HS3

Looks like I’ve managed to have two Nasomatto entries back to back. I swear, when I first tried the remaining dribbles out of a used Duro sample, I enjoyed it, but I didn’t think I would end up with my affinity for the line. I don’t even wear them that often, but I sure do enjoy sniffing them from the bottle. Perhaps I don’t want to see the dwarfed 30ml bottles lose any of their precious liquid. Yet, when I do wear them, I get a lot of good attention, and the GF loves them all (except for Absinth… she thinks it smells like dirt and unwashed bodies). Go figure.

Anyways, I recently made it through my vial of China White, and decided it needed to find a home on my shelves. I had full plans on calling my favorite SA at Barneys LV, but with her out on medical leave, I had to wait. Lucky for me, one popped up on eBay, and I snagged it for almost half the retail price. Thank you, Sir eBay.

It’s such a mesmorizing scent. I don’t know what heroine smells like, but if this is it, I suppose I can better understand the allure. It has a gorgeous leathery aura – for those familiar with Nasomatto, many of their scents have an incredible note that shimmers and teases, much like aldehydes, but a whole new take. The leather in this one reminds me of Tom Ford Tuscan Leather (that many have said smells of cocaine.. perhaps my nose has a problem?). It’s a dry, yet powdery style of leather. There is a gorgeous floral note, almost creamy in nature like that in Costume National 21, combined with the scent of the lining of a smoker’s leather coat.

This one is, as they say, strangely addicting. It’s complex, strange, and completely wearable. My kind of scent.

I really wasn’t sure what I was getting into the first time I tried it. I was lucky enough for someone to send me a sample they’d parted ways with. I didn’t have any preconceptions of what it would smell like, but I thoroughly enjoyed what I got. It’s a really lovely super dry patchouli with dusty earth, camphor and grasses as a backdrop. Think sensual without using the usual suspects of vanilla or sandalwood as a cloak or to make it overly rich. It leans more to the masculine side than feminine for patchoulis, but it’s by no means an overpowering scent. It remains a light aura of a scent on the skin as opposed to a powerhouse patchouli scent. I’ve tried plenty of patchouli scents, and where most rely on a richer, more oriental base, this stays crisp without those overbearing, heavy notes you usually associate with patchouli. It makes uses of tobacco notes and hay to support its lead players. Like many of the Nasomattos, there is a signature note that is hard to describe, but is strangely addictive.

It’s a parfum extrait, but it’s not an in-your-face type. I originally wrote it off as having less than stellar lengevity, but I was mistaken after a few wears. It wears closely and doesn’t have a huge, lingering sillage which I think works perfectly for this and sets it apart from other patchouli heavy scents. However, I can still easily detect it with a fluff of the shirt 10 hours later.