Royal Cologne - 3.3 oz.

$10.00 at The Fragrance Outlet (reference price $42.00)

Where most masculines lean on a citrus preamble, Cuba Royal Cologne skips it entirely, Virginia cedar alone carrying the top dry, sharp and unmistakably woody. Vanilla and olibanum follow into the centre, the frankincense lending a faintly sacred, resinous smoke while the vanilla keeps it warm rather than austere. Tobacco holds the base alone, rich, leafy and faintly sweet, the only note still standing after the first hour. Cedar and tobacco share a common dryness, and against them the vanilla reads as depth rather than sweetness, quiet, assured and unmistakably rich. Best kept for boardroom meetings and quiet confidence, Royal Cologne from Cuba earns its place there as a woody amber Eau de Toilette. Few fragrances balance ease and character the way Royal Cologne does.

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