Selfie by Olfactive Studio

*****

Year: 2015

Notes: elemi, star anise, ginger, cinnamon, frankincense, angelica, lily, maple syrup, suede, styrax, labdanum, patchouli, tonka bean, cabreuva, oakmoss, sandalwood

So, a fragrance is named after a modern social phenomena that worships narcissism. Hmmm...

With the inclusion of cabreuva, best described as a warm and sweet woody-floral chord, Selfie is an incoherent chemical mess. With lashings of frankincense, spices and maple syrup, it tries to pass itself off as an olfactory reconstruction of immortelle. It also doesn't help that the quality of the ingredients are cheap and nasty. How this house can even be considered niche is beyond one's comprehension (and not for lack of trying).

Coming across as superficial, crude and hollow, it's an abomination that's best avoided... much like most forms of online social media.

Ombre Indigo by Olfactive Studio

*****

Year: 2014

Notes: petitgrain, plum, saffron, tuberose, frankincense, papyrus, leather, amber, benzoin, vetiver, musk

When will some niche houses realise that colouring their liquids is a cheap and tacky gimmick? In the case of Olfactive Studio, this French niche house probably needs as much help as it can possibly get.

As with all its creations, there's a contrived, artificial and clinical aura about Ombre Indigo. There's no deftness or evidence of any masterful blending. Taking all this into account leaves one viewing this house as nothing but a shady business operation, where pretentious conceptual marketing and attractive packaging prevails – all for the sake of profiting from selling cheap-smelling mainstream swill at heavily inflated prices. After all, in this day and age, masquerading as a niche house has never been so lucrative...

Mainly compromised of synthetic grape (as opposed to plum), resins and woods, the composition is somewhat leathery with a spicy tuberose heart. However, apart from not smelling convincing enough, it's also structurally weak – resulting in a thin vetiver and musk drydown, alongside sweet traces of whatever aroma chemicals were lying around at the time of its ill-fated conception.

With minimal projection and poor longevity, this effort is lacking on so many levels. But, hey, at least the colour of the juice is alluring, right?

Leucò by Maria Candida Gentile

*****

Year: 2014

Notes: pepper, lily, tuberose, honey, Siam benzoin, cistus

Comment: Leucò is part of the Flight of the Bumblebee Collection

Based on the orchestral interlude Flight of the Bumblebee, by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Maria Candida Gentile launched a trio of fragrances with honey being the common thread or note. Of the three, Leucò is undoubtedly the least impressive and is probably Maria's worst release to date.

Described as "the epiphany of a white flower that opens only at night", it's essentially a faint and peppery white floral skin scent, sweetened with a touch of honey and some resins. With a delicate woody-musk backdrop, its watery and clean demeanour is similar to a tea-based Bulgari offering.

Providing minimal sillage and average staying power, one is shocked that this is the same Italian perfumer who was responsible for both Exultat and Sideris. Maybe Maria has become a victim of her own success, but she's usually capable of producing something far more substantial and captivating than this.

Amber Flash by Tauerville

*****

Year: 2015

Notes: labdanum, patchouli, benzoin, vanilla, sandalwood, cashmeran, ambreine

So far, Andy's Tauerville offerings have mostly been disappointing and, sadly, Amber Flash is no different.

Supposedly a slightly animalic amber effort, Amber Flash fails dismally when compared to most sub-par amber fragrances, such as Ambre Loup by Rania J. Instead, what one mostly detects is a stale cherry cola beverage, with a dreary saccharin sweetness and a wafer biscuit aroma from the patchouli.

With an eventual chemical woody-musk assault, it really should have been part of Andy's ill-fated Pentachords Collection. And as much as one wanted to award it higher, it has to be remembered that this is the same man who composed the superlative L'Air du Désert Marocain... and should have known better.

Lasting at least six hours, with a synthetic ambergris late-drydown, it's a ghastly abomination.

