Review by zhara8
Onyx is so well named, and as Ms. Machado is first and foremost a jeweler, an understandable occurrence. This fragrance, like the stone, is an under-appreciated delight.
For all the discussion of the coconut, Onyx is primarily a dark, opaque, tobacco scent, and one that stays rich and stately, avoiding the unfortunate sour turn of iPF's Tobacco, and miles away from the harsh, over-done pseudo-complexity of Aramis Havana.
This tobacco is softened, surrounded in cottony down by a lady with gentle fingers, and then carefully placed into a packing crate padded with shredded coconut husk. This isn't suntan lotion coconut, and it's not the sweet flakes from a macaroon. It's the coir, the husks, the earthier essence of coconut, and it compliments, not overpowers. The vanilla also avoids any foodie associations, letting the oakmoss and musk show it how to live a meaningful, productive adult life away from the bakery and teeny-bopper toiletries.
I'm giving away no secrets to say that this absolutely one of my favorite frags ever, and that House Machado is at the top of my list in general. With that said - Onyx stands out as a misunderstood scent - years of mass-market foodie frags have tainted it with stereotyped expectations. Let go of those expectations and let yourself indulge.
For all the discussion of the coconut, Onyx is primarily a dark, opaque, tobacco scent, and one that stays rich and stately, avoiding the unfortunate sour turn of iPF's Tobacco, and miles away from the harsh, over-done pseudo-complexity of Aramis Havana.
This tobacco is softened, surrounded in cottony down by a lady with gentle fingers, and then carefully placed into a packing crate padded with shredded coconut husk. This isn't suntan lotion coconut, and it's not the sweet flakes from a macaroon. It's the coir, the husks, the earthier essence of coconut, and it compliments, not overpowers. The vanilla also avoids any foodie associations, letting the oakmoss and musk show it how to live a meaningful, productive adult life away from the bakery and teeny-bopper toiletries.
I'm giving away no secrets to say that this absolutely one of my favorite frags ever, and that House Machado is at the top of my list in general. With that said - Onyx stands out as a misunderstood scent - years of mass-market foodie frags have tainted it with stereotyped expectations. Let go of those expectations and let yourself indulge.
