Iris de Nuit James Heeley

Desirability: Full bottle

In the description listed on Heeley's website, "♀ : Sensual, delicate, creative and individual." 

Springtime (The Reader) Monet. Source: pinterest

Iris de Nuit is a more wearable version of Iris Silver Mist- at least it is to me. I am a huge Lutens fan but as much as I admire the artistry of Iris Silver Mist, it's a bit hard going sometimes between the two of us. If the Lutens was steely silver and Tauer Pentachords White aptly named, then Iris de Nuit wears like a soft mossy green. A stroll alone through Nature, surrounded by living things and shrouded in sunlight. A time for introspection. 

It opens with a bit of sharp pepper, the starchy orris is front and centre throughout, delicate powdery violets and the vegetal sweetness of angelica that's just a teeny bit green, which I've grown to love thanks to the herbal nectar that is Angélique Noire. Although Angélique Noire feels quite fine, Iris de Nuit is even lighter and dry. A calming woody musk keeps the scent from being too ethereal. I read somewhere that cedar is used as a "grounding" note and I can see how it flexes its muscles in Iris de Nuit. Projection is good and longevity average, I got about 8 hours of wear each time. 

I find myself agreeing with the vignette from the official website (as above), Iris de Nuit is not a giddy girl or brash lout, instead he/she would be content in a library or art class, the kind who is comfortable not speaking to anyone for days without feeling lonely but on the other hand can be relied on being charming and sociable. The type that most people remember warmly without truly knowing intimately, being described as "different" without any negative connotations attached. 

La Religieuse Serge Lutens

Desirability: Decant

Source: Fragrantica

Sweet, soft and hazy. 

A musky floral- jasmine is there but much toned down as compared to A La Nuit which remains my favourite jasmine scent from Serge Lutens, other flowers I smell are mimosa both sweet and green and narcissus comes to mind too. If La Religious had a colour I won't pick the dark purple it comes in but rather rays of golden yellow and vivid green covered by a gauzy veil of musk that has the slightest bit of naughty, definitely a far cry from the reveling-in-my-sexuality Musc Koublai Khan.

Fragrances from this house have always inspired profound thoughts and triggered waves of nostalgia but La Religieuse failed to convert me into a believer. If I were not an avid Serge Lutens fan living on a tropical island where perfume releases take months to arrive, I would not have blind bought a full bottle but I am and I did. However no regrets and names/labels aside, La Religieuse is a nicely done floral musk that has a bit of a dreamy personality so I would recommend at least sampling it.

L'Aimant Coty

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: Amazon.com

Suffering withdrawal symptoms from my month long holiday, one thing that revived me was the many parcels I accumulated while away. All of them were swaps with other fragrance lovers and many of them were blind swaps, including L'Aimant (the version I have is pictured above). 

A generous yet smooth and gentle dose of aldehydes, fuzzy peaches, dusty florals drying down to baby powder if it is possible to find baby powder smelling of musk and sandalwood. Elegant, warm and so lovely from beginning to end, L'Aimant would appeal to lovers of scents with a vintage flair. L'Aimant doesn't feel like the pink colour it is boxed in but more of a hazy peachy colour, like being enveloped in a loving hug. 

L'Aimant has been compared and contrasted to Chanel No. 5 but personally I won't recommend it as a dupe or a replacement. L'Aimant is easier on the senses than No. 5, with a milder character than the demanding "look at me, look at me" personality of No. 5. I've always felt that No. 5 is a moody if glamorous scent with dark secrets ( well the No. 5 of my childhood that I smelt on my mother who wore the same scent over the years and reluctantly moved on to something else due in part to the reformulations of No. 5) as compared to L'Aimant which comes across bright and joyful. I can't say that this would ever be a favourite as it is more mellow than I like my fragrances to be, but it is a nice relief from the many over the top/sugary sweet perfumes we are overloaded with today.  

A scent that you can wear anytime and to any place in any weather, with decent sillage and OK longevity=Blind swap success! I hate to make negative remarks but L'Aimant as a cologne spray lasted longer than my No. 5 parfum which I bought in 2013 from a Chanel counter (just in case Chanel loyalists accuse me of buying off the grey market). Last but not least let's not forget how very affordable L'Aimant is! Highly recommend!

