I will be totally honest. I know we are all supposed to love artisanal fragrance company Arquiste. But I find it can be a hit or miss. And their latest is definitely a hit. I had a chance to try out Él for him (and ELLA for her but this review pertains to Él)
The description says that it is inspired by nighttime at Acapulco’s sultriest disco. Revelry on the dance floor. In the heat of the moment, he smiles coyly and motions to the beach outside, hinting at a midnight swim. He unbuttons his shirt, flashing bronzed skin and the scent of his cologne, a virile muskiness loaded with patchouli, oakmoss and elegant woody notes. A masculine impression of a day under the sun, intensified by the thrill of the night.
But what does that mean?
Él starts off with a slightly delicious citrus and spice scent(rich sage, smooth geranium leaf and “resinous” cinnamon). The moment I first took a whiff of Él I was intrigued. At its heart, Él shifts into this kind of floral territory that is augmented by moss. There is this great sweet meets fecundity in the scent. After orange blossom recedes, a burly, slightly smoky musk comes to the forefront. This is the what reminds me of a hot and sexy disco. It takes a few hours for Él ‘s musk to “burn off” and let a talcy/woody vetiver-fougère-patchouli accord take over till the fade-out, which is about six hours distant. The scent features notes of Clary sage, Moroccan rosemary, Egyptian geranium, cinnamon leaves, orange flower water, oakmoss, vetiver, castoreum and fougére accord.
It’s sexy and a little bit dirty. It’s a great winter scent if you follow those type of rules. I don’t. Just say fuck it and wear it whichever season you want – this sexy scent will be sure to attract.