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| Photo Credit: Niles Ramadhin |
Hello! I apologize for being absent for the last month. I have been quite busy lately. I meant to get this review out last week, but my grandmother passed away, so I didn't feel motivated to write anything. I have quite a few things to review. I just have to find time to do it.
Some of you have probably seen this brand floating around Facebook recently. It's called City Rhythm and it's a small house headed up by Niles Ramadhin that is making scents inspired by major cities. So far, he only has the one I will be covering, Manhattan. He posted that he will be releasing one called Miami soon, which will be a more tropical fragrance from the looks of it. I am not sure if he will just be doing American cities or he will be branching out to other locations around the world.
Niles did send me a sample for free. I have spoken with him a bit over the past few weeks and he's a nice guy. I am not close friends with him and I get nothing out of this review. It's not sponsored by him. I simply got a sample of it from him. My opinion still remains my own and always will be.
Without further adieu, let's get into this!
The Notes
Top
Bergamot, Cinnamon, and Violet Leaf
Mid
Tea, Incense, and Labdanum
Base
Tobacco, Vanilla, Cedar, Vetiver
The Vibe
You never know what you will find in the city at night. You could find adventure, turmoil, or even love. That is part of what makes people flock to the city. There are so many things to do and so many mysteries.
Skylines from around the world have always been a vivid fascination of mine. I actually have some photos in my house of them. Tokyo, Seattle, Beijing, Manila, Dubai...They all hold their own cultural uniqueness. A tribute to the people who choose to call these places home. The darkened sky is illuminated by the liveliness of those denizens themselves. The very image of moving, even when captured by a still image. It's similar to the joy of a child seeing a Christmas tree light up. I still love Christmas trees. I am not sure if that is because I never grew up or my "manly side" says, "look! Something shiny!". Regardless, they hold a fascination for me similar to that of the colorful lights that pain each skyline.
What wonders do these brightly lit wonders hold? Passion, joy, fun, mystery, and intrigue. This is what Manhattan captures for us. While it might not specifically be only for Manhattan(which is in New York, if anyone didn't know), it captures the romance of those skylines and the intrigue they hold.
The Scent
Manhattan opens with some sweet bergamot and warm cinnamon. Some ambery hues of labdanum peek forth shortly after. It's an early arrival to the main show that begins around 20 minutes after application.
When the heart comes out, you pick up what I interpret as a malty black tea note that melds into the cinnamon and the slight bit of sweet bergamot that is left over. The incense emerges as a sweeter and drier variety. I don't detect smoky nuances in it. Cherried tobacco with vanilla then comes forth to steal the show. It brings up an image of Parfum de Marly's Herod, but less aggressive and not cloyingly sweet. This is a more realistic tobacco note that combining with the tea for an interesting and luxurious accord, malted cherry tobacco.
The base brings out some smooth and slightly peppered cedar, while the tobacco, vanilla, cinnamon, and tea hold on to form the general vibe of this fragrance throughout most of its life. The tea eventually fades and you are left with tobacco, vanilla, and cedar scent.
My Opinion
I have seen a few people hyping this up as the greatest thing ever. I don't agree with that. However, I do agree that this is an excellent fragrance. I will be purchasing a full bottle here soon. Yes, I will be purchasing it. it will not be given to me.
The allure of this fragrance for me is that it smells like what Herod should have been. To me, Herod is a sweet and cloying mess. This fragrance has some sweetness, but it's not aggressive or overstated. It's well-mannered and classy. What makes this fragrance for me is that tea note in the heart. I am a big fan of tea and oftentimes it's used very poorly in fragrances. This is not one of those times. It creates an intriguing accord with the tobacco.
This is a gentleman in a suit fragrance, but that doesn't mean you have to wear a suit with it. You can dress it down or up. It would be best for the cooler weather though. This fragrance does lean masculine to me, but a woman might be able to pull it off. Wear what you want.
People always ask me about the performance of fragrances, so I will start covering it again. This isn't as loud as Herod. It's not going to reach the heavens with projection. It's more of a gentlemanly scent, as I stated before. People will smell this on you for a good 2-3 hours after application, but the fragrance is softer. I like that and think it's part of its charm. The total time it was lasting on my skin was 8-9 hours.
The only thing I will knock off from the fragrance is that it is somewhat sticky on your skin. It's not a big deal for me, but I know some people don't like that. I just had to mention it.
Conclusion
I am excited to see Niles' next release, as this one is quite good for the price of 55 USD for 30ml(link below). He sells samples as well, which I will also link below. I do suggest sampling this one if you are a tobacco fan.
I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of your day. Be amazing, kind, and spread the love. Remember that kind words are free. You never know how much you can help someone by just being nice to them.
Keep smelling great and being great. Until next time, be safe.
Buy Manhattan samples
Buy a bottle of Manhattan
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