The Night Life: City Rhythm Manhattan Review

 

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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The Little Book Eater Wildling: A Game of Thrones Inspired Fragrance

 

Good afternoon! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day today. I am doing just fine. A bit too warm for my liking, but there isn't too much I can do about that besides sticking to my hermit ways, which many of us have done for the past year anyway...

Today I have a small indie house that I found on Etsy to bring to you. The Little Book Eater makes perfume oils inspired by TV shows, movies, novels, and fantasy characters. She even had stuff based on Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. I purchased 4 from her store to try them out. I enjoy Game of Thrones, so I had to pick up this one when I saw the notes. Her shop is currently taking a break, but I believe that they were only $14 for 10ml of perfume oil. 

I purchased all of these. I have no affiliation with The Little Book Eater and this article contains no affiliate links.

Now, without further ado, let's get the adventure started!


The Story

It's always cold here. An eternal winter with no reprise. The frigid air will chill you to the bone. This is the only life I know. Wandering from place to place, just wanting to survive. 

There is no warm hearth in this land. You can only take from the land what you are willing to work for. The frozen cairns will take your life in an instant if you don't respect them. The giant taigas are no different.

One day, the wall will come down and we will have what is rightfully ours. The dead rise and with them comes our demise if we do not push south. 


The Notes 

Winter Air 
Juniper 
Birch
Moss
Red Cedar
Patchouli 
Musk


The Scent 

Wildling starts off with some mildly balsamic juniper needles and a cold ozonic feel, which I interpret as the winter air note. It goes on to show a slight inkling of smoke layered upon various hardwood trees with a tiny bit of some green notes in the background.

The effect that you get from this fragrance is a winter forest with a frigid, yet gentle breeze bringing the beauty of the forest to your senses.

This fragrance isn't super complex and doesn't evolve very much on your skin. In the final dry down, you get more of the balsamic feeling mixed with the air, with the woods and smoke in the background. 


My Opinion

This fragrance didn't blow me away, but it's not bad either. There is a slight scented candle vibe to it. It doesn't have a waxy feel, but that might just be my own senses picking up a note that I recall from a candle in it. 

It smells more like a fantasy forest, which makes sense given its inspiration. I didn't expect this to smell very realistic for the price. I wouldn't say it's cloyingly synthetic either. 

It lasts around 6 hours on my skin, which is fine for the price. This is more of an atmospheric fragrance anyway. 

For $14, I would say this is an interesting buy for a Game of Thrones fan. It's cheap and it smells good. It's just not super impressive, but it is creative in its own way. It does what it set out to do and you can't complain about that. 


Conclusion

I will review some others from this house at a later time. I hope you enjoyed this review. 

Remember to say something kind to someone today. You never know how much it could help them in their personal life. It's free to be kind. Use it as often as you can. 

Thank you for the support. Be safe and blessed!

The Little Book Eater Store (Temporarily closed at the time of the article)

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Dreaming in Harvest Colors: Neil Morris Chasing Autumn Review

 

Hello, folks! I know it's been a while, but I have been quite busy. I know I keep saying that I will drop some more reviews, but then life gets in the way. You know how that goes. I will try to get some more done this month. I have a lot of new and interesting stuff to share with you folks. I am excited about that. 

Today I will be covering a house that most of you have never heard of. Reviews on this house are pretty scant and I have never seen anyone post about them in the fragrance community. I actually found out about this house from a Reddit post, haha. You never know where you can find useful information!

Anyway, I did some research and found out that the perfumer is from New England. I am actually from New England myself. He creates perfumes based on his olfactory memories of various places or people. Most of which are in New England. He has this one called North Woods that is based off the woods in Maine, where I grew up for almost 9 years of my life. So, I just had to give him a chance. 

His fragrances are fairly affordable at $48 for 30ml or the EDP versions. His parfums run $70. He also has a special collection that are $95 for 60ml. My Chasing Autumn was $48 for a 30ml EDP. That is quite affordable for an indie fragrance. I purchased two full bottles. Yes, I purchased these. They were not sent to me for review. I had some conversations with the perfumer and he's a nice guy and hooked me up with a bunch of samples, which I am still going through. 

This one is called Chasing Autumn. It might be a bit different than you expect it to be. It was to me at least! 

I have rambled on enough now, let's get into it!


The Story

The cool crisp air on an autumn night always has a charm to it. It's not always the most comfortable temperature, but you are fine with a flannel and boots. The smell of hay, pumpkin, coffee, hot chocolate, smoke, wet leaves, noble trees, and many other smells from the harvest season waft through the air and tickle the senses. 

