FRAGRANCE | On the 'brighter' side of the spectrum with Mond Parfum Extrait by Slumberhouse

Getting a bottle of Slumberhouse can be annoyingly difficult because each batch—in limited quantities of course—sells out really fast. But as luck would have it, I was able to score a bottle of its 2021 release Mond, which, as expected, sold out as well. After it sat idly for some time, I was finally able to give it a full wear. 

Mond immediately bursts with a handsome honey and tobacco combination, ferried by a bit of booze, a dash of warm spices, and a contrasting fruity flavor. It reminds me somehow of Penhaligon's Roaring Radcliff except that Mond is far denser and with a lot more going on. Although thick, it's relatively brighter than other Slumberhouse releases, which I credit largely to that pleasant, fruity accord. However, it still doesn't qualify as a hot summer day's wear, especially since the sweetness does throw its weight around. But since the dried tobacco wafts around prominently in all its bitter glory, the scent never gets cloying. 

At some point, I also get a faint, creamy nuance up close but it never manages to really surface, nor does it last long. With all the food-based notes here, it's as if the fragrance has this alternate gourmand persona although I wouldn't call this a gourmand at all. For all its complexity, I don't see a definite evolution here. However, I thoroughly enjoy how the fragrance reveals different facets of its composition at random, leaving me guessing what's next. But at the end of it all, it's the honeyed tobacco that endures, with minute traces of all these various elements lingering in whispers.

As with practically any Slumberhouse frag, Mond performs remarkably well. It lasts a really long time on skin, with solid projection for about two hours before gradually waning. Its scent profile has a strong masculine slant and is most apt for colder temperatures. It's not a crowd pleaser but for those who can appreciate it, Mond is a superb composition worth trying.