Cierge Lune by Aedes de Venustas

*****

Year: 2016

Notes: crystalline accord, pink pepper, black pepper, ylang-ylang, Madagascan vanilla, frankincense, suede, amber, musk

"Inspired by the scent of the mysterious night blooming cereus, also known as the Queen of the Night..."

Supposedly a rendition of "the dark side of vanilla", Cierge de Lune was developed by Fabrice Pellegrin, who's also responsible for many of Diptyque's more recent offerings.

Overall, it's a highly synthetic vanilla scent, with a prominent waxiness, that's along the lines of a lesser version of Givenchy's Organza Indecence or even the ghastly Pi Eau de Parfum. With a floral core, its general aroma is very similar to low-quality benzoin, infused with hedione and some other harsh aroma chemicals.

Providing moderate sillage and reasonable longevity, it smells woefully artificial, cheap and nasty. Undoubtedly, it's the worst Aedes de Venustas release to date and is a complete scrubber.

So Amber by Montale

*****

Year: 2016

Notes: raspberry, Iranian saffron, Moroccan rose, vanilla, sandalwood, ambergris, white musk

So Amber is a raspy and somewhat synthetic fruity rose concoction, mostly recalling past Montale rose-based offerings, such as Rose Night and Roses Musk.

With a hint of vanilla and saffron, as well as a soft woody-musk base, its name is just as misleading as Amber & Spices. In other words, don't go expecting a bona fide amber oriental fragrance (or even one remotely like it). And while ambergris is listed, that's still no justification for using the word 'amber' (especially when the alleged ambergris smells more like ambroxan).

Cheap-smelling in its general demeanour, both sillage and lasting power are extremely underwhelming.

Arabico by Farmacia SS. Annunziata

*****

Year: 2013

Notes: bergamot, lemon, pepper, frankincense, lavandin, lavender, Egyptian geranium, patchouli, cedar, vetiver, musk

Out of all the Italian niche houses, Farmacia SS. Annunziata is one of the most confounding. One would like to think that its fragrances are at least respectable but most of them simply aren't. With Arabico, one's opinion of this house isn't going to change anytime soon.

Basically, it's a peppery cedar offering that's soapy, inoffensive and feeble. With extremely faint traces of citrus, lavender and vetiver, the composition's so thin that it's hardly detectable on the skin. Apart from a woody-green late-drydown, which is redolent of Lalique's Encre Noire, there aren't any other redeeming qualities.

Claiming to be a highly concentrated offering, it's nothing more than a pathetic joke.

Florentina by Sylvaine Delacourte

*****

Year: 2016

Notes: bergamot, lavender, orange blossom, violet, carnation, Tuscan iris, heliotrope, bitter almond, benzoin, Haitian vetiver, white musk

"To create Florentina, I was guided by the colour blue, a symbol of softness and tenderness."

     ~ Sylvaine Delacourte

Intended to replicate the aroma of Sylvaine's childhood talcum powder, Florentina commences with an abrasive and waxy opening.

One can just about make out some lavender, violet and iris, but the other notes are largely overpowered by the bitter almond. With the heliotrope providing a vanillic powderiness, the blue-tinged chemical onslaught is simply too much for one to tolerate (although the later emergence of some vetiver and benzoin does help to temper the burnt plastic aroma).

Possessing good longevity, this one is only recommended for those who can appreciate bitter almond married with overtly synthetic white musks.

Lilylang by Sylvaine Delacourte

*****

Year: 2016

Notes: bergamot, lime, mandarin, Madagascan pink pepper, ylang-ylang, jasmine, tuberose, white musk

Reportedly an olfactory reminder of Sylvaine's holidays on Réunion Island, Lilylang is just another generic white floral musk scent with a piercing metallic aura.

The citruses barely register, there's no discernible spiciness and the white florals are too one-dimensional to be noteworthy. As the composition further develops, the metallic sheen gradually fades but it's not enough to save what is already a fledgling composition.

Smelling closer to the colour pink, as opposed to yellow, sillage is minimal and its staying power (of under two hours) is abysmal for an Eau de Parfum. If tenacity was better, it might have been awarded an extra star.

