Perfume Pen Pals: Ramon Monegal Umbra (Part Two)



Katie,

I wore Ramon Monegal Umbra for a run (I love testing fragrances when I run -- they seem more heightened), and it's good. Though not for running. It's like running in an ascot.

Dan prepares for his run.

I like it because it barely smells like vetiver. It's more of a classy, discreet men's cologne. It smells old-fashioned, low-key, dry and just slightly sweet, paired with a straightforward vetiver. I can actually pick out a few of the listed notes: definitely the geranium, black pepper and tonka. And vetiver, of course. (If there's vetiver in a formula, you can bet the whole will smell of it.) But it's less pronounced than is typical of most vetiver fragrances.


Ramon Monegal Umbra: classy and discreet.

Still, I think it's neither a good buy for someone with lots of fragrances nor for someone with few, because it's not sufficiently interesting. And for someone who loves vetiver, I don't know that it's sufficiently vetiver. It's a pretty good masculine scent in a world where there are a hundred better choices. What's the musical equivalent of that? Suede?





It's less good than Suede, I think. Ride? Remember Ride? They were good, but I bet you barely remember them. That's Umbra.

Dan

P.S. The Nickelback comparison was unfair to Umbra and I now regret that. It's classier than Nickelback. And also not nearly as successful. Sometimes my analogies are a complete bust. (He says as Katie nods and rolls her eyes.)



Read Ramon Monegal Umbra (Part One) here.

Umbra, and the rest of the Ramon Monegal line, is available at LuckyScent.com at $185 for 50ml

14 comments:

  1. Howdy Dan: HALLELUJAH!!!!!~ An outstanding review as always. Sir Dan, as far as I am concerned your word is GOSPEL, bbbbbbaaaaaayyyyyyyby – I want to personally say THANK YOU for sparing me $200 on a fragrance that is eeehhhh…… It is alright. Nothing great!!!~ Thank you for trying it out for all of us and giving us the courtesy HEADS UP!!!~ I loved when you said it was like running with an ascot. I literally choked on my ginger ale when I read that. You are hysterical.

    Again, Thank you for getting back to all of us who were waiting on the edge of our seats. As I recall there were some YouTube reviews from people saying they were not that impressed with it either for that price range.

    For all you folks out there, Luckyscent.com has afforded us the luxury of trying out the scent with a $4 sample if you feel it might float your boat. We love you LUCKYSCENT!!!~

    I want you and Katie to know that I respect your opinions, thoughts and recommendations on these fragrances vey, very highly. Over the years, you two have NEVER, EVER steered me wrong and to that, I am beyond grateful!!!~

    Hope you and Katie are having a glorious summer!!!~

    ciao…………

    Respectfully yours,
    Byron.............

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Ginger ale is great, isn't it, Byron? I could drink nothing but ginger ale for the rest of my life and not complain. (Who am I kidding? I'd start complaining the moment I craved grape soda.) Have you ever worn Demeter Gingerale? It's not nearly as good as drinking ginger ale, but when I like a beverage, I go all-in.

      And, yes, for me Umbra is not worth it at full-price. But it's not bad. It's so "not bad but not worth the price" that it was difficult coming around to saying anything about it. Good thing I don't do this for a living.

      How are you Byron? What are you wearing and loving these days?

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    2. Please tell me that you style your hair like the man with the ascot in Katie' picture.

      Please.

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    3. Nora, The only thing about that man that resembles me is his unruffled elegance.

      Hair aside, I'm most envious of the apparent porthole in his living room. How cool is that?

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    4. They call it a porthole because that man actually has his port delivered to him that way on a weekly basis. Kind of like the milk man would do. Only it's port.

      THAT'S unruffled elegance.

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  2. I wouldn't be nearly as interested in fragrance without Katie's blog. She always keeps it entertaining.

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    1. Oh yeah, and Dan, too.

      I'm a jerk!

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    2. You're not a jerk. If there weren't mirrors in my home, I'd probably forget about me, too.

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  3. The viewer mails are some of my faves. The post about Jerry's plaid pants will forever live on in my memory.

