Damascus Desert

It's crazy that this one only has 81 votes (at time of writing) when it's been out for 4 years. This deserves more hype and more credit, it's an amazing smelling fragrance. I've tried 4 Merchant Of Venice and this one blew the others out of the water. The only downside to this is it's not a great performer, but it's fine in that sense. The scent though, iris (a sweet and powdery type of iris, not the lipsticky kind) and musk with citrus nuances and a woody base - really does smell great. Masculine leaning to me, and more of a warm weather fragrance but could be worn anytime really. Office safe due to fairly low projection, you'll need to overspray if you want to be noticed.

The Merchant of Venice Damascus Desert is a powdery, clean, sweet citrus Italian style cologne. Sits close to skin and has low performance on me but I do love the powdery clean smooth lemon and it has a good looking bottle. It’s not the same but it reminds me of Givenchy Gentleman Cologne, a more unisex version. Gentleman Cologne is more of a waxy iris citrus, Damascus Desert is more powdery iris/orris citrus. The fragrance easily could have been in a white bottle.

Update: I got a sample and I fell in love with it. Beautiful citrus gingery opening and settling into this pleasant powdery smell. Ordered a full bottle. The bottle however, was very different. No sign of that fresh and clean citrus and ginger. Almost smelled like sweaty armpit. Returned after a few days of use. Perhaps the fragrance had went bad due to heat or other reasons. I would still go back and buy it if I'm sure I'm not getting a spoiled one again.

I got so lucky with this fragrance. My local chemist had their Merchant of Venice stock on clearance, and I snagged this for 70.00 NZD which is approximately 40.00 USD. As a big fan of LV City of stars this fragrance scratches a similar itch as that. Citrusy, Powdery and ever so slightly floral. This fragrance is just so clean and effortless. If you can find it for a good price you should absolutely add this to your collection!

I was just in one of their 3 stores, the one in Verona, the quality of everything is unimaginably underrated. The scent is godly. As soon as I got a whif I knew I had to get it. And 100 ml for $150?!? No way I’m saying no to that

It's a good fragrance for what it is. The citrus really over powers the orris in the beginning and you really have too look for the orris to notice it. To me it's a aromatic woody citrus scent great for the spring or summer. The amber does come across a little. The musk feels muted for me. The vetiver is a background player but still present. I feel I would like this scent more if the strong aromatic citrus combo didn't give me pinesol vibes. It might play better in a hotter climate than where I live atm.

a sweet citrus cologne without strong specificity or remarkable aspects outside an almost gourmand iris who matchs well with the lemon. (La Fin du Monde ELDO type of buttery gourmand iris )

As with anything else this Venetian house produces, smells quality all over from the juice to the bottle. Decent price but disappointing performance. Yeah, these bottles are a work of art!

This is a very easy-to-like, classy fragrance at a very decent price. However, this one leans more feminine, based on my personal taste.

This one is just okay. The bergamot in the opening is very nice, as are the amber and cedar base notes. I would say that the floral notes are very strong, which makes it very feminine, and the heart notes overall are rather synthetic-smelling, like air freshener.

I'd like to start this review by pointing out that there isn't a desert in Damascus 😅 but nice sentiment nonetheless. This gives off really pleasant plastic, like those shiny pencil cases from the 2000s thanks to the citrus medley and sweet orris it opens up with. Almost imagine an Amouage Reflection flanker designed for the summer, and now imagine Acqua Di Parma hired Alberto Morillas to make it. I'd own a 30ml and it would be more than enough for when I'm in the mood for this scent. Beautiful colour.

@SmokeyBear831 First day in my collection.To my nose the iris and woods are prominent and projecting descent for about 4 hours.The composition and the quality is supperb.I suppose it has poor sillage.Reminds me more of the Prada l Homme family than the Givenchy Gentleman cologne.If you get it on a serious discount it worths a full bottle purchase.

This is actually a good fragrance. No BS just simple and straightforward scent