When you live in a pineapple under the sea, but you’ve converted it to a Harley Davidson showroom.
We’re encountering a rose who is not just a protagonist in a horror film, but perhaps the film–a cursed film–itself. And not some schlocky nonsense that’s all jump scares and genre cliches, we’re talking the last violently spine-tingling, pants-shittingly terrifying film you saw and that you’ve begun to have ghastly nightmares about which are starting to eerily echo and reverberate through your waking hours. Court of Ravens by 4160 Tuesdays is, in short, and on paper, an incensey rose chypre--but rumors are the incense component is the boiling blood of a mad cultist mixed with strange and stinging otherworldly herbs, the rose grew sickly and sinister on the unmarked grave of a hanged murderer, and the chypre, well, it’s the usual materials of oakmoss and balsamic elements, but pounded on an ancient black altar to an oozing paste along with a secret number of drops from a cracked, cloudy bottle, and I don’t know what’s in that esoteric essence, but it smells shockingly of acrid fright-sweat, bitter adrenaline, and is underscored by a host of sharp, burning pheromones. So, you have probably reached the conclusion that I must love this, and you’re right, and I’m glad you guys can read between the lines.
Destrier from House of Matriarch is perhaps the first leather scent I have ever not just tolerated but actually liked. I’m not sure if I’m even a leather fan, but I appreciate that this one just goes so hard. It is not putting on airs, and it’s not in disguise; there is no mistaking it. AND it’s a rather 360° immersive scent experience as well as absolutely immediate, with no lead-in or preamble. Imagine you are an overachieving LARPer, and you took three years of leatherworking classes so that you could make the perfect leather coin pouch to hang from your belt for this intensely anticipated festival you’ve been dying to attend. Even though it’s a tiny piece of a larger, more intricate costume, you want every detail absolutely perfect, from the tanning to the stitching to the embossing. You’ve spent so much time on this accessory that you’re smelling those tanning agents, those fats and oils and chemicals and musks, even in your dreams now. And in waking life, too, even after the event, you are one with that leather coin purse, and you carry it with you everywhere you go. At this point in time, it is stuffed with cedar chips, sweet grasses, and soft moss…because you spent all your coins on those expensive classes and leatherworking tools.
Is Penhaligon’s Babylon meant to evoke Babylon, the den of iniquity and pinnacle of sin? Or perhaps that groovy Satanic prostitute, arrayed in purple and scarlet, decked with pearls and precious stones, with her golden cup spilling with abominations and filthiness? I’m not sure this softly-spiced, velvet-wooded fragrance is as outrageous or dramatic as all of that. Imagine that golden cup, surely sensationalized to pique public indignation, was instead some sort of humble, unassuming vessel, a bowl of roughly carved but fragrant sandalwood, filled with a milky liquid, redolent of honeyed saffron, the aromatic, earthy warmth of nutmeg and coriander’s peppery-aniseed camphor, and delicately resinous, subtly smoky vanilla. If you’re a fan of Dior’s Hypnotic Poison, but don’t love that obnoxious root beer note, I think you’d find Babylon a more tasteful and understated option. I do enjoy this scent immensely, but I’d still like to smell a more vivid and exuberant perfumed interpretation of this apocalyptic beauty.
Firstly, I've never smelled any other perfumes by Russian Adam, although I'd love to, so I'm happy to say I can circumvent all the talk of this not living up to his others etc etc. When I first got into perfume, I found that the common incense note (such as that found in Avignon, and countless others) - the sort of churchey, dry incense, didn't resemble any incense I'd ever experienced. But over time I assimilated that smell into my cognitive bank so it's what I now recognize broadly as incense. When I smelled this perfume, I remembered what incense had actually smelled like to me during my university days when I used to visit a lot of hippy shops and use a lot of joss sticks. At first it wasn't necessarily a great association, as I've moved far past those days and associate that smell with crusty student digs and the lazy stoner/raver student types who were in the periphery, the type of people who sit around getting drunk and high and talking about what's wrong with the world whilst failing to see the profound irony of the situation. Lucky for me this visceral reaction, and almost revulsion, passed quickly as I was distracted by a strange, salty sort of ever-so-slighly bilgey waft coming from my arm..... then jasmine, roses, oh my god, then I realised this was ambergris, which was softly diffusing with the florals from among some citric elemi-esque olibanum. The more I focused the more complex it got. Then I left and went to work, and during the day the perfume really dried down and I was graced by the mysore sandlewood, brooding and ebbing from my skin, close to the skin but seemingly everlasting. Today in Paris it's been snowing and windy all day, and I've been out and about between meetings being blasted with soggy, horizontal sleet, snow and rain, but the perfume endured through it all. I got home at 9pm and while I could still smell it, I couldn't resist another spritz on each wrist, so I'm not sure exactly how long it lasts, seemingly eternally. This is an incredible perfume that I percieve as at once familiar and completely original. It's like coming home to something I love, but I've never actually known it until now.
