Sometimes I find it challenging to write extensively about certain perfumes, leaving me with little content to fill a full blog post. Still, I think some of these fragrances are worth discussing. For these particular perfumes, I’ll gather them in one post, providing brief impressions and a conclusion on whether they’re best suited for scrubbing off or spraying on. First cab of the rank is Akro, Crush.
Akro – Crush
Crush from Akro is intended to resemble a macaron, but it ultimately comes off as a jumbled combination of sugary rose, vanilla, and lychee. An absolute mess that never comes together to form a coherent whole. While I’m not a fan of macaron confections, I find Cresp’s interpretation somehow less appealing. It reminds me more of an overpowering hairspray than anything edible. Supermarket body mists smell better than Crush. Perhaps this year, we’ll get something worthwhile from the house, but they do seem to be running short on ideas.
Notes: Almond, lychee, rose, vanilla, and praline.
Verdict: Scrub!
Goldfield & Banks – Rose Magnitude
I suppose I should be more patriotic, but I’ve never found anything from this Australian house worth crowing about. The lavish launch parties and gushing reviews from paid actors haven’t exactly helped either. True to form, Rose Magnitude has impressed the “critics” with its opulence and depth.
On my skin, the chalky notes of iris and violet, along with the sweet raspberry, hit more prominently than the rose. However, after a few minutes, everything becomes enveloped by the dry, scratchy, woody notes. I detect a leathery quality that hints at Tuscan Leather. As for any nuance, opulence, or depth, you can plaster them on a milk carton because they seem to have gone missing in Rose Magnitude.
Notes: Top |Raspberry, geranium, cumin, ginger| Mid |rose, violet, iris| Base |sandalwood, amyris, buckwheat, papyrus, tonka, vanilla|.
Verdict: Scrub!
Eris Parfums – Mother’s Milk
I’m reticent to put the knife into Eris Parfums. They’re a house I respect. I appreciate the seemingly rebellious spirit of the dynamic duo of Antoine Lie and Barbara Herman. They’re disruptors that don’t follow the trends like sheep. Their latest fragrance, Mother’s Milk, has sparked controversy over its name. While I’m not bothered by it, some overly sensitive snowflakes have taken umbrage at it. My main issue with Mother’s Milk is that I find it rather uninteresting.
The scent opens with a lactonic quality, reminiscent of Blanche Bête and many other similar fragrances that have emerged in recent years. I refer to this group of fragrances as “latte la-di-da.” They tend to be clichéd, often eliciting an eye roll from me. After the initial milk bath, Lie returns to some of his old designs, introducing soft, musky, pastel-floral notes of iris and rose, akin to the stylings found in Musc Des Sables from Les Indémodables. It feels like we’ve seen this movie before. For a brand that prides itself on non-conformity, Mother’s Milk ultimately comes across as quite conventional.
Even as the dark, grainy suede note links with the floral notes (shades of the brand’s Night Flower), it doesn’t liven things up too much. Unfortunately, the milky aspect starts to turn sour and off-putting, reminding me of the god-awful opening of Bond No. 9’s I Love New York for All. At least with that fragrance, the sourness goes away; it hangs around in this Eris for hours. I’m left with an eye roll and a screwed-up nose. I think I’ll stick with Delta of Venus and Scorpio Rising.
Notes: Milk, sandalwood, rose oil, vanilla, Damask rose, suede, orris, cacao, musk.
Verdict: Scrub!
Jo Malone – Amber Labdanum Cologne Intense
The first three fragrances left me feeling cranky, but thank goodness for Jo Malone! Amber Labdanum surprised me. I expected sweetness, but instead it offered dry resins. The bitter orange opening heralds in an almost Christmas-like ambiance, where gentle spiced smokiness combines with the balsamic amber accord. I pick up quite a lot of dry incense, so it might be quite a polarising scent for those who don’t enjoy the note. The dry woodiness recalls pine leaves made brittle by the sun’s rays. The vanilla in the base note feels rich, warm, and roasted rather than sticky-sweet. This is what Myrrhe Mystère from Tom Ford should have been.
Notes: Amber, labdanum, bitter orange, vanilla.
Verdict: Spray!
Conclusion
All in all, three scrubbers and one to spray. Not too bad, I suppose. I was most disappointed with the Eris; It falls into line with so many other gourmands from the last few years. It almost feels like, for once, Eris focused on the marketing and the name more than the perfume itself. I didn’t have high expectations for the Akro or the Goldfield and Banks, so I felt it was a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained. And as for the Jo Malone, I sampled it in-store and breathed a sigh of relief that I hadn’t made a grave error. I expected to scrub, but instead I went back to spray it the following week. I enjoyed it so much.
Note: Jo Malone sampled in-store. Goldfield and Banks sample provided by the brand. I purchased samples of Akro Crush and Eris Mother’s Milk. All images are my own.
Glad there was a win among these – one out of four is not too bad! I often struggle to say much about a fragrance as well. I’m not a big fan of macarons either, but can’t resist a rose one when I get the chance on occasion. They are mostly sugar, after all, so I’m not entirely surprised it doesn’t translate as well in perfume. Shame about Rose Magnitude, as it sounded promising.
Rose Magnitude was the second best out of these four. The bar was low, though. There was just something in it that didn’t sit too well. The out and out sweet scents never work for me. They need a contrast or a foil. Crush doesn’t have that. But yes, one out of four is decent going.
There’s not too much of a surprise here, Daniel. I’ve been avoiding Crush for a while now because it sounds so uninteresting. As you’ve mentioned, there’s not much here to get excited about, unless you enjoy washing your arm a lot. The same goes for Rose Magnitude and Mother’s Milk. I was surprised by your positive reaction to Amber Labdanum Cologne Intense by Jo Malone. I enjoyed this one as well.
Haha. Yes you’re right. You need to enjoy washing your arm a lot. Ah nice. I’m glad you enjoyed the Jo Malone too. I wasn’t expecting the incense feel, especially as it doesn’t seem to be listed in the notes. Though, I guess it’s the resinous quality of the labdanum that gives this aspect.
Great overview, I’ve seen the hype over Mother’s Milk an d was wondering how it actually smells like, coming from a neutral opinion. Tks for sharing!
Thank you very much, Tetê. Yes, I think the fragrance will be divisive. It certainly wasn’t one for me. The brand has many more interesting offerings to choose from.
The Latte-La-Di-Da scents aren’t to my taste. They all smell like either Kefir, yoghurt or So sweet they smell of McFlurry. In the build up to Mother’s Milk I was puzzled that Eris was so late to the milk bar trend. Then Courtney Love & Kurt Cobain as inspiration???
Sadly, despite the JML having produced some excellent work in recent years, they are part of my ELC boycott.
I haven’t found an Akro I would give skin time to & whilst I enjoy G&B Ingenious Ginger only enough for a travel size.
Yes, there’s a sense of jumping on the bandwagon from Eris, but being very late to the party. I don’t think they brought anything new to the milk bar, either. The Ingenious Ginger was one of the better Goldfield scents.