Lalique - White review

 I am sure it did not happen like this, but I am imagining Jean-Claude Ellena giving a notice of resignation to Hermes. They wonder "oh crap, now what?!" Someone in charge of finding Ellena's replacement had just gotten a bottle of Lalique White. They go on Fragrantica, find out it was composed by Christine Nagel, then call her with a job offer.

Lalique White would be at home in a tall, slender, tapered, pillar shaped bottle sitting alongside Hermes' cologne collection. Upon initial spray, I immediately notice that it has the characteristics of Hermes' unique takes on classic eau de cologne themes. White's use of the lemon leaf is somewhat analogous to neroli; dry, floral, and a tad citrusy. It has a soapy violet note, which nods to Grey Flannel and Green Irish Tweed, aiding the leaf's bracing character. I do notice the black pepper, but it's not too heavy.

The scent doesn't evolve radically as it is drying down, other than the spices, tamarind, and cedar start to become more apparent and the lemon leaf gradually disappears. The cedar and spicy notes are not at all heavy handed or dark. They contribute to the fragrance's fresh and tart qualities, but also give it some legs to push out off the skin.

Longevity is actually really good. I get around 6 hours from it, maybe 8. That's not really great by general standards, but considering the nature of the composition, it's pretty impressive. It projects well for about an hour or so, then becomes more faint. It's a pretty gentle scent, so you can go a bit heavy on the sprayer

Jazmin Sarai - Nar review

(From the Adel Emam film Al Erhab w'al Kebab)
After a long day of work, Ahmed comes home and tries to serenade his wife who is fast asleep. He sings some classic Egyptian songs from Abdel Halim Hafez, Mohammad Abdel Motaleb, and Farid el Atrash off key, while trying to make as much noise as possible to wake her up. He has no success. He pops in a cassette of Abdel Halim Hafez and proceeds to wake her up in the comical fashion for which Emam is best known. When she yells at him for making so much noise and waking her up, Ahmed reminds her that despite life's challenges, listening to Abdel Halim reminds one that life isn't so bad and they should enjoy it. Ultimately, Ahmed fails to seduce his wife, which is part of the movie's themes of accepting and making due with what is beyond one's control. Nonetheless, what he said about Abdel Halim's music is a common sentiment. He remains a figure of hope and passion even decades after his death, and his music continues to be heard in bars and concert halls among a younger generation. The deep, emotive and warm crooning of the Egyptian Nightingale stirs a burning fire in the hearts of Arabs and non-Arabs alike. Hence why a fragrance inspired by Abdel Halim Hafez is named Nar, which means fire in Arabic.

The immediate impression when you first spray Nar is smokiness. It's not the kind of smoky note associated with birch tar or incense, but more along the lines of liquid smoke. As it dries down, Nar freshens considerably with coriander and cedar. However, the smoke stays throughout the duration of the fragrance, even if it becomes somewhat muted. I don't get an amber accord out of it, even though it's in the note pyramid here. My description is short because the fragrance is straightforward and simple. However, that works to Nar's advantage, since there is clear note separation, it smells natural, and it is exceedingly smooth.

Performance is average. I get around 5 or 6 hours from it. It also sits close to the skin. It is gentle and tender like Abdel Halim's voice.
If it was inspired by someone with a voice as powerful and boisterous as Oum Kalsoum, on the other hand, I'd imagine it would make powerhouse houses like Jacques Bogart or Montale seem tame in comparison.

Jazmin Sarai - Ma're review

 This fragrance is the Mediterranean in a bottle. Absolutely gorgeous, and one of the best neroli scents I have tried.

The neroli note is stunning, and perfectly captures the smell of natural orange blossom water; which is a staple in Lebanon (and in much of the Arab world). It is mixed with a tart, sour, and dry lemon note. I'm not getting a yuzu note ala L'eau d'Issey, but I am familiar with citron fruit, which this does sort of resemble; albeit without any sweetness. These two notes drive the fragrance until the cypress starts to appear, which smells fresh and green, not particularly smoky.

I can't say I really notice arak - one of my favorite drinks, albeit one which has led to far too many horrible mornings - fig, or anything particularly aquatic, however.

Unlike, say, Neroli Portofino, I don't notice any sweetness here. Nor does it have the barbershop qualities of the Aqua di Parma line.

