Lubin say:
UPPER TEN is an homage to what American poet Nathaniel Parker called back in 1852 “the ten thousand that matter”: this informal group referred to 10,000 of the most powerful and visionary men who decided to join their efforts to build the economic and industrial supremacy of the United States and establish its influence around the world
Lubin previously had a fragrance named Upper Ten, launched in the twenties, but this is apparently a completely new scent.
Upper Ten (new) fragrance notes
Head
- cinnamon, cardamom
Heart
- cedarwood, sandalwood, geranium, leather
Base
- amber, musk
Where to buy
Latest Reviews of Upper Ten (new)
The musky, leathery notes keep it masculine and a little "sweaty", tempered with several sweet and spicy notes. It's nicely blended, quite sexy even, evoking a single man in his prime and out on the town. A little too "animal" for day-wear, but would be great on Saturday nights.
Solid fragrance all around. Starts off dry and woody, like a sauna. The drydown reveals some slightly sweetened spices and florals. There is also a Javanol-pepperiness that reminds me of Wonderwood. There's a heaviness to it that feels like it's best for cooler weather. With only a few sprays, this performed well with sneaky good projection that keeps coming back to your nose without effort. Longevity is also good, lasts all day.
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Reading the notes, I initially thought this would be a train crash. They hit the brakes on this one. I get a slightly spiced wood with a fruit note in there somewhere. The leather makes it darker than I thought it would be. Kind of earthy in a nice way.Not bad, just not for me.6.5/10
Upper Ten's marketing backstory about the 10,000 powerful visionaries who made America great is a lot more interesting than the scent itself which on first few impressions felt somewhat derivative, reminiscent of 1980s' designer masculine blends of floral talcy-musky woods and fresh spices. Like a tamer (lamer?) version of Drakkar Noir or Anthracite pour Homme.Overall I thought it smells and performs decently enough to wear but for a Lubin, it inevitably falls short of critics' expectations. Neither did it win points for spinning a historic yarn to mask its clear lack of originality and cheap, synthetic construction.
In case anyone wishes to convince themselves of this fragrance's superior'quality', I have the taken the liberty to list down the official notes. But in my humble estimation, Upper 10 fails to register any higher than 6 or 6.5 out of 10. I suppose that means we'll have to wait longer before anyone makes America great again.
TOP:
Italian bergamot, bay rose, saffron, juniper berry
HEART:
Cinnamon, cardamom, peach, orange blossom,
geranium
BASE:
Cedar, sandalwood, leather, patchouli, white musk, dry amber