Bland and weak. This brand is a joke. They have a couple of interesting scents (Cuir and Musc) but even they are offensively overpriced. Santal Basmati is boring. For this money you can get a masterpiece that will move you every time you smell it. This is anodyne blah for people with money, no knowledge of what they're buying, and a desire to splurge.
I've decided to start boycotting companies that churn out extortionately priced "oud" perfumes like this. It's an insult to people who love perfume that they make these synthetic duds and claim there's laotian, or any other specific, oud inside. This smells like straight up akigalawood, the aroma-chemical du jour, with some cheap vetiver chemical. It's cheap-smelling and uninspired, and I'm completely done with Affinessence. If you like this profile, check out any cheap perfume by Quentin Bisch from the last ten years and you'll most likely get an akigalabomb that's more interesting than this.
At first spray it's almost mouth watering. Smells like its name suggests! Warm, smokey, ambery and sweet, a little fruity, whiskey!
Dries down on me as a honey tobacco. Possibly the immortelle?
Really love this one.
Kanami (香波) means "Fragrant Wave" in Japanese. It opens with a bold, monolithic floral scent that gradually reveals its individual notes of fresh jasmine, osmanthus, Kyoto rose, magnolia petals, and ylang. While the initial burst was too cloying for me, it dries down to something surprisingly watery and introspective.
Shiragoromo (白衣) means "White Clothes" in Japanese. My father is a Sumi ink artist, so to me the opening smells just like an ink stick —fragrant wood soot mixed with natural glue. As it unfolds, jasmine & rose add sweetness to the incense from agarwood. The agarwood in this makes it a traditionally East-Asian fragrance best suited for formal occasions.
Adameku (あだめく) means "Flirty/Coquette" in Japanese. A burst of extremely sweet orange, softened by jasmine & osmanthus. The combination creates a scent very similar to grape soda or fruit-flavored hard candy. If you've ever opened a tin of Sakuma Fruit Drops from the movie, Grave of the Fireflies, you will recognize this immediately. I do not detect any amber or resin.
Boyfriend says it smells like orange bathroom cleaner.
I bought this little vial at Whole Foods in high school. It was affordable and slightly more sophisticated than the popular, Warm Sugar Vanilla from Bath & Body Works. Equal parts vanilla sugar to musk, offering intimate sillage and a few hours of wear, before fading to a powdery musk.
Once again I’m finding myself experiencing same perfume in different season and it blew me away. It smells like the most beautiful lipstick in one sniff, then in another I get some cake-like sweetness. A touch of spice. It’s perfectly elegant, but still primal with the slightly animalic facets that Shalimar is known for. I’m obsessed!
One more stupendous Amouage which is discontinued. This underrated, artistic masterpiece is totally unisex imo. Myths Man has an extraordinary melancholic beauty, it’s so lyrical, like an unreal dream. There the resinous leather meets flowers drenched in Rum, then covered with ashes. It’s not a smoke, if you have smelled the fireplace after after the embers have gone out, you know how it smells and how it feels in an abstract way. There is something magical in it. It’s very rare to find Chrysanthemum in perfume, it’s a little bit musty and herbal, so perfect in this composition which is harmonious and beautifully blended. One of my favorite flowers, Iris, together with Chrysanthemum leaves me speechless, it’s a ravishing combo. Iris doesn’t make it make up like nor powdery but it makes me think violet colour while smelling it. Leather is smooth and soft, not challenging at all. It’s subtle, sophisticated, very gentle from Labdanum and it blends seamlessly with Vetiver and Elemi. Something here gives me aromatic vibe and I think it has to be Vetiver together with balsamic Elemis. Rose here is only a supportive note imo. In the language of flowers, the chrysanthemum carries the symbolic meaning of devoted love, loyalty, happiness, longevity, and joy. Especially in the Asian context, Chrysanthemum flowers are commonly used in funeral floral arrangements to say goodbye. Myths Man is unique and precious. It truly is a hidden gem. i don’t know any perfume which would be close to this. Thank you for reading and 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. 🤗