It is dry, bitter, bracing, and refreshing, like mixing orange blossom water and lemon juice in an ice cold glass of water, but forgetting to add any sugar. This is magical on a hot, humid day.

Its smoothness and uplifting beauty perfectly embodies the gentle tenderness of Fairuz, by whom this fragrance was inspired. Her elegant voice is as iconic to Lebanon as the cedar tree which adorns its flag.

Performance is ok in general, but superb for this kind of scent. I get around 6-8 hours out of it if applied liberally. It projects nicely for around an hour, then sits closer to the skin. By hour 3, I'd call this a skin scent.

Review of Terre d'Hermes Eau Tres Fraiche (2014) from Hermes

The most common theme for a fragrance flanker is the fresh reinterpretation of the original. It'll go by plenty of names; sport, eau, cologne, l'eau, summer, fraiche etc. It's a theme which is meant to take the original concept of the fragrance and lighten it with potent citruses or fresh spices. It's almost guaranteed to be a people pleasing scent, even if fragrance enthusiasts often hate the genre.


Personally, I'm more on the ambivalent side of the spectrum. I can't say I dislike them, but they're rarely anything I would reach for. There are exceptions, of course. Givenchy's Pi Fraiche, for example, is far superior to Pi to my nose. Claiborne Sport, Polo Sport, Roadster Sport, and Encre Noire Sport are fantastic fragrances too. Another one which impressed me is Terre d'Hermes Eau Tres Fraiche, which was released in 2014.

Terre d'Hermes is a fragrance which I enjoy, but not one that I love. It’s elegant and well composed, and I do like its use of vetiver and bitter orange. But there are some similar fragrances which follow similar themes and smell a lot better to me. Terre d'Hermes Eau Tres Fraiche, on the other hand, is a different story. Without exaggerating, this might be one of my favorite citrus fragrances that I have ever tried. It’s up there with Atelier’s Orange Sanguine in terms of how realistic it smells.

Eau Tres Fraiche is clearly related to the original Terre. However, it really amps up the citrus notes. Instead of just getting the bitter orange from the original, it’s like an entire citrus salad. You get a bright, juicy orange note, paired with the dirty bitter orange, along with a tart, barely ripened grapefruit. It’s a mouth-watering melange of freshness. I’ve no idea how, but this citrus accord is very potent for a couple of hours on my skin, and hints of it lasts throughout most of the duration of the scent.

As it dries down, I get the woody – cedar – and vetiver notes from the original. However, it doesn’t smell earthy. It’s a fresher and cleaner rendition of those.

Longevity is good for this genre. I get around 7 or 8 hours out of it. It projects pretty well for around 2 hours. It starts to sit closer to the skin after that. By the 5th hour, and until the fragrance entirely disappears, you would have to get very close to its point of application to detect it.

Versace L'Homme (1986) Review

Versace is a pretty interesting fragrance house in the designer market. I'm admittedly not a big fan of the majority of their offerings. While they smell pleasant, they don't really stand out much or do anything unique. However, oddly enough, the Versace fragrances which I found to be the most interesting and outstanding were also the ones which tend to be relegated to the bargain bins at TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Ross, or other similar discounters. I'm mainly talking about The Dreamer, Blue Jeans, and L'Homme, which was Versace's first masculine fragrance. Since I haven't had a bottle of the former two for a few years and don't remember their note breakdown or development too vividly, I can only review L'Homme.

Versace released L'Homme in 1986. As one would expect, it does indeed smell “older,” in the sense that you won't smell too many modern designer fragrances like this. At the same time, it doesn't smell like it came from any particular era. It does borrow a little from 80's powerhouses, but also has some accords which are very reminiscent of French fragrances from the 40's, 50's, and 60's. I can't think of too many fragrances which resemble Versace L'Homme beyond a few fleeting similarities, so it is also quite unique.

L'Homme starts off with a very dry and bitter lemon, mixed with petitgrain. This accord doesn't smell like a citrus fruit, but is rather more like a mix of the rinds and the citrus flowers. This is very reminiscent of classic French perfumery, such as Eau Sauvage, Moustache, Chanel pour Monsieur, or Monsieur de Givenchy. There's a green and herbaceous quality coming from the basil as well, which helps temper and sweeten what would otherwise be significantly more bitter and harsh.