Garofano Lorenzo Villoresi

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: www.lorenzovilloresi.it

I was never blown away by Caron's Bellodgia as loved and lauded as it is. Perhaps my new-ish bottle lacks the magic of previous formulations or perhaps I tried it too soon on my scent journey to truly appreciate it but Bellodgia got swapped away before I gave it another chance to someone else who really loves it. In return I got a sample of Garofano and this is something I can see myself wearing.

To avoid confusion, the sample is from the Vintage Collection from which I've tried and loved both Ylang Ylang and Ambra, the former being the most natural ylang ylang I've smelt and the latter being a unique interpretation of amber that's nothing like most other ambers on the market recently. 

Before I came across the universe of scents I never thought of carnations as fragrant, at least not the ones in the florist shops on my tropical island. The very most I could come up with after sticking my nose into various store bought carnations was the mildest of mild spicy floral and even that's exaggerating. Snooping on gardening forums I came to the conclusion that the ones that I've been sniffing are likely new hybrids that were crossbred for their size and colour with little attention paid to their scent whereas carnations which have not been domesticated smell like well, like carnations are meant to smell. 

So never having smelt an untouched carnation nor carnation absolute, I have to rely on Google which tells me carnations smell as follows: heavy, musky, spicy, clove-like, floral, powdery, sweet as honey, exotic. 

If this is true then Garofano encompasses all these characteristics. It is a rich and deep scent that smells like pepper and other aromatic spices from the kitchen, a dark and thick honey, leaving the kitchen and entering a boudoir whose walls and carpet hold the smells of powder, both the living and the ghosts of glorious floral arrangements as well as a hint of musk from the owner. Garofano doesn't unfold on me chapter by chapter but instead I smell everything together and yet separately, the different notes coming forwards and drifting away again as if the notes are in a free-style dance but sharing the limelight almost equally. I say almost equally because the most distinct on me would be the spicy floral and powdery bits. 

Biased perhaps by the olfactory hallucinations of canopied four-posters, heavy velvet drapings and plush outfittings a la Dangerous Liaisons, I find Garofano to be more feminine than unisex unless you are John Malkovich. Besides smelling like a historical aristocratic drama filled with intrigue, Garofano has a great projection with a moderate longevity and I would highly recommend this to lovers of carnations and vintage-y scents. 

Rose 31 Le Labo

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: flairflair.com

X Factor Rose.

The rose in Rose 31 smells like a rose and not a pronounced perfumed rose nor am I distracted by the presence of other flowers. It smells freshly sweet and lightly spiced, the spices gently tickling the nose but never harsh or peppery. The dewy rose seems to be the only source of hydration in this fragrance, Rose 31 for the most part feels dry, like crisp, fallen leaves crackling under your shoes. There is a hint of something sour but not the stale sweat some other fragrance lovers have reported, instead the piquancy gives Rose 31 a bit of bolshiness. 

Rose like a steadfast friend, stays with you throughout the lifetime of Rose 31 which is above average and just when its quieter nature misleads you to think it has left without a trace, Rose 31 sends up almost translucent smoky trails in reassurance. Musty in its drydown it feels like the world is tinted in sepia, the rose joined by musk and wood over time creating a grisaille palette. 

A beguiling blend of a spices, wood, musk and rose, I find Rose 31 easier to wear than its much more challenging friend Rose Poivree by The Different Company, as interesting as Rose Poivree undoubtedly is. 

Guernica, 1937 by Pablo Picasso. Source: http://www.pablopicasso.org/

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.  

Bouquet Ideale Xerjoff

Source: www.coccio.de

Having more perfume than I could finish in several lifetimes, I try to purchase new scents in the smallest size bottles possible. Which is why I'm very pleased that Xerjoff has both the Oud Stars collection as well as the "female" Casamorati scents in discovery boxes at reasonable prices. 

I smell no flowers in Bouquet Ideale. No matter. It's very yummy from beginning to end, if you like all-fattening, no calories spared vanilla that is. The opening is dry, spicy and sweet but the aridness of the festive spices disappears quickly to be replaced by a thick, creamy almond and vanilla combination that cannot fail to conjure up images of sinful desserts. As if one is indulging more than the vice of gluttony, there is a rich and aromatic pipe tobacco scent in the background which adds to the decadence of the scent. There are soft woody notes and warm musky undertones in its drydown and overall it feels quite linear, a tobacco vanilla lightly laced with spices, woods and musk. Beautiful and alluring.

