I very much enjoy it myself, smells like the woods in England after a rainfall and you just grabbed a piece of wood off the damp ground. I prefer this and EN Sport over the OG, and this is a very economical alternative to fill the GPH I slot. Just blind-bought this / opened the box and sprayed for the first time with great anxiety about the challenging / polarizing aspects described in reviews/videos/comments/impressions that filled my brain.

I’m always reticent if something is targeted at men because the traditional masculine style isn’t my style The good thing about niche/indie and even the boutique collections of the big brands, is that they are not divided by gender. In the heart notes of Encre Noire à l’Extrême, this woody palette is enhanced by two of the noblest materials in perfumery.

Biggest difference between it and the original is in the opening 15-20mins when the incense and orris are most prominent.

The smell is high quality and complex, dark masculin and mysterieuse, but there is something funky about it, like rotten fruit. Probably not the first thing you should get, but if you’re a bit bored of your usual dna, this is a pretty great thing to expand your horizon with.Definitely a unique addition to my collection that reminds me that love of fragrance is an interesting hobby.

The initial blast was really quite green, with a “blackish” quality I enjoyed a lot (and it did actually remind me a bit of the smell of the type of Chinese solid ink you grind on a stone). The base is very much like the original Encre Noire with notes of sandalwood, patchouli and Siam benzoin.Which is why I don't wear this very often - it's like a masterpiece of a sad song or a masterpiece of a sad drama -- they are absolute genius works of art, and exactly that is why they make you feel that "post-movie sadness" or "song-induced sadness" -- one of the reasons I actively avoid sad movies and very rarely listen to sad songs. Projection, longevity on my skin was exactly as you can find in many of the reviews, but suddenly the perfume started to underperform? Surely it's too intense to wear to a summer BBQ or a day at the office, but for other occasions, go ahead! I tried it again a few days after the initial test and had the same reaction, I lasted about 45 minutes before and I had to scrub.

This one is a lot smoother, still has a dark but fresher vibe, some would say more appealing than the og. I feel the main difference between the two is that the Extreme version is fairly balsamic, with a very noticeable incense note. More powerful, richer and even more voluptuous, the woody intensity of this fragrance reveals a fascinating new side of the Encre Noire man’s personality…manly and sensual.The intensity of those deep woods and vetiver are unlike anything I’ve experienced before, they envelop you in the mysteries of the night, in it’s intoxicating darkness. Hence if you've experienced that afer release, and you know it could last longer and project more, don't bother. The first hour you get nice projection then it goes close to the skin and later on kind of comes back for some reason, which is odd but cool too.