Ursa

The only house I know that takes inspiration but instead of making clones offers upgrades with new X factors, which are always suspiciously closer to my taste. One thing he always does is adding a dimension and making interesting but flat concoctions 3D. And always oddly for a better price. Ursa takes patchouli+rum of Straight to Heaven and puts it beneath a salty animalic leather, tobacco, Incense and dried fruits to make a full meal out of the nice snack of by Kilian's. Better performance, twice the volume, better ingredients and somehow cheaper. The loud opening is very traditionally masculine, boozy patchouli, salty Terenzi leather and tobacco are so empowering and attractive here, noticeably deeper, more carnal and more bold than StH by Kilian. The one thing that I love about it is the human skin facet of Ursa. A unique clean-sweat effect, as a boxer it's a very familiar scent that I get after hard training and a hot and cold bath afterwards. It's photo-realistic accurate. I love it. The 3rd dimension of Ursa is a gamechanger, it's alive, romantic, wild and unapologetic all compared to StH that shares the two central opening top notes of patchouli and rum. Side by side it's StH that feels like a cheap clone of Ursa, it lacks character, feels flat and lasts noticeably shorter in comparison, while StH shows promise Ursa takes the risk and goes out of its comfort zone, it has got scars that tell the story of its journey. Ursa is still handsome but now also wild. What it reminds me of and who I imagine wearing it? It makes me think of dates in 80s Italian movies with Italian superstars, starting in a upper-class restaurant among wise guys and divas, leading to watching stars and ending in a hot bed. Dirty first date moves, sexy but romantic and trustworthy. In short young Vito Corleone. I personally cannot imagine myself liking it on a lady I want to date, but it's up to you of course if you like it. Whom do I recommend it to? If you like any of boozy, patchouli, salty leather or non-sweet tobacco try this, if you like traditional mature masculines and can handle a touch dirtiness try it you may love it, dried fruits are not the typical fruity here, don't be afraid of that, otherwise it's not for the sweet loving generation that thinks real leather stinks. It starts loud, after 40 minutes loses half of the booziness and gets moderate, lasts a very long time just there, the only scent transition is the booziness that leaves completely on the 4th hour mark. Personal: it gives me a rush of self confidence, like a fresh great haircut, transports me to my previous life as a wise guy or a John Dillinger. Tempts me to change my leather jacket for an Italian suit! Makes me want to take care of someone (no, not in an Italian way)! Love.

I finally have my bottle and first of all, now I finally understand both people that love it and the ones who hate it. I love this scent, but not for the reasons I thought I would, It's strange and mysterious, and quite surprising. This bottle needs understanding, time and love. Why? because as soon as I received the package and was very excited doing the first sprays, it was a shock. What? why does this so called "exquisite perfume" smell like my car's moldy A/C? ew. But so many good reviews couldn't be all that wrong, right? So I let this stand on my wardrobe for two weeks, still wearing it couple times as a base layer for other "easy to wear" fragrances (More about that later). And man, did this bottle improve over time! The funky-mold is slowly turning into rock moss, that strange humidity feel turned into a walk through the forest after the rain, everything is starting to feel like it's supposed to be. All it needed is some time to sit, and a couple sprays out to get air into the bottle for oxidation (to round off some roughness of the opening). This one is not a crowd pleaser, it doesn't make people say "your perfume smells good", it doesn't smell like a perfume, but it blends with your skin and turns out to be a skin scent enhancer, if that makes any sense at all. I imagine this scent as a cosy accord for a warm cuddle, and a sexy skin scent for intimate moments. It's primal, like the most refined skin oil in a bottle, it's a scent to please yourself and your loved one. So if you are looking for a compliment getter, if you care more about how many compliments a day instead of who does it, then this scent is not for you. Also, this is not for young people, I'm 30 and I feel like barely starting to fit with it. As a base layer it's also great for a touch of mystery, these are the ones that I tried and really liked: Ursa - Bvlgari man Wood essence. Ursa - Tom Ford black orchid. Ursa - Spicebomb extreme (this combo is excellent for night time). Ursa - Tiziana Terenzi Orion (dominant pineapple note with a tremendous earthy background). This is the most wanted caveman of the tribe, the leather jacket you inherited from your grandfather, the morning outside your tent in the forest, this is rock, wood, water and roots. And day after day I love it even more

