FRAGRANCE | 'aftdrk' Extrait de Parfum (by mvrn Perfumes x Scents | Lifestyle | Fitness): A sensual gourmand to delight the senses

aftrdrk is a limited edition collab between local indie house mvrn Parfums and Filipino fragrance vlogger Alex of Scents | Lifestyle | Fitness. I skipped the sampling stage and went ahead with a full bottle. It comes in mvrn's standard triple packaging—a wax-sealed box housing a smaller box that, in turn, houses a pouch that holds the bottle—which is amazing, considering how inexpensive it is (Php 1,495 for a 50ml bottle). Yes, all of their full bottles are like this, and I always appreciate the effort put into presentation in fragrances.

Right at the onset, aftrdrk fills the air with the strong and unmistakable aroma of coffee. Although it's sweetened by hazelnut syrup (much like your go-to fancy coffee shop drink), the bitterness is palpable. I love coffee, so this definitely pleased my senses. While not the same scent, the sweet and coffee combo reminds me a bit of Al-Rehab's French Coffee. But while I was taking it all in, I was thrown off for a second when lavender entered the picture. I found the resulting combination dissonant. I guess the freshness didn't quite work with the coffee for me.

Thankfully, all this was followed closely by chocolate, which drowned out the lavender in no time. Meanwhile, a musky undertone slowly develops while the sweetness from the hazelnut and chocolate continue wafting through the air. The coffee remains prominent but its inherent bitterness doesn't fly as much and seems to behave as its own layer that sits closer to the skin. An hour or two later, the sweetness loses its hazelnut flavor and for a brief moment, turns into vanilla.

As the fragrance's projecting power starts waning, the scent becomes muskier. The sweetened coffee and chocolate are still very much around, though, except that they're now acting more like flavoring agents to the musk. Maybe this is how Al-Rehab's Choco Musk ought to have smelled like because that one is more vanilla than either chocolate or musk. 

On clothes, however, it's a totally different story because it's still very much the coffee and chocolate that I smell. I guess it would be a good idea to spray both on skin and on clothes so you get the best of both worlds. Either way, the scent lasts for hours, much longer on clothes of course. aftrdrk is very much a unisex gourmand given a sensual edge by musk. Because the accords are inherently heavy, I see it best suited for evenings and in temperature-controlled settings. Overall, this is worth trying.