An incredible scent.
True to the line's DNA but with a lovely hit of mint.
With the other notes such as cocoa, it almost gives a candy cane vibe
Definitely the best from their new private range. Performance however is very average. Sits closely to the skin and lasts about 4/5 hours. I'm hoping maceration will help improve performance as even the opening of this frag is quite rough, it takes a min or 2 before the vanilla and smooth amber take hold. Drydown is gorgeous though.
Самое подходящий эпитет для этого аромата - деликатный. Очень красивый, специевый, на старте слышу цитрусовость, возможно имбирь ее дает. Звучит очень дорого и благородно, скроен идеально, все в балансе, сидит близко к коже, идеально для офиса.
It's spectacular, BUT only in colder months. I tried it first in summer and it didn't impress me at all. Now, when the weather is more appropriate, I just... fell in love with it. The incense is way more prominent on my skin, honey is also very detectable as a top note. It's slightly sweet, slightly burnt hay, slightly powdery. Amazing combination, somehow reminds me of childhood.
A beautiful fresh crisp apple mixed with other fresh fruit notes. Green and slightly peppery with a soapy clean quality. Absolutely beautiful scent.
One White Crow smells like the light of the moon and the long shadows it casts along a meandering path of tangled fern and creeping moss in a lost landscape, a place that no longer exists or that no longer exists as it did in your memory from some time before now. A place where violets bloom in reverse in the dusky glooms just before dawn, the silent yawning hour when dreams are most vivid and reality most fragile. It’s that ancient spill of grief, an aubade lamenting the eerie honeysuckle light of a world that’s tilted just a fraction off its axis, whose sun no longer shines in a way you recognize. And while, of course, the world has changed and the sunlight does gleam from a different angle, the scent is mostly the realization that it’s you, your own heart, that has become different, estranged. Estrange, to make oneself a stranger. This is the scent of all the yous you’ve lost. That you’ll never meet again. In the sunlight or the moonlight or any landscape at all.
April Aromatics Calling All Angels is plump unearthly fruits, gorged on ancient amber nectar, hanging heavy at twilight, eventually drying and cracking in the heat of a dying sun. Silent sisters, veiled in mystery, stretch these honey-drunk orbs across a vast expanse of time littered with bone, their flesh becoming supple leather under reverent, unceasing hands. Wisps of aromatic smoke rise from flint-scattered pyres, and the air crackles with the essence of aeons compressed into chips of burnished crystal, shards of petrified sunlight, and the tawny tears of grieving trees. The sisters' nimble fingers arrange fragments of balsamic fruit-flesh and sticky sap-jewels, the assemblage of an olfactory mosaic, redolent of a hallowed sweetness entirely beyond mortality’s grasp. In this fragrance of plummy depths wreathed with leathery whispers, of resinous rituals and sacred smoke, the boundaries between plant, mineral, and devotion blur into a hazy, intoxicating mirage, an ambrosial testament to the everlasting, endless, and eternal.
Stora Skuggan Azalai conjured forth such a very specific image for me. Does anyone else remember Peaches & Cream Barbie from the 1980s? I don't know if she had a specific scent, but Azalai is the fantasy aroma of that resplendent, frothy, pale coral gown she wore. Saffron-infused honey, champagne-candied apricots, and a golden halo of spun sugar amber clouds filtered to a honeyed, hazy glow through countless layers of delicate fabric, gossamer veils of tulle, and organza. Sheer and luminous, light and dreamy, this is everything little-me dreamed was so special about that doll. Even if I did eventually chop her hair off and marry her off to a small, plastic Lando Calrissian, only for her to disappear under mysterious circumstances on a skiing trip in the French Alps during their honeymoon.
Lilac and Gooseberries is an uncomplicated tumble of tart, tangy berries against a delicate floral backdrop. It’s not as sharp or bitter as I would have expected... nor as interesting. It smells more like the idea of a person than a person. Like someone is describing his amazing sorceress girlfriend, and she's so perfect and wonderful and never farts or eats onion sandwiches or draws blood or makes mistakes, and he leaves out all the nuance and complexity of what makes his beloved so intriguing. It's like someone fed all their perfect girlfriend material into an AI machine, and it produced a robot to their specifications, but she has no personality and hasn't yet become self-aware. And yet…there are some days when I really need that blank slate to build myself up to be pretty and put together and ~definitely very normal~ because this is what the world expects of me.
