fruity and has great range but I don't think it's light in any sense. Not sweet. I've washed my hands twice now and Signature still lingers. When do the flowers or citrus give way though? It does get better and better so something is evolving I can't feel the peeling of the layers. There's something too high for me here (I don't mean high as in off as in hung meat) I mean too high in the air. It's then I see the girl on the swing on the bottle, I'm not good with heights and being out of control, get me down or get me a private jet. I see the list above and I'm still convinced I can smell grapefruit. Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune keeps tugging at my memory, how weird. I keep telling myself there's no grapefruit. I'm going to revisit this in the Summer and see if I can conquer my fear of heights, I don't think this one is for short days and long nights but I have plenty of other candidates that are, Spring and Summer are much harder to cater for.

Wow. This one did not disappoint! I've purchased a sample of this scent as I wanted to try Ruth Mastenbroek's creations and based on the description here it seemed to be up my street. It is a very chypre-esque lily. The lily here is very vibrant, thick and fragrant. I like the pineapple aspect here it plays very well and does add a bit of sparkle to the composition. I didn't get any blackcurant, although I do get some sort of almost tropical vibes here (perhaps it is mandarin). I guess it can be headache inducing if you overspray, but you know, it will probably worth it. Definately unisex. Overall this perfume is blended really well. I've enjoed wearing it and who knows, might even get a bottle

sorry this is less a review than question - has anyone tried the original when it was just called Ruth Mastenbroek, and this new version, and can report if there have been any changes, reformulations, alterations, you know? Love love love the original (must add a review unless I did on another page) but I am not obviously worried has it been changed in any way? Thanks for any input, PM me if not want to clog this reviews page thanks

This is beautifully blended. Don't be put off by the amount of fruity notes- it's not at all sickly or sweet- just a beautiful floral chypre.

Do you know those rare days when for whatever reason you leave the house so early that all your neighbours are still asleep, no cars are on the roads, everything is peacefully quiet and the air is still fresh and pure? Well, it was one of those days when I first tried Signature, and I couldn’t have wished for a better companion on that morning. The key characteristics of Signature have already been pointed out by my fellow fragranticans: BettyNoir summed it up nicely “Don't be put off by the amount of fruity notes- it's not at all sickly or sweet- just a beautiful floral chypre”. This description is spot on. If you’re looking for something fruity you will be disappointed by this scent. And EnergeticCrab too found a very nice way to describe this scent “It's not matronly enough to be a grandmother scent, but it's also fresh enough to be masculine”. The first few days I was wearing this I was going back and forth in my mind trying to link it to the right target group. On the one hand it’s got something grown up and feminine going on, on the other hand I’m getting these clean waves one can only describe as beautifully balanced unisex. This fragrance has not been put together in 5 minutes and it shows! This is high quality at an affordable price, so glad I found it! Edit- I'm revisiting this 2 years after I posted my above review and I'm still amazed how Ruth managed to create this beauty. Yes, the fruity notes are shown on the top of our votes, but nevertheless, Signature is everything but 'fruit-forward', it's a very special blend.

So I’ve smelled Ruth’s creations for other brands and I was intrigued to see what her own brand would be like and boy oh boy is this line special. I’ve only tried three so far but they are all show stoppers! Massively rich and complex compositions, not elegant or singular focused stuff you might create for a brand (a rose one, a leather one etc etc..) with a brief but rather truly artistic, statement pieces to showcase what an excellent perfumer Ruth clearly is. Signature to me opens with a saffron like twang, heavy, heady but strangely plastic and elastic, spiked with exotic fruits and cassis. It actually smells quite sharp and resinous like artificial Oud base, but nothing specific like ahhh that’s black agar or Firmenich, Oud bois or whatever. This is perhaps just materials conspiring to make something very complex, which is basically what a synthetic ‘Oud’ base or accord consists of. Broadly masculine I’d say and it’s initial strength and boldness is very captivating and I’d suggest highly appealing to folks who like modern fragrances that bang hard particularly in the opening. Something about this line reminds me of the brilliant Christophe Laudamiel and his work with Strangelove, perhaps these are less obviously built on amazing natural raw materials, but something about the feel and complexity is similar. A massive endorsement.

I don't find it fresh at all - it's more of a musky-spicy-woody fragrance that is just... classy. But not in a signature way. I admit I haven't smelled anything like that before, but to me it's just something that I will forget when it fades away from my skin. It's like the leather capitone sofa at a vintage whiskey bar. It adds its charm to the place but is not the centrepiece.

This is an interesting unisex fragrance. In the bottle, Signature smells fruity. The currant and pineapple are main players, rounded out by patchouli and woodsy musk. I instantly loved it. It has sweetness but never gets so intense that the oakmoss can't rein it in. But on me, it is a totally different story! Instead, this fragrance opens with a strong citrus spice that quickly becomes more green and almost lotion-y. I get a lavendar/herbal quality that must be the lily, bergamot, and orange interacting. Very reminiscent of Lush massage bars, actually. I don't know how it can smell so juicy alone, but transforms into an musty pulp and pollen smell on my skin. I blame the lily, as it's not one of my faves and is too funereal. There is a slight linen-laundry element that peeks out too. I don't like this version as much and cannot imagine doing more than finishing my sample. Signature is a perfect spring scent that feels familiar, but hard to place at the same time. It's not matronly enough to be a grandmother scent, but it's also fresh enough to be masculine. Something about it is very gentleman florist. UPDATE: This fragrance has changed a lot now that it is summer. Much more in line with a clean musk. Have gotten numerous compliments.

The opening is a very fresh and lightly citrus floral. At this point, it smells like a lot of perfumes I have smelled before - nothing special. The blackcurrant is steadily following the tail end of this floral blast. In only a few minutes, though, the blackcurrant is at the forefront, after most of the first flowers have worn off. In the background, there's a whole floral bouquet hanging around there, though they're blended together rather well on my skin. I can get the rose, the jasmine, the patchouli, the musk, a bit of warm woodiness. By now the patchouli is definitely recognizable in the background. Blackcurrant still dominates this. About 40 minutes later, it feels as if most of the flowers have faded away, along with the patchouli. I get lingering blackcurrant and kind of a woody, salty musk. I would say this is a warm and comfortable perfume, if not very unique. I like it, but I would not buy a bottle.