Manakara Indult

Desirability: Adoption by a more appreciative nose

Source: Fragrantica

I have long worshiped at the altar of Francis Kurkdjian's creations. So confident am I of my love for his work that I've blind bought many of those I have. I thank heaven that I did not blind buy Mankara as tempting as lychee and roses sound.

For I don't smell lychee or roses and I've been around both long enough to know what they smell like from green to overripe. What I do smell is...over ripe melon that is syrupy sweet and cloying to the point of being nauseating. In the background I get a whiff of something that has been burnt and it's not pleasant either. It's almost like a fragrant plastic doll that's been singed. In the drydown the melon is joined by resins. Manakara is described as a tropical fruity floral with 2 notes of lychee and roses. It smells way more complex than 2 notes (except that I don't even smell the listed 2 notes LOL).

I checked and double-checked both my sample label as well as my sample order. It is Manakara that I'm wearing. Looking at the reviews online, there are others that get melon and the burnt note too except they are polite and call it caramelized. Ditto the resins. 

The projection and longevity are amazing and for those on who this works its magic, lucky you :)

Voile d'Ambre Yves Rocher

Desirability: Decant

Source: www.punmiris.com

A soft oriental that reminds me of other similarly mild tempered characters like Oppoponax by Les Néréides and Opium Eau D'ete Summer Fragrance 2003 from Yves Saint Laurent. 

Starts off bitter green and tangy like the rinds of dozens of limes being peeled off simultaneously, with a dash of the aromatic sweetness that is unique to cardamom seeds. It turns a bit dry and dusty with a sweet woody smell before evolving into a sheer golden amber, citrus-tinged vanilla and smoky sweet resins. Many ambers get too powdery or too sweet but Voile d'Ambre is nicely balanced in both these categories, with the balsamic elements featuring more prominently.

Voile d'Ambre hovers close to me so much so that I really have to stick my nose to my skin in order to smell it after the first two hours. The longevity fares a bit better, I can detect it up to around six hours. Overall, a nice scent for those just starting to venture into the oriental section of fragrances and those who prefer gossamer-like fragrances in general. 

Tango Masque

Desirability: Decant

Source: luckyscent

Phwoar...talk about heady and intoxicating, Tango just blazed its way onto my want list and I want this in a seriously bad way. Fragrantica lists this as an oriental floral but it wears like a spicy oriental on me, where have all the flowers gone? 

Cumin. Cumin. Cumin. Cloves. Cinnamon. Cardamom. Cumin. CUMIN. Cumin in all its wanton sweaty glory, attractive or repulsive depending on whether you like it. Boozy, bold, exotic and rich, Tango has me in a cinch, make that a steaming hot passionate cinch. It continues to smoulder all the way to its drydown, a warm, dense and sweet amber base with resins and dry wood heaped on the molten fire. Monstrous projection and longevity. Sexy beast. 

Isis Agonist

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: www.parfumaniya.com.ua

High quality gourmand oriental. 

A potent gourmand that on the superficial level smells mostly of caramel, vanilla and in proportions of 40/40/20. Digging deeper I sniff out more ingredients that make up Isis. There's a spicy herbal-ness that breaks through the thick blanket of sweetness created by the three dominant players and tosses a zingy twist into what might have been a tedious trip with yet another confection in a bottle.   

The opening might have been loud and boisterous but the drydown of Isis is another ball game altogether. What started as a super smooth candy with a spicy edge morphs into a glowing amber of warm resins and ripe fruits- I smell the fuzzy skins of peaches and the citruses from earlier still lingering. The caramel isn't as strong any more but the combination of the resins and fruits make me think of the burnt orange-brown colour of caramelized cake tops.The distant drydown is a snuggly amber tinted vanilla that although has none of the volubility of the opening, nonetheless is still easily discernible even after a full twenty-four hours.     

Isis would be repulsive for those who do not care for sweet treats but if given a chance, it evolves from its gourmand roots and proceeds to dip its toes into the warm and sensual territory belonging to oriental fragrances. This far along my discoveries, Isis is probably the best caramel dominant scent that boasts and delivers more than just caramel, unlike my unlucky experience with the multiple notes yet smelling of 100% caramel Versilia Aurum. It's all down to chemistry. 

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.  

Ambra Lorenzo Villoresi

Source: Fragrantica

I've said it way too many times probably that Ambre Sultan is THE amber in my humble opinion and I've never wanted another amber since meeting that Lutens. Some ambers have been too powdery and many more have been too sweet and not resinous enough for my taste. And then there is Lorenzo Villoresi's Ambra from the Vintage Collection. 

