Montale – Intense Cafe – Where’s the cafe? 6/10
Judging by the amount of posts I see of this one on social media, I’d guess it is one of the most popular Montale scents. There are six notes listed for it. I pick up 4; rose, vanilla, musk, and coffee. It’s perfectly pleasant, harmless stuff, but it always leaves me wanting more; more coffee. It never really lives up to its name. The coffee disappears on my skin within minutes, leaving behind a trail of musk, vanilla, and rose that lasts about 8 hours—no gourmand magic on my skin. I might need to try Ristretto Intense Cafe for my caffeine fix.
Montale – Day Dreams – More like nightmares 2/10
The Tiare flower or Tahitian Gardenia is an evergreen shrub native to the South Pacific; Melanesia and Western Polynesia to be specific. It is the most prominent note to my nose in Day Dreams, which seems to be Montale’s attempt to create the experience of a tropical island getaway in a perfume bottle. It doesn’t go well. The combined effects of the tiare, coconut, vanilla, jasmine, sandalwood, and orange blossom evoking cheap drugstore shampoo. Wrong on many levels, and hardly befitting of a fine fragrance.
Montale – Starry Nights – Finally, something to day dream about 7/10
Starry nights is a musky rose and patchouli scent that suits year-round wear. Perhaps a little more suited to the colder weather, but the inclusion of the apple and bergamot gives it some freshness, allowing for warmer weather application. The apple note lingers throughout the life of the scent on my skin. I pick up a floral jasmine note, and although it’s not listed, I feel there is some oud in here. The notes are well balanced and come together as a coherent whole unlike other Montale’s, which I’ve found to be a jumbled mess of synthetics. Even so, it doesn’t feel overly natural, but when sprayed with caution (2-3 sprays max), it surrounds one in a delightful musky, fruity-floral cloud. The staying power on the skin is excellent, always lasting 8-10 hours. Starry Nights is a real gem in the Montale collection, and one of my favourites from the house.
Have you tried these? Do you have a favourite Montale?
Note: Bottle images courtesy of Fragrantica.