Smeraldo by Sylvaine Delacourte

*****

Year: 2016

Notes: yuzu, lime, pear, angelica root, cedar leaf, hawthorn, Bulgarian rose, mastic, Haitian vetiver, white musk

The original intention for Smeraldo was to be "both detoxifying and purifying, like the fresh air in the morning..." The problem is, it smells more like a cheap fruity-green candle, made with paraffin and synthetic fragrance oils. Oh, the irony...

The combination of pear and angelica root is rather hideous, and Sylvaine's far-fetched claim of verdant purity is laughable at best. Furthermore, something so brazenly artificial being compared to fresh morning air leaves one completely perplexed.

The sad thing is, no amount of marketing bullshit can disguise the fact that it's a clinical abomination, which is best avoided at all costs.

Musc Tonkin by Parfum d'Empire

*****

Year: 2014

Notes: fruits, flowers, resins, woods, hyraceum, musk

Comment: Eau de Parfum review

Prized for its aphrodisiac qualities, and considered a very precious ingredient in perfumery, Tonqin musk comes from the Tibetan musk deer but is no longer used for ethical reasons. As a result, Musc Tonkin is supposedly an olfactory reconstruction of this now extremely rare musk, using numerous accords to capture its "myriad of facets".

Unfortunately, as much as one loves animalic musks, it comes nowhere close to possessing the raunchiness, warmth, complexity and depth of the real thing. Instead, one is met with an astringent hodgepodge of gasoline-induced synthetic notes, which are more mind-bogglingly derivative than offensive.

With leathery undertones and salty-floral nuances, it's in no way a multi-faceted musk, smelling cheap, clinical and soulless. There's certainly nothing faecal or even sensual about it at all, and anyone who claims otherwise has probably never had the opportunity to sample either civet or castoreum absolute, a rich ambergris tincture, or even a high-quality Hindi agarwood oil.

With moderate sillage and good lasting power, Musc Tonkin is nothing but an overpriced impostor (and a pretty atrocious one at that).

Poivre Bengale by Brecourt

*****

Year: 2013

Notes: Bengali pepper, ginger, nutmeg, clove, leather, sandalwood, cashmere wood, ambergris

Comment: Poivre Bengale is part of Les Éphémères Collection

Largely comprising of spices, woods and leather, Poivre Bengale is terribly lacklustre.

It's just another musky, linear and derivative peppery woods concoction, without any substantial presence. The pepper starts out as the star accord, with most of the other notes being less discernible, before a leatheriness takes over. However, just like Rosa Gallica, an overdose of cashmere wood only cheapen things further.

Putting insipid juice into an extravagant bottle, as part of some ‘exotic' collection with an excessive price tag to match, may fool some people but not everyone.

Djin by Michael Storer

*****

Year: 2005

Notes: grapefruit, lemon, ozonic notes, pink pepper, cardamom, oolong tea, lemon verbena, galbanum, ivy, geranium leaf, lily of the valley, rose, aldron, leather, teak, sandalwood, castoreum, civet, pheromone mixture, musks

Comment: Eau de Parfum review

According to Islamic mythology, a djin / djinn is a spirit that's capable of assuming human or animal form, often exercising a supernatural influence over people. With Djin, the name seems fitting, based on the composition's alleged "hypnotic" qualities (courtesy of the inclusion of animal musks and various pheromones). Unfortunately, one isn't beguiled by it in the slightest.

Upon the opening, it's very much akin to a kitchen sink filled with hot water, lemon washing-up liquid and plenty of soap suds. In other words, the top notes smell soapy, metallic and overtly synthetic, as those lemon-infused ozonic chords later intermingle with tea, spices and woods.

The emerging florals are timid, yet fresh, but the castoreum and civet are less evident. As for any "pheromonal effects", naturally, the jury's still out. However, one is able to discern the aldron (an aroma chemical that yields animalic amber properties). All in all, the whole affair is cheap, tacky and devoid of any redeeming virtues.

