Harem Soirée Arte Profumi

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Fragrantica

I purchased samples of Harem Soirée and Velvet Rouge from First in Fragrance a few months ago and have worn both several times now (although First in Fragrance does use generous sized spray samples, you should still have a good idea as to how far a little spray of either scent goes. Need I add that the staying power is amazing). The scents are complex creatures and take a while to fully appreciate and understand, hence why it's taken me a while to write about either.

Harem Soirée feels like a relative of Amouage's Memoir Woman. That is not to say that they smell the same, but both have a dense, opulent and animalic character. Whereas Memoir boasts the typical lengthy list of notes that characterizes most if not all from the house of Amouage, Harem Soirée has three listed notes on Fragrantica of myrrh, ambergris and rose (First in Fragrance lists only ambergris and rose). Harem Soirée definitely smells more complicated than three let alone two notes. Then again the complexity could be attributed to the main player ambergris, which to my nose is responsible for the headily sweet yet unmistakably animalic (salty and a tad of manure) odour. I'm guessing that for those who shy away from heady/raunchy scents, Harem Soirée would risk being too pungent for their taste. Rose is almost hidden behind the smoke and mirrors effect created by the multi-faceted ambergris. Almost but not quite. I imagine her to be a dark and deep red rose, fleshy and voluptuous, the way I usually enjoy my roses (and wines for that matter). Far from being prettily sweet and more of a burlesque dancer, rose sinuously winds and entwines herself in the smoky swirls of the scent, as it enraptures and captures your attention, then your heart and finally your money. 

A little late but I decide to get a bottle with my soon expiring birthday voucher from First in Fragrance ( the shortlist was between Harem Soirée, Rubj EDP, Ambra Aurea and Bacarrat Rouge 540...it wasn't an easy choice I can tell you but Harem Soirée with its siren call of roses and ambergris won out). I will enjoy wearing it in the unseasonably colder weather we have been experiencing in Singapore of late. I started re reading Bram Stoker's Dracula and can quite imagine a deadly and devastatingly beautiful Un Dead using this beguiling scent to entrance its victim.

Opus IX Amouage

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: pinterest

"But I, I took the sweet life and never knew I'd be bitter from the sweet

I spent my life exploring the subtle whoring that cost too much to be free

Hey lady, I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me"

 Charlene - I've Never Been To Me (lyrics stolen from MetroLyrics )

Opus IX in a song. 

I've long been in love with Greta Garbo and the dashingly handsome Robert Taylor in the film Camille, based on Alexandre Dumas' La Dame aux Camélias, which  Giuseppe Verdi turned into the opera La Traviata. 

Unlike Hester Prynne forced to don the scarlet letter, Opus IX wears her flaming red cloak with pride and much beauty. I am a big fan of Amouage (more correctly a fan of their dramatic and tempestuous creations that fly in the face of polite crowd-pleasers), a lover of jasmine and "stinky" scents as well as a complete sucker for romance ( I grew up on a diet of Judith McNaught). The animal is much alive in Opus IX but instead of grappling for world domination, it blends beautifully with a honeyed jasmine which provides just the right amount of floral sweetness and does magic up images of the snowy white camellias that Camille was never without, whether splurging on a massive bouquet or a stem tucked into a sash. A light layer of fine pepper breaks the lull created by the blissful union between the flowers and animals but Opus IX comes nowhere near as spicily aromatic as Nuit Noire nor as lusty. Opus IX focuses more on the highs and lows of the romance as compared to the never ending bondage session of Nuit Noire. From the first moment the scent caresses the skin so does the story unfold with bright flashes of vivacity and joy interspersed with shadows of melancholy that weigh heavily on the soul. 

I didn't delve into the story behind the creation of Opus IX before trying it on or writing this but now that I know that the inspiration came from La Traviata, it makes perfect sense . A scent of passionate love and hideous heartache that only too often go hand in hand. Artfully captured in the alluring yet tragic Opus IX. Massive projection and good longevity. This goes on the birthday wish list. 

Source: pinterest

Amoureuse Parfums DelRae

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: pinterest.com

The perfume community keeps raving about Amoureuse and siblings over the years that I've been part of it. Unfortunately due to several reasons including that samples are not easy to find and full bottles even harder to blind buy, Amoureuse and I never got together until I received a decant from a fellow fragrance lover in a recent swap.

