Cape Heartache by Imaginary Authors

Photosource: Imaginary Authors

I've cosied up on a cold spring day. It's Sunday and I'm not going anywhere, so my thoughts kept going to sample fragrances that might not be that work-appropriate. My nose has become so accustomed to smelling fragrances in all shapes and sizes - good, bad, weird, unpleasant, potent, feminine, masculine, you name it, and I sometimes forget that people around me might not be ready for what's in store in niche fragrances that can smell like burned wood, ink or even blood!

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I remembered sniffing Cape Heartache a while back and I must review it before the sample goes bad. I remembered it being quite masculine-leaning too and thought it wouldn't fly wearing it at work any time soon.

Cape Heartache is, to my surprise, different from what I remember. I have smelled it once, I have smelled it twice. Might even thrice, but I have never, and I mean never, been able to smell the strawberry that should be at the top. I even talked with fellow fraghead, Pawel from Shave My Day, who found the strawberry elusive whereas I could not smell it at all.

Lo and behold, I sprayed Cape Heartache on my wrists and the first think I could smell and have been smelling for a while, is a juicy strawberry.

It might be the fact that I'm drinking a sweet wine and the palatable sweetness enhances the olfactory sweetness in the perfume, but I love and absolutely adore the contrast of strawberry and rough fir wood that I have finally been able to smell.

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After considerable dry down, Cape Heartache reveals a base of woody notes and just a slight note of strawberry. The fragrance is still very masculine, but not as polarising as I remembered it being. A reviewer said that it smells like the scent of strawberry vapor amongst a misty forest and I couldn't agree more! I would love to smell this fragrance on a male and I am sure I can persuade my partner to wear it at some point. The masculine woodiness and sweetness from the strawberry is a wonderful mix.

Cape Heartache is, close to the skin, a resinous, smokey woody fragrance with incense-like depth and sweetness. It is somewhat synthetic, but not unpleasant. Not a love, but a definite like. 

During the day I did come to the conclusion that this fragrance can be too cloying. The deep woodiness is only close to the skin. Surprisingly, I can only smell a synthetic sweet vape strawberry on myself and only when smelling my wrist, the woodiness is detectable. 

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The next day, I sat where I was writing this review and it was as if the strawberry from Cape Heartache still lingered around. The scent, even though just from yesterday, almost felt nostalgic. Cape Heartache is an experience, one that I would love to try again!