Myrrh Casati Mona di Orio

Desirability: Adoption by a more appreciative nose

Opens with a strong waxy note, literally like sniffing a candle-stick up close. There is the sweet and herbal almost medicinal smell of licorice which thankfully is moderated here as I like licorice only in smaller doses. Faint spices and a soft green mossy base.   

Myrrh Casati was an OK experience but not something I'm enthusiastic to repeat. The candle wax didn't sit well with me and I found the scent overall to be a bit too lifeless despite its promising roll call of notes.  Myrrh or resins in general invoke images of warmth and feelings of passion, both of heart and hearth but Myrrh Casati feels impersonal and dispassionate or in a word, bland. 

It has little projection and the longevity could be improved on, I got about a couple of hours tops on two different trials.  I've liked pretty much all that I've tried from Mona di Orio thus far and I love the reformulated Nuit Noire as well as a few from the Les Nombres D'Or range. However I hit a rut with Myrrh Casati which is probably a good thing for my finances. 

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. 

Ambra Aurea Profumum Roma

Desirability: Full bottle

Source: www.profumum.com

Smooth criminal.

This is like a sensual and languorous trip that winds and loops, doubles back and proceeds once more through creamy vanilla, smoky incense, sweet myrrh, dusky warm labdanum, freshly shaven wood and a hint of camphor. Despite being a gourmand lover of sweet things, I prefer my ambers not too sweet and thankfully the sugar level is controlled in this smooth, rich and dense fragrance. I have to mention its ridiculously persistent longevity (ditto sillage) which seems to be a common trait amongst Profumum Roma scents. Mind the oily residue when sprayed though it does give one the fantasy factor of applying liquid amber on. 

Source: kultflick.wordpress.com

Of course I have to compare it with my Holy Grail of ambers...Ambre Sultan, Ambra Aurea is glossy and lustrous where Ambre Sultan is dry and spicy. Ambre Sultan takes me on a magic carpet ride to desert lands of Peter O'Toole's Lawrence of Arabia whereas Ambra Aurea is like the Sex and the City version of the Middle East i.e. a bit OTT but still loveable in the end. 

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Both are glorious amber perfumes in their own right and for those who can't decide whether they need a bottle of Ambra Aurea if they already own the Lutens I would say go for it. Many thanks (or not) to the fragrant friend/fiend who sent me vials of Fiori d'Ambra and Ambra Aurea, both labelled "smell me immediately". I obeyed your instructions and am now hooked.

Opium Eau D'ete Summer Fragrance 2003 Yves Saint Laurent

Desirability: Sample

Source: Fragrantica

Opium on a diet for super hot and humid days when you don't want to asphyxiate those around you with the original. Most days I don't give a stuff whether people around me mind what I'm wearing but there are occasions where one must be toe the line or suffer horrid non TGIF consequences hence why I'm wearing this today. 

Sweet woody myrrh, refined and oriental-esque, lightened by the presence of sunny yellow-green citrus notes and luminous white flowers. Carnation makes known its presence with its distinct spicy-sweet floral powdered self and a minute amount of rich vanilla in the warm woody base. 

The DNA of Opium is still alive in this 2003 summer edition, a glamorous, well balanced ode to the art of perfumery with excellent longevity and OK projection. Those who found the original too much of a good thing may want to try this version, there are still bottles tinkering around on Ebay so grab while you can. Personally I prefer the original. 

Oppoponax Les Néréides

Desirability: Decant

Source: Fragrantica

Les Néréides fragrances are the archetypical "the bang for your buck" scents and Oppoponax is no different. In return for the very affordable prices listed on various online stores and Ebay, you get well-made fragrances of acceptable quality, with decent performances in the sillage and longevity departments. Totally blind buy worthy I thought and I did. No regrets.

Oppoponax stays true to its name and is a fine introduction to balmy scents.  A soft oriental that is revolves around warm and sweet resins, uncomplicated and largely linear on my skin.  The scent is both cozy and light, the ingredients a sheer version of themselves as compared to their roles in more heavy-hitting resin-based scents like Calvin Klein's Obsession, Guerlain's Shalimar or Yves Saint Laurent's Opium just to name a few. 