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    1. I'm heartened by this, Nora. Because if I could impart only one thing upon fragrance wearers, it would be The Rule of the Plaid Pants. That's my "Stairway to Heaven." Or probably more accurately, my "Good Times Bad Times."

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  4. I've missed you!

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  5. Oh, Sir Dan!!!~ I am FAB–U–LOUS and trust me, I do not use the F-word lightly!!!~

    What I am currently wearing is Lagerfeld [Yes, a blast from the past], Cologne by Thierry Mugler [WOW is this stuff really ultra-clean] and Roadster by Cartier. Since Bright Angel Katie did that beautiful and intimate review of her Father’s fragrances, I am now seriously looking into Old Spice again which I haven’t worn in 45 years. Also, I am going to re-try Pierre Cardin. The stuff from the 70’s. I was going to Confession awhile back and this older gentleman was wearing it and it really smelled incredible on him. I knew within three molecules what he was wearing and it sort of fired me up to check it out again. Of course, Amazon has both of them.

    However, what I am REALLY, REALLY, REALLY loving is and I pray that you get a bottle of it. Please get a bottle of this, Dan. I am that serious about this. It is:

    PROFUMUM – Acqua Viva!!!!~ This stuff is so choice it makes me SPEECHLESS. Dan, when I wear this the people at Starbucks want to know what in the world am I wearing. The girls at the Au bon Pain in our office building want to know what in the world am I wearing. The people in my office, who never say a word to me want to know what in the world I am wearing. When I put this on, I have to be in a SUPERNATURAL mood and all the planets must be aligned. I have worn cologne for 45 years now and this one really blows people’s minds. Yes, it is ridiculously expensive, but so what – I. WANT. TO. LIVE!!!!!!~ I swear to you that it actually gets people in a great mood when they smell it. When I wear something this incredible, you must ALWAYS take a good shower and have immaculate skin right out of the shower and then apply this stuff. It only requires two (2) sprays on the chest region. If you go any more than that, it will tap everyone out around you!!!~ I love this company and it is family owned. They do all the formulations. I would love to sit down with all of them and tour their plant in Italy, have dinner and talk until the Sun comes up. They all have this European elegance that I love!!!~ Serious culture. I’m telling you it is in their DNA.

    This is the quote from their website, main page: “The perfume asks the flower: "who can tell me why I exist?". Do not lose your heart, dear Friend, in a perfect dawn you will blend your life with all the life and at the end you will know, why you exist." I JUST BLACKED OUT……………… [hyperventilating]…………. It is too much for my heart. INSTANT STENDHAL’S!!!!~

    I wish I could convey to them, how incredible they make me feel. Now, do not get me wrong. I do not like thee entire line. The two that I absolutely treasure are the Patchouli and the Acqua Viva. I have applied too much of the Patchouli and trust me, you will get the comments. So, on this line of fragrances, the quality is so superior to anything out there, other than Clive Christian, which by the way – I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HIS COLOGNES!!!! WOW to the pi r squared!!!!!~ Whew…………… They make my heart race. And I beg you not to get me started on Frederic Malle………… [again……….. SPEECHLESS]…………….

    Now, back to the ginger ale. Yes, Ginger ale is WONDERFUL. THEE only kind I drink is Schweppes. It is so dry and clean I can barely stand it. No, Dan I have never worn Demeter Ginger ale. I have tried that product line and it is too….. aaahhh…… Je ne sais quoi. I went through my Demeter phase and will not be returning to it in this lifetime. This girl at work wears that product line and it is really cute on her and she is very young, too. A lot of those scents smell great with her chemistry.

    Affectionately,
    Byron.....

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    1. Byron, I'm currently on vacation, sitting in a Zen garden by the ocean, so, between you and me, I shouldn't be writing this. But I wanted to say that I, too, own a bottle of Acqua Viva and it's a knock-out. (Often literally, if you spray too much.)

      I've mentioned it briefly to Katie a couple times but never fully got around to it. But you've inspired me and I will when I return home. I could do it here but if I spend too much time on the laptop, I'll undermine the whole point of the Zen garden.

      Never undermine Zen, Byron, that's my message for you.

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    2. GOD BLESS YOU and ENJOY!!!!!!!~

      Byron.....

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