MEM

The opening wave encloses me with its floral onslaught - think lots of ylang-ylang with an undertone of a slightly waxy tuberose.   There is, however, a brief breakthrough of citrus - ripe oranges and mandarin - but soon  a nice mint aroma starts permeating the floral fest, the latter being enforced by a strong and only minimally powdery jasmine. Other florals that unfold with time are a Damascene rose and some champace.  Interestingly, the mint is not just transient freshening up the florals, but it linger for quite a while as a significant contributor as a whole.

The next phase adds a benzoin from Thailand, which is smooth but also quite distinct, and develops a camphoric undertone that is as unexpected as it is fitting in well with the rest.  A boozy note - a bit like a Kentucky Bourbon -  with herbal hints - thyme and laurel - are in the background, with the boozy note the stronger one of the two on me.  
 
The rest is a mix of woods and some restrained animalic components, although the benzoin lingers on quite prominently for a long time.   I get a nice rose wood with lots of cedar, and touches of sandalwood way back in the background; the sandal is the weakest of the woodsy triad on me.  The animalic offering consists of a gently crisp civet, which is associated with a bit of castoreum as well as  a salty aroma of an ambergris.   Towards the end, an ambery dark-ish musky component is evident, but a stronger labdanum in particular develops into an late addition that gives the final stages another twist altogether.  

I get moderate sillage, excellent projection, and eight hours of longevity on my skin.  

This spring scent is an olfactory tour de force, with its citrus, floral, woodsy and more animalic phases, which are not clearly demarcated and show lots of overlaps.  Such a vast array of components would usually lead to many of them not being able to develop fully, but here nearly each of them has its moment of prominence in the olfactory limelight, its "minutes of fame", some longer and some shorter, which, although not always sustained, is quite a remarkable feat;  some ingredients are more vivid than others though.  The quality of the  ingredients is excellent, and the blending outstanding.  Excellent, a great fragrance.   Released 2017.   4.25/5