It reminds me of Mona di Orio's Nuit Noire, both share animalic, white floral and spicy accords but Amoureuse is much more tame than Nuit Noire. Where Nuit Noire is a sweat-encrusted, well-loved  and worn leather jacket, intoxicating tuberose and sumptuous orange blossom, Amoureuse is lush, honeyed lilies and narcotic jasmine enhanced by the beauty of the tuberose. Cardomom is present in both, imparting its sweet and special spiciness, made even more fiery by fresh ginger in Nuit Noire. Amoureuse stays sweeter throughout its lifetime whereas in Nuit Noire, the sweetness waxes and wanes throughout the story, yet never quite reaching the honeyed tones of Amoureuse. Both scents mellow over time, Amoureuse turning into a soft and powdery affair of sandalwood and flowers whereas Nuit Noire is the glowing coals of a warm amber base. Classic and traditional, both Amoureuese and Nuit Noire are full bottle worthy in my opinion. Sillage and longevity are both very good in the case of Amoureuse, my SOTD clinging on into the night.

Coincidentally while wearing Amoureuse today and surfing the net for potential buys, I came across a very affordable deal for a bottle of Nuit Noire instead. Plus the website had the travel sizes for Profumum Roma so I got one of Battito d'Ali. The icing on the cake was free international shipping. Guess who's an even happier chick than usual today? :) 

Attar de Roses Keiko Mecheri

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Luckyscent.com

I've liked a few that I've sampled from Keiko Mercheri, but Attar de Roses is the first to make me sit up and take notice. I feel like I've been sampling the wrong end of the spectrum from the house all this time. 

Leather and roses dominate in Attar de Roses on me at least. The leather is more apparent in the initial part, making the opening rather bitter, dark and animalic. Sweet velvety roses bloom out from the darkness throwing off the leathery shade, beautiful lush roses that create a warm and beguiling drydown with a creamy and woody amber base. The leather persists throughout although the initial bitterness is alleviated by the balmy resins in the drydown. There are quite a number of rose/leather combinations out there in varying proportions of the notes but I really like the balance in Attar de Roses between the romantic roses and the brusque leather. Very Beauty & The Beast. 

Attar de Roses is a little shy so you have to apply with a really liberal hand in order to "get" its true soul. Although Attar de Roses came out five years earlier, I think it is the olfactory interpretation of D&G's 2015 Spring/Summer line-up below. 

Dolce and Gabbana SS 15. Source: imgarcade.com

Paradise Lost Keiko Mecheri

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Luckyscent.com

Yes I've thought some of the Keiko Mercheri fragrances that I've tried so far are worth buying full bottles of, but I've never really been compelled to go after a full bottle of any until now. Strangely enough, judging by the reactions of fragrant friends, I'm in the minority when it comes to liking Paradise Lost. 

I've heard negative comments ranging from too candy like to too floral like and both bewilder me as I don't smell sweets and yes obviously there are floral notes but Paradise Lost is far from just a floral perfume, on me at least. It starts off very sunny and bright with citruses loaded with greens and life, white floral blooms and sweet sandalwood conveying an image of the first part of its name "Paradise". However the rest is a slightly different tale and makes me think of the consequences after Adam and Eve were too greedy with the apple and got banished from Paradise. Paradise Lost develops into an pungent aroma with a strong smell of musky nether regions or the smell of decay or both mixed together. The white floral notes are still identifiable but the petals have lost their vigour and have begun to wilt quickly. The drydown is like a sweaty animalic musk and the residual perfume left by the faded flowers. Very interesting ride and not something I had anticipated when I first did a quick survey of the listed notes before ordering a sample to try. Perhaps the "Lost" part of the name is represented by the earthiness of the latter part of this fragrance's evolution, after the abrupt departure from its celestial beginnings. That's how I imagine it anyway.  

The projection and longevity are nothing to write home about but I've made peace with that by spraying heavily and frequently i.e. bring bottle around with you all day. I'm actually quite happy that I'm in the minority championing Paradise Lost, means more for me and less chance of smelling it on someone else! 

