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253 reviews
This is ok and nice scent BUT this is definitely not oud scent in any kind of way. There is not even a hint of oud, not in a technical way neither as a smell. This is earthy, fresh, airy and a little bit “cold” Saffron and Lavender scent. Oud in the name is very misleading and people who doesn’t even like oud has been made “fan of oud” with this scent. It’s a commercial trick which made this scent so popular in the hype of oud and unfortunately this is copied by many dupe houses. I love oud scents, when there is oud and I like this one as a Saffron scent. Longevity is eternal and projection and sillage are strong.
I have postponed making review of this since I was thinking first I don’t do it at all. The reason was that this is one of the rare perfumes in my collection which makes me a little bit mad. Not because of the scent itself but the misleading marketing and information about it and the hype based on those. OFG was launched in 2018 when the precious ingredient Oud started to be in fashion. It was one note which everyone wanted to like and the huge amount of “friendly Oud perfumes” was launched. Unfortunately a huge amount of perfumes have been sold just by mentioning the word “Oud” without even thinking is it there or not. This is one of those perfumes. Despite of the other opinions what comes to this scent I think there is not even one person who could deny the associations which this majestic name Oud For Greatness evokes. For me it tells that firstly of course this is a real Oud scent and secondly this is something amazingly talented what comes to using and blending Oud. Well, this is not the first one neither the latter one. From Initio’s web page: “The natural essence of Oud Wood”: Why it’s not mentioned for example like Oud from Cambodia? Is that misleadingly enough expressed and to try to avoid straightforward lying for the people who are not familiar with real Oud at all? Oud from Cambodia doesn’t sound cool enough? I don’t know, just thinking. Anyway in THE MAIN NOTES list there is mentioned Natural Oud Wood and Agar Wood Oil and if it’s really the main list, Oud should be there and it should be detectable in this kind of scent which is not even complex at all. But the problem is that it’s not there. And shortly about the scent itself: it’s great, it smells good and the performance is amazing. But this is not an Oud scent: this is airy, fresh, cold, slightly metallic Saffron scent with Lavender and Spicy Patchouli in woody base with Musk, that’s it. Amazing Saffron scent, nothing else. If you like Saffron a lot, get it. If you are looking for the great Oud scent, this is not that. If you want to find “a friendly Oud” or you want to learn to love perfumes with Oud this is not the scent for that kind of purposes either. Thank you for reading and I would appreciate if you follow me IG @ninamariah_perfumes
Water Lily XX Art Nouveau Collection Female leaning I have been sleeping outside in the tent in our garden like I used to do in the summertime when I was a kid and a teenager. I wake up early in the morning and I open the zipper. It never gets dark during the Finnish summer and the sun is rising 04 in the middle of the night. I barely can’t keep my eyes open because it’s so bright. I’m walking on the dewy grass barefooted and I’m going to pick up wild flowers for my mum like almost every night. The air is fresh and there is a lot of humidity, the scent of the dewy meadow and flowers is wafting around me. The fog hovers over the fields and sea. There is something magical and a fairytale like being awake in that beautiful scene when everyone else is sleeping. 💐🌸 That feeling I get while wearing Water Lily 🌺🧚🏽♀️ Water Lily is a delicate, beautiful scent with a fresh and uplifting top of aldehydes and green notes. Aldehydes bring life to this scent like the bubbles in the sparkling water. Inviting and exquisite floral heart with Water Lily brings that fresh and soft aquatic feeling while Tuberose brings a hint of sweetness and makes this perfume quite addictive. The mix of the top and middle notes (there is Heliotrope and Iris as well but for me those are not separable) fall wistfully into a soft musky complexity in its base, with a hint of mysterious patchouli and vetiver. There is something really innocent in this scent. Thank you for reading and I would appreciate if you follow me IG @ninamariah_perfumes
