Sandy Papyrus Eau de Parfum by Massimo Dutti

It’s a rare scent, a ‘soft spicy masculine TM’ vibe. The opening is slightly repetitive (it doesn’t quite reach the citrus or airy heights of Creed Aventus, and it’s not entirely new), yet you can’t help but keep smelling it without knowing why. After ten minutes, it starts to open up; subtle notes emerge (neither overpowered nor invisible, they stand out quite a bit) against that more generic base. A warmer, more sensual air gradually envelops the fragrance, staying in the background. This is when you realise why you couldn’t look away: all those hidden notes create a soft, light symphony in perfect harmony with the initial base. It’s incredible. Every now and then, flashes of the spicy base arrive alongside a new aroma that fits and complements perfectly. I suppose that’s what people mean by ‘olfactory experience’. The most striking thing is how ‘soft’ the scent is. It’s not an experience that will overpower nearby perfumes, overwhelm, or attack those who don’t like it. No, it’s gentle, warm, almost ethereal; you know the perfume is there, you smell it, the notes reach you… but it feels like a complement to the person wearing it, not the protagonist. It’s not a scent you’d associate with a specific person, but rather a person you’d associate with this scent. Finally, what I liked most is that it dries down to a smell of, literally, papyrus. A smell of quality paper, walking through a library in a European mansion, evoking someone with vast academic knowledge. All of this within one or two hours. From the third hour onwards, the perfume turns towards a closer, more intimate side. I can’t define an exact duration; for me, it lasted perfectly for eight hours on skin and fabrics, even after washing them. A crucial note on the term ‘sensual’: the fragrance isn’t ‘sexy’. It’s not a Creed Aventus, nor a Carolina Herrera 212 VIP. It’s not the TM scent a young man (or an older gentleman) wears to go out at night or on a date. It’s a scent that catches attention and makes you want to know more about the person wearing it. It invites both of you to solve the puzzle: both the perfume, and the man or woman. It’s a masculine perfume (I don’t see it as unisex, though it wouldn’t clash on a woman), super original, with a clean scent that evokes a date with an intellectual you met at university or in a snob café in your city. It’s a warm, sensual, slightly enigmatic aroma, perfect for autumn-winter afternoons and evenings (I would stay completely away from it in summer or closed-in spring. Maximum temperature 17-18°C, and that’s a hard limit). I consider the price perfect (even cheap. I don’t know why, but I associate it with costing between 60 and 100 euros).

Massimo Dutti differentiates itself from Zara not just in price, but in quality and status; Sandy Papyrus, a 2018 launch that is back in fashion, caught my attention for being very different from my usual style and yet attracting me. The alcoholic opening disappears quickly, revealing cardamom, sweet sandalwood, delicious patchouli, and fresh basil with an exquisite touch of dried orange. It has a salty note reminiscent of Gucci Guilty Eau De Parfum without being the same, creating a similar vibe. It is a fine and elegant aroma, ideal for mornings and afternoons, with good longevity and projection that make people notice you.