Red

This fragrance by Sora Dora is has to be the most intricate perfume I’ve smelled recently. And I’ve smelled quite a few. Has a very, very complex blend of notes at all levels but somehow they work together very nicely. I am not going to pretend that I can easily detect all of them but what stands out the most from the very first second I’ve sprayed Red on my skin are coconut, cardamom, hazelnuts, nutmeg and a mix of citruses. In about five minutes from application I can smell easily a fig note, cloves and iris. To my disappointment I can’t get any of the exotic florals that are listed in the heart and are my absolute favourite: ylang ylang, tiare and frangipani. I can only imagine how much more amazing the overall scent would be like if these gorgeous tropical flowers would be more present. The coconut maintains its presence strong throughout the heart of the scent. I do get a hint of something green and herbal which might be the mugwort note, not sure, not seen this in other fragrances I own, but seems to be the only herb listed in the composition. Yes, it is woody in the base, a very smooth sandalwood for sure it’s easily spotted, but I am not convinced about the caramel note. Maybe in a minuscule amount for a more balanced experience, but I wouldn’t call Red a sweet perfume. Woody, coconuty, warm spicy with hints of fruits: fig first and foremost and then citruses. I am really tempted by Red, but Sora Dora is a brand that never goes on sale and it’s difficult to get in stores. And, personal pet peeve, I don’t like their designs bottle. They look masculine, industrial and clunky to me. Update: ten hours later it’s a skin scent. Not bad but I have better performing fragrances in my collection. Red might go to my to buy list!

Ohhh I want to love this one and almost did. I adore Orchidee Rouge and Mandorle and Ylop, Sora Dora house just has some intoxicating scents that I love. I received a sample and immediately smelled the bottle and thought oh wow this is amazing I'm going to love it!! The nutmeg and hazelnut and cloves and clementines and omg just everything I love.. they also put caramel and spice and everything combines to an addicting intoxicating fragrance that is warm and nutty and somehow delicious even though it's not a gourmand. Fully unisex. Here comes the problem.. which I didn't have with other Sora Dora perfumes that the dry down is sharp and spiky, and I didn't notice til after I used it liberally and it dried a bit ... it's not listed as a note, but it's one of the super-amber molecules that you're stuck with it since they last forever while the good notes are long gone. It's one of those notes that end up feeling sharp to your nostrils as it sticks to skin. I notice them often right away but sometimes you have to wear it first before it shows up, I'm disappointed I was sure this would be a full bottle when I smelled the other notes. If they released a smoother version without that I'd buy in a heart beat. Unfortunately they put this ingredient in a lot of cheaper fragrances to make them project and I love this smell in the air I would love smelling it on someone else just not on my own skin

This is so unique, interesting and addictive! When I first tested this my initial reaction was that I didn’t know what I thought, I found it a bit strange and challenging. That was just one spray on the back of my hand which I didn’t pay much attention to after my initial reaction. The next day I decided to try it out properly, oh my goodness it was love! I found myself wondering how could I have found this scent challenging? It’s so warm, fruity and sweet with a bit of spice. I know others will disagree but I think this is perfect for spring/summer. The fruitiness with the coconut and ylang ylang just gives such a summery vibe to me. I find it perfectly unisex and I get great performance from this one too. Looking at the reminds me of section, I can see why some of the fragrances have been suggested such as Gris charnel and golden Dallah however it really doesn’t smell very much like either of those. It’s way more complex than gris charnel but does share that unisex fruity/fig with sandalwood DNA. Golden Dallah has way more cardamom and goes in a more spicy floral direction than this one. These are just my thoughts incase it might help anyone out.

This is a very complex yet beautifully blended fragrance. It stays nutty on my skin throughout the wear, which I love!!! I’ve been searching for a truly hazelnut-forward scent, and this one delivers. It’s what I hoped Guidance would smell like on me, and I’m so glad I found this instead (I’m not a big fan of saffron and I’m picky about sandalwood). Red is slightly spicy, delicately sweet, with a citrus-caramel quality. The caramel and vanilla are never in-your-face and smell realistic and deep, rather than too sugary sweet. I also love how the coconut emerges and adds a soft creaminess. It’s unique, pretty, and truly unisex. This perfume deserves more hype.

