Yes I'm a sucker for leather, This is one that I actually left behind a few days ago, regretted my desicion and went back to get. It's rather intriguing, said to be a dupe for everyone's favourite, Ombre Leather. But whilst there are some similarities, Rare Carbon is different. I even get some African Leather vibes in the mix here. Overall it's an impressive release from 2020 by the UAE based house Afnan. It's built around a strong leather accord, sweetened with florals and spices, and grounded by a woody base. The opening is a powerful blast of leather, it's a little smoky, rugged, new-car-like. This is immediately smoothed by the green, slightly aqueous presence of Violet Leaf and warmed up with a touch of aromatic Cinnamon and Nutmeg spice. As the initial intensity mellows, the scent reveals a softer, more complex heart. The Violet and Rose add a powdery, floral elegance that prevents the leather from becoming too harsh or linear. Cedar Wood provides a clean, dry backbone. There is supposed to be an oud note here as well, but if it's there the cedar seems to be masking it? The dry-down is warm, earthy, and long-lasting. Vetiver introduces an earthy, smoky quality; Sandalwood adds a creamy woodiness; and Amber adds a rich, resinous warmth, securing the leather accord.Oddly this is one of the few leather fragrances that does not contain any Jasmine Sambac. I really like the construction here. For a budget friendly ME fragrance, it offers solid performance, especially for its price point: I'm getting a strong 6+ hrs. The opening is quite strong, pushing out noticeably for the first hour. It then settles into a moderate scent cloud that will still be easily detectable to those around you in your personal space for a few more hours. It continues my favouritism for cold weather scents. But it's versatile to cover day and nighttime wear. This is a good one to have on your shelf My Rating: 8/10 Scent: 2.5 Longevity: 2.5 Sillage: 2 Y/N: 1

Today’s gonna be a sample day for me and to start off the new year I’m going with this surprisingly good under the radar Oud gem. I know “jazz club” and “by the fireplace” usually get the spotlight in the colder weather but one thing I can say about this house is they’re putting out some solid juice 👌🏼. This has a simple note breakdown and you pretty much get what you see. Leather, oud, pepper and spice. Extremely mild skank in the mix and pleasantly tolerable. Especially for more sensitive nostrils on the non animalic side of things. One thing I notice though is that this isn’t too distinct in terms of uniqueness. It’s comes across as just another oud frag imho🤷🏻‍♂️. If you’re in the market for a pretty solid generic Oud scent, maybe the first to be in your collection, this is definitely a contender for a relatively fair price. Smell great on this new year day frag family. Have the best blessed day out there.