The accords from the top note don't dissipate too quickly, but smoothly blend in with the heart notes. The fragrance becomes very spicy, quite powdery, and a tad sweet. Cinnamon is the most dominant player at this point, paired with a brightly spicy sandalwood and patchouli. Honey and leather also show themselves, but they don't smell dark. They provide a slightly sour, uric, and playful animalic nuance, though it mostly smells like the glove soft leather of a pair of Italian shoes. There's also a hint of florals, one of the main ones of which is supposedly rose, yet it smells like a blend of a few flowers which are difficult to identify individually.

As the heart notes transition to the base, the fragrance is given a bit of powdery sweetness from vanilla and tonka. The sweetness is tempered by cedar, which also complements the cinnamon, sandalwood, and patchouli. A tad of greenness and depth appears when some fresh, raw, unsmoked tobacco makes itself more apparent.

I don't notice any oakmoss in the drydown, even though most note breakdowns list it. Perhaps it was toned down, if not removed, during reformulations?

Although Versace L'Homme has more in common with classic French perfumery, it performs like a powerhouse from its own era. This is easily among one of the longest lasting fragrances I own. I can't even gauge its longevity, since it lasts for a while even after enduring a shower.

It's not a brash or obtrusive fragrance, since it's not all that dark or sweet. However, it still projects fairly loudly for 5 or 6 hours, and leaves behind a noticeable sillage. Even when it starts to rest closer to the skin, it never really becomes a skin scent.

If Versace is to be remembered for their fragrances, it shouldn't be for ones like Eros, pour Homme, or eau Fraiche (none of which are fragrances I dislike; I just don't think they're interesting or unique). It should be for a fragrance like L'Homme.

Review of Ungaro pour L'Homme III

Ungaro pour L'Homme III is the only one of the three fragrances in the Ungaro pour L'Homme series which is still in production, as well as the only one which I have tried. Despite having quite a following on Fragrantica and Basenotes, there aren't too many blog or vlog reviews of this one.

Ungaro pour L'Homme III is an aromatic fragrance released in 1993. Comparably to numerous fragrances from the late 80's and early 90's, it occupies a limited niche which bridges the gap between the past and future fragrances. It does not bear a lot of similarities to the aromatic powerhouses from the 70's and 80's, yet it's still really gothic and dense. It's not really like the fresh woody florals which were popular from the mid-90's through today, yet it's still really fresh, and feels like it could have been a 1990's Chanel release.

Ungaro pour L'Homme III is quite complex and well blended. It starts off with a strong orange and fresh patchouli note. The orange isn't fresh and bright, but rather dark and overripe. The patchouli focuses on the green and minty quality from that plant family, rather than the earthy or chocolaty notes. There is, of course, the famed vodka note as well. It is difficult to describe, since the vodka note is not at all comparable to the harsh ethyl smell at the opening of some inexpensive fragrances, and vodka is generally a neutral and odorless spirit anyway. Yet there it is, and it gives the impression of opening a bottle of smooth vodka. Its less than neutral booziness paired with the citrus and minty patchouli is reminiscent of a vodka based cocktail you would order at a legitimate cocktail bar.

Its floral accords start to emerge shortly after. It's a seamless transition from the top to the heart, as both phases are combined for a while. I get some jasmine (but not a fecal, indolic jasmine), geranium, and rose. The florals are sightly sweet, very dark and morose, and very masculine.
Also, I don't think this is a rose dominated fragrance. It often gets recommended for masculine roses, but it's really just a supporting player to my nose.

As the heart begins to gradually transition to the base, the earlier florals start to dissipate, and the lavender is more pronounced. The lavender and remainder of the heart notes are paired with the woody accord. I get some cedar, which is more similar to natural cedarwood oil, which is very dark and earthy, rather than the Iso E Super cedar, which is lighter and more like pencil shavings. This continues into the far drydown, which is basically lavender, musk, and a little bit of patchouli.

Longevity is excellent. This lasts 10+ hours on my skin with a couple of sprays.
Projection and sillage are moderate. It projects very heavily for about an hour or so, then starts to rest closer to the skin. After about 8 hours, it becomes a really subtle skin scent.

I also can't think of any fragrances which smell like this. It is very unique, sophisticated, sensual, and austere. At such a low price point, it is worth trying if you enjoy dark, brooding fragrances, or aromatic florals. Just don't buy this expecting it to be a rose dominated scent.