Mikado Bark is a cozy, comforting scent without any of the typical hallmarks perfumes of coziness and comfort rely on. It's not rich or foody, and I would not say it's overly nostalgic in any particular way. It's a fragrance whose spicy, woody notes are all not exactly ghosts of themselves, but they've all been shushed and hushed, and all together, their muted echoes harmonize with exquisite subtlety. It's a perfume that hovers like a hazy veil, both grounding and uplifting in its gentle presence. It carries the softness of lamplight pooling in shadows at dusk, yet also evokes the fleeting warmth of sunlight piercing gloomy afternoon clouds. The scent invites introspection, smoothing sharp edges and muting bold tones into a delicate accord. It's as if familiar aromatic notes have been reimagined - their essence captured, then softened and warmed. The fragrance conjures the image of a lone verdant remnant amid a sea of faded crimson and rust as October yields to November's chill. Lingering in the air, it embodies the autumnal, contemplative spirit of hobbits, reimagined as a gremlincore playlist steeped in hauntological reverb.
Light My Fire is the perfect name for such a warming and intoxicating scent. I’ve come to realise that Kilian are very good at walking that line between sexy, and cosy - this does both brilliantly. It’s a sort of dark, earthy tobacco scent done remarkably well. The tobacco is incredibly dry, papery and almost vegetal, I suppose elevated by hay to dry it out even more until it becomes slightly grassy. This grassiness lends itself to a dark and earthy nature through the addition of hefty amounts of patchouli, alongside vetiver and birch. There’s a touch of honeyed sweetness and vanilla, but this is subtle. The patchouli in here reminds me slightly of Straight to Heaven, which I love. However this does take it into a new direction with the sweet tobacco and honey notes. I think this is fantastic, it just smells warming and alluring - I don’t love it as much as Straight to Heaven though, which I adore.
Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi or, “Do You Want to Sleep With Me” is a surprisingly erotic and suggestive name for such polite and refined fragrance. I really enjoy how this smells but it doesn’t convey the sort of imagery you expect; instead, I think of a rich, important woman dressed to the nines in all her finery. Tuberose can be a tricky note for some. If done right, I find it’s one of my favourite notes of all time. This is a good tuberose - but it’s not a great one. It nails that chewy, bubblegummy feel that you would expect from a tuberose scent, but it lacks any carnal, sexual aspect which holds it back - however I can see why they might have done this to appeal to the mass market. Overall it’s a fairly typical tuberose, tempered by a buttery ylang amongst other white florals, rose and a touch of vanilla. Smell great I can’t argue with that, but it’s a little to clean and safe for my liking.
Dark Lord is a bold and statement-making scent, the kind of thing you would hope to see from Kilian; Alberto Morillas doing what he does best. It’s a strange and unusual mix of notes which may not look great on paper, but somehow emerge as something beautiful when combined. It’s very peppery in the opening, a brutal kick of pepper enough to make your nostrils tingle, offset slightly by the bitter refreshment of bergamot. From here things get interesting - a green, stemmy jasmine with clean soapy facets is contrasted by the almost smoky booziness of rum and birch, settling on a dark, rich and earthy bass of patchouli, cedar and leather. Dark Lord is a fitting name for a gorgeously daring perfume, it doesn’t approach the boundary of being unwearable, but definitely smells outside of the norm. Despite all the praise I have for it, it’s not a true love simply because it’s not really my style. I’ll enjoy wearing my sample but likely won’t be buying a full bottle.
Vodka on the Rocks is one of those fragrance names which fills you with excitement initially, there’s a saturation of boozy fragrances on the market currently, but not so much for the more refreshing spirits. Unfortunately this scent leaves much to be desired, it takes a step into the right direction before letting itself down rather dramatically. It cannot be ignored that this is simply Kilian’s rendition of the A&F Fierce DNA - it’s that instantly recognisable soapy-clean, teenage shower gel sort of thing. It’s pleasant, but there’s no element of creativity, originality or interest here; you might as well just buy Fierce. There is zero relation to vodka. It’s disappointing when niche houses which have made some incredible and original fragrances stoop to such a low level of stealing a cheap, tried and true scent profile just to boost sales. As I said this smells pretty good, but it’s the principle I don’t like.