A hot cup of spiced apple cider and bonfires. Hot chocolate and a hayride. An apple orchard and pumpkin pie. Autumn has so many memories attached to it. Chasing Autumn only touches on one olfactory memory, but it does make you want to chase the season back into the present. 


The Scent 

Chasing Autumn bursts forth with a vivid smokiness that is going to persist through the fragrance. The realism captured here is personal. It's intimately connected to the olfactory senses and summons a flood of memories from my childhood. Slightly balsamic pine needles with a bit of the dried wood lurk from underneath the smoky cypriol. The cypriol does smell real. I have some real cypriol oil and this smells almost exactly like it. Roasted coffee on a base of woody vetiver with a bit of raw leather. 

This fragrance reminds me of burning dried leaves in the fall. It also reminds me of a cabin in the woods with a fireplace crackling with logs of pine and cedar. There is a slight earthiness in the blend, that is most likely the cypriol as well. There could also be some birch tar in the blend. It's very smoky from top to bottom. It's unapologetic, but warm and comforting at the same time. In the deep dry down, I can pick up some golden-hued dry amber, which gives it some greater depth and cements the feeling of the season in your mind.


My Opinion

I will just come out and say it. I love it. I am a big fan of smoky scents and this one hits the spot.  The way Mr. Morris weaved in little nuances here and there really makes it an enjoyable wearing until the finish line. This is a very strong fragrance that lasts around 10  hours on my skin. 

While this fragrance isn't too niche or offensive, it's not mass appealing. This is a scented memory that might not be for everyone. For the people who enjoy atmospheric fragrances and love smoky scents, I would say that you should really give this a try. He sells samples his site(link below). I blind bought this, but I would suggest that most people give it a sample first.


Conclusion

I have tried 15 of Neil Morris' fragrances thus far. I was only not impressed by one of them. I have no idea why no one talks about this house. For the record, I have no affiliation with Neil or his brand. I get nothing out of this, except the joy of sharing a new house that I think is underrated. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Keep your head up and remember to say something nice to someone today. You never know what someone is going through. One kind word can change someone's life. 

Thank you for the continued support. Until next time, be safe and blessed!


Neil Morris Website Note: I didn't see Chasing Autumn on his site, so I emailed him and he took care of me. I imagine he would still have it in stock if you email him. 

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Woody Wanderlust: January Scent Project Burvuvu Review

 

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I hope everyone is doing well today. I am doing pretty well. I am glad that fall-like weather is finally upon us. Fall and winter are my favorite fragrant seasons. So many rich perfumes to wear and explore!

Today I will be covering January Scent Project's Burvuvu. Fragrantica writer and perfumer John Biebel composed this fragrance with the intent of bringing a realistic forest experience in a market that desperately needs more types of this fragrance. I am not sure if that is what his intent was, but I assume it was from my experience with the scent. 

I have no affiliation with Mr. Biebel. I think I spoke to him once or twice on a Facebook post(maybe it was on Instagram?). I get absolutely nothing from you clicking the links down below. They are just there for your convenience.

This is one of my favorite fragrance genres and I am excited about this one. Let's get into it!


The Story

Again I find myself here, in the desolate wild places that many men do not dare to tread. I am not many men. This is where I find my peace. Solace from a world full of technology-driven ambition that is devoid of the natural world. It is here that my mind reconnects with its primal nature and unlocks itself. 

As I walk through over the golden and red-hued leaves underfoot, I notice the gentle fog that shrouds the treeline from the nearby lake. It creates a hauntingly beautiful sight with the sun barely peeking over the mountain. 

I keep pressing on, over the soft wet dirt and mosses of the forest floor. There must be more to discover in this place that has been untouched by man for many years. The nearby flowers and mushrooms softly waft into my nose to remind me of where I am, even though I had not forgotten. 

As the fog starts to clear with daybreak and the sun caressing my face with warmth, I feel at home. This place is wild and untamed. It doesn't share its mysteries with anyone who comes upon its path. You have to get to know it first. It looks like I will be spending a lot more time here. I certainly won't be protesting that notion. 


The Scent

Burvuvu opens up with peppery and smoky cedar that is quite strong and in your face. This fragrance contains 3 types of cedar and I would venture to say all three are natural. If they aren't, then John certainly fooled me. It is pretty much a euphoric experience for a cedar lover. Seriously, words cannot describe how beautiful this opening is.

After the pepperiness of the cedar tames itself, you can a very earthy mushroom note. It darkens up the composition and gives a damp forest floor feel. I can also detect patchouli quite well, which I assume is meant to work with the mushroom note to bolster its earthy texture. 

