Armaf
Armaf
99 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The blackcurrant hits with immediate tartness, immediately joined by zesty bergamot that feels genuinely bright rather than predictable. The pineapple arrives as a tropical sweetener, cutting the citrus bite into something almost playful before the myrrh begins its creeping introduction beneath.
As the fruit settles, myrrh and jasmine emerge as the true protagonists—a warm, slightly powdery florality wrapped in resinous amber tones that suggest candlelit corners rather than sunlit gardens. The composition becomes noticeably sweeter here, less citrus-driven and more focused on the jasmine's slightly indolic richness playing against the spiced, honeyed undertones.
The base reveals itself gradually: a soft, skin-like musk foundation interwoven with oakmoss's earthy, slightly tobacco-tinged character and gentle ambergris warmth, creating a creamy, intimate close that settles into a barely-there sweetness rather than fading abruptly.
Bucephalus No. XI announces itself as a deliberately contradictory composition—one that refuses the expected binary of fresh citrus or dense amber, instead threading a needle between them with surprising dexterity. The opening blackcurrant and bergamot establish a tart, almost bracing freshness, yet this is immediately complicated by the myrrh and jasmine lurking beneath, which pull the fragrance towards something more resinous and introverted. It's as though someone has spliced a bright, fruity eau de cologne with a church incense, and somehow the marriage works rather than clashes.
This is a fragrance for the person who finds conventional citrus fragrances too ephemeral and conventional oriental fragrances too cloying. The pineapple adds an almost novelty-shop brightness—that tropical, juicy quality that keeps things from becoming stuffy—but the oakmoss and ambergris base prevents any descent into cheerful frivolity. There's an intellectual quality here; it rewards attention rather than demanding it through projection.
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3.6/5 (145)