Launched in 2017 and classified as an Oriental Vanilla.
The nose is Sultan Pasha.
Top: meyer lemon, blood orange, bergamot, lavender, birch, spices
Heart: white Alba truffles, damascena rose, jasmine grandiflorum, orris pallida butter
Base: white ambergris, Mysore sandalwood, civet, musk, opoponax, guaicwood, honey, patchouli, Siamese benzoin, tonka, Tahitian vanilla, Madagascan vanilla.
Opens ups very light and brightly sweet with a hint of florals, you get the lemon and blood orange mostly in the few moments of application. After that this scent develops this lovely gourmand. It's a gourmand, but not overly vanilla based. Its sweet, but not overly sugary, it's smooth and slightly creamy. Has a subtle woody quality, but the woody quality has an edible quality. There's also a lovely buttery quality to the composition.
Quite a difficult review to conduct, as I've never smelt anything like this before, so difficult to dissect the notes.
As with most sultan Pasha attars, the performance is very good! I got at least 8 hours of longevity with healthy projection.
Overall rating of 4/5.
Released in 2016
Classified as a Floral
Nose behind this scent is Sultan Pasha.
"Thebes is dedicated to a very old, discontinued composition I smelt in Paris at a certain famous establishment. It was so evocative that it was the only time a perfume brought me close to tears. As a result, I toiled for many months and many late nights to recreate it as I wanted it to be my signature perfume. And here it is... Thebes. Inspired by Djedi Guerlain." - Sultan Pasha
Top: bergamot, muguet (Lily of the Valley), aldehydes and Persian rose otto. Middle: orris butter, Bulgarian rose absolute, jasmine grandiflorum absolute and musk. Base: vetiver, amber, ambergris, musk and animalics.
Opens with a warm spicy glow with some waxy and buttery creaminess in the background, gives me a slightly marzipan vibe. As the scent develops, the waxy quality increases and a sweetness also develops, with the warm glow ever present along side it, with a touch of a gentle powderiness. The opening is mostly about the orris butter or iris, and the marzipan and the warm spicy waxy quality really reminds me of Irisior also by sultan pasha. As the scent dries down it becomes much deeper and darker, it's joined by an animalic leather accord, though the is powdery floral iris and the warm spicy touch is still at the forefront. The scent gives off a very ancient feeling, like walking into an Egyptian tomb that's just been opened.
Projection is strong for the first couple of hours after which is sits a little more closer to the skin. Longevity is around 5 hours.
Overall rating of 6/10.
Classified as a Oriental Woody
Nose behind this scent is Sultan Pasha, an independent attar perfumer based in London. He doesn’t have professional training, but he does have some background in chemistry. His attars are known for incredibly high quality natural ingredients sourced from top suppliers, with only a tiny amount of synthetics (minimum amount) to finish off some scents.
A little background regarding this scent: This scent is based off one of Sultan Pasha's favorite memories where a family friend would visit his villa, and this family friend used to ride on his huge horse and he always had a pipe in his mouth that gave off the scent of the finest sweet tobacco he had ever smelt in his life.
Top: Hawthorn, Saffron, Cognac, Coffee and Tobacco Heart: Osmanthus, Damask Rose, Heliotrope, Tonka Bean, Cacao and Jasmine Base: Hay, Amber, Ambergris, Tonka Bean, Musk, Civet, Immortelle, Castoreum, Hyrax, Oud, Vanilla, Virginian Cedar, Himalayan Cedar and Juniper
Super tangy and sour like tamarind opening, its dark, punchy and fruity. Dries down to a sweet tobacco, with a very gentle smoke, and the tangy fruity tamarind from the opening, and just a touch of dark cocao. Its like smelling the tobacco from a pipe, rather than the tobacco leaf it self. Its a warm comforting spicy tobacco, with sweet tangy fruitiness. Opens up dark and intense, but settles into a gorgeous rich and sweet warm spicy scent.