You say amber, I think warm, inviting, smouldering, oriental, resinous etc. The opening of Ambra has none of that. "A misnomer", I thought, wrinkling my nose up at the sharp citrus and heavily peppered opening. Elemi is very evident with its fresh, spicy and citrus-like smell. Exotic spices join the line up like cardamom with its green aromatic sweetness, cloves with their unique minty spiciness and a heavy dusting of black pepper. Potent and commanding it most certainly is, the notes teetering on the edge of dissonance. 

It becomes more "amber like" in the later stages, the rough edges of its earlier self smoothed away. The "marine" salty muskiness I've come to associate with ambergris, accompanied by soft powdery woods and sweet smoky resins all lightly spiced, warm and comforting, as if Ambra has matured from a coltish young one to a graceful and loving swan with a mild temperament. Powerful opening that lightens into moderate projection thereafter and overall good longevity. 

Ambre Fétiche Annick Goutal

Ambre Fétiche is a soft and feminine amber that smells like a cross between Serge Lutens' Ambre Sultan and an incense from the Series 3 Incense of Comme des Garcons, I'm thinking in particular of Jaisalmer.

It may lack the acrid dryness of the Lutens which makes Ambre Sultan the desert wind Chergui wants to be and may be considered a wimp by the likes of the robust, one-drink-too-many Amber Russe but although Ambre Fétiche is mild in nature it still has more character and more "amber" than I get from copious spraying of L'Artisan's Ambre Extreme which is too minimalistic for me. 

Ambre Fétiche is sweet, woody and earthy...as any good amber should be :) The warm reddish-brown deep glow of the fossilized tree resin represented by sweet and creamy vanilla with a smoky, smooth blend of resins. A linear, balmy Oriental that creates an atmosphere all snugly warm and comfortable. Compared to other ambers, it's more delicate and fuzzy and would be a nice introduction to Orientals or amber scents. Not too strong and the longevity could be much improved but overall a nice and cozy scent. 

Tendre Est La Nuit Majda Bekkali Sculptures Olfactives

Source: shinycreation.com

I took a quick look at the notes for Tendre Est La Nuit on Fragrantica, realised I haven't smelt quite a number of them and decided not to bother describing things I don't know and work out what I do smell even if it's not what's listed. 

I am strongly reminded of Parfum d`Empire Ambre Russe, likely strongly reminded, don't call me crazy. I dug out my sample of Ambre Russe to compare and I stand by what I say, well minus the vodka opening of Ambre Russe. Calling Tendre Est La Nuit a boozy oriental leather in a nutshell might be overly simplistic but that's the major part of the scent, something I didn't expect by its name but am quite enjoying. 

I smell boozy, syrup-engorged (immortelle maple syrup like) fruit like in Serge Lutens' Arabie but instead of the all-spice mix of Arabie there is pepper, smoky resins and balms which I can't tell apart but together with the pepper gives Tendre Est La Nuit it's oriental genes, a smooth tanned leather like in Anubis from Papillon Artisan Perfumes and a dark earthy patchouli. A thick, concentrated scent that seems to transform from its syrupy start to a dry fine dust over time, almost like musty old books that have been sprayed with the perfume. 

I prefer Tendre Est La Nuit to Ambre Russe for being an easier digestif to swallow, Tendre Est La Nuit imbibes but stops short of heavy drinking, while with Ambre Russe although being wearable art, one still has to be in the right mood to wear it without being worn out by the whole experience. Tendre Est La Nuit is a heavy scent with a big projection so I would be careful with applying this to avoid inducing headaches and/or nausea, but its strength fades out over time so that by the eighth hour it's a pleasant skin scent. P.S: I was putting clothes aside for laundry when I smelt a most gorgeous smoky, sweet and dark patchouli coming from the top I had used when wearing Tendre Est la Nuit more than 24 hours ago. Beautiful!

La Liturgie des Heures Jovoy

I'm a big fan of Jovoy's Gardez-Moi (big fat white gardenia) and Psychedelique (my most reached for dark and sultry patchouli) and had my sights set on sampling the rest of the line. 

Incense. Latin: Incendere. "To Burn".

The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of Christians daily and in all denominations, the principle remains the same: to pray throughout the day, to spend the entire day and night in praise of God. Wearing La Liturgie des Heures Jovoy, one does feel and smell like having spent the whole day in church, issuing forth frankincense, myrrh, styrax and copal with every step. 

The use of incense in Christian worship is seen as a symbol of the prayer of the faithful rising to heaven. Psalm 141, verse 2: "Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight: the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice." In the Catholic Church, whenever a thurible, used to contain incense as it is burned on hot charcoal, is swung to incense people or objects, it is repeated in patterns of three swings, to represent the Holy Trinity.  

La Liturgie des Heures takes us back to its ancient use as aromatherapy, of healing both the physical and emotional through stimulation of the olfactory nerve.This sweet resinous smoke is linear but beautifully crafted and would be welcomed by those who enjoy this genre of scent, employing a calming and relaxing effect on the limbic system. Read more on incense symbology here.