Mamluk Xerjoff

Desirability: Decant

Source: Fragrantica

Honey overload. You definitely need to like honey, lots of it, to enjoy the ride with Mamluk. The main player in Mamluk from start to finish is honey and you will literally drown in the stuff as good as it smells so don't go trigger happy with your Mamluk. It has massive projection and sticks around forever and a day. 

Mamluk reminds me very much of Ginestat Botrytis but with that little pungent extra that turns it from a grown up gourmand to a boudoir scent. I will call that little extra...salty dirty musk. Don't get me wrong, Mamluk has nothing on Mona di Orio Nuit Noire when it comes to dirty, maybe one level of condensed skank below Maison Francis Kurkdjian Absolue Pour le Soir? 

A thick amber coloured honey laced with a bit of naughty ( I assume that this is what represents the oud in Mamluk), a sprinkling of spices and on a base of resins and wood notes. 

Xerjoff Mamluk= Honey + a little animal funk + Wood + Spices

Ginestat Botrytis= Honey + Ripe Fruits dripping in syrup + Spices

In my opinion Mamluk is worthy of a full bottle purchase and I am eyeing up the Xerjoff Oud Stars Discovery Set (6 x 15 ml: Al-Khat, Fars, Gao, Mamluk, Zafar and Zanzibar/Najaf) which is financially more viable for me than to purchase the individual scents that might require the sale of a kidney on the black market.  

Black Jade Lubin

Desirability: Decant

Source: www.perfumeriaquality.pl

I'm sure many fragrance lovers have heard or read the story revolving around Black Jade, that it was the last fragrance (purportedly) worn by Marie Antoinette before her ending. For me it doesn't matter if the tale is real or reel but if you would like more history on the brand and the fragrance, Vanity Fair had an article here. 

So forgetting about all that, the scent is quite fantastic really. It starts off coolly green yet spicy (almost like chewing mint gum) and a tart citrus hangs around for quite a while instead of its usual fanfare and about-turn as an opening note. I can't smell jasmine for all I try ( I sampled Black Jade at least on four occasions) as a fresh rose still tinged with green has taken hold of my nose. Young rose in the merry company of lofty galbanum (who thankfully doesn't monopolize the opening) and spices, the opening is bright and young before things start to heat up and Black Jade morphs into a highly suggestive (no coquettishness here) dirty rose. Animalic. Thick incense still carrying a trace of spices and citrus, the rose reclining on a luxurious bed of earthy moss and soil with a sheet of smooth sweet vanilla covering her bits and pieces as a stab at modesty. Here I am confused as I've gone through every review I could get my hands on and nobody spoke of leather but that is what I smell and the sweet leathery note adds to the come-hitherness of Black Jade. Sexual but not raunchy like Nuit Noire. 

It has an OK projection but the longevity isn't as good as I would like, still it is a pleasing first foray into the house of Lubin and Gin Fizz is next on my list to sample, firstly because I enjoy a cool G&T and secondly(supposedly) Grace Kelly was wearing it when she was proposed to by the Prince of Monaco- I am not big on royalty but I am a fan of fairytales.

Rose Poivree The Different Company

Desirability: Decant

Source: kremchik.com.ua

I recoiled the first time I tried Rose Poivree, smelling nothing but spices radiating en masse from the paper I held and blocking out any other notes. It's been three years since that unfortunate introduction and I've learnt to sample on skin and to wait out the opening. 

Opening: a bombardment of eye-watering pepper with coriander chiming in, it's unique multiple personality of zesty yet nutty yet spicy traits adding to the onslaught. It mellows down a little maybe after the first half hour but pepper is a major player all the way to the end. After the spicy blitz there comes a dry, earthy woodiness and rose. The rose is quite exquisite, it truly smells like a real rose blooming out of your skin or clothes. Minimalistic, light and very life-like. 

If you can get past the initial challenging stage, the drydown is a rose musk with an animalic edge albeit on the subtle side. Sophisticated with the slightest hint of naughty. Lightweight in terms of projection after the potency of the opening notes and  has an average longevity.  

Lux Mona di Orio (re-release 2014)

Source: Fragrantica

Lux. Light (latin).

If Nuit Noire was an olfactory sex session in a dungeon, Lux would probably be the foreplay, well a lite version. To put it simply if crudely it smells like not very well washed (better than completely unwashed) nether regions and citrus. Sounds unappealing but smells very good.