Projection is beast mode for the first couple of hours, with it then settling in the moderate range, very intense and strong up close but gentle from an arms length. Longevity is excellent over 10+.
This is a perfect scent for fall and winter, as an evening wear scent, casually, formally and as a night out scent.
Overall score of 5/5, one of the best tobacco scents out there, superb!
Top: iris absolute, violet absolute, heliotrope, lilac, mimosa, peach.
Middle: orris pallida butter, carnation absolute, jasmine grandiflorum absolute, Persian rose otto, violet leaf absolute.
Base: white ambergris, mimosa absolute, tonka absolute, Mysore sandalwood, cedar, Haitian vetiver, orris pallida butter.
A super smooth and creamy opening, very deep and rich, has waxy quality, with hints gourmands notes (tonka), with some gentle sweetness and a backbone of woodiness. It has a marzipan quality, reminds me of a shaving soap called Cella i used to use when i didn't have a beard and was a hobbyist of wet shaving. Had the scent dries down it starts having a gorgeous powdery quality. Smells very luxurious and of high quality. Also has a strong warm spicy note in the drydown.
Performance is strong for an attar, you have a decent scent cloud, with the scent being very strong close up. Longevity is brilliant, 10+ hours.
Overall rating is 5/5, gorgeous scent, wonderful performance, such high quality, a joy to experience!
Released in 2015
Classified as Oriental Floral
Nose behind this scent is Sultan Pasha
Top: rose and madagascar vanilla Heart: haitian vetiver, honey, tuberose and bulgarian rose Base: sandalwood, ambergris, amber and indian oud
A very sweet delicate rose opening, which is smooth and creamy. The scent is quite linear, doesn't change drastically nor does it evovle, its pretty one-dimensional. A beautiful sweet, creamy and smooth rose, with sandalwood and vanilla.
Projection is soft to moderate, doesn't scream massively off your skin. Longevity on my skin is around 6 hours.
This would be an ideal date fragrance that can be worn year round.
Overall rating of 3.5/5.
Top: saffron oil, jasmine auriculatum absolute, Persian rose otto.
Heart: Bulgarian damascena absolute, honey absolute, orange blossom, henna, tobacco.
Base: EnsarOud's Encens D'Angkhor, beeswax, hand-macerated ambergris, hand-made Shamama (aged sandalwood, 30-year-old patchouli, henna, labdanum, Siamese benzoin, musk) raw Persian and Spanish Saffron strands maceration, Siamese benzoin resinoid, labdanum, tobacco absolute, Mysore sandalwood.
The opening has this slight faint metallic vibe, with a dull warm spiciness. For me it reminds me of my mums gold jewellery she keeps in a plastic container (old ice cream box, you know those 3 flavour combo's with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry), she keeps this plastic container in the kitchen, which holds her gold jewellery, along with some other miscellaneous items like a small tub of saffron (used sparingly in dishes made for special occasions), some band aids etc. And whenever I used to need a band aid, and open the container, I use to get a whiff off this dull spiciness with some metallic nuance from the jewellery, and thats what I get in the opening.
As the scent develops, the faint metallic vibes eases, but the dull warm spices become less dull, the saffron now feels more blooded, and joined with is the most luxurious note of Jasmine. Unfortunately for me the jasmine doesn't last too long, and as the scent dries down it takes with it the warm intense spicy Saffron with is joined by a juicy woody accord, and a dirty slightly animalic Oud, maybe due to the henna note.
This was a difficult review to conduct, as the scent was incredibly complex, it hits you differently on each wearing, with so many facets and complexities, it was difficult to identity just one accord. This is a very regal, and opulent scent, fit for royalty.
The projection is strong for the first couple of hours, after which is becomes moderate, with a solid scent cloud. Longevity is brilliant 12+ hours.
Best suited to formal occasions.
Perfect score of 5/5, a masterpiece.
Classified as a oriental floral
Nose behind the scent is Sultan Pasha, a self taught attar perfumer based in London, UK.