As a relative newcomer with not much experience of "the animalic", wearing this has been an unusual learning experience for me. I initially sprayed a bit in the air to get a sense of the sillage and was both a bit put off and also intrigued by the animalic note. My curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to go ahead and wear it on skin..... So how does it smell? I can definitely see why it's so divisive, and it's not going to be for everyone. For me, the first thing I got was a big whack of boozy rum above a slightly stinky, almost medicinal, oud. The rum disappeared very quickly, and the rich fruitiness that popped out a second later became a slightly less distinct sweetness shortly afterward. It then settled, and became akin to what I can only really describe as a damp forest in late autumn. Imagine picking up some of the sodden leaves from the muddy forest floor, then pulling a handful of wood from a fallen tree that's started to go soft, and scrunching it all up in your hand. Alongside that you have a slightly waxy, perfumed combination of the elemi and olibanum, reminding you that this is actually a scent and not just an olfactory scene. Somewhere way below all of this is a vague hint of vanilla that somehow ties it all together whilst not reducing the punchy bite of the woody notes. I've decided that I like it, and that I may end up loving it, although that'll probably take some time. It definitely wasn't a conclusion that I came to immediately, and I definitely don't think this should be a blind buy unless you are feeling really reckless (and rich), but if you can look past the initial pungency there is something very compelling about this scent which I suspect will keep me coming back to my sample, and maybe even eventually investing in a bottle.

I was introduced to this house when I found STH and STHX, but couldn't justify the asking for STHX and really didn't want to settle for STH. This review is NOT about Ursa being a sub for STH or STHX. Ursa, is different. If you're interested in unique, artistic scents, read on..! accompanying vid: watch?v=v1rMieukIbE So, naturally, I looked for retailers in Canada so I could smell this and get a 2mL vial to test run on my skin right? Well, I found that Tiziana Terenzi only had the Barney's in NY near me. So I e-mailed out and 1 week after, they sent me some free samples to try via 3-d FEDEX. In that, was Orion, Ursa, and March XIX. That's the kind of service After 4 days of cycling Orion and Ursa. I decided that Ursa would replace STHX and that Orion will be my summer purchase (I actually didn't know Orion had Aventus vibes, it smelled so unique as well). Fast forward a month, I bought a FB from MaxAroma. This is a wonderful creation which opens with what I would say is a Patchouli leather and incense. the patchouli is so nice and glides along the entire 10 hours of this frag. There is also a lot of rum at the open and a faint oud that becomes a bit noticed in the drydown. but it's more like "hints" of oud. The fragrance projects like a beast and in the drydown you get the dried fruits, the nutmeg, and leather and booze along with what seems to hint at vetiver. There's something cool about the frags from this house. The projection kind of seems to die (to you) after the first 2 - 3 hours. but even at the trail end you keep catching whiffs of it and it's really nice.. Also, there's something animalic in the open of this. Anyone know what it is?

Nose Note #853 Yes, it's basically Straight to Heaven for less money, you don't have to be a connoisseur to understand that. Nice and strong. I've had Zimaya A Fairy Tale, but it was noticeably more synthetic and overall not as enjoyable or long lasting as this. This is apparently challanging to many people, I don't quite see why. It does indeed have a moldy facet, but the smell of mold is amazing, is it not?! Like this damp moldness of a basement. But it's not about mold really, it's about dusty dried fruits, slightly boozy. One of a kind smell, really. Very recognizable and very memorable. This costs around $150, and I think it's worth the price because it performs nicely, much better than A Fairy Tale. I used to be a strong believer that $30-50 is tops of what a perfume is worth because of the UAE brands, but I have since gone through many dupes and they really often don't hold water against the OGs. The scent overall may be close, but you can feel that OG is far more superior in quality and UAE brands often underperform badly, in my experience. So I'd much rather have 5 bottles for $150 each, than 25 for $30 each, all of them half-baked. To me this is a purely masculine scent. Patchouli is amazing here. 8.2/10, may not be quite up my alley, but it's very enjoyable and an easy grab for me

Ursa opens with a very powerful blast of Dried Fruits, Rum, & Elemi with a dry almost dusty Nutmeg note. Its a combination that may not appeal to inexperienced noses. This combination of Dried Fruits & Rum smells strongly of Fermentation soured by Ursa's resinous Elemi note. The Patchouli works to enhance the Tobacco. Together they create this idea of Damp, Earthy, Rich, Dark Green Tobacco Leaves curing in a shed. And its a muted sweet soured Funk like authentic Tobacco. From Ursa's opening to its Mid its VERY pungent. Once this Patchouli & Tobacco combination meets the Oud Ursa begins to smell like a lightly Spiced, Dark, Leafy, Wood Mulch soaked with Booze. As Ursa dries down further Leather, Incense, & Olibanum become the stars of the show with all of the other notes playing the background. But not at all muted. All still strong, but not overpowering. It's in this stage where Ursa settles into this scent that smells like something a CEO would wear. Ursa is true fragrance art. And you need to appreciate the art of fragrance to enjoy wearing it. My batch is from 2017, so I'm not experiencing the poor performance of the people below. Performance is beastly. Ursa lasted on a shirt that I could smell from the corner of my bedroom for an entire week. So be very careful with how much you apply.