First you get green floral notes and lots and lots of bright and happy citrus.Amongst the sour there is also the sweet, in the form of fruity notes and a lovely warm vanilla. As time passes the sharpness of the citrus disappears and the scent turns darker with the inclusion of dirty musk, leather and woody notes. The "unclean" aspect slowly fades away and in the drydown you are left with a cushy mix of wood, vanilla and some remnant citrus notes. Lux has an average projection and longevity on me and can easily be worn by either sex as long as animalic notes are your thing as there is no escaping from it in Lux despite the sunny citrus. 

Tuberosa Profumum Roma

Source: Luckyscent

Fracas: "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the loudest tuberose of all?"

Magic Mirror: " Famed is thy beauty, Majesty. But hold, a lusty maid I see. Alas, she is more bold than thee."

Source: obsessivesweets.com

Can there be a a white floral louder than Fracas? I thought not till I met Tuberosa. 

It starts with the smell of powdery lemon that reminds me of the face-numbing sour outer layer of Nobel Super Lemon hard candies and just like how the sourness of the candy gradually wears off and you can relax the rictus snarl, so do the citrus notes wander away leaving the headiest of heady tuberose-dominant white floral notes. Tuberosa sits between Fracas and Carnal Flower, the former being a buttery lush white floral and the latter being more green and fresh. 

Source: projectwedding.com

Like Fracas, Tuberosa is all about a gigantic bouquet of white flowers( Fragrantica lists both jasmine and gardenia as accomplices but I detect only the jasmine) with the tuberose staying front and center at all times. The opening is bright and fresh thanks to the citrus zest that clings on for a good amount of time keeping the potent narcotic floral notes from being nauseating, but the scent eventually shifts to a creamier and darker ending like flowers that have almost exhausted their bloom and are on the edge of wilting. Some perfume friends have described the drydown of Tuberosa as animalic and for me I interpret that as the faint smell of decay, as if the tips of the flowers were tinted brown.

I might be tempted to get a bottle of Tuberosa if I'm done with the 10 ml decant I'm using. I doubt I'll be through with the 10 ml any time soon though as is with most of the Profumum Roma scents that I've tried, a little goes a very very long way. The first time I over did it and my head was assaulted all day by blasts of it with every movement which made it quite a horrible experience despite being an avid tuberose fan. Since then I've been much more careful and I find that two sprays is more than enough to take me from morning to the following night. 

Nuit Noire Mona di Orio (re-release 2014)

Source: Fragrantica

I started my day with Frederic Malle's ultra feminine Lipstick Rose and am ending it with heated hormones to put it delicately, thanks to Mona di Orio's Nuit Noire, the re-released edition of 2014 that I've been waiting impatiently for since rumours first started in 2013, having heard such polarising opinions on the original version and looking at those notes, how could I not fall in lust?

In order not to waste your time I would advise that if you hate strong spices/musks/animal smells/have used the words 'urinal' or 'faecal' as derogatory terms to describe a perfume before, then don't bother with Nuit Noire unless you are into olfactory BDSM. For it is all the above and it's stunning. Yes skanky animalic perfumes have been done before and over and over again. Yes Nuit Noire is nothing ground-breaking but it's damn good and it does the job. Seduction in a bottle. You or your prey. 

Source: gifrific.com

The opening is jaw-dropping, intense and virile, a clash of the titans between an acerbic orange blossom, weirdly sweet burning tyres type leather and the sweaty-armpits variety of musk. After getting your full attention, Nuit Noire tones down on the leather ditching the tyre note but leaving the bad boy biker in full leather gear behind. The sharpness of the orange blossom relaxes and more of a heady white floral comes through after the sharp citrus note exits. 

The leather and animalic musk combination could be described as someone (male or female) wearing a dry spicy oriental scent, having an energetic session in the gym or other physical activity and then donning a leather jacket over it all. The creamy lush flowers and wood notes embellish Nuit Noire but the leather, musk and dry spices are what makes it Nuit Noire. In the drydown the leather seems spent and what is left is a dreamy and balmy woody amber base. 

Everyone in a 2 metre radius will be able to smell it on you and will likely follow you entranced all day and night since the longevity is excellent. This goes on my want list stat.

