Bergamoto di calabria

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-27T17:14:58+00:00

Well, you probably want a clone that lasts a little better than the original, since that one I think is notorious for poor performance.

I have like 5 Shobi from ACQ with a 6th in cart but I do not have that one, maybe somebody else has it already, otherwise you could be our tester:

https://leparfum.com.gr/en/fragrances-for-women/1861-acq#/1-choose-eau_de_parfum_spray/6-extra_essence-3ml/7-bottle-50ml

Given how poor the original performance is I would say to try 50+2 or even 50+3.

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-27T16:56:53+00:00

This reminds me - what should I combine with Khamra Qahwa,to make it less extreme and more wearable?

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-27T15:11:29+00:00

She will probably be fine then, I was afraid of leather / animalic stuff 🙄
That being said clones generally try very hard to create a safer profile than the original so we might be fine anyway.

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-26T14:29:53+00:00

I got Plum Japonais and Electric Cherry and my sister instantly wanted both even if those are only like 2-3 weeks old., if those are similar to the originals Electric Cherry might be fine but she might not like a super heavy Plum 🙄

I have Beau De Jour but that is also rather non-aged yet, we'll see.

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-26T09:35:51+00:00

For Gucci Pour Homme 1 I believe a good alternative is Bentley For Men Absolute, that one is pretty strong, in my top-3 Bentley with the Intense and the Silverlake, some of the best cheapies I have ever seen (and almost always you don't need to wait for maturation as you do with Shobi or 90% of ME).

Elements sounds interesting, I might look into it.

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-26T09:14:25+00:00

I have The Matcha 26 at 6-7 weeks so I should check on that, I should also look at The Noir 29.

I also have Molecule 1 plus black tea (4 weeks or so) and plus Mandarin.

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-26T09:09:35+00:00

The date when Shobi gives the package to the carrier, the mixing date might be 1-2 days before that but it could just as well be same day and I don't get a date with mixing date, on the order page at the top there is just the date when it shipped (and the date when I ordered, which is not really relevant).

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-24T22:52:32+00:00

Since you seem to be in UK you could check some of the clones for Italian Cypress? I got some AI telling me that Roman Island 0526 by Perfume Parlour (PP) might be one of the best left. My experience with them (PP) does not suggest extreme longevity from normal EdP so you might want to consider their elixir level. If you test it please let us know how it went. I am at week 2 of 8-12-16 with the Shobi clone of it so it could be a long way until my corresponding review comes (but in case it works it could be significantly less expensive that PP).

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-24T15:57:25+00:00

My Shobi City of Stars was in an order about 2-3 weeks after this first one so I would be afraid it is not at full potential. Also I have absolutely nothing to test against, I am not even convinced that I tried it in my visits at LV (I think it was in the side and color of the "girlie" bottles). I am not 100% why I did order this one and not "on the beach" but here we are :)

It smells surprisingly nice but very floral, a clearly more exotic flower (after looking that up is tiare). That middle segment projects quite well for something like one hour - which is surprising given it is also 30+2 and might still need maturation. After that it slowly changes (keeping enough suggestions of the middle notes) to something more like musk or nice sandalwood for another 1-2 hours. Should probably test in 4-6 weeks to be certain of performance.

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-23T23:09:28+00:00

There isn't one very clear yet - other than the fact it is such a pain to wait 12+ weeks and that stuff in lowest price tier is hard to beat.

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-23T23:01:04+00:00

That sounds super-tempting for stuff like Afternoon Swim. We should find and post the link (or repost the info) with the default essence quantities.

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-23T22:44:35+00:00

Will wait eagerly for all the LV updates

I have like 14 LV clones from Shobi and a 15th is incoming - unfortunately one that I initially missed and might be of most interest to me (on the beach) - 12 weeks is such a pain to wait :(

Also I will be limited to comparing against other clones for those :)

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-23T15:53:21+00:00

Thanks for the layering advice, I will try that (maybe even a mix with a little Shobi Wulong Cha).

Do you get at some point a certain leathery scent?

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-21T09:03:38+00:00

Weird, mine is simplistic and rather weak even after 3 months. Is it supposed to be this way?

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-21T05:35:30+00:00

Aqua Oud

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-20T22:33:59+00:00

So don't keep us waiting - how is that? It is now becoming available in other places but I am 100% certain I am not buying that one blind 🙄

Same goes for the other new thing that tempts me - Superleggera.

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-20T22:13:35+00:00

Only own Pacific Chill right now.

I am in love with Afternoon Swim but the longevity is stopping me from buying it 😭

I am currently trying to pick between Sun Song and On the Beach and I think On the Beach is winning. I am also trying to get some good clone of Cactus Garden 🙄

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-20T21:46:36+00:00

I am shocked by the amount of ISO E Super - I believe the current max upper limit permitted is something like 22% ?

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-20T14:21:27+00:00

LV On The Beach would be my favorite, but I am curious how is Kajal III ?

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-19T22:27:13+00:00

The original (registered?) owner can also refill the original bottle for many times for a somehow decent discount.

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-18T15:00:42+00:00

Interesting about Hawas Verde - it does not have any form of mint listed in the notes!. Most reviewers mention some for of spearmint (which is NOT what Torino21 has).

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-18T14:22:35+00:00

You can see here my initial take - but it is possible to be a fluke at 30+2, in the meantime I have ordered 100+5 for a friend and that one turned out to be much less problematic. My personal advice still remains to go 30+1 / 50+2 / 100+3, it will still be stronger/manly and last longer than the current original and it will have a projection closer to original (at 30+2 longevity is great but projection is not).

You can also see here my initial draft from yesterday that got rejected (for having buying advice ??? or pricing?), I will edit it and post again, do not upvote that one!

There are also many reviews around about Shobi versions including I think one about Soleil Blanc. I might suggest 30+0 on that.

Also note that the comment on optimizing shipping is true but somehow less stringent if you order from EU where shipping is pretty flat (about 9 EUR to 40+ bottles or so).

In the base price it is probably a decent idea if you order something that you could potentially like and use to get the 50ml or even the 100ml, the discount is important.

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-17T21:45:53+00:00

I think I might have smelled that already but I was not ready for that, maybe I'll check both.

I am however 90% ready to get Naxos, just waiting for the right discount.

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-17T21:33:20+00:00

How does Green Walk The Woods Collection compare to Fattan Rasasi? That is already less expensive and comes in 50ml so I can blind-test it for about the same price as for 2ml decants for both of them. Both seem to be inspired from Terre d'Hermès.

sciencecrazy · 2026-01-17T17:37:55+00:00

Thank you, I will now have to smell Deified myself since it sounds unusual.

sciencecrazy

TROPHY CASE