This scent became my signature rather quickly. I cannot say enough to describe how perfectly Ursa mixes with me. I've read a lot of polarizing reviews about Ursa, but honestly everyone who smells it on me loves it. My boyfriend, who is sensitive to smells no matter how much he still likes them, really likes Ursa on me too. My initial impression of "too much incense" changed really quickly upon my 2nd wear a week or two later: the upfront elemi and dried fruit sticks around for so long as the rest of the notes settle into a spicy woody smokiness that it just smells so fresh to me until the very end. I almost get fresh, crispy, just-sliced green apple upon spraying Ursa, and it mingles in such a beautiful way to me. Don't be dissuaded by the vanilla base notes because it barely come through, and when I do notice it, it is very balanced and distant in a good way. I do not even use reference vanilla when describing Ursa 6 hours after I spray myself. Ursa exudes a steady and tested confidence that will age its wearer in a good way. I've always been assumed to be 5-8 years older (I'm 27) because of my personality and comportment, and Ursa is the first fragrance that made me accept that impression I allegedly give to strangers. Definitely give it a go if you're interested, and be patient!

This is beautiful from start to finish. This fragrance is painted in shades of black, for peaty earth touched by rain, rich and fragrant underfoot at night. Purple for the scent of distant dark violets blooming in the distance and caught on a gentle night breeze. Dark green for the leafy firlike touches you get from standing feet planted on that damp earth at night, looking up through the tree canopy at crystal clear stars glistening in the clear night sky. This is outdoors, it’s clean for me - no barnyard scat or animalic anything. I feel a relation/kinship to Ecstasy here...the oud, tobacco and booze are woven together and for me give this incredible rainforest/bushlands vibe after a cleansing night rainshower. A soft staticky powder finish that has a feel like Laudano, lightly sweet and slightly vanillic. It’s everything I want in a non gourmand and comforting nature scent. It’s not sweet or ladylike, not an angry caveman. This is someone who doesn’t mind earth on their hands and boots and a release from city constraints. Soothing, brooding and yet steady like a rock and comforting as a soft blanket. The name Ursa is fitting. My decant will become an FB for sure.

Definitely not for the average mall fragrance aficionado. If you spray this and immediately pierce your arm with your nose, you will face all the demons described below. This is more about the wearing and less of a "please buy me" opening. I own a full bottle of Ursa and a decant of STH and, side by side, you can tell that STH is a friendlier approach to the DNA by being sweeter and more caramel-ish, but therefore more standard and less worth the high price tag. Ursa is more of a collectible piece, definitely not within your first five bottles, since it is not very versatile and you will want to wear this only for specific moments. Definitely better to sample first, since it heavily depends on 3 things: -The interaction with your skin chemistry is essential, don't spray on paper. -Your affinity with patchouli, oud and rum -Your confidence, or this fragrance will wear you I have a more complete opinion below, and these are my updated thoughts after 6 months of wearing, which haven't changed at all. (pro tip, I made myself a decant of 70% The siren + 30% Ursa and it is absolute winter heaven) And please note -Ursa is not a replacement for Straight to heaven-

Love it. Put it as my signature in my profile. I certainly have a few more frags I like as much as Ursa but this week I feel like this is my signature frag. The barnyard opening resemblance by some reviewers is spot on. But man, it quickly develops into something so smooth, and rich. Yes, one reviewer said it smells rich, and I totally agree. This thing smells of money. Half an hour before an important and difficult meeting spray heavily of this juice, put on an expensive (or expensive looking) watch and go to that meeting. It might very well change the outcome of the meeting in your favor. Longevity is good, sillage is strong first half an hour but stays very close to the skin after that if you use 3 sprays. So if you really want this beauty to perform, dont be afraid to be heavy on the trigger. It's not going to bother anyone except maybe in the first 5 minutes when it still has that barnyard effect. p.s. I bought the bottle for 160$ from Notino, but I guess Notino decided it's too good a juice to sell at that price point, so they increased it to $220. Too bad, now I feel like I need to hold back on the use of this beauty because of the hefty price tag.