Captured in Amber En Voyage Perfumes

Source: www.basenotes.net

En Voyage Perfumes was founded by perfumer Shelley Waddington who is also the owner of The Carmel Perfumery ( so far I've tried and enjoyed both Zelda and Peche Noir). Captured in Amber is part of her Souvenir de Chocolat Coffret containing Café Cacoa, Indigo Vanilla, Captured in Amber, each 4ml of parfum extraits according to the website( the label on my bottles state eau de parfum but the scents feel more oily like extraits rather than EDP). The scents were created to be worn alone or layered/combined so that customers can create their own scents. 

Source: www.envoyageperfumes.com

All three are lovely fragrances but Café Cacoa and Captured in Amber are my favorites in that order and I've labelled them fraternal twins as they both share a similar chocolate and ambergris DNA. Captured in Amber is a gourmand amber, built on what smells like a mouthwatering 50% dark chocolate that's so realistic it feels as if I'm really about to sink my teeth into it. The ambergris that played a smaller role in Café Cacoa is more dominant in Captured in Amber, a salty-sweet marine musk is how I would describe it, marine like how washed up seaweed on a beach smells like with a  distinct salty-sweet bodily musk that I've come to attribute to ambergris. 

This animalic, comforting-yet-oddly-sensual musk in Captured in Amber reminds me of Stoned by Solange Azagury-Patridge/Lyn Harris which further reminds me of treasured scents such as  Musc Ravageur from Frederic Malle and L'air de Rien by Miller Harris, all of which share the same vibe of expensive and naughty, carnal but not as dark and dirty like Kiehl's Original Musk or Serge Lutens' Musc Koublai Khan. 

As the scent progresses, the dark chocolate melts into the background and leaves the amber further in the spotlight, now sharing the focus with the musk, balmy resins and a buttery suede. Leaving aside that it's opening notes could trigger hunger pangs and cravings, Captured in Amber is a warm and soothing scent like a purring cat spreading waves of contentment as it snoozes on your lap. 

Lumière Noire Pour Femme Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Desirability: Full Bottle

Source:luckyscent

One of my great loves that I file under "nostalgic", Lumière Noire Pour Femme (LNPF) is a heartbreaking/melancholic scent that stirs emotions in a similar manner to Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue. 

LNPF starts like a sweet fruity floral when applied then quickly loses the fruity sweetness and a greenish floral bouquet appears, comprising of wild foliage surrounding a heart of roses and narcissus with a tad of powder. 

The green notes gradually slip away together with the powder and LNPF enters the part I love best and which lasts for a very long time. It takes a darker path, with sweaty saltiness and a darker, more earthy rose, as if the petals turned from a pink blush to a dark red. I adore this gloomy and sensual drydown that is part beast part rose with an added air of dry spiciness, that manages to remain presentable for polite company while leaving no doubt as to what could go on in her boudoir if you play your cards right.

There are many beautiful rose/patchouli combinations in the market, Amouage's Lyric Woman (personally I prefer the spicier Epic Woman), Frederic Malle/Dominique Ropion's Portrait of a Lady( a fantastically dirty rose/patchouli but I prefer Noir Epices the best from Malle's roses), Tom Ford's Noir de Noir( lost a sniff off with Portrait of a Lady), Ex Idolo's Thirty-three which is another great love, an animalic rose/oud/patchouli combination in equal measures and Juliette Has A Gun's Lady Vengeance(not as badass as the name suggests, quite sweet actually), just to name a few. Which is the best is a personal choice and I ended up with Lumière Noire Pour Femme...I guess you could say the perfume reached out and took a firm hold on my heartstrings. 

Lumière Noire Pour Femme creates an atmosphere like Kristen Barry in Ordinary Life. For me that is. 

The war of the two roses.

Trivia: The War of the Roses was a 30 year long and bloody battle, which began in 1455( as the First battle of St. Albans), fought between the House of York (whose symbol was the white rose) and the House of Lancaster (symbol was the red rose), a battle that ousted the incumbent, mentally unstable Henry VI and established the House of York on the throne of England. 

On to a more pleasant battle of two roses, between Ambergris Taifi and Ispahan Black, from Agarscents Bazaar, perfumer Sharif LaRoche. I've worn both perfume oils separately but today I am wearing both together, well on different arms, to compare and decide if I need Ispahan Black in my life. On a side note, I smell like a blooming rose garden with animals running all over the place, everyone seems attracted to me today. 

