Landshark321

Scents of Wood Sandalwood in Oak is an appropriately more woods-focused blend that nonetheless has a boozy aspect from the aging process in barrels that inspires the scent and many others in the house’s now-rather-extensive catalogue. Sandalwood mixes with guaiacwood, sage, burnt sugar, pepper, and vanilla. It’s a bit resinous, slightly sweet/smoky/spicy, all while having the blend of woods as its main centering characteristic. There’s a vaguely syrupy, peppery gourmand quality to it even though it’s far more a woody/smoky/resinous blend. As with the rest of the house’s creations here, the quality is very high and the performance above average, even at this price point and for a generally cool-weather-leaning scent.

Like the rest of the line, the current full bottle 75ml pricing is $240. The 10ml size that I bought is now priced at $55, formerly $38, so a sizable increase, albeit now with a nice box, but I still quite prefer the option of buying the smaller size as a form of both an extended test as well as travel size, particularly if the only other option is a bottle that’s $200+.

8 out of 10

Cult of Kaori Melon Masu is one of the brand’s first two releases (in late 2023) from Chris Undi along with Onsen Minerale. It smells like a fresh mixed-melon-with-sake blend seasoned with hinoki wood, similar to Onsen in that it creates a rich environment and experience but instead focusing a bit more on a beverage than a bath, albeit quite pleasantly. Melon-scent/flavored products seem to be in abundance in Japan, far more than in the US, as best I can tell, and the floral, cocktail-like experience in Melon Masu is accessible and reminds of some of those candies and other products I’ve tried over the years. It’s restrained, also, in the sense that it’s not over the top floral, fruity, boozy, or sharp, rather a blended, smooth, easygoing experience that I expect even those who aren’t usually fans of melon scents (myself included) might appreciate.

As with Onsen Minerale, Melon Masu is extrait concentration, priced at $220 for 50ml, sold via the house site and Perfumology, and performs well.

8 out of 10

Sampling 4160 Tuesdays – Fruits of the Tree of Knowledge, a 2014 release that fittingly involves a blend of fruits (cherry, raspberry, lemon, orange) that are contrasted by a mix of rose, violet, and sandalwood, blending the sweet, juicy fruits with a bit of floral sharpness, overall being slightly sweet and green but mostly fruity and a bit floral.

It leans a little more sharply floral and feminine that what my personal preferences are, but the quality is nice and I think that many people would enjoy it. In the US, it seems to only be sold at Olfactif, from whom I acquired my sample, at very reasonable brand pricing of $110 of 50ml, and it’s also sold via the house site. Definitely worth checking out if it sounds up your alley.

6 out of 10

4160 Tuesdays A Walk in the Forest is a green/woody blend with prominent notes of Virginia cedar, linden blossom, treemoss absolute, and musk. It’s fittingly fresh, green, somewhat mossy, and plenty woody. It feels authentic, balanced, and pleasant, true to its name but also being relatively clean and easygoing.

Its opening is reminiscent of some the grey-cap era Creed freshies that I enjoy, like Cypres Musc or Baie de Genievre or Selection Verte, albeit not as sharp as any of those, a bit smoother overall. The dry down is a bit darker, giving way to the woods, while still being a balanced, fairly fresh experience throughout.

It is plainly a winner that anyone can enjoy at any time, an evocative outdoorsy blend that hits its mark quite effectively with good performance, also. It’s sold by the boutiques Olfactif (US) and Indiescents (Canada) as well as the UK-based house site.

8 out of 10

Grape Cigarillo is a recent Dua original blend released as part of the Dua Designer Line, an aptly-named blend of the two main notes of grape and tobacco, with neither overpowering the other, a good pairing of a robust, ripe, slightly tart, slightly sweet red/purple-type grape note with a tobacco concept that seems to walk the line between green/fresh and smoky/ashy. There’s a vague sharpness to it that keeps it a bit more serious and less-gourmand leaning, also, despite the prominence of the grape. Overall, it’s both sophisticated and fun, performs well, and, as part of the DDL, it’s priced at $33 for 30ml, sometimes with additional discounts. I imagine many will like this.

7 out of 10