WHAT I SMELL: SacroMonte opens brightly with sunny grass tinged with basil. It’s very comforting in a familiar way; its as if you just finished mowing your lawn when your yard smells so green, clean, fresh and tailored. Soon, a very light note of fig leaf helps to lift the perfume from the ground up towards the sky. And shortly after, a soapy jasmine enters where it sits nicely above the grass along with a light spice. The perfume at this point begins to dry and the grass moves more towards a hay that has been sitting in the sun. But as soon as I say that the perfume turns more towards the green, but this time with the help of lily of the valley. SacroMonte is really beautiful at this juncture. I find it to be incredibly approachable and interestingly pretty in a very unisex way. In the end, SacroMonte settles into a sweetened ambered musk which is lovely, but not nearly as interesting as the perfume was along the journey. Nonetheless, SacroMonte is an easy to love perfume.
Notes from the Ricardo Ramos website:
Legend has it that the treasures of the expelled Nasrid nobility were hidden in the mountains where today is the idyllic and picturesque Granada’s neighborhood. SacroMonte is a vital fragrance which transports us to a natural environment with a dry and fruity effect of freshness.
Top notes: Freshly cut grass, fig leaf, basil; Heart notes: Lily of the valley, jasmine, plum, fig; Background: White musk, dry amber, hay.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Sunshine summertime.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SACROMONTE: comforting, familiar, subtle
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SACROMONTE: Notetaking
BOTTOM LINE: SacroMonte is a perfume that can be worn anytime without having to give it any thought. No matter the occasion, it will make you feel fresh and clean. Groundbreaking no; but delightful all the same.
- Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Aromatic Fruity
- Nose: Jorge Lee
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: 125 Euros for 50 ml eau de parfum
WHAT I SMELL: Narcisse Blanc opens with a peppery warm and indolic orange blossom and neroli. It’s thick, waxy and completely intoxicating. Quickly, a petitgrain note emerges to bring the floating blossoms towards the earth with a greenish touch of grass. There’s nothing easy or breezy about this perfume. Instead, it’s beauty is in the realm of the mature. Big and round as more florals come in punctuated with the rose, Narcisse Blanc is less mysterious than it’s counterpart, Narcisse Noir, but to me, much more accessible. However, that’s not to say that it doesn’t hold it’s wearer in some contempt, as there is a bit of haughtiness and aloofness about it without it being cold in nature. As the perfume continues to expand and radiate, the warmth of the base begins to move towards the still waxy blossoms. Vetiver adds just a bit of a brownish grass and a sandalwood brings a little bit of sour. Narcisse Blanc never got the love that Narcisse Noir did. Too bad, because it’s every bit as beautiful.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A languid nap on a warm afternoon.
The Scented Hound 