Al Haramain Safwa Attar (The Premium Collection)

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A whirling vortex of potent spices accompanied by resinous, woody, aromatic, herbal and medicinal notes in a thick haze of darkened amber lightly diffused with creamy vanilla — that is the essence of Safwa from Al Haramain. It is a bold and challenging scent that I struggled with quite a bit at times, and I don’t think it will be for everyone.

Source: Al Haramain Exclusive.

Source: Al Haramain Exclusive.

Safwa is an attar or concentrated fragrance oil in Al Haramain Exclusive’s Premium Collection. The company describes the fragrance and its notes as follows:

Safwa captures the essence of luxury and elegance. The fragrance opens with the spicy top notes of cardamom, clove and cinnamon and gradually becomes a refreshing herbal scent with nuances of basil and geranium. In the heart the cold wind meets with the hot sun of the East, where cool mint competes with warm spices of clove and cedar wood that resonate with the tenderness of freesia. Safwa ends with subtle sensuality by the appearance of amber and vanilla, enhanced by the earthy note of patchouli. The fragrance is presented in a white crystal bottle with neutral patterns.

Top notes: Cinnamon, Cardamom, Geranium, Basil, Anethol, Artemisia, Clove
Middle notes: Mint, Clove, Cedar wood, Freesia
Base notes: Patchouli, Amber, Labdanum, Vetiver, Vanilla.

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Al Haramain Mukhallath Seufi Attar (The Exclusive Collection)

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Mukhallath Seufi via alharamainexclusive.com

Mukhallath Seufi via alharamainexclusive.com

Sumptuously extravagant, deeply complex, and powerfully nuclear, Mukhallath Seufi opens with a feast for the senses through an explosion of roses that dazzle like three-dimensional rubies adorned with spices and amber in an opulent oriental blend. Then, the fragrance journeys from the Orient to Europe, slowly turning into a rich chypre before ending up as a dark, smoky, more masculine vetiver leather. Mukhallath Seufi is a story told mainly in three parts, but with endless twists and turns along the way. Not all of them are as grandiose, stunning, or appealing, but that first part… Good lord! It blew my mind — and I say that as someone who is not a rose lover. If you loved Amouage‘s famous Homage attar or mourned its loss, you must try Mukhallath Seufi simply for its spectacular opening, even if the fragrance subsequently transitions away from it and onto other genres.

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Tauer Perfumes Sotto La Luna Tuberose

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There are certain fragrances which I know I will have to brace myself for mentally right from the start. That was the case with Sotto La Luna Tuberose, the latest release from Andy Tauer and the second entry in his Sotto La Luna (Under the Moon) Collection. I love tuberose and it’s my favorite flower, both in nature and in perfumery, but after my experiences with Mr. Tauer’s Sotta La Luna Gardenia, I prepared myself for something that was a mere abstraction and nothing remotely like the real thing. More to the point, after that same Gardenia turned gruesome on my skin, all I hoped for this time around was for a wearable fragrance. Of any kind. Well, after trying Tuberose a few times (and scrubbing it a few times as well), all I can say is that it’s better than the Gardenia on my skin. I’m not sure that’s saying much.

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Anatole Lebreton Bois Lumiere & L’Eau de Merzhin

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Two very different landscapes are captured in Anatole Lebreton‘s L’Eau de Merzhin and Bois Lumière. The first takes you to the nostalgic heart of the countryside where grassy pastures are speckled with purple wild violets, mimosa pollen, and sweet hay. The second focuses on the blazing light of the Mediterranean sun where sticky, smoky honey is slathered in waves over arid driftwood. I’ll look at each one in turn.

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