Profumi del Forte- By Night Black

I was pursuing images for this post and most of my searches kept returning paintings by Vincent Van Gogh. I can't even begin to tell you how wrong such passionate and wild artwork feels for the tame and predictable By Night Black by Profumi del Forte.

The first time I tested By Night Black I had pretty high expectations. I was already familiar with By Night White, the feminine version (I now own a bottle) and hoped to smell something inspired and inspiring. I was completely let down by the first couple of hours of this unisex/masculine offering from Profumi del Forte. It's not that there's anything wrong with a very Mediterranean blend of citrus-lavender-green cypress. It's a classic combination: wearable, refreshing and crisp. But it's also a cliche and indistinguishable from a dozen other polite masculines that have been on the market forever. Do we really need another expensive bottle that says nothing except "men's cologne"?

It gets better, though. There dry-down is a smooth very low-key piney incense. It's more herbal than woody and will not satisfy die-hard incense fiends who bathe in Taureade or layer the entire CdG Incense series. However, if one is looking for a well-behaved, meet-the-parents, first date, expensive shoes and tasteful furniture scent this just might do the trick. Personally I prefer the darker more intense Italian Cypress by Tom Ford.

Notes: bigarrade, lime, mandarine, fig leaves, juniper, rock rose, basil, lavender, cypress, jasmine from Grasse, pine resin, mate, incense, cedar wood

By Night Black by Profumi del Forte ($240, 100 ml EDP) is available from Luckyscent, Henri Bendel (NYC) and First In Fragrance (Germany).

Art: Cypress Trees at San Vigilio by John Singer Sargent (1913).