“ZENNE is a tribute to beauty, self-confidence, and flirtation.” Female leaning “Inspired by the female character in the traditional shadow puppetry, ZENNE will teleport you to the enigmas of the paradise gardens full of joy and romance with a deliberate mix of the fruity and floral accords along with vanilla, ambergris and musk at the base.” This interesting and delicious scent opens up with fruity notes of Grapefruit, Rhubarb and Black Currant and that mix luckily remains longer than top notes usually do. That is because Nishane uses synthetic molecules which make the notes not only last longer but make a sillage more potent as well. The floral heart of Turkish Rose and Gardenia joins and mingles with the fruits but in overall the blend continues being mouthwatering and juicy yet elegant and sensual. Sandalwood makes the blend soft, a little bit milky (not creamy)and even if it’s rich there is even aromatic nuances in the blend. The base of Vanilla, Ambergris and Musk brings a warm and slightly powdery very pleasant touch without being too sweet. This is so alluring and voluptuous perfume with enormous projection and longevity. I feel youthful, lively and inviting while wearing this. This is really mellow and potent juice. Zenne is suitable to wear year around because of how it has been built, there is a depth and warm enough for colder days even if it’s floral fruity. I think that this is quite underrated and it has stayed literally in the shadow of another scent from the Shadow Play Collection, very popular Hacivat. Thank you for reading and I would appreciate if you follow me IG @ninamariah_perfumes
Unisex Strong and beautiful dark cacao, not animalic and not smoky at all. Despite of two different roses in the middle notes this is not “rosy scent”. After a couple of hours a little bit sweetness comes from Vanilla but not too much to be sweet scent. It’s lovely like this but I would like stronger oud here. So if you are scared of oud, this can be a good choice for you. If you want more obvious oudy cacao, your choice is Lao Oud. Full review coming later! I was so happy to found the nice online shop inside EU where they are selling really high quality brands which are using as much natural ingredients as possible. It’s not so easy to find these so if someone has trying to find, this is legit online shop in Spain and you can choose many free samples when you buy something. @ecuacion_natural_perfumes I have wanted this Bortnikoff’s Oud Monarch for long time now and finally I got it with many samples from the house. 🤩 I describe the following scents with few words. The in-depth reviews coming later of next ones: Lao Oud, Zemfira and Triad (just ordered those yesterday), plus this Oud Monarch of course. Review of Sayat Nova I have already written but I will edit that as well to be more specific. Lao Oud: Really addictive, pleasant, soft and sexy oud with exactly perfect amount of dark chocolate. More complex than others here. I’m in love!! Mysterious Oud: Ambery, spicy and herbal, a little bit medicinal oud. Complex blend. Oud Loukoum: Nice and remarkable smoky balsamic oud Oud Sinharaja: Tropical, floral and fruity, Magnolia, Frangipani and Jasmine, beautiful blend with mild oud in the background. Santa Sangre: Mostly soft vanilla and sandalwood with aquatic and slightly balsamic twist from Lotus and Dragon Blood. Very comfortable and cozy. Triad: Beautiful Rose Oud, both are in balance, no sweetness, rather fresh Zemfira: Beautiful light Rose Oud for summertime, fresh divine roses are stars with mild oud in the background. Lighter and more airy that the previous one. Thank you for reading and I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
OUD MONARCH 3rd Collection 2019 “Friendly Ouds” Dmitry Bortnikov The general idea of this collection was to create understandable and wearable fragrances that would appeal not only to fans of smoke and tars, but also to mass customers. It’s a little bit sad that those “mass customers” may don’t find this the most beautiful chocolate scent since they may be afraid of Oud. Anyway Oud in this fragrance is elegant and soft because it is accompanied by floral absolutes and spices. The note of chocolate is very realistic, enjoyable and delicious and the whole base with all it’s notes (which may sound challenging for some) is unbelievably smooth, silky and versatile. 🍫 I highly recommend all chocolate lovers to try this one, don’t even read the notes! There are two kinds of oud oil in the composition: The first with a strong chocolate start and the second with a softer and sweeter character with hints of flowers, fruits and vanilla. In the heart the roses are almost invisible behind the rich velvety Amber Oudy chocolate wall. Frangipani, which is very popular in Bornikoff’s creations, is amazingly blended here and creates slightly tropical sweetness to otherwise familiar chocolate. Top: Magnolia, Frangipani Middle: Rose de Mai, Himalayan Rose, Cinnamon, Tobacco Base: Oud Merauke, Oud co Chang, Cacao, Civet, Castoreum, Labdanum, Vanilla 🍫 If you are interested in more challenging chocolate - Lao Oud is your choice. I have made a review of that one as well. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