Notes listed for Ambergris Taifi: Ambergris, Ambra, Ambre Gris.

Notes listed for Ispahan Black: Opium, Deer Musk, Rose Otto, Spices.

Comparing side by side, Ambergris Taifi seems more uplifting and sweeter, the rose a very delicate pink, almost just a blush. Comparatively, the scent is much fresher and lightly spiced greens. For some reason, I'm smelling rosewater and vanilla? A creamy mildly sweet vanilla and the combination of both rose and vanilla is making me think of desserts. The animalic musk is there but isn't overdone, sort of like a Beauty and the Beast relationship with the pink rose. 

Mini Raw Strawberry Rose Ice Cream Cakes with Chocolate

In contrast, Ispahan Black has become even darker and mysterious next to its fair companion. The rose is a smoking, spiced musky rose, sophisticated, possessing a unique élan and whose idea of dessert is "une clope et une cafe". 

Both perfume oils last a ridiculously long time and have a presence you won't miss. I have decided in the end that yes, I want Ispahan Black in my life too.

Ispahan Black Sharif LaRoche

I'm in trouble. The more I sample from Agarscents Bazaar, the more I want and Ispahan Black is not proving otherwise. Etsy is a treasure trove for indie perfumers and Sharif LaRoche is one of the treasures. 

The Etsy store lists the notes for Ispahan Black as: Opium, Deer Musk, Rose Otto, Spices.

The rose of Ispahan,also known as Pompon des Princes or simply Ispahan, is an old world Damask rose that is light pink with a heady fragrance and which blooms only once but which lasts for about six weeks, one of the longest blooming periods among the old world roses.  Rose d'Ispahan has been seen growing wild on the hills between Shiraz and Isfahan, a city renowned for its gardens and roses and after which the rose is named.

Rose Absolute and Rose Otto, what's the difference? Rose Absolute is extracted through a solvent process and can contain chemicals whereas Rose Otto is considered an essential oil as it is extracted through steam distillation.

So back to Ispahan Black the perfume oil.

Rosy sweet, gorgeous, lush blooms that swell up from a tiny drop of the oil on my forearm. Used with a very light hand, the spices add to the intoxicating composition and do not detract from the roses. Likewise, the salty dark musk doesn't overshadow its rose companion but together they create such a passionate, vitalizing and stimulating scent.

True to its namesake, the rose keeps its bloom throughout the scent, never fading nor turning powdery, like some roses do. The musk despite being animalic, doesn't turn the lady into a tramp, but instead the fragility of the  pale pink rose petals is enhanced by the contrasting shadowy musk.

So seriously, do get a sample. And also a sample of his Ambergris Taifi, which I promise to properly review soon, once I can formulate actual sentences instead of nonsensical rapturous babble upon smelling it.

Collection Rouge No. 2 M. Micallef

Source: boutique.osswaldnyc.com

A Micallef that I really enjoy, Rouge No. 2 was a bit of a surprise find. I was on the hunt for labdanum based scents and this opulent red bottle caught my eye. To put it simply Rouge No. 2 is a fancy mix of an oriental and fruity-floral, that's sweet enough in its initial stages to be ranked as a gourmand oriental but not tooth-achingly so. 

It starts with bushels of luscious ripe berries that are turned into a mouth-watering fruit and caramel dessert, the sweetness held in check by a tangy cassis. The scent leaves the gourmand territory as it dries and goes down a darker resinous path, ending as a powdery warm amber with a tinge of dark musk, that is suggestive without reeking of sex. 

Rouge No. 2 has a very potent opening which wanes to become a skin scent by around the fifth hour wearing it. After having sampled it a few times (and finally succumbing to a full bottle), I feel its aptly named, from the succulent berry opening, the intensely dark creme de cassis and its ending with a hint of carnal pleasures awaiting.  

Miel de Bois Serge Lutens

 "Let me thank all those whose labor contributed to making this fragrance.... in other words, the bees and flowers. 

From candied honey I made an ether to obtain the rich scent of the golden nectar."  

-- Serge Lutens

My signature scent if I had to name one. I have to thank Providence for my bottle actually, can you imagine the shop was going to throw their full tester in the trash since Miel de Bois was pulled from the export line and made a Palais Royale exclusive. I was in the right place at the right time to save the tester. Who throws away perfume, let alone a deity like Miel de Bois!! 

