Alahine Teo Cabanel

An Oriental sprite, Alahine opens with a quick burst of citrus notes which is their only part in the story. I smell the florals but am unable to tell them apart, together they are a full-bodied and intoxicating bouquet. As delightful as Alahine has proven to be so far, my real pleasure lies in the later hours, where the scent throws off its cloak of flowers and revels in its voluptuous beauty, all spiced smoke and amber glow, sweet honeyed resins and woody musk.

 As a lover of Oriental perfumes and biased in favor of Serge Lutens, what makes Alahine different from Lutens' stable of winners is that Alahine feels like a classic French perfume using oriental notes, just like Rosine's A-Z of roses, all with a French style no matter the ingredients. Lutens' don't fly a flag, they stay true to their ingredients, name and story and are a wild and headstrong bunch, whereas Alahine comports herself in a more graceful manner with a twinkle in her eye. She isn't old but she has matured in the ways of the world and I can't see this being worn by adolescents somehow.

After an initial potency, Alahine slowly slips into a skin scent by about the sixth hour. Not groundbreaking but an elegant, well-made perfume that Oriental fans should sample.