Arab Perfumes Al Rawza

By Marian It's dawn, and the sun is still coy. It shyly reflects off the hose-khaneh in our courtyard, a liquid sheet of pale gold. The children and I have decided to sleep beside the water to enjoy the morning breeze and awaken to the trill of nightingales. Tendrilled wisps of orange blossom caress us, whispering that it's time to get up, scented murmurs so soft and gentle I wonder if I'm still dreaming. I open my eyes. The sun is wrapping our private paradise in buttercup gauze, the nectared sweetness of ylang-ylang and jasmine hovering within its fragrant folds. Slices of barbari, a slab of feta, a silver bowl overflowing with sour cherry jam, and a basket of mulberries wait patiently for us to arise. But it is the scent of saffron tea, escaping through the arched window and into the morning air, which lures me from my garden bed. The sun is rising. The fountain is merrily gurgling and the sun is sneaking beneath the ample aprons of the cedar trees. The children, now awake, scamper into the pool and wash the night away. Al Rawza, classified as a “soft oriental” can be purchased from Arabperfumes.com. 3ml- 50 GBP ($70.00), 6ml- 85 GBP ($119.00), 12 ml-150 GBP ($210.00). Incidentally, Arabperfumes.com “Posh Ambergris” is the best ambergris I've sampled! The giclee print of Princess Sitting in a Garden, is from allposters.com

Perfume Review: Agarscents Bazaar Al Manara

It is my pleasure to feature today a review written by a dear friend of mine and a fellow perfume lover and oud connossieur, Marian Williams. We have all fantasized about “the ideal perfume”. Who hasn't scoured department store counters, internet retailers, auction houses, elegant and exclusive fragrance boutiques and Grandma's basement hoping to find the scent that perfectly reflects who we are? My search ultimately led me to Agarscents Bazaar, an online retailer that specializes in Arabian musks, oils and perfumes. Sharif LaRache has created a line of Arabian Oils that are as mesmerizing as they are exotic, ranging in price from $25.00 - $900.00. “Al Manara” is a blend he created for me- the fragrance that brought me to the end of my search. AL Manara What does it mean to embody all things- when the yin and yang fuse, when heaven and earth are inseparable, when liquid flight soars us to darkest depths? Who made this rose- gazelle? swift panther? Now, a child, I rock in your cradle and daze into light. Falling back. Back to primal forests, to the day when earth ruptured and life joyed out. I want to gulp you in- devour your lush plushness, my blood aboil with molten gold. You are my skin when I was new- translucent, then, and fragilely sheer. You are the breath of my first kiss, the gasp of my last ascending breath. You are my grown heart. Come- rub my head. Entwine your petals in my limpid curls, yank me from my torpor so I may better see the light. I know you- the me I will be upon awakening. Notes: Orris, Rose Isphahan, Labdanum, Amber, Myrrh, Yellow Plum, Sandalwood Spicatum, Bulgarian Rose, Musk Mr. LaRache is about to release a new line of fragrances, including some that are more tailored to the Western market. Image (cover of Coelho's Zahir) source, Harper Collins.

Perfume Review: Arabian Oud King Fahed

Oud-lovers, close your eyes or close this page. If you read further, your emotional and financial health will be in serious jeopardy. It is too late for me, a lovely enabler opened for me the (very expensive) world of Arabian Oud ...but save yourselves! Now, those reckless enough to keep reading, Arabian Oud, according to their own site, is "the largest Arabian fragrance retailer in the world, specialising in incense and oil perfumes (...) the first Arabian company to be a member of the Fragrance Foundation UK (...) the first and only Arabian company to be registered in the Michael Edwards Fragrances of the World book." So now you will feel better about paying £1050 for 12ml of King Fahed, the scent that I liked the most among the Arabian Oud blends that I tried so far. I am not even going to talk about whether it is worth that kind of money. It is so much out of my range that it is not even funny. But it is gorgeous. It is supposed to be a masculine blend, and I would love to smell it on somebody male, dark and handsome. Having said that, it is entirely wearable and utterly delightful on female skin. It starts with a strong oud note, spicy, sharp and medicinal. Oud's loyal companion, rose, starts to blossom almost immediately, adding sweetness and softness to the former, and making the masculine note if not exactly feminine then certainly androgynous. The stunning duo becomes an even more compelling trio as musk appears on the scene. The Muscs Koublai Khan sort of musk, dirty-minded and heavy-lidded. It makes the blend smell touchingly and alluringly human. It is the scent of hot skin, of passionate touch, of... OK, where was I? What appeals to my dramatic Russian soul in Arabian Ouds is that everything is taken to the extreme. You thought that oud plus rose plus musk was lush and sensual enough. Well, how about some patchouli for good measure? And that patchouli mixed with musk is ...like making love in the mud (with someone dark and handsome, of course). Enough said. I would send you to smell this wonder for yourself (and if you are in London, by all means, please do so), but I am not sure the company sells/sends samples. It is, however, possible to order the perfume online, for £490-£1050, depending on the size and the fanciness of the bottle. Image source, style.com.