Fire

There was so much uproar in fragcom over the discontinuation of Fire that I couldn’t resist a blind buy. Which I hardly do at all. Selling points are: the notes are right up my street (rum, olibanum, tobacco, juniper berries, saffron, vanilla); and bottles are marked down really nicely right now on The Maker’s website. This is SMOKE CITY. You’d be hard pressed to find me something smokier. Good thing I love a smoke note so much. And talk about personal nostalgia: I’d liken the smoke here to the smell I can still recall from when I had just turned 5 and shrapnel from a crashing FB-111A jet bomber pummeled the trunk of my parents’ car and set it ablaze - along with many apartments in the neighborhood. It’s a much denser smoke than the campfire kind in Maison Margiela By The Fireplace, or the incense variety in Tom Ford Ebene Fume. Closer to the imposingly thick yet desirable smoke in Carner Barcelona Botafumeiro... but smokier still. It’s not all smoke here, though. There’s an equally potent contrast that was instantly familiar to me. I kept thinking it had to be some ‘80s perfume - until it dawned on me that what I was getting is the perfume my Junior High school secretary wore. I can’t recall if she told me Samsara or Ciara. Regardless of which one, neither smell as incredible on me, so I’ll never have that closure. But I’m happy to have this successful blind buy, in a gorgeous bottle! The two sides of this composition blend so beautifully at around the one hour mark. I truly adore this one. So now I join the ranks of the sullen Fire lovers.

Reading Feuermaiden’s review below, it seems she was expecting one thing but received another, which isn’t a great way to begin reviewing a fragrance. She’s comparing it to “by the fireplace” probably because both contain the word “fire” and expected certain parallels between the two. They aren’t the same at all, and might only concede that “Fire” might be a misnomer; a F/W fragrance for sure, quite masculine in its appeal. It’s more evocative of an accompaniment for reading leather bound books in a study where walls are clad in rich mahogany, proper mini bar in the corner, ashtray with pipe - not a cozying up by a fireplace with a flannel blanket and hot chocolate type of fragrance. Fire is unapologetically masculine and glorious. I have many different fragrances in this family of accords, but Fire stands on its own. An instant classic and signature worthy.

This is a surprisingly good tobacco scent, bolstered by spicy notes. It opens with an in-between green and pipe tobacco, moves into a warm spicy heart where the rum notes appear more prominently, then finishes on tobacco again, but sweeter from the vanilla. For a relatively unknown and narrowly distributed fragrance, it’s a bit overpriced, but they sell a 10ml roll-on too in case you’re nervous to drop $195 on 50ml. Lasts about 4 hours on my skin. Ultimately, I can’t stop smelling my wrist. It’s a lovely fragrance. EDIT: 9 months later and this has become one of my favourite fragrances. It's so cozy, nostalgic, and masculine. It's like what I imagine Norman Rockwell's studio in Vermont would have smelled like in the autumn and winter months.

A near perfect composition for this boozy vanilla and tobacco fragrance. This fragrance leans more toward fall/winter and nighttime as It wears heavy on the skin. Sillage is quite strong and it lasts all day. There are certain days when I pick up notes of green apple which is delightful. The base notes and tobacco are just a touch too smoky for my liking.

Dusty & sweet tobacco scent with some complexity. Slightly boozy & spicy. I really like this, definitely has a similar vibe to V&R Invisible Oud and MM Across The Sands(both of which are discontinued).