Average projection and good longevity, unless you are a man who adores his sweets and can wear them with aplomb, I find this more suited to women, there's something playful even flirty about Bouquet Ideale, irresistible feminine wiles for every woman's arsenal.

Lulu, Pandora's Box. Source: wn.com

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. 

Sarrasins Serge Lutens

Source: www.scentsate.com

I dabbed a little of this exotic purple coloured scent on my arm and it looks like a faded bruise when it dries off so be careful!

Sweet indolic jasmine on a base of powdery musk. I wish it stopped there but I smell something that makes me think of hyacinths and aldehydes or what I associate with them. There's a cold and metallic element in Sarrasins devoid of emotions and that keeps you at a distance, never really warming up even after hours on skin. Austere, aloof. Two words I won't want to associate with jasmine, a much loved flower from my childhood, bringing to mind balmy tropical evenings not the slate grey skies of Sarrasins where the warmth of jasmine is held captive by the coldness of its accompanying notes. 

I find it to have a good projection and longevity on me but then I've not really had a problem with either department when it comes to Serge Lutens. Personally I prefer A La Nuit which to me is a true jasmine lover's dream, honeyed, luminous, fragrant jasmine petals, happier and less haughty than Sarrasins. 

Aoud Gourmet M. Micallef

Source: flickr.com

Equal measures of "aoud" and "gourmet" seamlessly blended and of good quality, Aoud Gourmet reminds me a little of Sådanne in the sense that both are nicely balanced between happy light-heartedness and a brooding darkness. Sådanne is fruity sweetness with leather whereas Aoud Gourmet is an earthy oud and honeyed candies that remind me of baklava. The oud is the predominant note at the beginning, it is so potent that those who are wary of the note may be put off but the strength wanes quite quickly on me and the scent maintains an equilibrium between gourmand and the noble rot for the rest of its lifetime which is about 12 hours on me with an average projection. Aoud Gourmet has a welcoming warmth that is imparted by the obvious oud and baklava as well as a woody musk that becomes more prominent as time passes and the scent lulls one into a soothing calmness.

Despite its obvious positive qualities, I am still on the fence with this one after going through two large decants. It is without a doubt lovely and every time I wear it I add it to the want list in my head, but once out of sight, out of mind it becomes again. Perhaps it is because I find Aoud Gourmet too muted, too tame? 

Stoned Solange Azagury-Partridge

Source: Twitter.com

Stoned has all my favourite accords and shares characteristics with some of my treasured perfumes like Musc Ravageur and Dries Van Noten from Frederic Malle, L'air de Rien by Miller Harris and Le Labo's Labdanum 18. The pillowy musk, citrus-tinged diet vanilla and a buttery suede-leathery effect stand out the most for me from the beginning to the end, which was about 8 hours on clothes for me even though it stayed close throughout. 

An unobtrusive scent but anyone entering your personal space will want to stay there. It's oddly comforting and yet sensual, like a fluffy Maine Coon with Cleopatra's exotic kohl eye-liner, prowling confidently and in a way only felines and clothes-horses can achieve. It smells expensive yet naughty, like laying under 800 thread count sheets butt-naked. 

SJP NYC Sarah Jessica Parker

Source: www.childmode.com

I might get stoned by the niche crowd for this but I actually prefer SJP NYC for my strawberry fix than Montale Roses Elixir as lovely as it is. The strawberry leaf in Roses Elixir gives it a green tartness that is refreshing but when I am in the mood for strawberries and cream, it's SJP NYC that answers my call. Sure there is citrus in SJP NYC but the dominant notes for me are the strawberry fruit and sweet vanilla, drying down to a light and soapy fruity musk that lingers for a few hours. 

Despite the over the top bottle decoration that actually is quite "Carrie Bradshaw" the scent itself isn't loud and despite being a celebrity fruity floral which I try to avoid having been burnt too many times in the past with synthetic messes, it's quite nice. Well I definitely think it's nice, considering I traded a decant of Le Labo Lys 41 for a bottle of SJP NYC to the giddy astonishment of my swap partner. Don't expect too much and you might even be pleasantly surprised by this affordable bargain. Linear and simple, it's a great companion for casual sunny afternoons for females of any age. 

