Cocoa Morado by French Avenue

Ugh… this is a beast, very strong. I bought it blind and haven’t had the guts to wear it out. I tested it on my hand and it lasts a nightmare; it gave me a headache, lol, I can’t even imagine it on clothes. I’m not saying it’s bad, but I advise testing it before buying because it is extremely strong.

A curious gourmand. The opening is a blast of incense, pepper, and saffron, leaning synthetic. Over time, it becomes less synthetic, sweetening up: date, myrrh, tonka bean, caramel, dense sweetness. Then the leather gains strength, with a slight animalic touch. It settles into a soft resinous incense, with dirty, sweet leather, but not vanilla-like; it’s a sweet, spiced tonka bean, caramelized, sugary, creamy, buttery scent. You have to test it on skin; it doesn’t dry down to a skin-like color; on skin, leather and wood dominate, while dry down shifts completely to a fresh, sweet, caramelized incense like candy. I haven’t tried Oud Cadenza, but based on what friends and Fragrantica reviews say, it’s very similar. Whether it is or not, it’s a well-made aroma and at €30, it seems like a steal; if packaged differently and marketed by another brand, it would cost much more. I need to keep testing it to see if I add it to my collection, but it seems like a good perfume at a ridiculous price. It still has that synthetic touch from Arabic perfumes, but for the price, you can’t complain. Longevity is more than enough, 7-8 hours. Projection is short, but that’s the perfume’s intent—a mysterious aroma that invites people to come closer to smell more. -Scent: 8 -Longevity: 8 -Projection: 7.5 -Versatility: 3 (winter only, nights, and formal settings).

Whenever you read reviews of Arabic perfumes, everyone talks about performance and hunts for that ‘Beast Mode.’ From my experience, Cocoa Morado is probably one of the most brutal fragrances I’ve tried. We’re talking days-long longevity; if you spray it on clothes or it gets trapped in a closed space, it seems to last forever. The scent can be challenging, but it’s exquisite and complex. It’s a woody oriental with a lot of personality, highlighting oud, dates, sugar, incense, leather, and vanilla. It has layers, presence, and a dark, dense character. My recommendation: it’s totally worth trying, but don’t buy it blind; you have to test it first and understand it before deciding.

I can only say it’s truly impressive. Amazing, excellent aromatic quality. It has a beautiful opening: pepper, cardamom, saffron, ginger. But soon in the dry down, it’s leather, woods, something sweet, some vanilla, caramel, and dates; you can feel the cocoa butter. Not the mate, but this perfume is powdery. I think it’s quite more masculine, but it works on a woman too. Formal x 1000!!!! Edited: I wore it to a graduation party, 10 sprays, 14 hours passed, and the perfume still has a trail, and on clothes it feels like it was just applied. It’s truly atomic; I still have it on my skin, and it sticks incredibly well to my hair. The score is 11/10, simply spectacular, the performance is obscene, at the level of the house Bharara, like King Parfum, King Soleil, etc. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and it’s EASY to wear this oud; it’s very gentle.

It’s a beast, but not everyone can handle THE WIDTH it has. Let me explain: the perfume evolves on your skin during the 12 hours it lasts. In the first and second hour, the oud mixes with spices. From the third to the fourth hour, you smell wood, sweet wood. The oud it has isn’t the stable oud (like Onda, Badee For Glory, or Oud for Greatness), but a sweet smell, and the perfume’s notes keep swirling constantly. By the fifth hour, the oud scent fades, but vanilla and cocoa butter emerge. IT’S AT THE FIFTH HOUR where this perfume shows its true face. It’s worth it for all the gourmand notes to emerge at the fifth hour. This perfume is of a nocturnal, formal character, for going to a club and telling the world you own the dance floor. The perfume screams your name while the oud makes a brutal cadence between spices, myrrh, and sugar, and finally dies between cacao and vanilla.

Pretty cheap knockoff… a synthetic mess. Smoky, dusty, and incense-y, but not in a good way.

This fragrance makes no sense. If they bottled this in an Amouage or Xerjoff bottle and priced it at €200, nothing would change. Challenging perfume, slightly sweetened but with a predominance of woods, leather, and some animalic strokes. I haven’t tried Maison Crivelli’s Oud Cadenza, but it reminds me of LV’s Ombre Nomade. As for performance, this is clearly a ‘beast mode.’ It lasts me beyond 12 hours and projects for 3 or 4 hours practically without missing a beat. In short, this is a gem. Under normal circumstances, I’d say it’s not a blind buy, but damn, it cost me €30. If you can, go for it.

It’s a nuclear bomb in terms of trail and longevity. A powerful, penetrating scent that announces your arrival before you even walk in. Not a safe blind buy, though; even if you love the notes, the full composition might not suit you. I tested it blind and liked it, but found it too potent and masculine. I gifted it to my partner, and he leaves a trail wherever he goes. Yesterday he wore it at 7 am, and by 10 am it was still lingering in the room! Insane! On both my skin and his, I detected a super-realistic leather with an intense, sweet, incense-heavy oud base.

Eighth wonder: buy blind and forget about regret, made for discerning palates.

Do not buy blind. A disappointment. They spoke wonders, but to me it smells like old rubber left in the sun for too long.

I love this perfume; I think it’s seriously underrated.

I agree with @Samucel87’s opinion. It’s about accessing what others can’t. It’s very similar but more wearable. For me, 9 out of 10. 🥰 Excellent quality.

Wonderful. An incredible, fine, and elegant perfume with a sweet yet light touch that gives it a unique charm. You can tell that blend of cardamom, cinnamon, and oud. It’s a work of art; the notes are top quality. If it’s on your mind, don’t hesitate to buy it. Watch out, it’s niche style, not hard to wear, but it doesn’t smell like a common designer perfume. Highly recommended.