I was thinking to write just a short statement since this perfume is somehow very difficult to put into the words but that space wasn't enough though. Since this scent doesn't bring any images, sceneries or memories into my mind, I go through the notes and focus on how they perform. The opening is spicy and Ginger is very realistic and natural but otherwise the base is strongly there straight away from the beginning. On my skin floral notes never come through the deep and dark base whilst Ginger manage to maintain its aroma for 2 hours. To my nose, Ambergris is first dominant with smoky feeling from Frankincense, so smoky doesn't mean Tobacco like smoky or a smoke from the fire. Ambergris is first stronger and more opulent and after that it gets lighter and saltier but it's not animalic. Patchouli brings dark, earthy and woody edge to the blend but it doesn't smell that familiar Patchouli like for example in Patchouli-Oud | Affinessence, Portrait of a Lady | Frederic Malle or Straight to Heaven, White Cristal | Kilian, it's all the time wrapped in Ambergris and Labdanum which also doesn't bring that usual leather smell but a little bit resinous Amber nuances instead. Over time, Musk starts to leave other base notes in the background and the whole blend becomes sensually soft and the masculine feeling that was dominant at first changes into completely unisex. I understand totally why this scent is more worn among men (I don't understand why Mariya | Omanluxury is not popular among women). There is nothing feminine in it and even if I don't divide scents by gender, and I myself use all kinds of fragrances, it helps to understand what kind of the scent is like. The longevity on my skin is much less than others from Omanluxury and the projection is moderate (many from them projects like a beast). Thank you for reading and 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 must have
Attractive but not unique Rose/Patchouli Rose/Vanilla I think Mariya is the most generic perfume from Oman Luxury’s catalogue. It’s beautiful but you don’t find the same kind of uniqueness which other scents have. It’s a Rose Patchouli scent with a sweet rosy Vanilla dry down and I don’t even know how many I have tried and I own many. If I have to think some scents from the same genre I would say "Moonlight Rose | Van Cleef & Arpels" , "Rose Omeyyade (Eau de Parfum) | Atelier des Ors" and "Cairo | Penhaligon's" . They are not the same but if you are planning to buy Rose-Patchouli- Vanilla I recommend you to try those other ones as well. Mariya is the most sophisticated one of those. Mariya opens up as very fresh roses with a gentle spiciness and bright Patchouli. There is a green aromatic undertone from Geranium which otherwise has a rose like aroma. The scent is not so powdery as the scent with Taif Rose can be. After Patchouli starts slowly fade away and it stays in the background in the dry down even if it’s in the base notes. The scent evolves into pretty Rose Vanilla, not overly sweet and dense, it maintain it’s airy feeling and it’s utterly natural, pleasant and never suffocating. I don’t detect Caramel like sweetness and Coffee note is barely noticeable. If those two would be stronger here the whole blend would be more unique. I’m surprised that this scent seems to be much more popular among men than women. It’s so beautiful, sensual, delicate and tender that at least it’s unisex but imo it’s leaning feminine. Maybe Omanluxury as a house is considered more masculine even if their scents are truly unisex. There is not even Oud in Mariya which might be the reason why Omanluxury is more popular among men. One reason is of course the fact that in Middle Eastern countries, men appreciate rose in fragrances significantly more than, for example, in Europe. I think roses are so gorgeous on men. Thank you for reading and 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. 🤗
LES INDEMODABLES: VANILLE HAVANE First impression: This is a really dark scent in general, the cocoa is really the black raw cocoa without any sweetness, it is mixed with rich aromatic cognac and a little too much spices thrown in. The vanilla is the darkest and most masculine I've ever tried. The thick smoke of a Cuban cigar smoked for 3 hours hovers around all of this, and the aroma of dark, thick leather comes to the nose from the old Chesterfield leather sofa. The scent and the mixture are really well and qualitatively made, but first it feels completely impossible to even think that I would use it. I feel that it takes too long to evolve to that best moment, the best part of the scent. It is impossible to notice the sweetness until after about an hour and towards the end, when the scent is at its sweetest, the other aromas start to be quite weak. It’s truly an experience to wear this perfume. The difficulty of the scent is that it is infinitely deep, dark and strong in the first part of the life cycle and infinitely easy, sweet, plain and a little bit boring in the second half. I like complex scents, but it's hard to wear the scent which