The opening is a beautiful almost realistic crystalline camphor. Not intense or overpowering, but more like a medicinal shampoo. There's a faint spicy and warmth from pepper, and a not too sweet, but juicy fruitiness.
Drying down the camphor softens and mixed with the musc becomes almost like a perfumed talc.
A little gentle spicy remains but hard to identify if that's from the incense, patchouli, or resins.
A really lovely scent, and worth a sample at least !
The Night, is this the epitome of rose-oud? It certainly feels like it comes damn close. Some people say this is too stinky, it perhaps it is to wear in most situations, but this is one seriously special creation. A scent which truly celebrates oud in all its glory, properly introducing it to the western market. Pure Indian oud lies at the core of this magnificent experience; it’s sharp and slightly sour, yet profoundly dry and earthy. It’s thick, woody facets coming to life by way of incense and Amber thrown into the mix. The rose itself isn’t overpowering, it’s not off-pityingly jammy or sweet, but provides just enough balance to tone things down a notch, alongside saffron. This scent is simplicity at its best, it demonstrates its complexity through the jaw-dropping quality of its materials. Is it worth the price? I wouldn’t say so, it’s an absolute beauty, but at the end of the day it is just a perfume.
Dior are known for their impeccable execution of the famous Iris and leather combination, and Cuir Cannage is easily the best of them. This is a scent which is so effortlessly refined and sophisticated, oozing class and wealth whilst remaining perfectly polite. This Iris flower accord is very light and airy, with a gentle powdery aspect about it - not like the typical thick dustiness of orris. Highlighted by buttery ylang and soapy white florals, before delving into a rich, crisp leather. This is not the rugged leather of an old jacket, but instead the crisp glossiness of bespoke Italian dress shoes. There’s a delicate aromatic greenness which blends into the background seamlessly, providing lift and masculinity. I absolutely love this. It’s bittersweet sampling it because I know how difficult it is to find. I know that my collection will never feel complete until I own this utter masterpiece, it would easily be my go-to scent to wear when I’m dressed up to the nines.
Silver Oud has built a reputation for being the stinkiest fragrance amongst all of Amouage’s offerings, which is rather brave of them to still produce it considering how mainstream they are becoming. One thing’s for certain, this is a challenging fragrance to wear. Cypriol is the most dominant note to my nose; it’s intensely rich and oily, very dense and a little smoky - almost like gasoline. The intense earthiness of patchouli furthers the darkness provided by the oud, which all in all is given this brutal, unforgiving strength through the inclusion of a slightly fecal castoreum and smoky birch. Despite all this though, there is a gentle sweetness which emerges after being given some time to settle, from the vanilla but also the vanillic facets of the castoreum. There’s so much to unpack with this scent, it’s so complex. I don’t feel disgusted by it, but at the same time I could never see myself wearing it - I can just imagine the kind of negative feedback you’d get from others around you. It’s a fantastic creation, but no one would ever need 100ml of this beast.
Ahlam is a discontinued treasure, a collaboration between Roja and the Emirati singer - Ahlam. This scent is the collision between two worlds of perfumery; east and west, together as one. This is an oud-rose, but not as you know it. In fact, there’s very little out there which smells comparable to this. To put it simply, this is pure floral powder. This dense and intensely dry concoction of violet and powdery notes are complemented by a slightly nutty almond and sweet, creamy vanilla. A whisper of dark, oily oud and a slightly salty ambergris and geranium go hand in hand alongside a supple rose. The base, furthering this powdery facet through the dusty character of sandalwood and orris. It’s magnificent, I cannot stop smelling my wrist. If you don’t like powdery scents or are even sensitive to them, you won’t get on with this one; but if you do, it’s a holy grail. The only comparable scent on today’s market is Nebulous by Boadicea The Victorious, which is far more animalic and brash whereas this is very classy and restrained.
A vanillic musk fragrance which somehow sidesteps the enormous cliche that description might have you thinking it's like (then again it might not?) I personally found it woodier and certainly with that cardamom note particularly in the opening giving a signature Schoen sort of minimalism. It's okay, I like musky perfumes but this isn't particularly memorable on that front either. I liked it though.
