Londa 1006 by O'Driù, 2011

Londa 1006 opens with a really heady and pungent combination of tart/spicy citrus, herbs and grapefruit which projects a long duration and a sort of monolithic and almost fizzy vibe. Really a peppery beginning. This opening is far less salty/anisic, dusty of culinary spices and resinous than the more abrasive Londa 1005 initial fist. The first chord is attractive and almost agreeable as a fruity beverage. In this phase the fragrance smells like a lemon/ orange juice plus cinnamon and a faint (but tenacious) saffron. Some pepper starts in a while to turn out and to combine its prickly spiciness with the saffron, with some aromatic/culinary herbs and fruits. I don't detect any ozonic saltiness in the blend and think that the pungency is more sour than salty, is more tartness than real saltiness. Some undiscernible floral patterns come out at distance, in correspondence with some turning out soothing balsams which tame the fruity tartness in order to soften the fruity/green olfactory agreement. The saffron is heady till the end (although not suffocating) together with a far less tart citric/fruity vibe while the floral touch imprints hints of soft sophistication. In this phase the scent is more delicate and tamed down. Onda 1006 is a relatively less complex and changeful O'Driu' scent with its finally soft fruity/ peppery orangy temperament and is effectively easier to wear than many more obscure and doping fragrance from the same brand.

Londa 1006 opens with a bit of the salty and spicy aspects that Londa 1005 exhibited. The difference here is the most difficult aspects of 1005's opening are considerably muted. Yes, you still have a bit of that fishy smell, but it is well in the background from the get-go, and the challenging cumin is *way* more subtle to the point of blending perfectly with the other spice, not exhibiting the pungency experienced with 1005. The culinary spices the house frequently features like basil, saffron and sage are certainly here and take center stage, but joining them shortly after the initial open is a sublime mandarin orange note that permeates the scent's heart remaining well into the base notes, creating an herbal spiced orange tea-like accord with the mandarin holding the spice just enough in check to make it much easier to wear. The base, while not very sweet at all, does move just a hair in that direction while the spices tone down but remain through the end. Longevity and projection both are above average. Londa 1006 is a beautiful scent that many who found the cumin and salted fish smells too aggressive in 1005 are going to enjoy. I confess that while I personally enjoyed 1005, I think 1006 is a much more balanced composition. The mandarin orange absolutely makes the scent work, functioning similar to the amazing rose used in Pregoni's masterpiece Lalfeorosa by not really calling attention to itself while softening the spice rather nicely. This is a super-skilled effort by Pregoni, but also one that is definitely easier to wear than 1005. It also is one I can easily recommend to anyone without hesitation if you have the financial means. Getting a sniff of Londa 1006 should be mandatory for spicy scent lovers. A favorite of mine from O'driu, Londa 1006 earns an excellent 4 to 4.5 stars out of 5.