Sepia
Aftelier (2012)

The main note l get in the opening, & which remains to some degree throughout, is horse manure! l have sniffed quite a few animalic fragrances lately, but never have l come across this note so distinctly. l should say here though that this note is not as unpleasant to me as it may be to some, as l grew up in the New Forest, where the wild ponies are part of everyday life. As the fragrance develops, hints of fruit, tobacco & amber drift in & out, before it dries down to a warm, rich, honeyed floral. This stage is most enjoyable, but it all fades out after around three hours, just as l'm wanting more.
l'm not sure l'd want to smell of this all that often, but the shock of that manure note is strangely thrilling, & l will definitely be compelled to revisit this sample at some point.

I really wanted to like this, but it leaves me totally cold. Judged by its name and the background story of abandonned gold cities I expected something much more woody and mysterious. "Sepia" is very feminine with a thin and high pitched jasmine-note and a headache-inducing, almost synthetic smelling strawberry-note. In the base it has a nice woody smell, but it has no chance against the top and middle notes. The only thing that I really like about this perfume is the ambergris that gives an animalic touch to it, and prevents it from getting a thumbs-down rating. All in all I find it very disappointing because it smells more like a summer-cologne for girlies and not like what its name promises!