New Releases: Areej Le Doré Koh-i-Noor, Malik Al Taif, Oud Luwak, Baikal Gris & Oud Incense (+Mini Reviews)

Posted on October 28, 2018 by Kafkaesque

Areej Le Doré has just launched its fourth series of fragrances. There are four new parfums: Koh-i-Noor, Malik Al Taif, Oud Luwak, and Baikal Gris. Today, I’ll provide you with information on the scents, their notes, any relevant raw material information or perfume techniques that may have been used, packaging changes, price reductions, the sample situation, shipping changes, and retail information. I’ll include mini reviews for the fragrances and end by briefly covering the new sinking-grade oud incense offering.

Photos: Areej Le Doré. Collage: my own.

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Zoologist Tyrannosaurus Rex

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Kafkaesque

Tyrannosaurus Rex marks the pairing of two popular figures in the niche world: Victor Wong‘s Zoologist brand and Antonio Gardoni, the celebrated perfumer. Together, they sought to create a “gargantuan” fragrance that was not only worthy of the T-Rex associations but also one which they specifically wanted to evoke the smoky, dark, hot, and fiery Cretaceous period in which he lived, a time where ferocious beasts ripped apart delicate florals amidst dark woods set alight by smoldering flames.

Zoologist in its regular and special edition packaging. Photos from Zoologist’s website. Collage, my own.

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Ensar Oud EO No 2

Posted on October 6, 2018 by Kafkaesque

It’s been a long time since a new release gave me a frisson of instant joy, longer still since one moved me to write reams of pages upon first sniff. Ensar Oud‘s newest fragrance, EO No 2 parfum, did precisely that. Within moments of spraying, I rushed to dig up a yellow legal pad, my head filled with the story of what the fragrance conjured up, so real that I practically saw the sentences in my head, saw the visions of what the notes evoked. It was a moment of pure olfactory delight, something which has been all too rare for me lately.

Photo: Ensar Oud.

Ensar Oud EO No 2 — pure parfum version, bottle, and box. Photo: my own.

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Masque Milano Hemingway

Posted on August 5, 2018 by Kafkaesque

Names have a funny way of shaping one’s expectations, so when Masque Milano told me that the name of its forthcoming scent would be “Hemingway” and a tribute to the author, I had a certain olfactory profile in mind. I associate the author with the scent of rum, whisky, bourbon, and cigars, but Hemingway the fragrance was something quite different. To my surprise, however, alcohol did end up being unexpectedly involved, even if it was not actually intended to be a part of the scent and even if it wasn’t the sort that I had expected.

Photo: my own.

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