Cape Heartache by Imaginary Authors

This perfume is excellent at replicating a landscape, so I’d say it’s more atmospheric than personal. No one is going to compliment you for wearing it. However, the landscape it describes through its notes is beautiful, romantic, and melancholic, like the story in the book written by this Imaginary Author. The perfume opens with bold smoky wood notes, as if you were inside a cabin enjoying the warmth of the fireplace on the last days of autumn. As time passes, these smoky woods lose their spotlight to give way to damp woods, as if you stepped out of that cabin for a walk through the forest, full of mist, smelling the pines wetted by the atmosphere. Then the perfume takes a different path. As you take this walk in solitude with your thoughts, you remember someone from your past… This is when melancholy invades you, and you stop thinking about the forest around you to focus on that comforting yet sad memory. This memory manifests as slightly talc-like strawberry notes (not an acidic strawberry) and vanilla. These are the notes that make the perfume take a completely different direction than expected. In my case, it’s something barely noticeable, but on others, due to their body chemistry, they tend to be sharp and invasive. I’d say it’s worth buying the scented candle the brand sells with this aroma rather than the perfume, as it feels more environmental than personal, as I said at the start.

Cape Heartache opens with woody and smoky nuances, with a fruity base from the strawberry. You can detect fir and pine, reminiscent of perfumes like Arso or Fille en Aiguilles. In the heart phase, the strawberry gains presence over the smoke and woods, though they’re always there. In the end, the vanilla sweetens it excessively, and in my opinion, it becomes cloying. The woody and smoky base remains present but less so. Better for cool weather, and I see it as unisex: the start is more masculine, but the end turns feminine due to the sweetness. Performance is good; it lasts many hours with presence. It’s high quality, with an original mix of smoke and fruit. The end is a bit cloying, but not excessive. I recommend trying it; it’s curious.

It reminds me of a mix between Midsummer bonfires, especially the smell of clothes the next day, and walks with my father through the pines in my village. The scent is curious, but I don’t feel it as a perfume. I struggle to find the strawberry and don’t know if I like smelling like this. I’ve enjoyed trying it, but I wouldn’t spend that much money on it. Original, yes… Wearable, not so sure. Scent: 6, Longevity: 7, Sillage: 5, Value: 5, Versatility: 8, Overall: 6.

I love the citrus opening that transforms into an addictive mix of resins and wild strawberries. Every time I wear it, it transports me to a place of melancholy and adventure, like an olfactory novel on my skin. It’s a fragrance that leaves a personal and ethereal mark.