Thomas de Monaco: The Discovery Set

I had the feeling of opening a letter.

The entire aesthetic of Thomas de Monaco’s offerings is nothing short of amazing. A tactile experience, that stimulates senses even way before ever smelling any of the fragrances. A foreplay of the imaginary kind, a build-up of anticipation and curiosity.

TDM is about to launch the new Ultima Storia fragrance, which, at the time of writing this article, is not yet released, thus it is not included in the set. If I am to get my hands on a sample, I will update this article.

RAW GOLD. SOL SALGADO. FUEGO FUTURO. EAU COEUR. GRAND BEAU.

This is the order in which I found them arranged. Some I knew from back when they were first released as limited first editions. More precisely Raw Gold, Grand Beau and Eau Coeur. I revisited with great pleasure, since these samples were of the new iterations that were released. All three, Raw Gold, Grand Beau and Eau Coeur, have since been released as non-limited versions with newly designed bottles. They haven’t suffered modifications from the original formulas – at least not significantly. Grand Beau would be one that steers a bit from the initial release – I detect a bit of a sweeter dry down and a tad less seaweed notes. Even so, I still see it as a raw, natural beauty as it was initially conceived. But let’s start from the beginning, shall we?

RAW GOLD

This is my favorite fragrance from TDM. Raw Gold is like that feeling of being in love. A profound, crazy, deep love that makes you do things you never thought you were capable of. Runaway from home with a convertible, hit the road with no destination, buy two one way plane tickets with no return, live life to the fullest by the day and when you lay your head on the cold pillow and you wrap your arms around the one that’s dreaming next to you, rest assured that your story does not happen by chance. Raw Gold is like a predestined romance, one that you’ve been eager to experience ever since teenage years, when you used to fall in love with anyone who caught your glimpse for more than a fraction of a second, when you used to think that anyone that smiled your way had something for you. Your heart was like a free prize giveaway – all you had to do to get it was subscribe. No random winner picks, no lottery. Today you know better – you’d never give your trust and love away for a mere fling. No sir. But if and when you do, it’s for good.

This one has a special place in my heart. It is the only fragrance that when I smell, it gives me a physical reaction. When I put my nose to it, my jaw automatically becomes softer, and I feel like I can’t help myself from feeling a tingle in my knees. I can’t explain it, and I don’t even need to, because I think you get it.

SOL SALGADO

Sol Salgado is the dreamy one, to me. A floral, soft creation that I’d love to smell on someone next to me, especially while watching on of those piercing, perfect red sunsets. The smell of linden and mimosa are dear to me, deeply rooted in my past and evoke warm memories, of times when I felt safe, protected, cared for. It has a slight saltiness to it, and in the drydown, it settles to a cozy, soft floral that is hard to resist if you’re a lover of floral oriented scents. Ultimately it has this clean effect, as if you’re resting in the cleanest linen sheets in the world – that crispy clean floral freshness. I can’t see myself wearing this one, since I find it does not represent me necessarily, and mostly because I find it as a perfect scent to enjoy by me, on someone else’s skin.

FUEGO FUTURO

Now, Fuego Futuro is a whole different story. I can’t help but wonder at the profound feeling of calmness that this one evokes for me. Could it be the strong sage facet? Could it be the ashy characteristic? Could it be the mate? I think it’s the mate tea that does it for me, because I’m a big fan of this note – the dusty / slightly green & dry, earthy character of this note makes me want to cuddle up to it and go crazy like cats do with a bag of catnip. I lose it over this note. And having it mixed up with a smoky incense in the finish, makes this fragrance a stay-at-home shamanic trip to the deep forests where immense sage bushes grow untouched and bless the uncharted dark corners of the wilderness. Fuego Futuro is like the sacred smoke that floats above a place where rituals are practiced. It’s like the feeling you get after you wish upon a star that splits the dark horizon in two. My second favorite release from Thomas de Monaco.

EAU COEUR

Eau Coeur is a frenchie, no doubt. There is absolutely no doubt that Eau Coeur looks a you with nonchalant, yet inviting eyes underneath a french beret, while holding a baguette and a glass of red wine with a black and white horizontal striped shirt. Intense, heady florals and the musky, tonka sweetness that dresses everything up in the base, makes it such a lush creation. It feels just like it feels when the word pluie rolls off the tongue when pronounced by the sensual voice of a native french speaker. Not my style, but I can understand why floral fans would go mad about it. It’s profoundly sexy.

GRAND BEAU

This is my third favorite. Actually, I’m having an extremely difficult time deciding if it sits in second place and shares the seat with Fuego Futuro, or if it finally gave up the fight and took the next place – not very far from the second though. In the past three days, I’ve been spraying both Fuego and Grand Beau and I can’t say I love one more than the other. This one has a more elegant, sober, deluxe approach in style, but it’s like a super stylish friend that doesn’t shy away from acting like a totally informal, crazy person even when dressed up for the opera. It has manners as if it’s an etiquette expert that can act perfectly natural around royalty, but can instantly switch to a personality similar to Christopher Walken’s attitude in Fatboy Slim’s Weapon of Choice video. The Seaweed in this one gives it a slight animalic, twisted facet that is like a dirty converse worn alongside a super expensive costume. I love it so much, because I sometimes find myself in this style. It welcomes you with a blast of juniper as if you spilled a whole bottle of gin on your shirt. Right after, you get some pine needle notes and the seaweed slowly peaks its head, while the rest of the notes do their magic and settle it in a miraculous slightly fresh, slightly green, slightly salty, slightly oceanic fragrance that lasts and lasts for hours on end on the skin. It’s divine. I love it. Every day I try it, I discover a new facet to it.

The Discovery Set I presented here was sent to me by the lovely team at TDM. This is article was not paid for. As I always say and as you can read in the “About” section, I would never write things I don’t believe in or that are not true for me. Whenever you see a video here, photos or articles about fragrances, know that it is because I love those creations and I wear them, and because they inspire me to do so. If I’m not inspired by a fragrance, I can’t be creative around and about it. That’s just how my creativity works. I need to believe in what I create and write.

If you want to experience Thomas de Monaco, you can do so locally (if you are from Romania) at nicheparfumerie.ro in Bucharest & Timisoara, or find the seller closest to you on: https://www.thomasdemonaco.com/stores