Description

The fragrance was created in collaboration with Bernardo Borsé. Photo & design by Konstantin Subbotin.

“Avowal is a hauntingly beautiful leather scent with soaring aura and melodic movement. The notes arise strongly, and then they bluster in their own exhausted shadows. They become to be like an avowal with a gloomy melody, which fades like dreams that wake up suddenly in new and grim realities. Nikolay’s new creation lives in the house with windows closed and speaks with a sorrowful voice. It’s the moment when the notes become unbearably painful, full of unspoken pleasure of the boiled blood that bubbles with all the fervour of an impetuous heart.

Avowal opens spicy, slightly resinous and bit nutty. The most surprising moment is when a smell of warm bread meander trough. I don’t know where from, but for a second there it was. After that the strong spicy start is getting stronger and stronger, due to used mix of cardamom, allspice and carnation. You can sense a peppery flavour with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon, although, it’s a moment with its own unique aroma. The structure of Avowal is somewhat unusual compared to other works of Nikolay, but is certainly unique in its concept. The strong spices take over the first part of the develepmont. And what can I say; it’s simply breathtaking and gorgeous moment. 

Within long conversations and numerous questions, hidden in ordinary small talks, Nikolay was able to find out what kind of fragrance a good friend of his truly loves. It was a waiting game with ever new questions, until he was sure that he got all the answers. Avowal develops a strong masculine aura when rosemary and myrtle come to support the spicy opening. I can sense a slightly herbal and woody pungent turn in the scent development. There is definitely strong hint of camphor to be detected. The gorgeous opening moment gets a beautiful masculine depth. Oh, how I wished to be the mysterious friend of Nikolay so this wonderful scent would have been done for me!

And now everything is changing in the direction of leather odor mixed with richly sweetish balsamic influences underlined with sharp and woody smell of fresh timbered trees. Nikolay is now recognizing once more the most important source of his artistic work, his Russian roots. The used birch note was the closely guarded secret ingredient in the formula for the popular nineteenth-century men’s fragrance Russian Leather. This is one of the most sophisticated leather scents I’ve smelled in recent years. It’s hard to explain but Avowal culminates in dominant as well in soothing cords.” – review by Bernardo Borsé.

Avowal (Клятва) was launched in 2018. The nose behind this fragrance is Nikolay Eremin.