Bottleneck Blues

I'm a novice at at picking apart notes in scents so far - don't get much green from this initially...there is some crisp fresh smell underneath but the woodiness and musk is quite sweet and thick, overlaying everything else both on me and when smelling straight from the bottle. The vanilla and floral is there but it's so blended in I can't put my finger on it without coming back to the word thick. I read in another review about how it evoked for them a sweaty beautiful man coming over ready for a romp (something to that effect anyway). But overwhelmingly, for me, it is a thick, boozy, dirty pink. A confident, beautiful busty woman in the humid summer heat wearing ripe magenta lipstick. It is a little intimidating for me to wear - it's mature and very sexy in a different way. Longevity is not bad considering that I'm pretty conservative with the spritz. update: as previous reviewer guessed, this is NOT a good scent for summer wear. the thick pink muskiness that's normally great soon takes a turn and becomes this very bizarre sweet plastic smell, almost like a particular type of old brown packaging tape.

This scent stuck pretty close to me and gave only moderate silage and projection, no more than 12 inches or so and lasted 7-8 hours, and remained a skin scent for a few more. It seemed fairly linear, as it smelled pretty much the same after 10 minutes as it did after 6 hours and never really got too flowery. Also, I really had to struggle to get any vanilla in this at all. I mainly got the woods (like a cedar smell), dirty musk, a hint of hay, and deep down a very faint rose. It is a very warm fragrance and would probably be cloying in summer. As the name suggests, it conjures images of sitting at a dimly lit booth in a downtown jazz joint, a glass of bourbon, and an antique woody musk hanging on the veil of smoke like a shroud soaked in heavy atmosphere.

Just received my bottle of this which I ordered because of its supposed similarity to one my favorite fragrances Al Oudh from L ́Artisan Parfumeur. I understand the comparison, but Bottleneck Blues isn ́t even close to Al Oudh in complexity and refinement. BB is completely linear and without the layers that make Al Oudh so intriguing. Even if it ́s supposed to be made from only natural ingredients it comes across as very artificial, almost like bubble gum, and very nauseating. Cumin or caraway are not listed as notes here, but this would be the only note in common with Al Oudh. This is my first encounter with this brand, and judging from this and the samples enclosed it doesn ́t really ooze of finesse, the scents are like plastic, "in your face" and not very subtle. I ́m going to give it a few more shots on my skin, but I ́m afraid it will not be a hit with me. Blind buying has its disadvantages, but what can you do when Soivohle (and many other houses) won ́t ship overseas and samples can ́t be obtained..? An earlier reviewer wrote "A confident, beautiful busty woman in the humid summer heat wearing ripe magenta lipstick." I should have been warned by that... This actually smells rancid. Must comment on the bottle; this fragrance is from the so-called "Art Moderne Collection, referring to the image printed on the label. IMO it takes more than an arty image printed on a paper label when the tiny bottle is this plain and ordinary. In fact, the label makes the already cheap looking bottle look even cheaper (which it is NOT...). A beautiful bottle is a large part of the experience of exclusive perfumery imho. 0/10 My worst aquisition ever, and I can ́t seem to get rid of it, nobody wants it...

Oh wow -- I didn't know I'd had this one for that long! I think I remember where I got this one (MR) right before I stopped teaching! This has an animalic herbal funk to it -- it's not abrasive and it's not obnoxious, but I don't think I mind it! It's a soft musk that blends well with mild green and herbal notes. I don't get the sweetness of caramelic notes, but I do get something that is gourmand. But I can't put my finger on it... This is well and truly PROPER weird scents -- the kind of scents I lose my BISCUITS over -- these are the kind of scents I have to co-ordinate an entire shipping project around just to experience. I might not love ALL of them, but I love the weirdness. It's simply amazing...

it start off very leathery-oudy and creamy-caramelly, then it transitions to a faux-musk, boozy, creamy BOey and stank. A lot going on in this one, I must say... Some unsavoury elements in this, but also some really nice sweetness. Need to try this one again, methinks...