Exit The King

A soapy rose working in reverse. Or, as the brand puts it: "A fragrance inspired by the fall of (patriarchal) power — because nothing can rule us.... The fall of the Kings is the fall of all the forces that oppress us and prevent us from moving forward. In order for a King to fall, an infinite number of little kingdoms must collapse: family, time, love, work, toxic ex-lovers, the patriarchy, the obligations to be sad, capital, the obligation to be happy, anguish, sex and everything else that alienates us and prevents us from being truly free." Hmm. Well, the ending list of things that "must collapse" include some of importance to my own personal fulfillment, so, I guess, "speak for yourself, ELdO," and patriarchal doesn't allow inclusion of the oppressive and tyrannical reigns of Queen Mary I, Queen Isabella I, or the like, nor does it account for the gray area occupied by the likes of Catherine the Great, who overthrew her ruling husband by bloody military coup but went on to give Russia its own political, cultural, and discipline-related Renaissance, moving the country to be less backward in its governance, pushing for better women's rights, and placing emphasis on education, arts, and sciences. Does that forgive a violent military coup that resulted in yet another monarchal reign? Does the end justify the means? Does sacrifice always justify gains? Does the protagonist's sex justify the means? Anyway, I'm digressing. Ignore all of that. Back to the only part of the perfume that is worth any attention: a soapy rose constructed to play-out in reverse. (And to earlier points, a rose soap perfume would probably make more sense in the context of a matriarchal/queen-centric creative brief, no?)

I got a 15ml tester of Exit the King because the name intrigued me. I finished EtK way faster than I thought I would, then I purchased the 50ml bottle, and I've just emptied it today. Most people won't like the way it smells upon first spray, due to the sharpness of the aldehyde combined with the spiciness of the pepper and timur. Personally, I love the way it smells; it's heavy on the soap but dries down to a nice floral scent that stays with you for a pretty long time. The floral scent might remind people of their grandmas? Listen, I was born and raised in Hong Kong, old people here smell like menthol and camphor (which I also like), so I don’t really associate the scent with the elderly. But I like it; it's super comforting to me, like a fabric softener lol. I like the ambroxan because it adds an airy touch to the scent, but my friend said it smelled a little like a plasticky magazine, so maybe that and the industrial soap smell might be off-putting for some. I usually like spraying this onto my pyjamas after I change into them, or onto my clothes before I leave for work. On skin, it lasts about ~5-6 hrs, and on fabric, i.e., a winter coat or scarf, it lasts longer than a workday.

A very aldehydic soapy fragrance, which I am generally not a huge fan of. It is still pretty nice though, as it is more than just soap. It's a bit darker and more complex with the addition of rose, patchouli, and some oakmoss. However, it has a very synthetic background which I can only really describe as grape candy? This same synthetic "note" is one that's also found in Summer Hammer by Lorenzo Pazzaglia, but this one smells more of dryer sheets. Both Summer Hammer and this one have it, and I don't know what it is, but it stings the nostrils a bit and just smells fake. It's not bad though; it's a pretty easy and clean smelling wear. You just have to like this general brand of fragrance.

I love a soapy fragrance that isn't your standart laundry or bath foam scent. This smells like a mossy peppery rose on my skin. Lilly of the valley gives it a honey-like accord. It definitely reminds me of Soir de Lune by Sisley (one of my favorite fragrances of all time, the chypre of all chypres in my humble opinion) but it's more modern and clean. ELDO has some major hits and some disappointments, but this is a very well executed unique chypre. It suits every occasion, gender or season. It's a timeless clean and fresh scent with some edge. I adore it.

This is beaaautifull, a fresh clean rose scent. in the opening this is a very fresh and soapy , just out of the shower type scent. I would describe it as a "typical blue scent" but then it turns more mature with a good amount of rose and a bit spicy. After a couple of hours it gets to this clean musky rose that sits very light on my skin. To me this is the best summery rose fragnance i have smelled yet. Its perfectly blended in my opinion.