Castoreum and honey add a bit of wild animalistic flavor to the composition. They aren't very strong, but you can vaguely detect them. 

While reading reviews for this perfume initially, I saw others strongly detected a rose note in here. I can't say that I pick that up at all...either that or it's hidden underneath the woods and earthiness to me.

Basically, what I end up with is a smoky and peppery cedar fragrance that has a strong and damp earthy undertone with a slight animalistic touch. It's pretty much a walk through a forest before dawn breaks.


My Opinion

I am just going to come out and say it...This is a masterpiece. I don't use that word very often. I have said that about 5 or so fragrances before. This one deserves it. 

I had been searching for a foresty fragrance for so long. Many of them came off like cheap shower gels or green fougeres. This one actually smells like a real forest. I can't say that this one ended my search for more forest-themed fragrances, but it is by far the best one I have tried yet.

This fragrance is a cedar lover's dream. Beautifully balanced, but strong and unashamed of who it is. It's like nature...the cedar notes are the warm embrace of the wilds. Don't get too comfortable though, the cold darkness of the earth will swallow you whole if you don't respect it. If you didn't get that, since I tend to speak in analogies quite often...I am saying that this fragrance has a deep contrast within it that gives it nice depth and character. 

This fragrance runs $65 for 30ml or $145 for 100ml(link below). You won't find many fragrances with this sort of quality and craftsmanship for $1.45 per ml. I think it's a very good price. Actually, I think John is selling himself short and could charge $180 for 100ml. That is his choice though. It's just my opinion.

I said a lot of positive things about this fragrance, but I still implore you to sample it first. This is artisanal perfumery and it won't be for everyone. 


Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed my take on Burvuvu. This was a fun one to explore. Honestly, I am still trying to pick out all of the nuances in it and I have worn it quite a bit. Sometimes these fragrances take a long time to dissect, but I was excited and wanted to share it with the world. 

Remember to say something kind to someone today. You never know what is going on in their life. You could bring someone back from the edge. Keep smelling great and spreading love. Until next time, be safe out there.



Buy Burvuvu here

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Woods and Woods: Benoit Thibeault Accomplissement Pour Homme Review

 

Credit: Benoit Thibeault 

Hello, ladies and Gentlemen! I hope everyone is having a pleasant day today. I'm doing just fine. I am writing up a bunch of reviews today, so you might see me post a new review or topic each day in the coming week. 

I have a new fragrance from a new house to review today. This is from a self-taught Canadian perfumer named Benoit Thibeault. He started his house just this year and he did send me some samples for free. However, there was no agreement to review them. I did think this one is worthy enough to review, so here we are. 

This house is not IFRA-compliant. This means that some of the concentrations in the fragrances might not be deemed as safe due to allergens. Make sure to test these fragrances on a small patch of skin before giving them a full wearing. He is working on becoming IFRA compliant though. He just isn't at the current moment. Because of this, I will give a full note breakdown for this fragrance, in case you have allergies to anything included in it. 

Now that we got that out of the way, let's get into it!


The Notes


Top- Grapefruit and Black Pepper 

Heart- Thuja

Base- Amber, Iso E Super, Tobacco, Oud, Vetiver, Pimento, Clary Sage, Nutmeg


The Scent

Accomplissement Pour Homme opens with a cooling greenness that is quickly met with dry woody accords accented by black pepper. This is a base heavy fragrance to me. This means that the base takes over right away.

The heart and base quickly come out. The thuja is apparently a tree that brows close to where Benoit lives and it's quite similar to cedar. It smells just like a dry cedar to me. This is a natural note. It is meat with dry amber, woody oud, and tobacco. These notes are accented by an accord of various spicy notes. Woody vetiver and thuja with the pepper are the most dominant notes to me in the dry down.

This fragrance is quite linear to me, which is a good thing if you are a fan of dry woody and spicy scents. Essentially, you get an almost lumberyard feeling that is classed up with warm spices. 

I don't think this one projects very much, but it leaves a nice soft bubble around you. I do believe that this is intentional since the perfumer made this fragrance with the intent on using it as a work fragrance. It's hard to tell what the projection is with social distancing taking place, so I could be incorrect in assuming this. I am solely going off of my own nose. The overall longevity is around 8-9 hours on my skin. 


My Opinion

Accomplissement Pour Homme isn't doing anything new or daring. It's a really safe fragrance, but it was crafted to be that. I do not think this fragrance is limited to a professional environment. It can be worn casually as well. It's just a dry woody and spicy fragrance that is masculine. There aren't any bells and whistles, but it accomplishes what it was meant to do. 