I wrote earlier of Bortnikoff's scents in overall. Here you will find better review of Oud Monarch. The general idea of this collection was to create understandable and wearable fragrances that would appeal not only to fans of smoke and tars, but also to mass customers. It’s a little bit sad that those “mass customers” may don’t find this the most beautiful chocolate scent since they may be afraid of Oud. Anyway Oud in this fragrance is elegant and soft because it is accompanied by floral absolutes and spices. The note of chocolate is very realistic, enjoyable and delicious and the whole base with all it’s notes (which may sound challenging for some) is unbelievably smooth, silky and versatile. I highly recommend all chocolate lovers to try this one, don’t even read the notes! There are two kinds of oud oil in the composition: The first with a strong chocolate start and the second with a softer and sweeter character with hints of flowers, fruits and vanilla. In the heart the roses are almost invisible behind the rich velvety Amber Oudy chocolate wall. Frangipani, which is very popular in Bornikoff’s creations, is amazingly blended here and creates slightly tropical sweetness to otherwise familiar chocolate. Top: Magnolia, Frangipani Middle: Rose de Mai, Himalayan Rose, Cinnamon, Tobacco Base: Oud Merauke, Oud co Chang, Cacao, Civet, Castoreum, Labdanum, Vanilla If you are interested in more challenging chocolate - Lao Oud is your choice. I have made a review of that one as well. Thank you for reading and I would appreciate a lot if you would like to follow my content in IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
Unisex This unusual beauty is a floral woody, greenish scent which turns from the bitter and for some maybe even harsh opening into soft calmness. This is an elixir of therapeutic, relaxing, aromatic and exotic notes and it’s warm and cozy but not in the traditional and so used noticeable “Vanilla way”. This is a mix of not so familiar ingredients and it makes this interesting. You get the feeling of tranquility inside the bubble which Pavillon D’Or creates and it’s noticeable around you as well, not too loud, not too weak, just in the right kind of projection for this kind of scent. What makes this really interesting as well, the character of all Pissara’s creations, is the ability to differ a lot depending on the wearer. It’s impossible to tell in advance in what kind of way Dusitas are going to behave on the skin and which of the notes will open most prominently. One thing is sure: the more warm the juice gets the prettier it comes. This scent is really special, it’s not for everyone so test it and do it many times since you don’t get the whole picture of the scent straight away. I wore this many days to understand this totally and to notice all its beautiful facets. I wanted to open up the different notes little bit. Top: Peppermint (refreshing, cooling, green vibe) Honeysuckle (sweet floral note) Orris root (Powdery and earthy, lasts long for me here) Middle: Fig leaf (a green and bitter note, prominent in the opening for me) Heliotrope (Strong for me, makes this scent soft and powdery) Boronia absolute (fruity sweet floral note) Thyme Oil (a strong, rich and warm herbal smell) Somalian frankincense Green Sacra Base: English oak Australian sandalwood Thank you for reading and I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
Unisex (mail leaning imo) “For thousands of years, the Sultanate of Oman has been celebrated for producing the world’s finest Frankincense.” This perfume is all about Frankincense and you can feel it’s beautiful, fresh, warm and balsamic tones straight away from the opening until you can notice the last whiffs from the scent. Papyrus adds dry and aromatic woody vibes. Saffron mingles around those both and brings a little bit bitter, yet soft and earthy nuances to the spicy blend while another main base note oud builds the body of the scent and makes it deep and strong, a little bit gasoline like. I like Raspberry, Rose de Mai, Violet and Jasmine in here since they bring just the right hint of sweetness and sophistication to the whole juice without taking away any attention from Frankincense. Those notes don’t bring femininity to this, just to mention. During the day Sandalwood comes more in the picture making the scent softer but remaining anyway the fresh vibe. For me this is best to wear during the spring and even summertime since it’s not so hot here in Finland. My skin is so much colder than for example my husbands and I need warmer weather for many perfumes to shine in the right way. Oud is really pleasant here, not in any kind of way dirty, animalic or barnyardish which it was in already discontinued perfumes from the collection. TOP: Grapefruit, Orange* HEART: Rose de Mai, Jasmin de Grasse, Violet, Raspberry BASE: Cardamom, Elemi, Saffron*, Gurjum, Papyrus*, Oakmoss, Cedarwood, Guaiacwood, Amyris, Sandalwood*, Aoud*, Carrot Seed, Orris, Frankincense*, Birch, Musk *Main notes Thank you for reading and I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