So if you are after a sultry, intoxicating scent, Oppoponax is not it. If you would like a lighter Oriental like a subtle golden shimmer accompanying you for the better part of a day, I would recommend to try this.  

Battito d`Ali Profumum Roma

Source: www.profumum.com

Battito d'Ali. The beating of wings.

That Profumum Roma fragrances are of good quality and amazing longevity if not always sillage, (I'm thinking my almost love Dulcis in Fundo) cannot be disputed. However there is enough overlap with existing fragrances from other brands that so far I've only added Vanitas to my closet.

Vanitas may soon be joined by Battito d'Ali.

I was in a bitter chocolate/cacao mood one day and Battito d'Ali was recommended for a cacao scent. On me it's more about orange blossoms than cacao. I love orange blossoms, be they ethereal and dainty, soapy or skanky. I had been satiated for a little over a year but I recently reignited my search for new orange blossoms to fall in love with. I tried Love by Kilian which was a total candied orange blossom that was too sweet for even my gourmand-inclined tastes. Then came Battito d'Ali and her dreamy self.

Battito d'Ali isn't a dainty orange blossom like Elie Saab's Le Parfum, not a chic one like Maison Francis Kurkdjian's APOM Pour Femme nor is it heady like Luten's Fleurs d'Oranger. It doesn't have the salty sweetness of Tauer's intriguing Orange Star nor the honeyed sweetness of L'Artisan's Seville a l'aube. It's a citrus-tinged white floral that balances the sweetness of a creamy vanilla with the bitter smokiness of myrrh. Starting a little like a candied orange blossom, the sugary beginning dissipates and the scent evolves into a bittersweet balmy treasure that stays close to the skin and lasts what seems forever and a day.

I'm missing the cacao note that many have mentioned, on me Battito d'Ali started out as a gourmand white floral and blossomed into a heavenly soft oriental. Quite otherworldly.

Anubis Papillon Artisan Perfumes

A solidly potent leather scent. 

This is no sweaty roll in the stables with flowers in your hair Cuir de Russe of Les Exclusifs de Chanel, it's more leathery than Cuir Mauresque and does not have the thick fruity sweetness of the Lutens.

Anubis is a leather loaded with a ton of tannin, I smell birch tar redolent of tar for paving roads (I happen to find tar sweet when it's freshly laid) and leathery smell. The gum resins frankincense and myrrh (I won't pretend to know where one ends and the other begins) lend a smoky and nutty sweetness after the initial pungent animal relaxes its stronghold.

Jasmine and pink lotus are listed but on me the flowers are sadly buried under the stack of tanned hides, a pity as I do love jasmine. I do smell the immortelle, here it showcases it's caramelized curry and dusty aspects and reminds me of Annick Goutal's Sables.

Anubis stays like this for the rest of its duration, a smoky leather and caramelized balmy resins. I find this rich, sensual, dark and cozy. I won't wear it to the office, the scent is much too sexually charged for fluorescent lighting and should be reserved for when one is on the prowl.

The scent trail is impressive, I applied a smidgen of this from a dab sample and it's positively radiating from its spot. Longevity could be better but I might have to judge it again in a spray form rather than a dab sample to know for sure.

A little trivia: Anubis is the Greek name of the jackal headed Egyptian god who was a funerary god. The ancient Egyptians believed that embalming the dead with the use of sweet-smelling herbs and plants helped the deceased because Anubis would sniff the mummy and only allow the pure to move on to Paradise. The ancient Egyptians used precious perfumery ingredients in the embalming process. The essential oils used in the embalming process are  also effective antibacterial agents and are partly responsible for the preservation of the corpses.

Anubis statue found in the tomb of Tutankhhamun

Datura Noir Serge Lutens

I have loved moonflowers since I was a child, when I would wait excitedly for the night-blooming cereus in the garden to unfurl its flowers and release their sweet heady scent in the still of the dark night. Datura and the night-blooming cereus share the common name moonflower, along with a few other vespertine flowers. Datura is also known as angel's trumpet and is confused with plants of the genus Brugmansia, a major difference between the two being that Brugmansia plants have pendulous flowers rather than erect like Datura.

