STRANGELOVE NYC
fallintostars EDP

2019

PERFUMER
Christophe Laudamiel

jonquil
indian oud
rosewood
amber
pink pepper

‘love without boundaries…fallintostars (Fall Into Stars)
fallintostars propels a mystical experience of boundless wonder, as lovers transcend time and space to journey into a parallel universe. This dazzling fragrance ignites the smoldering flame of their passion, incandescent as a meteor shower that lights up the night. Honeyed notes of jonquil nectar bring a delicate sparkle to the enveloping drama of pure Indian oud, the deep sensuality of rosewood, the powerful warmth of amber and the rose-inflected sweetness of pink peppers.’ – StrangeLove

Fallintostars is a beautiful sweet, woody mix, but not one that stands out the most to me. Within the Strangelove collection, I ended up finding Fallintostars a more mundane end-result, than its notes would suggest.

I’ve heard wildly varying reviews for this one and they don’t all line-up with mine. In particular, the most forward facet that I get in Fallintostars is a patchouli-type scent. Slightly spicy, slightly sweet, but earthy patchouli. Not a green one, completely woody. It’s very likely that the rosewood, which I’m less familiar with on its own, creates this or the oud. I have to say that Fallintostars wears different from Indian ouds that I’ve smelled prior. No skanky opening, which means I’m missing some acidity and brightness here (which I do get from Deadofnight). There’s no daring side to this to my nose.

The scent that I do get is pleasant, especially as someone who’s not always the biggest fan of that type of earthier woodiness; this does it very well. It never comes across as too harsh, nor too light. It’s smooth, classy, a tad mysterious and contemplative. There a bit of that wet wood and mud after rain vibe in here, but it’s softened and rounded, so it doesn’t have the negative connotations that I have with muddy (cashmeran overdosed) fragrances. I can picture a bit of suede at some point in the wear. With an ambery warmth that’s very welcome to keep it from becoming too stark.

However, this type of scent I appreciate a lot more with the citrussy florals in a Jazeel Ghala, the spicier, cola-amber tinge from Areej Le Dore History Of Indonesian Oud or a sweeter animalic Roja Parfums de la Nuit 1.

Fallintostars is a mature scent that’s in a way surprisingly subtle, given that it’s almost exclusively woodiness that I get from it and the performance seems excellent. It smells majestic as is; there is a depth to the scent, but that scent is pretty much the only thing that I get (if that makes any sense). I miss the excitement of a punchier opening, or more pronounced florals, a more differentiating drydown. Having worn it before and neither time did the jonquil/narcissus do as much as I wanted it to. Other reviews have mentioned a sour or strongly floral component, but I fail to detect those. It transitions from soft earthy wood, to perhaps a spicier, older wood on my skin and subtle nuances.