Perfectly unisex for me. Shades of ELdO's Fat Electrician and Imaginary Authors' Yesterday Haze. Roundedly sweet and warmingly nutty. Cardamom and fig are prominent from the off, warmed with some pepper. A half hour in and it's seemingly lost a lot of its initial oomph. Gonna require a few more testings to formulate a real opinion. Edit: Scratch that, it performs well enough on my skin. I really can't get enough of this one! I was gonna buy Jubilation 40, but I think I'll go for this instead. It's that enjoyable to me. Hopefully, it won't prove to be too feminine after several wearings, or I'll be passing on yet another beauty to my girlfriend.

I tried this a first time and completely forgot about it, I just smelled it again yesterday and Wow. Such a layered, spicy but soft, fruity, floral and nutty gourmand. The nuttiness is very forward but I didn't mind since coconut and cardamom are amongst my favorite nutty accord. it's very rich, almost aromatic. It projects quite a lot and so sexy. I, too, am intrigued by the name choice but I really REALLY like this.

I found Red to be intriguing. It has a citrusy start that gets boosted by the cardamon and feels light on my skin. Immediately after the opening...I am awash with a strong nutty 'hazelnut?' accord. I find it interesting. New territory.--Feels wearable all the time. So far I am enjoying my new perfume. It is outside the box of my regular comfort zone, and I am happy I took the leap.

This is sooo cozy and warm. It reminds me of a romantic walk through the woods during fall. Perfect for sipping on a cup of hot chocolate and warming up by a crackling fire. I really pick up on the Hazelnut, caramel, cardamom and woods. It has a very subtle and pleasant spice.

I wish I hadn’t ordered a sample of this because now I’m in love and desperate to get a full size bottle. The most gorgeous, complex, nutty scent. Very comforting and smooth but still leans sensual and seductive.

This is goooood! I can see the similarities with Gris Charnel, but Red doesn’t have the softness of it. It is sharp and spicy! I actually think they could be layered and smell DELICIOUS together!

Caramel dripping down your skin in a cool nighttime breeze -- this fragrance is sticky, intoxicating, red-hot, innocent & sweet but in a sort of a twisted way. Compliment magnet.

This is really interesting. Giving WuLong Cha and Tam Dao went to Gris Charnel’s flat to have rice pudding. I love it.

Such a unique perfume! It smells of freshly baked saffron pastries

so good i would say is gris charnel nuttier version

TRY ON SKIN** I absolutely loooved this on the tester. Sooo nice, airy, spicy, edible sandalwood. You get the spices and creamy coconut and florals in the opening. It's bright and rounded, "transparent" but with some body, creamy and gourmand without being too sweet. Reminded me of Carner Barcelona's Rima Xi if you were to amp up the sandalwood. So wonderful, mood boosting even. Exceeded my expectations honestly. But thennn... on my skin something strange came through after abt 30 mn-1h and it went from fluffy and delicious to something completely different, almost animalic. I still liked it but it wasnt the same wheelhouse. Two people smelled it at tht point and reactions were very different: one person said they didnt like it bc it was too animalic, and the other liked it and said it there was something musky about it hahah. To my nose it pulled very dry, like dry oud – not so much the barnyard type just when oud is done very dry; it's still refined and i can appreciate it, but it's too much for me personally. I guess the "woody notes" might include some oud or dry wood in there. It reminded me of something in the dna of Xerjoff Golden Dallah or Ivory Route (both of which i enjoy bt never pulled the trigger on because of this very characteristic). So yes, clearly, this is a try before you buy, *must sample* type of scent – i mean always try befor you buy if you can but in this case make sure you do!! I mean i might just try it again in hopes my dry down experience changes honestly. Very very nice imo, unfortunately my skin said no lol. 8.5/10 for me

On me this is a cardamom bomb. Milky and soft but present. It reminds me of cardamom rice. Some coconut but the base is the softest blonde sandalwood scent. This is someone’s favourite as it’s quite different and that’s always to be appreciated but it’s not for me. Tried twice, better in warm weather, strangely given it’s a rounded comforting fragrance. Powerful with good projection. Sweet and a nice change from sampling something that ends up being a BR540/Santal 33 or Delina wannabe.

Definitely a fragrance that took me some time to get used to. First spray absolutely blew my brains out. I was sure I was straight up sniffing leather fumes mixed with cheap deodorant. When it dried down a bit, I started to smell these different scents. It was fresh, warm, still quite heavy but it smells sophisticated in a way. I'd 100% wear this to a meeting, or anything business related. NO IDEA, why people vote this to be "unisex", though. Its smells male to me, by a long shot.