In bed with Mitsouko

Serge decided to stay in bed this morning instead of accompanying his mama while she went about her daily blitz about the bedroom before rushing to work. Since he was being unusually docile, I decided to use him as an unpaid model to pose with my Mitsouko EDP bottle. He seems to like the smell of it ( I had just spritzed some on before taking the photo) enough to jump off the bed and nuzzle me before going back to his snooze sans Mitsouko who was lounging in the safety of my bag.

Anyone with a passion for perfume knows Mitsouko whether they love her or not and even her admirers are divided amongst her various reformulations. Thankfully I have never felt the need to venture into vintage Mitsouko and apart from preferring the EDP to the EDT I am quite content with my bottle of EDP pre-2013 reformulation ( I think the batch code on my bottle points towards 2011, I used Raiders of the Lost Scent's "How to recognize Guerlain perfumes" to date mine). I do intend to get hold of a bottle of the 2013-thereafter Mitsouko since it's been widely acclaimed to have recaptured the old glory of Mitsouko and I am curious to know what the current formula smells like in comparison. 

I've never smelt oakmoss or tree moss dried or fresh and like many other ingredients I've not had the good fortune to come across in their natural state, I compare what I'm smelling to what it's meant to smell like according to various articles, blogs and whatever information source I can get my hands on. P.S: Dear Santa, I would really like to have  Steffen Arctander's Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin for Christmas this year please.

Mitsouko is hauntingly beautiful. I can't do justice in describing the experience but it's a melancholic beauty despite its name "Child of Light", a powdery haze, darkness, rich and earthy, a touch of ripe fuzzy peaches, spicy musk, all these elements blended seamlessly together to create a special fragrance that is distinct and unique with a soul of its own that carries cherished memories and hidden desires. Reformulated or not, still beautiful.

Like Serge is in the photo above, Mitsouko tends to leave me daydreaming and lost in its plot weaved with complexity, sophistication, romance and tragedy. 

Lys Méditerranée Frederic Malle

Source: parfumglamour.com

Fresh, peppery and green with a squeeze of citrus is what I would call the opening of Lys Méditerranée that is airy and bright, reminiscent of cool breezes blowing in from seas shaded various hues of blue and sunny skies on a deserted beach far away from the humdrum of city life, the only noises coming from the music of the waves and pesky seagulls.

The lilies that were shyly hiding behind the spicy opening become bolder as the scent warms up over time, losing most of the peppery opening notes and turning more musky like sun-kissed skin. Lilies can be potent powerhouses like tuberose but Lys Méditerranée is not a big fat white floral, being more of a mellow scent that would go perfectly with big floppy sun hats and lounging by the poolside with a glass of something chilled in hand- the perfect beach scent. Speaking of beach scents I need to pull out Guerlain's Terracotta Le Parfum to wear again having neglected it in favour of my gourmand orientals for a few months. I've been recommended a long list of beach scents to sample that include the Barneys New York exclusive Irene Neuwirth, Bond No. 9 Fire Island and Bobbi Brown's Beach are those that I can remember right now. What scents remind you of the beach or are your favourite beach scents?

Lys Méditerranée and Serge Lutens' Un Lys are the most realistic of lily scents that I've tried so far, as if the scent of Casablanca blooms have been bottled and sprayed on but for once I prefer the other option to a Serge Lutens and would say the breezy attitude of Lys Méditerranée attracts me more than the creamier, sweeter Un Lys.

Source: flickr.com

Lipstick Rose Frederic Malle

Desirability: Full bottle

Lipstick Rose was one of the first violets I tried when I started falling in love with violet scents slightly more than two years ago now. So how does she compare with other violet/powder combinations?

Source: glamourdaze.com

If you can't choose between violets or roses Lipstick Rose may be the perfect answer for you, having both violets and roses and vintage compact type powder, (think Besame's 1940s chic violet powder compact) it also stays true to its name with a waxy lipstick smell. Lipstick Rose eclipsed my first violet love Guerlain's Insolence Eau de Parfum, a thickly berried and candied violet covered with a good dose of retro-licious powder. I prefer the musky undertones of Lipstick Rose and that it's not as sugary sweet but Insolence EDP has its charms for sure. 

