Sombre Negra

I wonder if there are any fans of Hermes Terre out there who wished Jean Claude-Ellena could produce a darker version of his smash hit. A “Terre Noire” if you like. Well, this is what I imagine “Terre Noire” would be like! With Sombre Negra we take the path away from the bright citrus orchards and into the dark, dank forest and explore the earthy side of the Terre notes. Yippee! This, for me, is a dream come true my friends. All the notes are there – Patchouli (lots of it), pepper, cedar and vetiver – but they are amped up and complemented by a favourite of mine (and this is the clincher): CLOVES! Oh yes, my fellow clove lovers, if you dig cloves then you must try this. As the first medicinal waft of cloves hit my nostrils this was love at first sniff. It was like Yosh had taken all my favourite notes and made a fragrance just for me. Just a pity the sillage and longevity and moderate and we're down to skin scent within three or four hours. However, this bold, distinctive, sassy, sexy perfume really deserves your attention. Check it out. (Note: this review refers to the newly reformulated version of Sombre Negra). Update: try layering with Encre Noir for a pungent vetiver / patch blast!

This is my first time wearing it. It's so dark and smoky, perhaps one of the darkest scents I have come across until now. Somehow it reminds me of burning fire, but also something I used to smell as a child when I visited my dad's workplace. He was in the army, where he worked with tanks and other armored vehicles. That is the mental image this perfume paints me. One of my first experiences with niche perfumes. Honestly, I was a bit afraid to try this one but somehow I just had to smell this. Is it dark? Most definitely yes! Can I take out any single note? No. Is it a versatile fragrance? No. But man, this is beautiful! I keep smelling my hand and strangely wonderful memories from my childhood keep emerging. As dark as this is, it is soothing. Who would've thought that?

Sombre Negra begins it's journey with a heady mixture of smoky patchouli, clove, and peppery vetiver. This clove is so powerful that in a small bag of samples I brought for a trip, when I opened it I managed to smell this above all the 80s powerhouse fougeres in my bag; that is saying something. For the heart notes, in addition to the main clove I get ripe juniper berries and a lipsticky (iris) tonka sweet tobacco. As the the berries and sweetness fade into the base the overall experience develops a more masculine feel with more pronounced tobacco, an incensy used cigarette vibe from artemisa, and the kind of peatiness I look for on an aged sctoch.

This smells like someone I want to know, or a sad, beautiful, children’s book. Leather, soap, and ginger are the main notes I notice. I don’t think it smells all that citrusy— the fruit I detect is more like a tiny bit of pineapple, very slightly yeasty. I get a hint of saffron and celery as well. It does somehow smell like church furniture, as others have said. I’m in love with this scent. I’m on my second 5ml sample and I still smell myself all day when I wear it. Eventually I’ll probably be purchasing a full sized bottle.

The Guerrilla of All Patchoulis! just like the name Sombre Negra (Black Shadow) is a South American Hit Squad made up of Police and Army Employees who as a group take down some of the most notorious criminals behind the veil; that said - i think this scent is such a masterpiece within this avenue : clean cut, robust very focused smells amazing and not in anyway cloying, i went 5 sprays once and went to an hindu temple, everyone including the priest wanted to know what it was! 10/10 en route to buy a backup bottle.