Aromatherapy benefits

It is a potent incense so be careful how much you spray, besides scenting, it could be used instead of pepper spray if applied with vigor, if that fails to disarm your assailant, throwing the heavy glass flacon with good aim would guarantee a knockout. 

Trivia:

Frankincense and Myrrh come from the sap of trees, frankincense from the genus Boswellia and myrrh from the species Commiphora, where the sap is collected as dried beads from tapping the reservoirs in the trees and allowing the ooze to dry on the trunk. 

The resin of both plants has been used for spiritual practices for over 5,000 years and were considered a valuable and practical gift in ancient times- recall that the Three Magi gifted baby Jesus with gold, frankincense and myrrh.The resins also have medical benefits that were applied in past civilizations dating back to 1500 BC, including antiseptic, antidepressant, immune booster, astringent and sedative among many other health uses. 

* Frankincense drying on a bark. Cedric Pollet.

El Born, Carner Barcelona

My dad loves rum and raisin ice-cream and when I first tried El Born, I wish he wore scents, I would have gotten a bottle of this for him. 

It's very boozy with dried fruit and sweet vanilla, conjuring up images of a mound of dark glossy raisins over creamy vanilla ice-cream, add rum as you please. El Born is without a doubt, gourmand without being a gourmand. Like how Frederic Malle's Dries Van Noten smells like spiced egg nog, when there's nothing gourmand in its listed notes to suggest so. 

In El Born, the rich resins and balsams give it it's boozy warmth and contribute to the sweetness created by the honey, vanilla and dried fruit notes. The sandalwood adds a creamy and rich texture, hence the ice-cream analogy. 

The scent dries to a boozy and powdery vanilla. Delicious from start till finish which is over eight hours at least. 

Rum raisin ice-cream 

Labdanum 18 Le Labo

This was my last birthday gift to myself and came shipped from Luckyscent via an amazing perfume-friend. I adore the skank Rose 31, the super leathery Patchouli 24, the hyper-realistic Lys 41, the gorgeous woody Belle du Soir, Santal 33 my favorite happy sandalwood and I was ready to be impressed by Labdanum 18.

I'm not wowed off my feet, but I'll say it's a good SKIN SCENT. It's so soft, it's practically made of fairies' wings. Not something I expected with labdanum and civet amongst its notes. 

I sprayed a copious amount on my sleeve and finally met Labdanum 18. It's a smoky, Oriental musk, with a hint of animals hiding behind the trees. Not as smoky like Le Labo's broody Vetyver 46, it's more resinous than a wood fire. 

So it didn't win the sweepstakes in projection but it's rather long-lasting, I could still detect its balmy sweetness eight hours on if I stick my nose to my arm. Good for days you want to remain discreet in office meetings before you have a rendezvous with your lover after, it's guaranteed he/she will respond amorously to this musky "like skin" but "skin rolled in animal funk and incense" scent. 

I've heard it compared to Musc Ravageur by Frederic Malle. I would say there are similarities but they are not identical twins, maybe fraternal. First I can actually smell Musc Ravageur after one spray (sorry for the repeated gripe), secondly Musc Ravageur has this potent, obvious spiciness about it that is not present in Labdanum 18. Musc Ravageur is provocative, in your face wantonness whereas Labdanum 18 is quietly alluring. Ok, Musc Ravageur would be Angelina Jolie (how could you miss all that sex appeal starting from the lips right?) versus the gamine Audrey Tautou as Labdanum 18 (watch Amelie then go watch Hors de prix). At the end of the day, it depends on who or what you want to channel. 

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.

L'Oiseau de Nuit Parfumerie Generale

L'Oiseau de Nuit. The Night Bird has landed in my hands from a Luckyscent sample. 

Now this is good stuff. 

It opens with a smell similar to lemongrass-herbal, bittersweet and green. The medicinal part abates a bit and I smell the leather that makes me think of really buttery soft leather gloves that you never want to take off but you have to because the SA is staring at you suspiciously and the price-tag is astronomical. 

There's an animal in this scent and I don't mean the name. It smells like an unwashed beast...but I like it...in the scent that is. Not the actual beast up close, I've dated enough of those thank you.


The Odalisque, Aldophe Weisz 1884

I smell sweet smoky resins, which one exactly I can never tell, I get mixed up with the different types of balsams and resins. The official notes list labdanum and benzoin.

The scent twists and turns on me like smoke does in the air, now I get the herbal bitterness, now I get then thick resinous sweetness, then I get the leather and the unwashed beast. 

Sillage is very very good, considering I applied a little bit from a dab sample to my right elbow and I can smell this as clear as if I had my wrist stuck to my nose...that's good in my books. 

My first full bottle worthy PG scent, I may even spring for the 100 ml bottle. Definitely reinvigorated to try more!