Manakara Indult

Desirability: Adoption by a more appreciative nose

Source: Fragrantica

I have long worshiped at the altar of Francis Kurkdjian's creations. So confident am I of my love for his work that I've blind bought many of those I have. I thank heaven that I did not blind buy Mankara as tempting as lychee and roses sound.

For I don't smell lychee or roses and I've been around both long enough to know what they smell like from green to overripe. What I do smell is...over ripe melon that is syrupy sweet and cloying to the point of being nauseating. In the background I get a whiff of something that has been burnt and it's not pleasant either. It's almost like a fragrant plastic doll that's been singed. In the drydown the melon is joined by resins. Manakara is described as a tropical fruity floral with 2 notes of lychee and roses. It smells way more complex than 2 notes (except that I don't even smell the listed 2 notes LOL).

I checked and double-checked both my sample label as well as my sample order. It is Manakara that I'm wearing. Looking at the reviews online, there are others that get melon and the burnt note too except they are polite and call it caramelized. Ditto the resins. 

The projection and longevity are amazing and for those on who this works its magic, lucky you :)

Tihota Indult

Source: flickr.com

It was Serendipity that brought Tihota and I together. As I'm sworn not to reveal my source, all I can say is I went looking for a sample and got a full bottle of this beauty as a very generous gift. 

This is a perfect, uncluttered and swanky vanilla without any Desperate Housewives plastic surgery done. I find it straightforward but I don't mean boring, think back to CK's clean black and white advertisements of Kate Moss' days. It is sweet without being artificial or callow and smells as ritzy as its accompanying price tag. In the drydown it becomes an incredibly warm and snuggle-worthy vanilla musk that is part comfort and part carnal. A final point is that Tihota lasts forever plus a day and it is loud but not unbearable even for my nurse who hates the smell of vanilla and has made me swear never to wear Dior Addict around her.

Blooming expensive but I can't quite bring myself to say it's not worth its price. If you want a solid performing excellent quality gourmand vanilla and don't mind splashing the cash...this is IT.