This fragrance costs around $70 USD for 50ml, which I think is a fair price. It does come off as quite natural to me. I would have liked a bit more tobacco in it, but that is just my personal taste. It's a solid offering from a new perfumer, but in the future, I would like to see him stretch out his style more and create something a bit more daring. He is an indie perfumer and that comes with the expectation that you will create unique things. He has a solid start and I assume he created this to sell so that he can expand into some more unique things, but time will tell. I think he has potential. Every niche and indie brand has a more safe fragrance to sell to keep them in business.


Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed my review. I will leave some links to his store page and his Youtube channel if you'd like to check them out. Have a great day and remember to say a kind word to someone today. You never know how much it could help them. A kind word only costs a moment of your time. 


Buy Accomplissement Pour Homme here (prices are in CAD)

Benoit's YouTube(English)

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Effortless Style: Naughton & Wilson Gravitas Pour Homme Review

Source

Hello, ladies and gentlemen! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day today. It's still pretty hot here in South Carolina, but I am managing. I am anxiously awaiting fall to come upon us.

I am very excited to bring you a reviewer fragrance today, Naughton & Wilson's entry into the fragrance world, Gravitas Pour Homme. This is Dan Naughton's first foray under his own brand. Dan Naughton also goes by Mr. Smelly 1977 on YouTube. He's an English reviewer who really has a taste for many classical gentleman's fragrances. I have watched quite a few of his videos and he has has a great sense of humor.

Full disclosure statement: I do know Dan, but I have only spoken to him maybe 2-3 times. My opinion on him or his channel will not impact my opinion on this fragrance. Also, this fragrance was not sent to me by him. My friend, Mattie Fuller, sent this to me after purchasing a full bottle through his Kickstarter campaign because he knows I love fougeres.

Let's see how Gravitas holds up. Let's get into it!


The Story

It's a mildly cool day in a smaller town in England. A car pulls up. It's a 1960's Jaguar in British Racing Green. A man gets out. He's in his early 40s and dressed with a navy sportcoat, chinos, and an unbuttoned white shirt. He dons his classic aviator sunglasses, as he exudes his timeless gentlemanly style as he enters the pub. He sits down at the counter and asks for a single malt whiskey with suave and confidence. He is one of the last of a dying breed of gentlemen in the world. An underappreciated group of people, but one that the world needs to see the contrast. This is the Gravitas man.


The Scent 

Gravitas starts its journey with spicy doses of coriander and cardamom. A smooth and suave lavender follows, akin to the one found in Creed's Bois du Portugal.  Fresh citruses jump onto the scene to brighten up everyone's day.

As it starts to settle in, dark woody patchouli comes out with a slight touch of mint. This is a very clean patchouli that isn't earthy at all. Oakmoss rounds out this super smooth composition with a touch of warm ambergris.


My Opinion

Gravitas feels like its familiar in many different ways, but also very unique. The only discernable note that is similar to something else is the lavender, which smells like the kind in Bois du Portugal to me. This is obviously inspired by fougeres of the past, taking some of the best elements from them.  This doesn't smell like a copy of anything.

The whole composition is suave and smooth, like the man in the story I mentioned earlier. It's the sort of effortless charm that just works in any situation. This fragrance is the same way. It's warm, cozy, and inviting, like your favorite wool sweater on a chilly day. It doesn't let you down, rain or shine.

Is it worth it? Yes. I do believe this is full bottle worth for me. However, this is for guys who appreciate a classicly formed fragrance with modern ingredients. This is a fragrance for men over 30 to me. However, I would see if anyone is decanting it first. This fragrance isn't that expensive, but I still think it's pricey enough to warrant sampling before bling buying it.

That leads me to my one criticism...There aren't any samples offered by the company. At least, I can't find any. I am not sure why reviewers launch brands without samples. If it wasn't for Mattie, I could have never tried this because I can't afford a full bottle and I certainly wouldn't blind buy a fragrance this expensive. I am sure he will offer samples at some point. At least, I hope he does. If any other reviewers are planning on launching their own lines, please make samples for us folks who can't afford to blind buy everything.

Is this the greatest fragrance ever? Nope, but it is a solid offering and it's priced very well for the quality that you get. It's much fairer than Office for Men, that is for sure.


Conclusion

I hope everyone enjoyed this review. Have an awesome day! Keep smelling great and being great. Remember to always walk in truth and to say a few kinds words to people. It doesn't cost you anything and it could mean the world to then. Stay blessed and stay safe.


Buy Gravitas here

Mr. Smelly 1977's YouTube

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