has two totally different personalities. In many very complex fragrances, the different phases merge smoothly and slowly together, and so they do nicely here as well, but the nature of the fragrance changes completely in the middle. In the case of this fragrance, I would rather choose a linear fragrance which is straight away in the beginning of the second half. There is an appropriate amount of darkness, cocoa, fruity rum, deep vanilla, mysterious smokiness and sweetness. On the other hand, if the scent was like that, it wouldn't be unique, because many of them have already been made. So this is supposed to be an artisanal fragrance with a very mind-blowing opening and a delicious, slightly seductive aroma after a couple of hours, depending on the warmth of the skin and air. I realised that the biggest problem with this is pre-expectations - at least I imagined this to be a rich vanilla scent. Of course, “Havane” tells me that there is tobacco and darkness, but the beginning of the scent has been made very difficult for everyone else, except for those who are used to natural scents that really take time to develop. I also love it when the vanilla is thick and creamy. There's no creaminess here at all, but stickiness and syrupy thickness appear in the middle phase of the fragrance. That's when the tender sweet fruitiness comes floating to the fore. If you could skip the first hour completely, I think this would definitely have a bigger audience. In conclusion, Vanille Havane is very skillfully made. For me, these kinds of scents are not challenging. I just want to emphasize in my review that the experience will certainly be difficult and maybe unpleasant for a more hasty tester. This needs time, passion and love. In my opinion, the beginning of the scent can be compared to (as a level of the challenge, not how it smells, and without Oud of course), for example, Sayat Nova or Lao Oud from Bortnikoff. Otherwise, the texture and style of the fragrance reminds me of Plum Japonaise and Plum in cognac. The scent described in few words: (First half) Spicy, Dark Cacao, Rum, Tobacco, Amber, Woody (Second half) Vanilla, Sweet, Fruity This is not gourmand imo. The scent is totally unisex after the first 1-2 hours but the beginning is masculine. The sillage and projection are moderate and the longevity is 8-10 hours. Thank you for reading and 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. 🤗
Simply beautiful. I love this on my wife. It’s warm, floral, romantic, and inviting. Intimate and approachable. Exudes a modest confidence.
This is the scent a guy at my work wears, and it matches his lack of personality perfectly. This is the kind of gaudy bro-juice with an embarrassingly tacky bottle that will get some counter girl a commission (I’m looking at you too Burberry Hero EDP) and go home in a fancy bag with some chump who paid full retail at the mall. While it lasts and projects, what it projects is a lack of discernment. Yeah, it’ll get a girls attention if she’s got no taste, but if you’re into interesting, distinct, or complex fragrances this will be Beau-ring as heck. Safely modern. Unisex (in that it doesn’t fit either). Punishingly uninspired. A real Bisch of trash.
This is absolutely stunning.
Warm, beautiful woods, a little boozy. Some sweetness and a zing.
Absolutely gorgeous scent. Glad I bought a bigger sample in anticipation.
How do I start so it doesn't sound ridiculous. Eve is a "perfume" perfume. But not in a clean and sweet "perfumey" sense, more in a "everyone will know you're wearing a perfume" sense. It's incredibly potent. What hits you first is a slightly fruity, spicy accord. The fruitiness lasts only a few minutes and then the scent takes a bit more powdery (heliotrope?), more mellow turn. But it by no means loses its power. I can hardly detect any vanilla, and if any vanilla can be smelled in Eve then it's surely not a sweet, gourmand one. What I can smell most of all is oud and patchouli, and the combination is fantastic and truly spellbounding. Incredibly sexy and unlike anything else I've ever smelled, I'm addicted!
When I imagine a woman who can have a look that would snatch a rich CEO and knows EXACTLY what she’s worth in the sexiest way, I think about those women from the opening scenes of The Devil Wears Prada…
You know, the ladies who put on all those outfits that would be described with words like, “chic” and “precision”?
Anyway, pretend we know that they’re in their late 20’s or early 30’s. That we know they’re very intelligent…but mysterious.
I think of Dior Poison.
I think of all black chic suits with Agent Provacateur lacy lingerie under that blazer, and stilettos clacking on that marble floor.
I think of a spontaneous candle lit dinner date and cloth napkins.