I don't like Vetiver perfumes, I mean typical Vetiver which are almost all masculine. Otherwise I love to wear many masculine perfumes but Vetiver is something which is not attractive on women. First I was thinking that there is nothing "extraordinaire" in this but the more I worn it the more I came into the conclusion that this is the first Vetiver which is absolutely beautiful and pretty on women so this is unisex Vetiver. Of course it's because of how Vetiver is made, how much there is Vetiver in it but it's mostly because of wonderfully made blend. Vetiver is not sharp at all, not off putting nor too strong. Citruses don't have a big role which is more than fine for me since those can be tricky to my nose. They are in the opening but otherwise they stay far away in the background. Woody notes in the middle, especially Sandalwood softens Vetiver like Cashmeran as well and the result is velvety soft and indulgent. Musk in the base supports them perfectly. I'm not the right person to analyse Vetiver more since mostly I can't wear them enough. I can say for example that Nishane's Sultan Vetiver and Roja's Vetiver are very good top quality vetiver scents but honestly I don't use my time for that category. However, I can highly recommend Vétiver Extraordinaire to both women and men. Right notes Top: Bergamot, Bitter Orange, Pink Pepper Middle: Haitian Vetiver, Cashmere, Cedarwood, Sandalwood Base: Oakmoss, Musk Thank you for reading, I hope you liked my review. I would appreciate if you follow my IG: @ninamariah_perfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗
Bright, strong, green citrus. Herbal green lavender, delicate white flowers. Woody and almostly lactonic sandalwood rounding everything. There's a spicyness which could be Tonka, or just the overdose of aromachemicals.
The musk is a skin like quality, like a warm soft baby's head.
I'm actually surprised how much I like it this time. I tried it first a few months ago and it was just okay. But today is the first day we had snow, and the vibe is just right and so I pulled this one out of the drawer (I have a small decant) and sprayed it three times. The longevity is quite spectacular, and the smell is wonderfully rich. I miiiiight be getting what the hype is about. I'll probably never buy a full bottle, though, it's ridiculously expensive.
It doesn't smell like a Chanel fragrance at all and the aldehydes don't appear in the same way as in other fragrances from Les Exclusifs collection. The scent is powdery, but not as much as you might imagine from the combination of iris and Heliotrope. It is not dry powdery, like La Pausa for example. The whole thing smells rather like it has a lot of Violet and the smell in general reminds me of the color Purple (I don't immediately think of purple if smelling Iris). The aroma is sweet and "moist". Heliotrope is neither vanilla-like, nor almond-like, but the scent is thick, still not creamy and it brings the sweetness to the scent. The notes say "musky notes" and I think the scent is here very similar to Ambrette which has a sweet floral musky nuances. In the dry down the sharp scent of Violet changes into a softer texture and it's more like a mix of subtle Iris and clear Heliotrope. The scent is soft, pretty and pleasant, but I understand why we have been disappointed with it. It's hard to say if I'll buy the whole bottle. It may be that I suddenly fall in love with it, because there is absolutely nothing unpleasant in this scent or blend in overall. The smell is familiar and it reminds me of something, and I'll tell you as soon as I get it in my head. The two most recent crushes on Violet Fragrances are Pierre de Velay Amour and Oriza de L.Legrand Violettes du Czar, I definitely need Amour, the latter one I already bought and perhaps the most unsuccessful Violet fragrance is just lately released Palatine. I will continue testing this more and I will edit my thoughs if needed. Thank you for reading, I hope you liked my review. I would appreciate if you follow my IG: @ninamariah_perfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗
The opening has a flash of bergamot giving a green citrus edge to a powerful rose and oud. What the synthetic jungle essence is, I don't know, but I find the oud to be quite chemical and rubbery. Maybe it's my skin, maybe it's the other notes mingling. It's been around 30 minutes and the rubbery smell is fading. I will update later into the dry down.
4 hours in - any harshness has gone and I now have a sweet, woody, aromatic rose oud. A little dankness there, maybe just the oud, could be the patchouli.
