Embruns d'Essaouira
by Montale

Probably the worst Montale I've tried so far. No wonder these were being given away, as freebies, during the Montale sale...

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[Original submission date: 14 April 2008]

I think I must be anosmic to something in Embruns d'Essaoira - I can sort of sense it rather than actually smell it. I get hints of grapefruit, soap and salt, which add up to something much softer and milder and rounder and sweeter than it sounds like. The little I smell is pleasant enough.

I didn't love it but it definately has the Montale high standards. I really don't get all the negative posts on this one. The only bad thing about it IMHO is that it starts really similar to the gorgeous Vetiver des Sables and has a drydown very similar to L' Eau d' Issey. Thus a "thumbs up" from me tabalance things out :)

Montale’s Embruns d’Essouira is a refreshing marine/algae scent that I enjoyed very much. My first thought upon sniffing was thank goodness it was not another “faux beachy” scent, ie. another variation on the smell of Coppertone Sun Tan Lotion (Yoohoo- Bobbi Brown Beach, Philosophy!). In contrast, Embruns d’Essouira smells nearly exactly like the smell you experience when you are at the ocean sitting on the sand at the edge of the water, and the waves rush up around you tinged with green algae. It is also a much lighter style than I am used to seeing from Montale (another plus), and I thought it was pretty interesting and wearable. Finally, Embruns d’Essouira was good on me but I think it would really rock on a man!

Here are the notes, as gleaned on the internet: Iodine from the water of Essaouira, Moroccan Atlas sandalwood, spices, musk, Yemeni Oud, Oman olibanum pearls, frankincense, Egyptian balsam, Cystus ladaniferus and amber.

Weak! Iodine? Yuck! What a waste. Don't even try this one, not worth the effort.

Certainly “different smelling”: a blend of iodine, sandalwood, spices and musk. But different is not pleasant (iodine seems to be central here) in this case and of the Montale fragrances I have tried to date, this one is the least pleasant of them all. I would not want to smell this on anyone. As of this writing, a "perfect" record - 5 out of 5 thumbs down!