Because BR540 is for sugar babies, Santal 33 is for hipsters, Angel and Alien by Thierry Muglier and Aquolina’s Pink Sugar reminds me of being 21. We don’t do any of those. Bye Opium, we don’t have time for your cheap coffee grounds. We’re fiercely knowledgeable and the rest of you have no idea what we’re after.
Also if you don’t overspray and just do 1 hit behind the neck, Poison envelops you almost like a veil. It’s there, people know it is, but it isn’t going to ooze all over you like molasses.
A big throwback scent that reminds me of college. Now I’m a working gal in my 30’s and had repurchased their traditional rollerball oil. The cozy, clean, notes still melt well with my vibes and I couldn’t be happier. This fragrance is a safe-space in a bottle and lasts on my skin overnight.
While you can wear musk any season, I think Love by Auric Blends leans more spring just because of its clean and dryness.
This is a cheap-smelling, crass perfume which would be appropriately priced at around 50 euros per 100ml, rather than the ludricous actual price point. It's scratchy, obnoxious and entirety synthetic in it's vibe, and not in a good way. Among the myriad vanilla perfumes flooding the market of late, there are so many better, cheaper options. This is trash, and to top it off it irritates my throat and lungs.
After reviewing Bergamask, my expectations were set very low when it came to Megamare - it’s safe to say they were met. Gaultieri has presented yet another molestation of the senses, in the form of a cheap smelling aquatic accord. I can love intensely aquatic fragrances with that powerful seaweed accord, Acqua di Sale by Profumum Roma is a perfect example of this. However with Megamare, it just smells cheap and lazy - it’s overwhelmingly strong, to the point it’s unenjoyable. It’s not unwearable, but there are a number of fragrances in this style which actually smell nice. Again, Gaultieri proves himself as the master of making things smell cheap and messy. I really don’t get along with his work, these are not pieces of art or ingenuity, they are messy backhanded insults to perfumery.
Bergamask is borderline nasal assault, an unapologetic barrage on the senses and one that I’m not necessarily sure I enjoy. Why does this get so much hype? I fail to see what the appeal here is, aside from the brutally strong performance which people seem to cherish above all else. It’s just an overdose of bergamot and lemon, and not in a good way. It’s rough, screechy and quite frankly, disastrous. It comes off like you’ve spilled lemon-scented surface cleaner on yourself. I read that the culprit for its monstrous longevity and projection is javanol, a synthetic sandalwood molecule. It’s not challenging in any way, it’s not ‘ultra-niche’, it’s just a poor fragrance. People describe Alessandro Gaultieri as a creative genius, I’m not seeing that here - all I’m seeing is someone who needs to scream for attention and threw together a handful of messy aroma-chemicals in a hurry.
Eau the Audacity… Penhaligon’s does indeed have some audacity to release a fragrance which is nothing more than something heavily inspired by an already cloned-to-death scent profile. If you couldn’t tell already, it is none other than the scent profile of Dior’s Bois D’Argent. It’s that same combination of a sweet, creamy vanilla, frankincense and leather, and an overwhelming barrage of pepper attacking your nostrils. The thing with these sorts of fragrances is they’re never as good as the original version, which could not be more true in this case. It’s a nice scent, it smells pleasant and I can see why people enjoy it. But there’s no creativity here, no originality, this was simply made for a quick buck and Penhaligon’s will milk it relentlessly. Just buy Bois D’Argent and be done with it.
Babycat is one of those fragrances which the masses praise simply for doing the bare minimum - it smells pleasant. It’s like when people praise celebrities for performing a basic human function. It’s a pleasant enough scent, but for so many people to call it ‘the best vanilla ever’ is a gross overstatement. It’s a nice, smooth, suede-y vanilla scent - it’s soft and creamy but holds back from becoming too sweet. This I imagine is thanks to the frankincense which is quite dry and slightly dense, alongside an overwhelming amount of pepper. It’s very peppery, too much for my taste. If anything, it instantly takes me to the realm of Bois D’Argent and Bois D’Iris - it’s nothing new or ingenious. YSL have taken a tried and tested scent profile and just put a very small spin on it. It’s nice, but lacking creativity.