LES PARFUMS DE ROSINE LeSnob No 1 Gothic Rose Joelle Lerioux Patris 2016 In 2015 Le Snob Company, the accessory house of luxurious leather based in Paris, discovered Rosine and quickly became obsessed with their unique fragrances. With both houses having a fascination with roses an exceptional creative collaboration was born. The first one of the gorgeous trio opens up with a potent bouquet of roses where Elemi creates a fresh and subtle citrusy aroma into it. Surprisingly I like it - citrusy facets are not always my favourites. Rose is first very realistic and intoxicating. There is a certain kind of airy feeling in it, not smoky but it it feels that it truly fills your nostrils and after that it settles down and changes not only into mysterious and spicy but an utterly unique rubbery scent as well. It’s weird and pleasant in the same time. I was afraid of it at first but it’s very chic. As I love plum, I was hoping it would be a bit stronger, but still not juicy. Ambery and balsamic base with Myrrh, Cedar, Musk, Leather and Vanilla makes this concoction oriental, dark and unisex. It’s not too thick, resinous or too strong, it’s not so sweet either - I think it would be suffocating if it was and this kind of base is very common so it's gratifying that it smells like nothing else. The overall feeling can be first synthetic for some but it’s because of rubber and without it this would me like dozens of other perfumes. The scent is enigmatic and sophisticated. Thank you for reading, I hope you liked my review. I would appreciate if you follow my IG: @ninamariah_perfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗
In the air, Alameda comes off as a simple, elegant, sticky sweet amber. But up close, the earthiness and slight powdery touch makes it feel much more complicated. Very smooth and luxurious, definitely well blended. Not something you would want to smell everyday but once in a while you will definitely miss it.
An incredible vetiver scent with better performance than it first seems.... I'm not a huge Bertie fan but this one is wonderful, and it doesn't smell like Guerlain Vetiver any more than any one vetiver scent smells like another. In fact I'd say this one is a lot more original than most. Perfect for a rainy, cold autumn day, to add a sparkle and shimmer to the grim, grey surroundings. Today it's raining constantly I Paris and I'm out and about, and this little gem is giving me a spritz of joy as I go between my meetings.
Rusak's site describes this scent as a “minimalist weirdo. A creature of deception. Perfume nerdery” and while I don’t actually know anything about this perfumer, I will say that this nondescription captured my imagination and which evolved into a little crush. The sort of obsession that you develop on someone you glimpsed on the subway reading a dog-eared copy of a book by your favorite author, in this case, let’s say creepy Japanese manga artist Junji Ito, and then you had a series of unsettling dreams about them, so you wrote an ode to this stranger in the local alternative paper’s missed connections section. And like Japan’s most successful and lauded horror author, Rusak has injected an extraordinarily potent amount of weirdness into this scent. Beginning with a mundane peek into the spice cabinet, you are subjected to a surreal descent into madness featuring fenugreek’s uncanny curried maple syrup-ness, a dry, itchy tingle of salty musk, an enigmatic spike of aniseed, and an oily conflagration of black pepper. I can’t make heads or tails of this scent, and as a matter of fact, I like to imagine it as a many-headed, rattle-tailed beast, much like its very name. It’s truly one of the most eccentric and singular fragrances I have ever sniffed and I stand in admiration of its sublime strangeness.
A bastion of old Hollywood and notorious celebrity hideaway, this olfactory ode to the Chateau Marmont mentions wilting roses, crisp linens, and vintage wood furniture and I do think all of that comes across. It’s an incredibly languid scent, like Lana del Rey in front of her vanity singing in a sleepy, drunken drawl into her mirror about how her moon is in Leo and her Cancer is sun, which if you ask me is a very weird way to phrase that thought. There’s dreamy indolence to this scent, moments frozen in time, captured in a Polaroid picture, dust motes floating forever above a lone rose in a chipped vase just beyond the mirror’s cloudy reflection, never settling on the bloom. A powdery musk of memory of a night that never really ended, a faded photograph that belongs to no one anymore, wrapped in tattered linen and quietly slipped under a shabby fringe of carpet in a shadowed corner of an old bungalow.
dropping your pistachio ice cream in a pile of dirt and eating it anyway (imagine you're a worm and this is a good thing)
I had a possibility to try this Fendi’s new collection and this one immediately stood out from the rest of the line. There are very nice scents but this one was love at the first sniff. La Baguette is captivating combination of stunning minimalist beauty, elegant powdery deliciousness without being gourmand and a dreamy soft pampering texture. Iris is delicate and vulnerable but it’s not too dry, cold or make up like because of tender Vanilla which is not too sweet nor sugary. The most refined leather joins to this dreamy, slightly creamy, classy and luxurious concoction. Sometimes, for a fleeting moment, it feels like a delicious treat. It’s not easy to make an iris fragrance, especially something as simple as this, that would be somehow special but Anne Flipo managed to do it. La Baguette was an instant love and it developed quickly into an obsession since it doesn’t only make me feel confident and beautiful but it also creates amazingly cozy and calming vibes. Thank you for reading, I hope you liked my review. I would appreciate if you follow my IG: @ninamariah_perfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗
A cosy lactonic chai that envelops and comforts
