Reviews of Peau d'Espagne (1901)
by Santa Maria Novella

This is not a real leather scent. I wanted to love this---i really did....however this is a very amber heavy spice driven affair, lacking in any real leather notes or suede. It is a huge dissappointment, as far as i am concerned. It's very well made, however that doesn't change the fact that the name of the fragrance (translates into Spanish Leather) is a complete deception. FAIL!

I'm not sure it's tabasco that it smells like, but there is a strong bitter, peppery, herbal quality (maybe that SMN mace again), especially in the topnotes. I don't see any relationship to Cuir Mauresque. If I can compare it to anything, I'd say it's about midway between topnotes of Knize Ten and the topnotes of Lonestar Memories - only here, this smell lasts at least through the midnotes and into the base a little. And this isn't as good as either of those. Imagine a harsh, dirty, herbal quality on top of a rich, strong leather. Very masculine, very strong, and definitely not for everyone. Like Lonestar, it doesn't last as long as you'd think given the potency of the initial blast. Not for me I'm afraid. The herbs ruin it for me.

I either despise leather or don't care for this fragrance. I must say it smells EXACTLY like leather. It is what it claims to be... so perhaps I should not give this a "down" review. It smells like elegant leather, but I am confused as to why someone would WANT to smell like leather. When I bought this, I thought it was going to be more sophisticated than leather.. with a hint of spice, for example. However, I could not get over its scent, nor could eithers around me.