Longexact's Review of Golconda by JAR

I was skeptical, but the JAR hype is valid. This is exceptional. There are three primary facets to Golconda, all painted in raw materials of the highest quality: carnation, some other floral that I can't identify, and a remarkable dirt/rot note that reminds me of I Hate Perfume's Black March. This tension between beauty and ugliness is a through line in most of JAR's fragrances - see also the hair-raising indoles of Jardenia and the spice/dill/deep leather notes in Shadow. It takes serious confidence to marry A+ quality raw materials with notes that could alienate possible customers, but this contrast works wonderfully in Golconda and Shadow. (It doesn't work so well for me in Jardenia, which I find kind of horrifying.)

As for the price - yeah, Golconda is really expensive, but there's nothing else out there like it. There are other spicy florals that have a similar structure (CdG red series, Aedes de Venustas Oeillet Bengale, Amouage Opus IX) but none of them are as beautiful as this, or as long-lasting - I get almost 24 hours out of two small dabs to the skin.

See all reviews of Golconda by JAR...