Imaginary Authors Memoirs of a Trespasser Eau de Parfum

6 Reviews

1. 

   dreadfulBasmati5

   Reply

   This is a subtle, smoky vanilla, very pleasant. It’s quite similar to Maison Margiela’s Replica—By the Fire, which I prefer just a tiny bit more. If you like sweet, you’ll like this, but it’s not cloying. Nice cool weather scent.

2. 

   peskySnipe0

   Reply

   Started off as a gourmand perfume-y vanilla, followed by a very long powder drydown. Longevity was good and this wasn’t offensive by any means, but this isn’t what I want to smell like.

3. 

   goofyOrange1

   Reply

   This one started as a super smoky gaiacwood, or something like that reminds me strongly of a favorite smokey coriander/cedar soap I used to have, with a smooth, warm base, and I loved it. It dried through a leather stage a bit too close to English Leather for me with a vetiver feel, so I smelled kind of like my Grandpa. It was very masculine at that point, with powdery whiffs of masculine old style cologne, like Avon’s Wild Country (which on me is love’s Baby Soft for men), and it’s pleasant but not what I want to smell like. Then it dried ultimately to a lovely soft vanilla and wood dry down that ended up as a sweeter version of my beloved Bois d’Armenie. It was a great journey but not a keeper for me, as the wood notes were just a bit too loud and the powder too pronounced.

4. 

   spiritedPonie3

   Reply

   To be fair I tested Memoirs of a Trespasser twice along with 4 other fragrances from this line. Applied lightly Memoirs is a basic vanilla with a little smokiness and nothing to write home about. But a decent testing reveals it for what it is: burning tires, burning wood mixed with an average vanilla to somehow smooth it out. This is their most popular fragrance and though it may appeal to those that like more “weird” scents, from my experience of what I’ve tried of their line, they are very overrated. The packaging is beautiful and the price point not too bad for niche but highly, highly recommend trying these first before committing to even the 14ml decant. Have a feeling that they react very differently in regards to skin chemistry and that my skin is pulling out the burning rubber tires note at the forefront. This one also leans more masculine. There are still a few I want to try from this line but if they all have that bad base note I’ll wait till I can get them with a niche sample group. Please, please try this before you buy. It’s definitely not a safe blind buy.

5. 

   somberRat3

   Reply

   I think that the previous review for this scent is perfect.
   I have trouble wearing a lot of woodsmoke/smoky scents, just because I find them harsh and suffocating when they’re so realistic. Memoirs of a Trespasser is smoky and realistic (brings to mind burning birch logs, firecrackers and burning notebook paper), but somehow not at all harsh, sharp, bitter, or overwhelming. There’s a beautiful, warm sweetness from the vanilla and resins, but it doesn’t even come close to being cloying on me and the vanilla doesn’t overpower the other notes. As it dries down, there’s a soft sweetness that makes me think of roasting marshmallows.. but over a warm, slightly spicy, sexy sort of campfire. The balance of wood, resin, sweetness and smoke is perfect, in my opinion. This is also one of those scents that smells great on me and amazing on my husband. I just have a sample for now, but I think I’m going to have to order a full bottle in the near future. The warmth to this will make it a great fall & winter fragrance, especially. It’s like wearing the scent of fire, in an idealized sort of way.

6. 

   debonairSheep0

   Reply

   The Imaginary Authors concept is truly unique. Each fragrance is a title of a book written by an imaginary author, with descriptions to match. I have a few samples that I haven’t gotten around to, but I’ve totally fallen in love with Memoirs of a Trespasser. The author’s description and back story are very clever; more info on the website imaginary authors dot com (not affiliated, obviously.) Here’s the notes: Madagascar Vanilla, Guaiacwood, Myrrh, Benzoin Resin, Ambrette Seeds & Oak Barrels. I smell a sweet, smoldering camp fire; wood smoke without birch tar or any bitterness, like the oak barrels listed have been set on fire and burned down to coals. The vanilla isn’t too sweet, but it’s dark gold an resin-y and present throughout. The drydown becomes a soft, sultry whisper of woods and myrrh. Despite the heavy sounding notes, this isn’t especially heavy, but a warm presence full of curling tendrils of wood smoke wrapped around vanilla. Modest sillage and excellent longevity, totally addictive. Highly recommend!