Top: Butter, Rose and Iranian Saffron Heart: Turkish Rose and Sandalwood Base: Hindi Oud, Hyrax, Musk, Ambergris and Tobacco.
Two very different experiences on each wearing.
First experience of this scent was mind blowing, I got this heavy animalic musky, leathery hyrax, with a touch of funky Hindi Oud. It was a daring and challenging scent, but it blew me away and I absolutely loved it. Second wearing was more of classic rose Oud, very bright and floral sweet rose, with a gentle funky Hindi Oud base.
On subsequent wearings I got that animalic musky leather in the opening, but it eased as the scent developed in the heart, due to this sweet floral rose. Now the rose in this is very floral, its sweet but not due to gourmand notes such as vanilla, it's not a jammy rose. As the scent dries down there's a touch of the Hindi Oud, which gives a faint woody touch and aids the funkiness present in the scent. It's to me in the dry down this incredibly sexy animalic musky and subtle leathery scent, it has this sweaty human skin feel, with a touch of smooth and sweet rose. Glorious, complex and undoubtedly high quality, the rose especially feels incredible natural.
Projection is moderate on this scent, pretty strong for the first hour, but then becomes more moderate. Longevity on my skin was around 6-8 hours.
Overall rating for this one is 5/5, I love animalic scents, and this one was one of the best I've come across so far!
Classified as a floral
Nose behind this scent is Sultan Pasha, a self taught attar maker, considered by many as the best in the world.
As a child, Sultan Pasha was exposed to lush fertile jungles with tea gardens nearby. The air was rife with the scent of green foliage, earth and moisture mingling with the creamy scent of ripe wild fruits and berries alongside the creamy narcotic scent of white and yellow florals.
Top: gardenia enfleurage and jasmine sambac enfleurage. Heart: lavender absolute, tuberose absolute, gardenia absolute and sandalwood. Base: Bois de Borneo (rare Borneo oud by Ensar oud), katrafay, tonka absolute, calamus, Haitian vetiver, galbanum, civet and ambergris.
Beautiful and luscious jasmine opening, really rich and bright but also creamy possibly from the sandalwood, with a noticable calming lavender which sadly only lasts a few minutes. The opening almost has a leather or better described as a suede opening, which is surrounded by white florals such as tuberose, jasmine and gardenia especially which really starts dominating the scent within the first 5 minutes or so. As the fragrance develops it almost becomes creamier and smoother, coming across a little like almond (possibly coming from the tonka bean). Sadly there isn't much development after that (that I could detect), due to performance issues.
Projection is good for the first hour, after which it sits much closer to the skin. Though if someone was to come close to you, they would be able to smell it. In terms of longevity this lasted on my skin for around 5 hours.
Overall a solid scent, masterfully crafted but the performance wasn't the best on my skin. 5/10
This is an incredible iteration of violet, and an incredible vetiver perfume. I'm surprised by the claims that it lacks the Amouage DNA, for me it was immediately transcendentally beautiful and opulent, and I perceive a direct link to Lyric Woman, notably in the violet (despite violet not being listed in LW). I will say that it is remarkably similar to Girl by Comme des Garçons, except that this one is unmistakably better, I can only imaging the ingredients used are of far superior quality. However, if you can't afford this, Girl is a very viable alternative and a perfume I already had a great deal of respect for. Portrayal has a richer depth, a sweet resiny undercurrent and lacks the dusty woodiness of Girl. Girl can become a bit relentless sometimes, whereas Portrayal is eternal while never becoming annoying. Update: god this is wonderful. There's also a very delicate, subtle sprinkling of (maybe) cumin giving it a slight body smell vibe.
I've been quite shocked testing this brand that a lot of the perfumes have jarring, loud and synthetic base-note overloads. The brand image seems to be restrained/refined class but the scents are screechy, scratchy and designer-esque, and it baffles me because Sonia Constant has done loads of decent stuff for designers that doesn't fit into the shouting, beasty ambrofixative category. Maybe this is the type of thing she likes wearing, so it's what she's concentrating on for her own brand, but it's really not for me. If you like this style, this is a good perfume.