STÉPHANE HUMBERT LUCAS Harrods H Mamba 2015 La Collection Serpent Unisex, leaning masculine This masterfully blended perfume is the most unique one, “King” imo in this so called Snake Collection.🐍 It has a similar juxtaposition of notes as Soleil De Jeddah OG has, both totally different scents though. Those juices are as well maybe one of the most artistic ones from SHL’s perfumes, at least what I have tried so far. If I would describe this scent: I get the feeling of the burning sand in the heat of the dessert and this snake is there. H Mamba opens up with Osmanthus which brings soft and sensual leathery feeling together with hints of Apricot and all that supports the leather note in the woody base. The opening fades away but the scent doesn’t change so much since it has same nuances from the start which you can find from the dry down. H Mamba is a warm and somewhat dry resinous scent with earthy vibe and there is all the notes which monsieur Lucas does the best: Amber, Iris (OrrisI Root) and balsamic notes - in this case Styrax. There is Leather and Oud in the base notes but those are not that evident, they give the body and richness to this mesmerising blend. As I’m a lover of those two notes I would say that this is quite safe but as a whole composition this not safe anymore - it’s so special. It needs a certain kind of mood to wear it. You can definitely detect a Leather if you are not so used to it but Oud is really tamed and not animalic in any kind of way. Anyway this is really well blended and no single note is standing above the others. Longevity of this perfume is really good. I recommend to sample this first as I emphasise how unique this fragrance is but if you like SHL’s DNA and leather just go for it, your decision of course. The only reason for voting score down is wearability. This is very artistic and it's not so easy to wear. As you can see, this is not complex what comes to the notes but those has been ingeniously put together and the blend is brilliant.
Unisex Characteristic for Taif Rose are intense but soft, powdery and even honeyed notes yet honey is not noticeable in this perfume. Taif Aoud opens up with sparkling Aldehydes together with that captivating, sensual and mesmerizing Rose and that makes it feel like the fresh mountain air, the fresh wind from the mountains which fills your senses. That fresh and earthy vibe is toned up with Patchouli and Frankincense which is really intoxicating here together with non animalic pleasant, round and elegant oud. Taif Aoud is very versatile since it’s not offending people. The blend is not so strong, it’s not the Oud which screams and shout it’s existence but in the same time it’s noticeable. The longevity and projection is not like a typical oud perfume which makes this great for the spring and a summertime like as well for the people who are not so big fan of the bold and brash oud scents. This parfume is all about roses and oud so on the other hand it’s leaning on feminine side but on the other hand there is certain masculine vibe. Even if Labdanum doesn’t come out in leathery way it certainly brings depth to this. For those who are not familiar with Roja Parfums’ compositions I want to mention the following of the notes here: -Bergamot in the opening is barely noticeable. -From the middle notes the main note is Rose and it is what you get. Even another main note in the middle, Cassis, is really tame. -You don’t find here strong Patchouli neither Labdanum as a clear leather note. Vanilla and Musk as well are well blended and not noticeable in a traditional way. Taif Aoud is magnificent and addictive scent. 🌹💎 I love it! Top Notes: Aldehydes*, Bergamot Middle Notes: Geranium, Rose*, Jasmin de Grasse, Ylang Ylang, Clove Buds, Cassis Base Notes: Patchouli, Aoud, Benzoin, Vanilla, Frankincense*, Labdanum, Musk * being main notes Thank you for reading and I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
