Fico Nero di Sardegna

This is the fig I was looking for. After the fiasco with Alluring Fig, all that praising that it has a slight vanilla drop in it, which smelled like plastic being burnt on me, I was looking for something with a tad more longevity than my favorite Phylosikos by Diptique. This is very much like Phylosikos only cheaper in price (140€ for 100ml vs 160€ for 75ml) in addition to a richer and higher percentage in oils, so it's an all-around win for me. In my opinion, it is not a purely masculine scent, more like unisex if you're fine with wearing Diptyque's one. The coconut note uplifts it a little into a slightly warmer, sweeter leaning scent than just purely being green like the former. It's my boyfriend's top favorite smell on me. He not once says nothing when I wear it. I would test a sample on your skin first though before committing. Because it smells completely different on him, very tacky rather than on my skin.

I got a decant of this to try, and to be honest when I first smelled it I felt like it went away too fast and the presence of the fig leaves was obscuring the actual fig and coconut, which made me dislike it. However, I reached out for it again after a week, this time not to test smell it but wore it to work in the morning and took the decant with me to respray. Oh boy, was I wrong. This is gorgeous, a cloud of sweet and green fig which does not go away immediately as one would expect it to. I re-sprayed at work after a while because it made me feel amazing, very unusual but comforting. Like an embrace. I wore it in cold cold weather, and it really fit my mood even if the notes are summery. There is something really sophisticated in this. Definitely try a decant first though, may not be to everyone's taste. 9/10

Simone Andreoli. Fico Nero di Sardegna. I like this a lot. Has the juicy fig I love in DS & Durga Debaser, but performs much better at a better price. Loses some of the juicy fig after a couple hours. Very green and stemmy throughout. A sweetness and creaminess from the coconut milk, less prominent than in Debaser. 12 hours plus for me. The longest lasting fig I’ve found. I’ve read comments complaining that Andreoli is mostly derivative. Could argue perhaps that there are few truly new and unique ideas in the world, that actually work? Is there a place for doing your version of a well known style with high quality ingredients and better performance at a reasonable price point? I think so. That’s well beyond a “dupe.” I love this and when finished with Debaser wouldn’t hesitate to purchase.

This is an excellent unisex to leaning masculine fig. Starts off with a rich, creamy white florals feel. Has a slight soapy quality which feels very clean. Calm vibe. You, and those around you, will definitely pick it up even though it does not project loudly. The creamy fresh closer to skin scent is a great quality for intimate work spaces or clinical settings. No sweetness so it’s easy to wear in the daytime, but I think summer nights will be great for its softness. For some reason, I see whites and baby blues when I smell this. Whenever I put on a light blue shirt or sweater with jeans, it compliments the outfit perfectly. Blind buy approved.

Opening is a smooth fig milk and the greenness of the inside of a stripped tree branch. Very reminiscent of a favorite of mine, Alluring Fig. This one is a little bit more ‘watery’ and a bit less creamy. So kind of like a mix between that one and Philosykos. Very fresh and green, a little tart but also silky. A pleasant mix of sharp and smooth. There’s really no citrus like in Fico di Amalfi, so it’s pretty different from that one. Similar to Philosykos, this one dries down a little soapy/lotiony. The two smells are really quite similar generally. Not full dupe, but I’m not sure someone would need to own both.