Category Archives: Perfume Review

DI SER Kyara: A Justified Cult Hit

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Not all fragrances with a cult following deserve their accolades. DI SER‘s Kyara does, in my opinion. It’s a superb, opulent, smoldering oud with Kyara or Kinam (Kynam) agarwood, the best, rarest, and highest grade of oud whose exorbitant cost and scarcity preclude most perfumers from using it in perfumery. It’s actually considered rather insane to do so and, yet, DI SER did. The result – in conjunction with a truly exquisite, lush, intoxicating, honeyed rose – is fantastic.

Vietnamese kyara oud wood. Source: Kyazen. (Direct website link embedded within.)

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Azman Perfumes Majnoon

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Azman‘s Majnoon beckoned to me from the moment I read its notes. Coffee, tobacco, leather, rich spices, champaca and rose, two different kinds of oud, incense, patchouli, and amber were just some of the materials holding great promise. There was also the fact that the famous artisanal perfumer, Prin Lomros, was the nose.

I couldn’t wait to try it. For someone with my particular tests, it was bound to be hit, right?

Well, things did not turn out as anticipated.

Azman Perfumes Majnoon. Photo: Azman.

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Hiram Green Arcadia

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Hiram Green‘s new Arcadia is officially an aromatic lavender fougère inspired by idyllic green forest landscapes, but that is only a fraction of the story that unfolded on my skin. I found Arcadia to be a fougère-oriental hybrid whose fresh, clean, aerated green-laced lavender opening soon turned into creamy lavender ice-cream with deeply resinous, woody, incense-y, spicy, and ambered qualities for the vast majority of its lifetime. The end result strongly and consistently reminded me of Serge Lutens‘ original version of Fourreau Noir, a dark, delectable bell jar beauty that was the first and only lavender fragrance to bring this decades-long lavender-phobe to my knees. Needless to say, I was equally enthused by Arcadia.

Source: Palmbeachdailynews.com

Source: hdwallpapersfreedownload.com

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Papillon Perfumery Hera

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If you’re looking for a typical bridal scent, Hera from Papillon Perfumery is unlikely to be your girl. It is far from the sort of bouquet that is commonly sought for weddings in the modern era, and it is most certainly not a delicate, demure, almost virginal, fresh floral veil suited to a young blushing bride. However, if you’re looking for a sensuous, lush fusion of a semi-vintage-skewing chypre with a modern floral oriental, then you’ve come to the right place.

Lawrence Alma-Tadma, “The Roses of Heliogabalus,” 1888. Source: WikiArt.org

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