Matador by Ramon Monegal

My favourite from Monegal so far, and the first one I bought. Although I have other scents by the master that I adore (like Flamenco), this Matador has something unique. An juicy, carnal pear opening, of the kind that doesn’t cloy but is aquatic, clean and crisp. The pear lasts for hours mixed with the leather, giving it a vegetal touch. It wasn’t love at first sight, but it has won my heart little by little. I find it super versatile and unisex. A risky bet but very satisfying.

The first thing that struck me is the character of the leather, reminiscent of that eco-friendly ‘vegetable leather’ clothing. The passion fruit, which I was doubtful about, gives a renewing profile and harmonises everything, acting as a bridge between the top and base notes. The jasmine and rose peek out innocently, giving body to a perfume that smells like a winning matador. The base shows that coconut is more versatile than we have been led to believe, effervescent thanks to the musk and creamy due to the sandalwood. I think it won’t be Monegal’s first leather scent, but probably the most ‘rabid’. The experience is excellent and the narrative fits perfectly with the name, a prize for the bold.

I had the luck of attending the Matador presentation event with Ramon Monegal and chatting with him. Matador has to be understood as an attitude: facing challenges with your head held high and a winning mindset. The fragrance reflects that: the sensation of always coming out on top. The composition is interesting: rose, passion fruit, coconut and a leather that when dried seems black, polished and velvety. It projects sensuality and a challenging vibe that fits the concept. Although it’s not my favourite from the house, it’s very enjoyable and identifiable. It might be complex for certain situations of use, but it depends more on the personality of the wearer. I recommend it totally.

The master Monegal has us accustomed to perfumes that don’t leave people indifferent, and this is no exception. MATADOR hasn’t arrived in Argentina yet, so I only tried it on skin with two sprays. The opening felt super fruity, highlighting the pear with a slightly acidic rose due to the passion fruit. The dry-down is another perfume: on my skin it’s leather and more leather, a friendly leather, more like ‘suede’. It didn’t disgust me, although leather on my skin is usually invasive and few suit me well. I want to try it more on cool days because it’s been over 30 degrees and the humidity doesn’t help enjoy this type of aromas.

The brand’s favourite: opens with luminous passion fruit and coconut, which then yield to rose and incense. The blend is a creative and elegant marvel, but the initial longevity is short. By the end, the floral base feels a bit mediocre to justify niche pricing; the coconut and passion fruit should last until the very end.

I can’t find an occasion to use it; I find it more masculine than feminine, but I’ll keep trying. The passion fruit smells exquisite, as if it were grilled.

I’ll preface by saying I don’t have extensive knowledge about perfumes, though I love sniffing everything and gravitate towards those that evoke things in me; I buy them to ‘smell myself’, in fact, I used to only wear them to sleep hoping for the best dreams. I’m not capable of breaking down ingredients or nuances, so I read comments to learn and because it’s so beautiful to read them, as this art seems like poetry to me. Also to understand what I like and why. The last ones I couldn’t resist buying were Black Sea by Pazzaglia and Coven by A. Maack, and I’m a fan of Trudon. Said this with humility, I was surprised by the low rating and read the comments. I smelled this launch without knowing what it was because a friend gave it to me in a niche shop. I had gone in to try Estrella de la Mañana, very much my style and I liked it, and when I smelled the Monegal one I thought ‘my goodness, how good this smells’. I know nothing about it but it seemed balanced, rich, particular without being strident. Fine, it was called Matador and was a tribute to this tradition. I am anti-bullfighting and an animalist since baby, associated with Greenpeace, etc. I would prefer bulls were a thing of the past. Also, cults and religions seem medieval to me, but that’s another story. It doesn’t detract from them being part of our idiosyncrasy and allowing me to understand the name. Obviously it can cause rejection, no problem, it might not be liked, okay, but judging its quality poorly for an ethical issue doesn’t fit and seems unfair. It’s fine to have an opinion, but penalising its quality…

There are spaces I still cannot traverse, those strands that delimit my writing. To believe and shed the shame to be oneself is an attitude that makes the difference, just as I feel ‘Matador’ conveys. There are a thousand paradoxes, but here the opening is brave: a juicy fruity part mixes with cumin in a fierce way. That spicy note is in the right proportion. The scent pushes me, adhering to my will. It has an apothegmatic tropical abstraction, but its floral heart tempers everything. It is an attitude dressed in creamy leather, undoing old cobwebs and empowering. The leather blends naturally with sandalwood and coconut, without haste. It is a scent that penetrates personality, granting security and becoming a continuous attitude. It deserves to be judged by its content, not by the provocative name.

I find it a very exquisite fragrance; the quality of the materials and the effort are noticeable. I wore it these hot summer days in Madrid and it lasted easily 10 hours on skin; the trail is moderate and slightly sharp at times, nothing cloying, very refined. In short, I liked it a lot, in my view a proper unisex. I recommend it!!

Another perfume from the Monegal house that, if not for the EDP and the extract, would be a massive miss.

Vidar, with the utmost respect, we all have the right to express our opinions, whether you like them or not, without being called names. I may agree that the liquid is the most important thing in a perfume, but if you think the image doesn’t matter, consider how much is spent on advertising and even actors. In short… For me, personally, the image of Matador could not be more deplorable. I love Monegal’s creations; he is, for me, one of the best perfumers in the world. I don’t understand if he intended to create controversy with this name, and if so, he has undoubtedly succeeded. No comments on the responses he gives to criticisms: about value and the rest, which seem AI-generated. Of course, the most important thing is the liquid in a perfume, but for me, due to the associations it has, I wouldn’t want it even as a gift. Please, I insist, this is my personal opinion; I’m delighted to read opinions that defend it, but always from a place of respect. For me, bullfighting is a disgrace, although others may see it as art, but I am not to be called names.

Another perfume from the Monegal House that, if not for the Flamenco EDP and the extrait, would be a complete miss.

An exquisite fragrance; the quality of the materials and the effort are noticeable. I wore it on hot summer days in Madrid and it lasted 10 hours on skin. The trail is moderate, slightly sharp at times, nothing cloying, very refined. I recommend it; it seems fully unisex.

I’m not sure what I feel when smelling this… I like it and dislike it equally. I detect an extremely fleshy pear plus leather. That’s about it. Searching hard, I find some floral and rose accords, but they don’t shine. The result is strident, shrill, synthetic… I don’t think I’ll buy it. It evokes things in me, and that I like; it’s different from everything I own, which I also like, but the scent doesn’t enchant me (not even a little). Quite versatile and very unisex.