Ego Stratis by Juliet Has a Gun Full Review: Is it worth it?

I have been waiting for Juliet Has a Gun to come up with a jaw-dropping release since their initial release, Lady vengeance back in 2006 and my interest peaked later in 2021 with the release of Not a Perfume Superdose. I like the brand’s concept and enthusiasm regarding specific notes, but to date, I need more to blow my mind away as Lady Vengeance did.

Fortunately, this year, the brand has released a new aquatic fresh floral, called Ego Stratis, with some promising and exciting notes. With this fragrance, Romano Ricci, the brand’s creator, wanted to capture many facets of a woman by peeling off the layers of her character. I appreciate the inspiration behind this scent, but I wish the fragrance could hold up just as much as its concept.

Let’s start the journey by saying that I just love the rejuvenating opening of all the citric elements. Bergamot, lemon and orange.  This trio made such an impact which not only sets the scent up for further refreshing tonality, and adds an energizing vibe to the overall package. The opening has a terrific potential to bolster your mood and pave the way for you to have a beacon of confidence. Nevertheless, I wish the scent continued the journey with the same enthusiasm as the opening.

The blueberry and peachy heart make a brief appearance but don’t make quite the lasting impression. Indeed, they add some enhanced fruity undertones for a while, but I was hoping for so much more zeal than that. I was particularly looking forward to this release because of the blueberry note in it, but I did not care for the retention of this beautiful fruity green note. 

When the heart fully divulged its facets, the chemical aroma of calone overtook the composition and made it all about itself. A point worth mentioning is that I enjoy very few aquatic marine note composition, but, in Ego Stratis, the calone gets more intense and almost musty and sea-weedy. I did not enjoy how it started to develop on my skin, and as time passed, it became a bit lacklustre for me.

The dry down, in my opinion, was the least exciting part as the overdose of ambroxan takes place in equation, not leaving a soft, woody, clean trail but rather intensify the aquatic traits of calone and make it an ultimate sterile experience for the wearer. I knew the scent was not for me minutes after wearing it because of my discomfort towards calone and the overtly implemented ambroxan. 

I wish they kept the composition relatively straightforward with a hefty dose of blueberry, a creamy undertone of peach, and pops of citric anchors followed by a fresh, clean, crisp cedar and a fuzzy, powdery white musk base. I suggest trying a sample yourself if you are a fan of the calone note and some fruity pops on top. As for now, I do not see this fragrance wearing on me, and I feel disheartened to show tough love to a brand I cherish.