I received this sample yesterday and I believe a little of it leaked out of the vial. As soon as I opened the package, I was greeted by this incredible scent… so of course I had to sample it right away.
WHAT I SMELL: Out of the bottle, I got this warm, spicy and smoky patchouli scent. But when I first applied it I was greeted with a smoky incense and a dry woodiness. I thought, this was going to take me down the road via L’Air du Desert Marocain which I know many people love, but is not one of my favorites. Luckily, that dry woodiness was matched with the warmth of the patchouli and pepper. Sombre Negra starts to grow and become rounded; lightly sweet and lightly spicy. The funny thing is when I first started wearing this is that when I sniffed my wrist, I would smell incense and wood…but as I was driving my car, and smelling the scent from a distance, what I was smelling was the patchouli sweetness. I love schizophrenic fragrances! As time wears on, Sombre Negra becomes a warm, close to the skin scent; one that you find entices you to keep sniffing your wrist as the day goes on. Can this really be a vetiver fragrance??
Sombre Negra notes: vetiver, patchouli, cedar, olibanum (Frankincense), pink pepperberry, black peppercorn, clove, juniper, citrus, nutmeg, cumin, tonka and orris root
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: What the beginning of Fall smells like, only a bit more exotic!
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SOMBRE NEGRA: comfortable, metamorphosic, easy
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SOMBRE NEGRA: Notable Scents, EauMG, Smellythoughts
BOTTOM LINE: This may be a keeper. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about this at first, but it’s really growing on me. I just wish my tester hadn’t leaked so I could have more to play with!
- Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
- Scent: Woody Vetiver
- Classification: Unisex
- Nose: Yosh Han
- Expense: $130 for 50ml EdP (2011 reformulation)
The Scented Hound 
September 27, 2012 at 1:32 am
The beginning of an exotic fall….now that is the season and scent for me! Sounds wonderful.
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September 27, 2012 at 5:44 am
It’s so funny…I did a google image search to see if I could find a visual description that summed up exotic fall. What I got was this picture of a fashion model in African attire in a group of bush men. It was a great visual, but didn’t really represent what I stated and I never was able to find the right image!
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September 27, 2012 at 5:56 am
It really smells like a scent made for autumn.
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September 27, 2012 at 6:01 am
Tis the season!
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September 27, 2012 at 6:37 am
Lol! I love how you tagged my 4 worded review of it as well :’) Brill.
I’m glad you had success with it, I hated it though! I guess I should try it again, but I was hugely let down as I expected to recieve a sample of the formulation before it of mushrooms and earth and instead I got this light, sparkly, clovey smoky thing that felt flat and thin 😦
Be sure to try Jeke by Slumberhouse for something along the same lines but much better – very cloves, but designed to smell Autumn-y and it succeeds 😀
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September 27, 2012 at 6:49 am
Yes, I did not experience any mushroomy goodness from this one as well. Slumberhouse? I have not heard of them. I shall check them out now!
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September 27, 2012 at 10:21 am
Nah, it used to apparantly be an earthy mushroomy vetiver – it’s now a clean smoky clove patchouli as you described, don’t know why YOSH decided to so drastically change the formula and keep the name.
You haven’t heard of them?! I did quick sniffs of all of them on my page, click on the fragrance list. Whilst I don’t seem too excited by them at first, I highly recommend trying them. A very prominant clove signature in most – but hugely interesting. Vikt being the one I would most likely own is a syrupy sweet balsamic oud and resins. Norne is a great fragrance too, and Rume is one of the most interesting fragrances I’ve tried. They’re fab, as is their new look and packaging. Please grab some samples you won’t be disappointed 🙂 http://slumberhou.se
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September 27, 2012 at 9:18 am
Great description, and isn’t it nice to find a perfect, cozy fall fragrance (bonus for “more exotic”)?
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September 27, 2012 at 7:06 pm
cozy with a twist 🙂
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September 27, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Sounds like this is going to be a great hit for autumn. I love this season, and I’ve been sad that I haven’t put much thought into what it ought to smell like to me aside from that dreaded Pumpkin and Apple spice smell I always get whenever I go to Michaels. The description of this makes me think of winding roads and trees with yellow and red leaves–something I sadly don’t get to see anymore. But the scent sounds like it might make up for that.
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September 27, 2012 at 7:08 pm
I hate those pumpkin and apple scents too. As for this, it’s not traditionally fall in its composition, but it reminds me of the season coming ahead. Others may beg to differ!
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September 29, 2012 at 4:32 am
Steve, I’m glad you liked this perfume. I think it’s very nice! I’m not sure yet if I’ll ever need a bottle of it but I enjoyed it from the sample. Once it gets cooler here I’ll test it more – I agree, it’s a Fall scent.
Have you tried any other perfumes from Yosh?
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September 29, 2012 at 7:16 am
Yes, I like them, but they are a bit too feminine for my tastes. This was the exception.
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December 23, 2013 at 1:14 am
Where did you get your sample vial from?
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December 23, 2013 at 6:26 am
If I recall correctly, I got it from Luckyscent.
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