If you are looking for a gourmand honeyed scent along the lines of Tokyo Milk's Honey & The Moon, this isn't quite it.

Don't get me wrong, there is honey in Miel de Bois, but it's way more mysterious. It's a musty, musky and woody honey that is polarising, either you fall in lust and love or you think it smells like cats' piss/toilet spray/urinal cakes etc. Yup I said musty, it smells like an ages old bottle that was forgotten in an attic, musty that brings to mind antiques and marvellous relics of a different lifetime, moth eaten heavy curtains... a little like what Miss Havisham's room must have been like. 

It has a similar vintage and animalistic quality that Jean Desprez's Bal de Versailles or Schiaparelli's Shocking has on me and belongs in the category of scents that I feel require a "Danger" label for it's drug-like effects on the senses, or nausea-inducing if you can't handle indoles or  dark musks. Not forgetting that this stuff is potent and more than one spray can knock out a whole room so caution should be applied. 

I think if one gets past the initial blast of dark, dry woods and heavy sweetness, Miel de Bois dries down to the most addictive mildly spiced, sweet-woody musk, that smells like nothing else and stays with you for hours and hours like a most beguiling ambience. It's the dry down that has this heartrending quality I have only experienced otherwise with Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue, Mitsouko or Francis Kurkdjian's Lumiere Noir Pour Femme, once again a Lutens has gotten the better of my emotions.

Miel de Bois is controversial, unique, passionate and wild (I'll slide in the skank award here too)...please don't ever be discontinued, the withdrawal will be unbearable.

P.S: I don't advise blind-buying Miel de Bois as it's picky with which skin chemistry it gets along with. P.P.S: I'm always happy to adopt more bottles. I leave you here with a song that is as emotive as this scent. 

Civet Musk Mukhallat Sharif LaRoche

* Mukhallat means mixture, in perfumery it is taken to mean that it contains a mixture of different pure oils that makes up the perfume oil.

I will not lie. The opening made me wonder what a unwashed cat's bum might smell like ( I say cat because I have one but you could exchange it for any other animal you wish).  Thankfully I'm not one to shy away from smells of excretions or whatnot and in this case my faith paid off( my faith was firmly instilled after Sharif LaRoche's goddess of a Ambergris Taifi Rose turned my head away from demigods forever). 

Anyway. I'll politely describe the opening as bitter, black, pungent and oily. By the way this perfume oil is so strong, i smeared the littlest drop on my upper arm and it's as loud as a heavy metal concert from the front row. 

It gets comfortable after a few minutes and settles down on my skin, the bitterness is still there but a sweet dark muskiness has started blooming from my skin instead of the initial barnyard funk. It's still very much oily and pungent but there's something about it that's oddly attractive. I guess that's civet for you and why it's so sought after and pricey in perfumery and coffee alike. If you enjoy clean soapy musks or polite musks like Narciso Rodriguez's musks, this might not be to your liking. However, if you live for musks like Kiehl's original musk or Serge Lutens' Musc Koublai Khan, you must give this a try, that being said even MKK is lightweight compared to this. It's very much in the unisex department, although if you are strictly into light scents or polite scents, you might want to pass on this. 

The oil projects and persists for an almost obnoxiously long time, not forgetting that this is all from one itsy bitsy smear from the stick of a dab sample. The sample was kindly included along with three others with my purchase of 1 ml of Ambergris Taifi. 

Calligraphy Rose Aramis

I was attracted first by the notes, then the positive reviews it has garnered and the cherry on top would be the reasonable online prices. I bought a split from a perfume friend and it is now on my perfume wish list.

It opens tart and sweet, fresh dewy roses with green notes. This phase lasted a good 15 minutes to half hour on me before the scent shows its oriental nature, introducing sweet resins, a little dark and smoky here and a spicy, dry dustiness from the saffron.

If there is ambergris in Calligraphy Rose it's synthetic, considering how rare and expensive the real stuff is. Here it's emulating the white kind, there's no barnyard funk here, just a marine like salty sweetness that reminds me a little of Hermes' Eau des Merveilles..

The rose remains all the way through, its scent deep and intensive. The scent projects very well and the longevity is superb, it outdoes many of its more expensive competitors. I highly recommend.

