FRAGRANCE | Cupid MVI EDP: Not for the faint of heart

For several months this was tucked away in one of my drawers. It was a blind buy and I already forgot how it smelled like, to be honest. All I know is that I was saving it for colder days because it was quite strong and heavy. And then I uncapped it and I was instantly reminded why.

Cupid MVI opens really strong. And I mean beast mode-strong, so caution on the sprayer there. You may think of a cute, winged baby shooting arrows at people's hearts but no, it punches you in the face right upon meeting you. There is absolutely nothing romantic here. It's leathery, animalic, and with practically no glossing over. There's a woody undertone plus some hints of spiciness in the beginning, but all that are simply drowned out by the unapologetic, animalic leather.

There's a hint of sourness somewhere at the start, probably from the oud, which further amplifies Cupid MVI's pungency, itself growing disconcertingly stronger by the minute. I'm reminded of Diptyque's Oud Palao here in all its pungent, animalic glory. I had a little fun and let the cats smell it. All of them did a second take, maybe confused as to what it is. The looks on their faces ranged from bewilderment to downright disdain. Curiously enough, two of them ended up licking my hand; I don't know why.

Let me just segue to how great the presentation is for this fragrance. I totally dig the very sturdy, faux leather-wrapped box—complete with stitching, by the way—and the commanding, elegant bottle. While the wraparound leather label has a tendency to slouch over time because of the material, not once does it take away from the bottle's beauty. And that oversize cap definitely seals the deal (pun intended), providing character and some added oomph.

After a few hours the scent finally starts to mellow but only in terms of projection. That primal, acrid accord, that cat piss smell, that barnyard leather—they haven't changed a bit—except that I get a wee bit of sweetness far in the background.

Clearly this isn't a scent for everybody. It's something probably only fragrance connoisseurs will appreciate. Even then, not all of them will. I admire the artistry in the composition but I still keep second-guessing myself about wearing it in public. However, I just need to remind myself that if I was able to confidently rock that cumin overload of a fragrance that is Diptyque L'Autre, then wearing Cupid MVI shouldn't be that big of a next step.

P.S. MVI comes from Cupid Perfumes, a French niche perfumery house. I'm not sure, though, if they're still in business since their website appears to be no longer updated and their last social media posts date back to February 2017.