Category Archives: Brands A-C

Areej Le Doré Atlantic Ambergris

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Atlantic Ambergris via Areej Le Doré and Russian Adam.

Atlantic Ambergris is another new release from Areej Le Doré and an extrait de parfum centered around top-grade white ambergris. The official description states that this golden heart is partnered with a “synergy of fresh, floral, spicy and green notes.” The note list is:

Top notes: bergamot, cardamom and a touch of Russian pine
Heart notes: jasmine sambac, white champaka, ylang-ylang, white Irish ambergris, tonka bean absolute, clove and nutmeg
Base notes: violet leaf, orris root, sweet myrrh, oakmoss, nagarmotha [also known as cypriol] and labdanum.

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Areej Le Doré Flux de Fleur

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Areej Le Doré has followed up its debut collection with four new fragrances, one of which is called Flux de Fleur. Described as “a heavy, dark fruity, floral Oriental blend,” it immediately drew my eye with a tantalizing note list which included several white florals, honeysuckle (which I love), pink grapefruit (which I also love), coconut water, two types of frankincense, and even an Indian shamama (spice) amber attar, aged for more than two decades. Flux de Fleur seemed like a guaranteed sure-fire hit for someone with my tastes. Things did not turn out as I had anticipated, however.

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New Releases: Areej Le Doré Atlantic Ambergris, Inverno Russo, Oud Picante & Flux de Fleur

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I don’t typically post about new or upcoming launches, but the fantastic debut collection from Areej Le Doré, the limited 100-bottle quantities for the trio, and the speed with which they sold out made me decide to make an exception to my usual rule. This is a brand where the particular circumstances make it worth having advance notice to order samples, having some time to spend getting to know the fragrances, and then deciding if one wants a bottle. Plus, I was once chastised for covering a fantastic Areej Le Doré fragrance soon after it sold out, albeit for completely understandable reasons because it’s frustrating to hear about great scents that come in limited quantities, but I’m not going to make that mistake again, so I’m telling all of you about their launch before I write even a word about them in an actual review.

Collage: my own. Original photos: Areej Le Doré and Russian Adam.

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Areej Le Doré Ottoman Empire: Maharajahs, Heat & Sensuality (+Oud Zen)

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Maharajah Singh of Patiala, wearing the Patiala diamond and platinum parade necklace created by Cartier in 1928. Photo source: NYTimes.com

Maharajahs dripping with diamonds, a trip back in time to India, narcotic opulence, heat, lust, and sensuality — Ottoman Empire is all those things and more. It is such an utterly over-the-top floral oriental and with such a hedonistic grandeur that it’s a pity the name “Shalimar” with its palatial Indian inspiration was already taken, because it would suit this one quite well. In fact, I find that vintage Shalimar parfum (in its oldest form) and Ottoman Empire have a few strands of DNA in common.

In the case of Ottoman Empire, I was swept off my feet with heady 3D roses married to honeyed jasmine, tropical frangipani, plush oakmoss, warm spices, buttery sandalwood, several different kinds of oud, smoldering vetiver, and gorgeously molten labdanum amber — all enveloped with a fur coat of muskiness.

It’s sybaritic, it’s divaesque on a grand scale, it’s got the heft of a tank, and it turned my head from the very first sniff all the way to the addictively cozy, sexy last. It impacted me immediately, instinctively, and on a visceral level, transporting me back in time to one of my favourite days and memories of India. Without a doubt, hands down, Ottoman Empire is one of my absolute favourite things that I’ve tried this year and will be high on my year-end list of “Best Fragrances of 2017.” It will be the focus of this review, but I’ll have a short review for Oud Zen, the third Areej le Doré release at the end as well.

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