Turning 33- Part Deux (Ambergris Taifi, Sharif LaRoche, Agarscents Bazaar)

So a brown package came through the post today from Sharif LaRoche who owns Agarscents Bazaar (he has stores on both Etsy and Ebay). Postage took slightly under two weeks, shipping was very reasonable to Singapore and service/communication perfect and prompt.

Thanks to a very dear albeit virtual, fragrant friend of mine, I was introduced to this indie/niche house, whose website writes:

Enchanting French Arabian and Oriental perfumes, composed with Oudh, pure Musk, Ambergris oil, Bakhoor and rare Blossoms-Essences of Paradise. 

We specialize in the finest 100% pure, Dhen al Oudh, pure Sandalwood, genuine Ambergris oil, pure Deer Musk and fine Rose Otto (Wardh and Gulab).

I adore oud or at least what I've been introduced to, ambergris is a strong favourite, ditto musk and rose, sandalwood I get along with pretty well. So I definitely had to try this house. My first order was a 1ml of Ambergris Taifi (he sells his oils/attars in 3ml amber bottles but you can contact Sharif which I did through Etsy and he put up a listing for 1ml for me. From what my fragrant enabler told me, you can buy an even smaller fraction than 1ml and such is the potency of the oils, a drop is all that is needed).

Along with my 1ml order of Ambergris Taifi, such is his generosity, I was gifted a neatly wrapped incense stick of Kashimiri Kasthuri Ultimate which is scenting my work drawer as we speak of sweet and spicy musk, as well as samples of:

Ispahan Black which is described on the website as:

"Aro'mantically vivacious-

subtly sweet, slightly spicy, 

nuances-oil of agar and fine musk, an ambient elixir of art and sophistication

enveloping, intoxicating, masterfully composed composition, 

with mid notes of currants, opium and spice

- beans of tonka soften the approach-

which leads to a vanilic heart,

and a path to treasure. "

Misk Tahara is described as:

"the musk of purity, the scent of clean, fresh skin, lightly sweet and musky."

Civet Musk Mukhallat:

"a luxurious Oriental treasure... Sumptuous notes of Eastern splendor... rich, velvety musk draped in warm amber and exotic blossoms… sophisticated and elegant - evocative ."

As for all first time customers, I got a free gift in the form of a pretty 3ml glass flacon of Egyptian Musk Superior. This was a sweet and clean musk on my skin, sort of what Narciso Rodriguez musks have been like on me minus the lingering chemical note that keeps me at odds with the NR line. Soft florals round this musk off nicely into what I find is rather unisex despite the sweetness and florals. Sillage and longevity are awesome considering I basically just swiped the plastic stick on my skin once. This musk is very affordable if you are looking for an alternative to the NR range.

Now on to the real reason why I wrote this piece. Ambergris Taifi. OMG. OMG. This is amazing. No. It's AMAZING!!!!!!! I'm about to book myself more weekend work just to cover a purchase of a 3ml bottle of this in case it's discontinued or some other similar tragedy ensues.

Taif Roses.

I have a precious 15ml bottle of Tauer's Phi Une Rose de Kandahar, which is a gorgeous salty and musky rose on my skin. Amp up the salty and musky tones, some sweet animalic notes (not quite up to barnyard level), amp up the decibels on the rose, add a smidgen of vintage face powder and you have Ambergris Taifi. Part skank part rose and the salty sweetness just continues undulating and swirling about me for hours without abating. The salt is not so much sea-salt like in Merveilles but I find it more akin to the saltiness of sweat on skin. The sweetness(not talking about the rose here) is harder to describe without causing nausea amongst the more delicate palates. I will borrow from the agarscentsbazaar page to do it justice.

"...the subtle, sweet addictive aroma that beach combing dreams are made of."

I am far from being able to describe the distinctiveness of the Taifi rose note, except to say that I raided the rose section of my wardrobe from Malle's Une Rose to Caron's Rose, JHAG's entire line to the Rosines I have and came up with, it just smells different. Deeper, more intensely rose. On a fragrant friend of mine, it is more vintage powdery rose so perhaps chemistry plays a role again. I highly recommend trying Sharif LaRoche's Ambergris Taifi, for any and all rose lovers.