Chalk one up for the marketing department at Electimuss. They put together a reasonably priced Discovery Set ($75 on fragrancenet), which includes 20x 1.7ml decants of their most popular frags for the sole purpose of getting guys like me to buy and then get the full bottles. Mission accomplished. I picked Vixere first because I watched a bunch of YouTube influencers, but I decided to hold back on a full bottle until I did a little research on the House. Vixere (translated from Latin to "they have lived") is complex with bright and powdery notes. If you're not into powdery and floral scents, you can stop reading now. It opens with a really wonderful bright blend of citruses; mandarin orange, grapefruit and bergamot. I think that I can identify the ylang-ylang, which adds an exotic, almost tropical note at the start. The florals at the mid are QUITE obvious and just great. This is where the scent becomes rich and powdery. I'm a big fan of iris which, along with the violet, gives the frag sophistication (we're talking white tablecloths, $20+ martinis and valet parking.) The other florals; jasmine and gardenia, add to complete the floral vibe. I think many would call this "creamy". The dry-down with the florals is warm and sexy as hell. You get vanilla and tonka (who would have guessed), along with the amber, which makes the frag slightly gourmandy (which I usually don't like). There is some sandalwood that tempers the gourmand notes with some nice woodiness. The result is a wonderful blend of powdery notes with a slightly musky finish. This frag is unisex and leans slightly feminine, but I don't give a rat's @$$. I'm getting a full bottle in 2026. I also understand that this frag is VERY close to Boudicea's Valiant and it should be noted that Electimuss and Boadicea have shared perfumers and there often is a strong similarity in scent profiles among various frags between the two Houses. This is a 8.9 / 10.0.

The latest from my Decant subscription, been wanting to try Montale for a while now, but the Oud/Rose combo is not one that I enjoy, so I have been putting it off. Straight off the bat this is a powerhouse, super strong, tread lightly with this. Instantly reminds me of those early days in the Dubai Perfume shop exploring all those Arabian fragrances that were so new to me. Perhaps the reason I don't like this combo is I may have been over exposed to it too many times. That aside this is a classic middle eastern pairing from a popular French niche house. And it was released 20 years ago! It opens up with a strong initial blast of Oud, it's obviously synthetic with a medicinal vibe to the concentration which is powerful. This is quickly joined by a dark, dry roseand a hint of an orange rind. As it settles into the heart, that medicinal edge dissipates, the fragrance settles into a blend of deep red rose and Oud. The rose is not light or dewy but rather dense, velvety, and almost jammy. The dry-down introduces Patchouli for an earthy, sweet or dark-chocolate feel, along with a warm Musk and Sandalwood or Labdanum, anchoring the scent and adding an animalic warmth. It is a scent that changes significantly over time, transitioning from a raw, sharp opening to a smoother, darker, and more luxurious rose-oud finish. This is exceptionally long-lasting, 10 hours on the skin and days on clothing. The projection is nuclear, a few sprays are enough to fill a room and leave a strong scent trail. Not an office safe wear, but definitely suitable for the winter and evening wear. This is not for the faint hearted so please don't blind buy. Not sure if I'd want a full bottle as although I like it, the rose Oud combo ain't my thing. It did however impress me enough to want to explore Montale further in the new year. If you have a favourite from this house, let me know. My Rating: 7.5/10 Scent: 2 Longevity: 2.5 Sillage: 2.5 Y/N: .5