Released a decade after the aquatic craze, Djin smells too run-of-the-mill and clichéd. Sillage is moderate with good longevity of at least six hours.

Il Giardino by Michael Storer

*****

Year: 2005

Notes: bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, bitter orange, blackcurrant, cognac, juniper berry, philodendron, violet leaf, neroli, orange blossom, jasmine, tonka bean, Mexican vanilla, sandalwood, ambergris, musk

Comment: Eau de Parfum review

Based in the US, Michael Storer is a self-taught perfumer, who has had a diverse professional career – ranging from fashion modelling to acting, fine and conceptual art, and composing music. Along with Monk and Djin, Il Giardino was among the first three releases originally sold as Eaux de Toilette. Sadly, one is unable to overlook its amateurish-smelling aroma.

Commencing with a bitter onslaught of fruits and green accords, the florals gradually join the fray. However, the resulting berry-like sweetness is too overbearing. With a long-lasting base of musk, sandalwood and vanilla, it's simply too much of everything – too sweet, too synthetic, too discordant, too... contrived.

Being one of Michael Storer's earlier creations, one can see why it was the first to be axed. Staying power and sillage are both quite good.

Veni by Histoires de Parfums

*****

Year: 2012

Notes: cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, galbanum, lavender, carnation, patchouli, toffee, vanilla, guaiac wood, oakmoss, ambergris, musk

Comment: Veni is part of the Édition Rare: Yellow Gold Trilogy

"After having been crowned for a triumphant military conquest, Julius Caesar stood before the Roman senate and declared his victorious phrase "Veni, Vidi, Vici"."

Kicking off the second Édition Rare trilogy, Veni dismally fails to impress.

Opening with some mild cardamom and cinnamon, the composition exudes spicy nuances, while soft caramel flourishes later provide the transition to a woody-musk drydown. Overall, it's both pleasant and inoffensive, but it's also subdued, insipid and generally uninspired. It also doesn't help that the base is too ambroxan heavy for one's personal tastes.

Providing minimal sillage, its staying power is woefully insubstantial.

Pétroleum by Histoires de Parfums

*****

Year: 2011

Notes: bergamot, aldehydes, rose, patchouli, amber, leather, oud, civet, white musk

Comment: Pétroleum is part of the Édition Rare: White Gold Trilogy

With the first Édition Rare trilogy, perfumer Gérald Ghislain focuses on three "materials long used in traditional perfumery" – rose, amber and petrol.

Pétroleum attempts to emulate the olfactory premise of Christian Dior's Fahrenheit but, sadly, ends up smelling like an État Libre d'Orange reject. Sharing the same petroleum theme in Ambrarem, all one mostly detects are aldehydes, a dash of rose, some leather and lots of white musk. The end result is acerbic, clinical and woefully synthetic – like the aroma of melting plastic mixed with dry cleaning chemicals. As for the civet and oud, their presence are virtually negligible.

With a grey, ozonic and Gendarme-esque drydown, its longevity is below average with moderate sillage. Billed as a mineral oud, Santa Maria Novella's Nostalgia is far better for what the name implies.

Outrageous! by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle

*****

Year: 2007

Notes: grapefruit, lime, green apple, mint, cinnamon, neroli, orange blossom, white rose, amber, Texan cedar, clean laundry accord, musks

Composed by Sophia Grojsman, and sold exclusively at Barneys and Barneys Co-op stores, Outrageous! is a shameless mass market fragrance. In contrast to Frédéric Malle's prestigious niche reputation, many were left confounded when it was initially released. But, with slightly different packaging and a lower price, one suspects that the whole affair was some twisted tongue-in-cheek experiment.

Opening with a harsh and metallic resemblance to a caipirinha accord (courtesy of some grapefruit, lime, mint and cinnamon), the green apple exacerbates the composition's already screechy and artificial manner. With a light white floral core, the base is just as contemptible as the top notes – comprised of white musks, synthetic woods and a clean laundry accord (or a cocktail of aldehydes and amyl salicylate). As a result, it smells more like designer sport dreck than anything resembling high-quality niche.

