Year: 2016
Notes: mint, ash, carnation, iris, cistus, leather, moss, goat fur
New Sibet marks a rather surprising departure for Slumberhouse. Instead of the now predictable Serge Lutens homages, Josh Lobb has attempted to forge a new stylistic path.
The best thing about Josh's latest effort is the opening – a chalky, ashy and parched leather aroma, resting on a bed of moss and animalic musk. With a chypré aura, New Sibet calls to mind the old-fashioned floral-chypré premise of Bogue Profumo's MAAI (but crisper, with a more restrained floral heart), combined with the charred campfire woods of Tauer Perfumes' Lonestar Memories. Exhibiting hay or dried grass facets, the iris and cistus combined add a soft powdery sweetness to the proceedings. As for the animalic musk, its integration is both enchanting and convincing.
Based on the above, this dark fusion of leather, ashy woods, desiccated florals, moss and feral musk should have been a winner... and it was... until about an hour into its evolution. Up until this point, the only noticeable issue was that the composition seemed too light, especially for a parfum extrait. But, when New Sibet finally revealed its true weakness, any reservations about tenacity rapidly became a moot point.
By the mid notes, everything falls apart and it smells like an insipid glob of unidentifiable notes, which literally amount to nothing of any real significance. By the third hour, whatever's left on the skin is hardly noticeable at all. Such a structural disintegration is shocking, and one hopes that Josh hasn't adopted the same top heavy tactic currently prevalent in the fragrance industry (in other words, extremely inviting top notes but a bland and insubstantial base).
Barely being perceptible after four hours, had it continued the way it started out, one would have probably been singing its praises. But, alas, this isn't the case. Thus, one awards four stars for the first hour and two stars for what transpires afterwards. But at least Josh is trying a different approach.
The best thing about Josh's latest effort is the opening – a chalky, ashy and parched leather aroma, resting on a bed of moss and animalic musk. With a chypré aura, New Sibet calls to mind the old-fashioned floral-chypré premise of Bogue Profumo's MAAI (but crisper, with a more restrained floral heart), combined with the charred campfire woods of Tauer Perfumes' Lonestar Memories. Exhibiting hay or dried grass facets, the iris and cistus combined add a soft powdery sweetness to the proceedings. As for the animalic musk, its integration is both enchanting and convincing.
Based on the above, this dark fusion of leather, ashy woods, desiccated florals, moss and feral musk should have been a winner... and it was... until about an hour into its evolution. Up until this point, the only noticeable issue was that the composition seemed too light, especially for a parfum extrait. But, when New Sibet finally revealed its true weakness, any reservations about tenacity rapidly became a moot point.
By the mid notes, everything falls apart and it smells like an insipid glob of unidentifiable notes, which literally amount to nothing of any real significance. By the third hour, whatever's left on the skin is hardly noticeable at all. Such a structural disintegration is shocking, and one hopes that Josh hasn't adopted the same top heavy tactic currently prevalent in the fragrance industry (in other words, extremely inviting top notes but a bland and insubstantial base).
Barely being perceptible after four hours, had it continued the way it started out, one would have probably been singing its praises. But, alas, this isn't the case. Thus, one awards four stars for the first hour and two stars for what transpires afterwards. But at least Josh is trying a different approach.
Disclaimer: Since some Slumberhouse releases are always being 'improved', and with various formulations of the same fragrance in existence, this review is based on the sample(s) received. Due to the lack of information about these reformulations, one is unable to confirm the actual formulation(s) that has/have been reviewed. As a result, your experience of this fragrance may greatly differ. Understandably, it's all very confusing.