I smelled this for the first time at Jovoy yesterday, I believe it's a store exclusive. The nutty aspect is certainly prominent. It was immediately reminiscent to me of Tonka Sesame by EPC, which I wear and am fond of. Red is a good gourmand scent, if you're fond of sweet fragrances, especially if you enjoy the note of hazlenut.

This is so interesting. So nutty. The hazelnut shines, but also a bit fresh aromatic (almost minty but not quite), which might be the cardamom and mugwort, not sure. It’s not necessarily a scent profile I gravitate towards, but no note throws me off. I think I like this nut profile better than milky pistachio fragrances.

A whiff of funerary elegance in summer. Despite the notes I can't help but to feel a very distinct note of lilies, hence the association with funerals. It is by no means a drawback as it is exactly that draws me to this fragrance. Elegant, intriguing and mysterious – like an attractive stranger attending a wake...

Some how even though there are one million notes they are all in the opening! Perfect spicy creamy fall fragrance

Well funnily enough I tried this for the first time whilst eating a panettone and that’s it basically in perfume form the panettone is slightly more bitter actually but ultimately it’s the same notes it’s orange and buttery and some light spices and some buttery notes the sweetness is more in the perfume as it is a perfume of course likely from the florals and caramel and a panettone has a bitterness, from the outer layer where it’s been baked. It’s more wearable and less foodie obviously then a panettone due to coconut and florals and woody notes obviously I’m not saying your wearing a straight up panettone. But it’s a reminder if you get what I mean it’s festive and very similar specially if your eating one and wearing it.

The opening note is absolutely beautiful – I smell citrus, cardamom and rice! The coconut lingers throughout the wear, but the i find the white musk in the drydown to be too synthetic and generic. A safe wear for daily, but I think veteran noses will be left wanting. Top note is top notch, but drydown is meh. 6/10

UPDATE: few hours in and it does turn animalic a bit metallic I will not be buying a full bottle for this reason. Shame the opening is amazing and even the middle

from the notes i was fascinated thought finally maybe a good complex scent at first it was really nutty with the hazelnut and the coconut shell being so yummy while being not overly sweet so you could rock this everyday but in the dry down it got me i could smell the fig and the florals way too much and they ruined the entire gourmand aspect and so with that this is a summer-leaning scent atleast to me also with the florals being to much as a dude to me this is unisex but leaning a bit feminine too me its not really a gourmand and you could wear this in summer and i mean i dont mind any florals just those florals dont go together plus adding a fig for no reason makes it pretty tropical and experimental also its kinda animalic on a tester strip i got right now really in my opinion this is not for everyone and theres maybe a chance you will like it just too me its a weird experimental scent that i dont like

After waiting so long to get my hands on a sample, I'm quite perplexed. Not sure why this is called "Red" when its more dark brown than anything else, like nuts, somewhat of a smoky scent.

Typical modern gourmand fragrance filled to the brim with scratchy aroma chemicals. Very synthetic. Strong dislike.

I feel like the name RED doesn’t go with this fragrance. It’s a milky fig and sandalwood scent with a light gourmand finish. Unisex. Soft clean sandalwood. Milky fig and milky coconut. Lightly spiced hazelnut and caramel cake. Like a couple of people celebrating a birthday with cake on a yatch near a tropical island. This scent is slightly fresh maybe because of the pink pepper but also comforting at the same time with a sweet hazelnut and caramel drydown. It’s not too spiced and not too floral.

Coconut n hazelnut baked n toasted into caramelised sticky spicy fruity florals in a sumptuous leathery sandalwood. Tiny hint of bitterness keeps it interesting. I did not find a powdery aspect personally btw, thought it smooth all the way. Enormous sillage. Leans feminine. Very sexy. Too animalic for the philistine husband sadly :(

Red has been such a huge compliment magnet for me. It blows in the air and smells so delicious; people have literally stopped me to compliment me. I was this in the evenings and the cool breeze just works its magic with Red. Unbelievably ; a mature type of gourmand, even in summer time.

The rice-cardamom combo reminds me very much of the drydown of Defineme’s Nearly Noon. I also pick up on the hazelnut and caramel. A nice winter scent if you’re into spicy gourmands.

Definitely feminine leaning and sweet. The cardamom is very noticeable along with spices. I don’t get any florals or coconut.

This smells like a coconut, turmeric warm milk I drink at night. Spicy, creamy but not necessarily sweet. Interesting.

Beautifully crafted on 1st test. Powdery cardamom with coconut. Will update