This is a loud one and the opening is a bit special. The notes listed in the little booklet state that the "oud" in this is "Oud Buaya". This makes a lot of sense... Gaharu Buaya (Aetoxylon sympetalum) isn't Agarwood at all. Buaya Oud is Indonesian for what is sometimes called "white oud" and has quite a different aroma. A sort of damp, slightly mentholic tree trunk in the forest. Warm, umami, damp and smoky. Exactly what this is. Walk into an Indonesian rainforest with a bottle of rum and some Figgy Newtons. find yourself a wonderful old rotten stump of wood covered in moss and mushrooms and spill your rum on it. Then get on your knees, fill your mouth with your dried fruity baked snack and breathe this wonder in. The patchouli starts off a bit edgy, but smooths out and blends in with the funky rotten wood with a touch of cacao and leather. The patchouli being the main note of this. But it's wet. This smells dank, I don't mind it (I actually enjoy it), but I don't think this fragrance is for everyone. I have some very clean oud attar (royal cambodian) that I sometimes pair this with. The combination lasts for days.

The opening of Ursa is challenging in the best way possible. Raw, rooty patchouli and the warmth of a barnyardy animatic leather, reminiscent of fresh tanned hide as opposed to heavily processed or treated black leather. It’s bracingly dry and dark dark green, almost brown in tone. Shortly after a smooth sweet rum note shows up supported by a subtle bleu cheese nuance that I am haphazardly attributing to the oud. Those are certainly the main players throughout the life of the fragrance but they constantly dance with each other, periodically taking the spotlight on the coattails of a breeze at various points throughout the wearing. I agree wholeheartedly with the comparisons to the Killian, but where that one sucks you in with an intriguing opening before smoothing into woody Amber blandness, Ursa actually follows through on its introductory promise. It seemed to last all day on me and sat generally close to the skin. For the price And quality, this decimates straight to heaven and should be mandatory sniffing for anyone flirting with the notion of purchasing it. Wonderful stuff. 8.5/10

According to legend, Ursa Major was once the beautiful maiden Callisto, whom the god Zeus had an affair with. In order to protect her and their son, Arcas, from his jealous wife Hera, Zeus turned Callisto and Arcas into bears. He then picked up the bears by their short stubby tails and threw them into the sky. As for the fragrance URSA by Tiziana Terenzi, it is among the best interpretations of patchouli in modern perfumery. A scent of smooth tones and high complexity. Featuring a photorealistic wet tobacco drenched in the rich essence of fine spirits, so avant-garde smelling with a wild spirit that would surely grab everyone’s attention. Another aspect I love about URSA is the incorporation of oud into the heart, and how well blended it is with the wet tobacco and booze, revealing a subtle animalic flare that is beautifully contrasted by semisweet fruity tones of the dry spicy variety as the earthy shadows of patchouli outline the wild ride. . URSA by Tiziana Terenzi is undoubtably a magical scent with the exhilaration, strength and charisma of a surreal animal, a futuristic spiral.

As soon as I spray it I get a slightly animalic leather some tobacco, rum and patchouli. Approximately 10 minutes after the initial spray the leather tones down significantly giving space for the dried fruits accord that joins the composition forming , in my personal opinion, the most gorgeous dry down in my whole collection, which an addictive mix of tobacco, patchouli,rum and dried fruits with a noticeable but extremely balanced oud. This thing it’s so masterfully created, is going to be forever repurchased and it will be part of my winter fragrance rotation. The projection is not monstrous but very decent, but longevity is fantastic considering I suffer from hyposmia(reduced sense of smell) I can smell it in to the next day even after a shower. In you clothes it will stay for moths. As you can tell,Ursa is one of my timeless favorites from my all time favorite perfume brand, but it wasn’t like that for the longest time, when I got the sample for a couple of years I kept on revisiting it until one day I found myself sniffing non stop my wrist, then I decided to get a full bottle.

