Cuir Ottoman

This perfume quickly emerged as one of the most impressive I've encountered, evoking a resemblance to Floris Mahon Leather, although I found this one more refined, elegant, and well-balanced. It commences with a clear and rich leather accord, accompanied by a subtle balm presence. The iris soon makes its appearance, imbuing the scent with a gentle, makeup-inspired quality. As it evolves, the fragrance gradually takes on a sweet and resinous character, yet without becoming cloying or artificial. The sweetness is understated and natural, rather than attention-grabbing. Despite its potent projection, the scent feels comfortable, warm, and pleasant to wear. Ultimately, the dry down yields a slightly carnal leather note with a hint of body odor, subtly introducing an animalic aspect that adds mystery and allure to this captivating fragrance.

This scent leans more towards being a traditional female fragrance than androgynous.

Cuir Ottoman from Parfum d'Empire offers another refined perfume composition. Unlike Ambre Russe, which blends spicy oriental notes with a leathery edge, Cuir Ottoman presents a powdery, floral take on leather, led by a beautiful iris note and settling into its balsamic vanilla-amber drydown. The opening features a lovely powdery iris note that I particularly enjoy. A labdanum note follows, expertly launching the leather accord, which boasts a luxurious, smooth quality reminiscent of premium leather goods. This phase is the best part of the scent, evoking an image of refined, high-end equestrian accessories. As it develops, the leather gives way to a balsamic amber accord, while powdery jasmine provides a seamless progression from the iris opening. Dry vanilla emerges, harmonizing with the amber and adding sweetness to the florals. The scent eventually fades to a powdery vanilla-amber skin scent with lingering dry florals, accompanied by moderate sillage and longevity, making it suitable for autumn or winter daytime wear. Overall, Cuir Ottoman is an elegant, perhaps feminine-leaning take on leather, offering a powder-leather composition with florals and dry sweetness. I adored the iris-leather accord in the first half but found the vanilla-amber phase less captivating, leading to a decent overall score of 3.5/5.

Cuir Ottoman presents itself as a sophisticated semi-sweet leather fragrance, with sweet notes of vanilla, tonka, benzoin, and styrax harmoniously blended to create a subtle aura, beneath which lies a robust leather note. Unlike other gourmand scents, this one doesn't rely on sweetness alone. Instead, the presence of exotic and spicy tolu balsam gives the leather an intriguing personality, although I don't detect any iris notes. While Cuir Ottoman may not be a standout masterpiece, it's still worth exploring.

I've been testing this perfume for around four days, reapplying it periodically to gauge its longevity. This fragrance boasts a straightforward leather accord, crafted by blending ingredients like birch tar and resins like benzoin or balsam of Peru. The leather aspect is characterized as soft and uncomplicated. Upon closer inspection, I've detected the presence of violet or iris, along with subtle undertones of damp earth. Floral notes are barely perceptible to me, aside from a hint of violet.