Unisex I had a difficult relationship with this special unique so called “gourmand” for long time. I loved it from the beginning, that was sure but I needed to get to know her better. I’m just not so big fan of gourmands - I like many and love some a lot but I don’t want to smell myself like many of those. There is just few gourmands which deserves the place in my collection and Sweetie Aoud is one of those. Sweetie Aoud is not so obvious gourmand since the gourmand note is “patisserie accord” which is not any concrete food. That’s why I love it a lot. It’s rather a feeling and a smell which is a whiff of a French or Italian cafe full of delicious pastries made mainly from butter dough. The smell is a littlle bit sweet and soft buttery but the genious blend gives in the same time such a fresh vibes which I find extremely interesting. There is a really herbal fresh opening with Bergamot and Artemisia and quickly after that follows Patisserie Accord which is the strongest during the first 30 minutes. It’s so realistic that you can just close your eyes and you can imagine yourself in front of that glass in patisserie choosing something delicious to eat with your Latte. Rose is only supportive note here and Cistus is barely detectable but those tunes down the sweetness. After this starts the main show! Next the basenotes take over your senses and the buttery note melts beautifully together with spicy, aromatic and earthy notes, Frankincense and Aoud being the prominent ones. Like all Rojas this juice is so well blended that it’s very difficult to separate notes but that makes even the gourmand perfume luxurious, polished and charming. This is simply a stunning perfume for wintertime! Thank you for reading and I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
Female leaning but amazing on confident men 💯 Well, I try my best to make a post which this beauty deserves. 💎 I will write this review in two parts and in the first one I concentrate in facts of this beautiful creation and in the second one I will write my own musing and actual review. I wish as well that she would get more love and attention in the fragrance community since this seems to be not so popular or at least it doesn’t come across so often. This perfume is reformulated and I haven’t tried the old one so this is just based on the new formulation. Before Nüva was only available in 100ml bottles and I somehow understand a certain caution to invest in that since it may be is too much for many but now it has been available in 50ml as well so it’s more reachable. ❤️ As I love the stories behind the scents and the names of the perfumes I want to attach Roja’s musing here: “Inspired by the legend of NüWa, the gentle and kindly Chinese goddess who is said to have created humanity; and according to the myth taught her people to be creative and wise, introduced beauty through music, song and dance, and filled all flowers with fragrance. A tender liquid narrative to seduce the soul, a gentle harmony of Rose, Jasmin and Orange Blossom create a floral song that graces a pillowy bed of Sandalwood, Benzoin and Vanilla.” - ROJA DOVE. Top Notes: Bergamot, Grapefruit Heart Notes: Rose de Mai *, Orange Blossom *, Jasmin de Grasse * Base Notes: Clove, Cumin, Pepper, Sandalwood *, Benzoin *, Vanilla *, Peru Balsam * The main notes Suitable year around 🌹 REVIEW 🌹 Simplified Nüva is all about the divine regal Rose de Mai lying in the indulgent velvety bed of Vanilla, Benzoin and Sandalwood. It’s not so simple anyway so let’s take a closer look into this more complex mesmerizing, captivating and sensual juice which supposed to be more known in the community of perfume lovers. Nüva opens up with the bright and fresh splash of Bergamot and Grapefruit twisted with the spicy notes from the base. Clove, Cumin and Pepper is quite prominant in the beginning and contrary to what you might expect since these are the basenotes the strongest whiff fades away quickly. The purpose of these notes afterwards is to balance sweetness and softness together with Peru Balsam, so that the whole blend does not become too sweet or too vanilla-like at any point because that’s not the point in this beautiful composition. Vanilla here is definitely not gourmandy overly sweet one, it’s rather even earthy and breathing sophisticated and polished Vanilla with warmth of Benzoin to which Sandalwood brings a slightly creamy soft touch. There are three bewitching flowers in the harmony and each of those has the role. Like I said in the beginning "Nüva is all about the divine regal Rose de Mai” and that’s because characteristics of Rose de Mai is mellow, deep and very persistent smell which last from the beginning until the last end of this show. Orange Blossom’s fresh and sweet nuances together with Jasmine de Grasse’s subtle and charming powdery touch mingle to that rare Rose which blooms for only three weeks a year. This is very comforting, soft and fluffy scent. It’s very cozy but in the same time so classy, luxurious and sophisticated yet powerful. It makes a huge scent bubble around you. I LOVE this scent so much! ❤️ Thank you for reading and I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
