SOTD: Secret of Success by State of Mind 23/12/2025

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Dipping my toes into the niche world lately with some Decants from my Monthly Subscription service. Straight off the bat, I did not like this, it's just not my vibe. Which was a shame as the previous one, was an absolute banger. https://www.skool.com/bos/sotd-spontaneous-generosity-by-state-of-mind-20112025?p=40c93464

I feel it's either the Rosemary or the combination of Grapefruit and Rosemary that's putting me right off this one. I will give it a second chance at some stage, you know me by now I hate to put a fragrance down, but for me this one sucks. It's sold as an Aromatic Fruity / Spicy Oriental. Again, as with the all the State of Mind ranhe, their gimmick combines the experience of tea tasting with perfumery. On paper it looked interesting and I was looking forward to it, his one however did not vibe with me.

The opening is sharp and bitter. The Grapefruit gives a zesty, almost sour citrus kick, which is grounded by the tannic, dry bitterness of Sencha Tea. The Cinnamon is good and adds a warm element right away, like a hot lemon tea kinda vibe. As the citrus settles, the scent becomes more herbal and not in a good way. The Rosemary is quite prominent, too much so IMO, maybe if this was lightened significantly it might work better? The Ylang-Ylang is subtle here and adds a creamy texture that bridges the gap between the sharp herbs and the darker base. At the base, the Oud here is somewhat clean, and provides a woody backbone. The Vanilla is dry, not sugary, smoothing out the spices. The Cardamom lingers, to keep that spicy warmth.

For me this is a could have been good, there was potential there, but it got ruined along the way.The nose behind the scent is Karine Dubreuil-Sereni. Performance wise it's a belter, expect a solid 7hrs with projection moderate for the first two hours. This stuff sticks to the skin. Unfortunately this is one I'll pass on.

My Rating: 3.5/10

Scent: 1

Longevity: 2

Sillage: 1.5

Y/N: 0

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