Datura Inoxia

Datura Noir is a very creamy white floral, so creamy it almost wanders into the gourmand section, specifically full cream milk. 

Citrus tinged, tuberose and almonds are predominant, vanilla and coconut milk contributing to its rich texture, a little bitter, a little resinous as it dries, but ever retaining its luscious, milky texture. It is sweet but a sweetness that is drawn from botany not candy.

Datura Stramonium

I find it a bit much on hot, humid days when I'm running about outdoors, it can get rather cloying. Datura Noir is better appreciated in cooler temperatures, where it shows its romantic side without becoming suffocating. 

The scent radiates around me without being obnoxious and intrusive, plus it lasts a long time, I got through a twelve hour day with its company. Those who love tuberose and enjoy creamy scents bordering on gourmand, would probably enjoy Datura Noir. 

Trivia: Datura plants contain potentially toxic tropane alkaloids such as scopolamine, hyoscyamine, and atropine (used in resuscitation for bradycardia and certain patterns of heart block) which are anticholinergic agents (read more here).

A common mnemonic for the main features of anticholinergic syndrome is the following:

• Blind as a bat (dilated pupils)
• Red as a beet (vasodilation)
• Hot as a hare (hyperthermia)
• Dry as a bone (dry skin)
• Mad as a hatter (hallucinations/agitation)
• Bloated as a Toad (ileus, urinary retention)
• And the heart runs alone (tachycardia)

The drug physostigmine (cholinergic agent) is used to reverse the anticholinergic effects. Benzodiazepines can be given to curb the patient's agitation, and supportive care is indicated until the symptoms resolve, usually from 24–36 hours after ingestion of the Datura.

Vanitas Profumum Roma

Vanitas is a vanilla-centric scent, another in the line-up of olfactory antidepressants from Profumum Roma that are decadent without one piling on the pounds.

The opening is bordering on medicinal, the myrrh being responsible for that and it's a little cold and bitter initially. The myrrh here reminds me of Annick Goutal's Myrrh Ardente, which started out similarly with a cold resinous vibe but warmed to a smooth and subtle dark sweetness on me. In Vanitas, I smell the orange blossom and woody notes but they blend so seamlessly with the vanilla and myrrh. As it starts to warm on skin the bitterness and medicine melt away and it develops into a sweet resinous vanilla. It's not complex or profound but it is obviously of good quality ingredients and has an air of sophistication, which makes it different from your usual vanilla line up found in department stores and worn by teeny boppers.

The Profumum Roma line is expensive no doubt, but they are sold in travel sprays of 20 ml for about 60 Euro versus the 190 Euro for 100 ml. Unless you choose to have just this one perfume, I don't think a 100 ml is necessary as it is a very tenacious scent although with a soft trail and a little bit goes a very very VERY long way.

This is a scent for cuddling and lazing in bed on the weekends, it's so comforting, light-hearted and filled with positive vibes. I don't find it a "sexy" vanilla like for instance Dior's Addict which is a vampy vanilla, instead I liken Vanitas to the sweet and charming Snow White of 1937. On a different note, it also makes me crave for Sabayon. 

Vanitas Vanitatum, Omnia Vanitas “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

I did some research on the word "Vanitas"and it's as bittersweet as the myrrh and vanilla in the perfume. In Latin, it literally translates to "vanity" and is used to mean "emptiness" or "futility". Ecclesiastes 1:2;12:8 from the Old Testament, is often associated with this term and in the book he proclaims all the actions of man to be  inherently futile as the lives of both wise and foolish men end the same, in death. So as humans, we are powerless over the transience of life, but while we have life, we should enjoy every day of it, but our actions being kept in checked by following the 10 Commandments. Or simply put, do whatever you want so long as you hurt nobody or yourself in the process.

After that slightly grim note, I shall leave you with something more positive. Carpe diem!