My sister keeps Creed's Love in Black as a staple in her wardrobe and although I've never been a fan of Creed I decided to try it since it smelt like an alluring goddess scent on her. This is where chemistry reminds us again that it is important as Love in Black started dry and earthy ( I think the iris showed up more than the violet) on me before evolving into a candied berried violet that loses its steam over time and becomes a tame floral perfume at the end featuring iris and violets. Not bad but nothing to write home about either.

Source: pinupgirlclothing.com

Borsari's Violetta di Parma, Parfums Berdoues' Violettes de Toulouse Eau de Parfum and Penhaligon's Violetta are all lovely powdery violets but Borsari although inexpensive is too linear and not long lasting, Violettes de Toulouse has a plastic fruitiness that overshadows the violet note and Violetta I have resigned to a pillow spray due to its dismal longevity. 

Lipstick Rose does smell like how Guerlain's lipsticks smell, a similar waxy floral smell but here the flowers are sweet violets and roses, very feminine in a retro style like full circle skirts, T-bar shoes and crimped hairstyles. There's a vanilla tinged musk that's fluffy like cotton candy and smells more like white than dark musk, although white musk tends to feel a bit stretched out and thin compared to dark musk which smells more concentrated and potent. The vanilla musk only comes in in the later half of the scent for me but it's a sublime ending for me, a perfect medley between two of my favourite floral notes and a creamy vanilla muskiness. 

Wearing Lipstick Rose, I am taken back to the musical/movie Grease and in particular am reminded of Frenchy with her candy floss pink hair after a disastrous day in beauty school which resulted in her dropping out. 

PHI Une Rose de Kandahar Tauer

Source: Luckyscent

I can now spray my Tauer PHI without worrying that I will run out anytime soon, when I noticed that it was back on the market and labelled a "limited release" I broke my no-buy rule and snapped one up, having been a miser with my 15 ml from an explorer set purchased in 2013. 

I love how my perspective of scents have changed from when I first got into my perfume obsession. I put it down to experience, having smelt more and learning to identify notes and their variations/combinations and still getting them wrong, re-discovering old loves and ending/starting relationships when I find a different side to them that I didn't notice/understand before. 

When I first wore PHI a year ago, I could only appreciate it as a salty musky rose, a beautiful one at that but I missed out on the rest of PHI until recently when we got re-acquainted. The opening is sour and sparkling citrus that does a quick pirouette and exits, making way for a fuzzy complex rose, made up of powdery notes, a soft and demure fruity non-screechy rose, salty musk and a light bitter almond which is similar to the almond in loukoum scents like Serge Lutens' Rahat Loukoum but it does not turn PHI into a gourmand. Fuzzy like a long-haired cat is the vibe I get from PHI. Further along the day, I smell incense and spices but at a muted volume, not like in previous Tauer creations. 

Andy Tauer wrote in his blog that the formula for PHI remains unchanged and I would agree that both my bottles smell the same. A rose like no other. 

Gardez Moi Jovoy

Source: www.nobaharshop.com

Gardez Moi. Keep me.

The name was the first thing that appealed to my romantic sensibilities and since it was touted to be a big fat white floral (BFWF) of which I am a huge fan, I went for a blind buy. No regrets. 

Gardez Moi is indeed a BFWF, not as grandiose as Fracas and obviously without tuberose, not creamy and fruity sweet like my other BFWF love, the intoxicating Isabey's Fleur Nocturne and although a classy white floral of tuberose/jasmine/gardenia, Estee Lauder's Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia was too light and straightforward for me and got swapped away. 

Gardez Moi is an enormous bouquet of freshly cut white florals, as if they have been brought in from a dew-laden garden that's just waking up. The opening is all about outdoorsy, words like "crisp", "green", "watery" come to mind. The aldehydes that enter after the white floral notes enhance the brightness with their powdery green citrus smell, giving Gardez Moi a vintage air. 

The base is a delicately powdered balmy musk, smelling faintly as if just a memory of the young and boisterous white florals.   

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. 

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.