In summary, it's an ozonic woody-musk concoction, with fruity undertones, which smells musty, uninspired and excruciatingly cheap. Providing below average sillage and tenacity, Outrageous! is a real oddball, and serves as both a curio and major misstep for this French niche house.

Black III by AJ Arabia / Widian

*****

Year: 2015

Notes: bergamot, spearmint, dry woods, leather, patchouli, vanilla, moss, sandalwood

Comment: Black III is part of the Black Collection

Established by Ali Aljaberi, and using the expertise of perfumer Jean-Claude Astier (responsible for many of M. Micallef's fragrances), AJ Arabia is a relatively new niche house from the United Arab Emirates. Available as a parfum extrait, one is left completely dumbfounded by Black III.

Beginning with some vibrant citrus and mint, this succulent opening is extremely deceptive and only acts as a temporary smokescreen to a very bland woody-leather affair. With the emergence of some sweetness later on, there's nothing special about it to warrant the high price that it commands – especially when there are so many other generic (and cheaper) niche alternatives available.

Although not listed, the composition clearly rests on a white musk base, and its performance on the skin is no different from its siblings. Another case of the emperor's new clothes? Yes, most definitely.

Black I by AJ Arabia / Widian

*****

Year: 2014

Notes: cardamom, cinnamon, cypress, frankincense, cedar, sandalwood, musk

Comment: Black I is part of the Black Collection

Established by Ali Aljaberi, and using the expertise of perfumer Jean-Claude Astier (responsible for many of M. Micallef's fragrances), AJ Arabia is a relatively new niche house from the United Arab Emirates. Available as a parfum extrait, one isn't particularly impressed with Black I.

Smelling noticeably sweet, the listed notes aren't much of an indication of its general aroma. Yes, there's some cedar, sandalwood and artificial musk present, but the other accords are too obscure. Some frankincense and cypress occasionally come to the fore but that's about it. With discreet projection and good longevity, one fails to notice any quality, uniqueness or mastery in the composition. Instead, what one detects verges dangerously close to a woody detergent freshness.

Ultimately, Black I is simply a Montale wannabe – housed in a lavish-looking bottle, and with a pseudo parfum extrait status, to justify its expensive price tag.

Monsieur. by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle

*****

Year: 2016

Notes: mandarin, rum, patchouli, frankincense, cedar, suede, amber, vanilla, musk

Meant as the masculine counterpart to Portrait of a Lady, Monsieur. boasts an unusual dosage of over 50% of molecular distilled patchouli. As a result, Monsieur. is to patchouli what Carnal Flower is to tuberose (and what Geranium pour Monsieur is to geranium, Vétiver Extraordinaire is to vetiver, The Night is to oud, blah blah blah blah blah).

But, with this French niche house now owned by Estée Lauder, is there really anything to be concerned about, regarding the quality and creativity of future releases? After sampling Monsieur., one is forced to admit that the answer is yes.

Opening with a boozy cascade of mandarin and rum, the patchouli makes its presence known almost straight away. But, within less than 30 seconds, its initial boisterous introduction quickly turns into a soapy skin scent. The patchouli is still evident but only just, as some frankincense, cedar and amber meekly join the fray.

With leathery nuances, the composite effect is very similar to a budget-priced oud offering, which heavily relies on cedar and leathery-musk accords to (unconvincingly) mimic the aroma of agarwood oil. With gentle swirls of frankincense and vanilla, the rest of its evolution is both banal and underwhelming. And although it's supposed to be about patchouli, it's mostly a derivative and cheap-smelling cedar-frankincense affair.

Created by Bruno Jovanovic, who was also responsible for Dries van Noten, Monsieur. is a real disappointment and totally at odds with this house's usual high standards. Based on this alone, one can only say that Frédéric Malle's future releases under Estée Lauder could be potentially disastrous. But, then again, the unsatisfactory Cologne Indélébile should have been viewed as a possible forewarning.

Woefully thin and insubstantial, its development is unusually rapid, with low sillage and poor longevity.