Since straight to heaven extreme by kilian is nowhere to be found i too found out about Ursa and read a lot about it, also probably watched about 20 videos on it and finally blind bought it. Currently its about 35 degrees celsius here by the way so i have no idea how it will smell in cooler weather. So... I sprayed 3 times inside my arm. I enjoyed the initial opening but within 5 to 10 minutes i got the animalistic smell everyone is talking about, i own bois mysterieux from guerlain so that "stink" is nothing new to me and really reminded of it. As i did some chores and got whiffs of it in the air, i found it smelling beautiful, if you smell it directly off your skin, yes yes, you definitely smell like a goat... (they got cool eyes though). After about 1.5 hours its still developing and getting softer and more beautiful. I do recommend this to everyone, its a beautiful scent, just stop sniffing it directly off your skin and let it linger around in the air and reach your nose. On further wearing this definitely reminds me of Michael by Michael Kors for women 🤔

I did not like this fragrance when I first smelled it. It was a blind buy and I thought it initially smelled too animalic to me. This fragrance is proof to me that your nose develop over time and adapts to recognizing notes indivually. When I first started collecting, all I smelled was the animalic leather and I couldn't escape it, but now I smell the dried fruits, the rum, and the vanilla that lays on the patchouli and leather. This is in the scent profile of straight to heaven, but deeper and stronger. Do not overspray! This is potent and if you overspray you will destroy the beauty of the scent and overwhelm everyone around you. This is one of those scents that when sprayed at minimum it allows it to bloom. It is not for everyone and if your nose haven't adapted, while you're wearing it, you will hate it, but people will enjoy it around you because the aroma in the air is the fruits and vetiver with sweetness around it. It is, to me, a masterpiece.

Over a period of months I tested many patchouli heavy fragrances and this was one I bought a 2ml tester of. I instantly loved the 1st spray in the air and followed up with 2 sprays on a wrist. I went in for a deep sniff and I was disgusted and dissapointed. I can only describe the smell and experience like trying to eat more fudge after eating too much and being sick. Half an hour later it all made sense and I fell in love. My gf wore it out one night and she smelled awesome. It projected off her like crazy and she smelled amazing for hours on end. I bought a full bottle a few months later. On my skin it smells fresh, clean and really sexy. But doesn't project like crazy. The sillage is beautiful and I love being in this URSA bubble. One of my favourite perfumes. Not a safe blind buy, but do try. It might work for you. Just be patient, after 30 minutes the magic happens. *side note: my perfect patchouli I found - Psychadelique by Jovoy Paris. *

Ursa is a crazy piece of art! However, genuine art is expected to provoke strong and sometimes contradicting emotions. The opening is quite challenging hence it is my favourite phase. It is a mad cacophony of rooty, damp and faecal patchouli bomb with pissy undertones. The opening phase is short though and within an hour or so, Ursa gradually settles into a heart of smoky oud, leather and tobacco. The heart is the longest phase and by the end of the 5th hour, I begin to smell the sweet aroma of the dried fruits and liquor. Regardless though, people around me gave compliments irrespective of the phase! If you like Rania J's style of perfumery, you're more than likely to appreciate Ursa. I was very very fortunate to have bought my bottle in 2016 for less than £100 from a reputable online retail store (that has changed its name since) hence a 10/10 (otherwise, 9/10 if you pay the retail price!) Hat's off to Sr. Paolo Terenzi

I was actually laughing out loud when I first sprayed this on my skin. The reports *were* accurate. It *does* smell like a barnyard, after the cows have just defecated in the high noon heat. However, what it leaves behind after about 15-30 minutes or so, is just amazing. Strong patchouli and leather, with a hint of powdery "something". This is *NOT* a fragrance to sample up-close on skin, it's waaay too animalic. It's a sillage monster, and leaves a wake I don't think I've ever smelled before. Very unique, but equally challenging, especially in those first few tens of minutes. Worth every penny however, in my opinion. Edit : I forgot to add; Never have I known a bottle and its contents to be so at odds with each other! The lovely, bright white & gold bottle says "Clean, fresh, airy"... the juice says "Old plank of wood soaked in booze, being waved around in front of your face by slightly scary but interesting hippy".

Ursa from Tiziana Terenzi is for me the best offering from the House. It’s boozy dried fruits with patchouli in bottle. I love type of patchouli used here combined with rum booziness and sweet fruits that makes this bottle a great performer in winter months but I’m not afraid to pull it out during warmer weather neither. This was love at first sniff. It’s masculine, strong especially first 30min as patchouli with leather and smooth oud "screams" and projections is above 8 hours on me. It has a very good silage and I got lot of compliments. Everytime I wear this it elevades my mood. This is fragrance I imagine tall Italian, mature and well-dressed men wearing while passing a luxurious street of Milan in winter time. It's bold fragrance that makes a statement and people will remember. This is a true love for me and I had to get back up bottle when I run out of first one :)