Aqua Vitae

Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Type: Fresh, Citrus, Balmy

Strength: Eau de Toilette

Notes: Calibrian Lemon, Sicilian Mandarin, Hedione, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Guaiac Wood

From a refreshing, bright and juicy burst of the two citrus notes, Aqua Vitae is another wonderful composition from Maison Francis Kurkdjian! Quick as a flash the fresh citrus is joined by the radiant Jasmine aroma of Hedione. Now citrus, green and slightly floral, Tonka Bean joins this lovely composition warm and sunny notes of fresh cut hay. Shortly Vanilla and woody, balmy Guaiac Wood finish and round out the entire composition. The vanilla note is ever so slight in this composition. Aqua Vitae is a fresh yet not sharp, citrusy, balmy fragrance.

To me, Aqua Vitae is another lovely comfort fragrance from Maison Francis Kurkdjian. Aqua Vitae reminds me of a tailored, white cotton blouse with french cuffs and a pleat at the back which I own. I wear it with jeans or black dress slacks. Whether you are looking for a classy signature scent, or a fragrance to add to your collection, Aqua Vitae would be an excellent choice. Don't know what you want to wear today? Grab your bottle of Aqua Vitae and mist away! You will not be disappointed with this choice.

May be purchased at Parfumerie Nasreen.

$185.00
2.4 oz./70 ml.

Hand in Hand

Ramone Monegal

Unisex

Launched 2014

Type: Floral, Woody, Musk

Notes: Bulgarian Rose, Indian Argarwood (Oud), Spices, Musk

  * Additional suspected note: Violet leaves

Hand in Hand is oh so......marvelous! The indian oud is not animalic aka "barn yardy", but rather, tamed by the rose and other notes in this composition. At the openning and through the heart is an ever present wet, metallic, fresh green note. My guess would be the presence of violet leaves which is not listed in the ingredients anywhere. On my skin the spices were apparent after an hour. The listed notes state, spices and my guess is that Cardamom and Saffron are among them. In the dry

down, the softest musk appears, imparting a soft as a fluffy white feather clean note but, not sharp. Nothing about this fragrance is sharp.

No matter what, this is a glorious fragrance. Imagine Fairies exist. Imagine them arising from their slumber from roses, spreading the fragrance of Hand in Hand with every flutter of their delicate, sheer wings. 

Hand in Hand is housed in a inkwell inspired bottle. Positively lovely and significant to Ramone Monegal. 

May be purchased at Parfumerie Nasreen.

$200.00
1.7 oz./50 ml.

Passion de L'Amour

The House of Sillage

Launched: Spring of 2014

Type: Floral, Fruity, Woody

Strength: Eau de Parfum

Top Notes: Bergamot, Saffron, Raspberry

Heart Notes: Lily of the Valley, Caramel, Amyris Oil

Base Notes: Liatrix Absolute, Argarwood, Vanilla, Patchouli

This is the eighth edition from the house of Sillage. A true beauty equal to the other seven in their line. Bravo! Magnifique!

From the immediate mist, Passion de L'Amour is sweet, citrusy, with a hint of soft leather. Next is the fresh floral of Lily of the Valley, sweetened by creamy, caramel. A minute later, this fragrance is a little earthy and balsamic as amyris oil becomes apparent at the end of the heart. Following are the base notes of liatrix absolute, a dry earthy, balsamic note along with the hint of argarwood and sweet exotic vanilla. Almost gourmand but not quite. Finally to finish the composition is patchouli, sweet, darker and woody.

"Inspired by a moment of sheer bliss on a hot tropical island in the south pacific, breezes of vanilla and caramel entice while hints of oud carry you off to far off exotic locales. Sumptuous adventure awaits."

Passion de L'Amour is a Lovely and Passionate fragrance for women of all ages to enjoy. Housed in the signature bottle, this one is gradient green glass and the cap is dotted with green Swarowski Crystals.

May be purchased at Parfumerie Nasreen.

$350.00
2.5 oz./ 75 ml.

Journey Woman

Amouage

Launched: 2014

Type: Radiant floral, fruity, leather

Strength: Eau de Parfum

Top Notes: Apricot, Jasmine tea, Osmanthus, Nutmeg, Cardamom

Heart Notes: Sambac Jasmine, Mimosa, Honey, Cedarwood

Base Notes: Pipe Tobacco, Saffron, Vanilla, Cypriol, Musk

At once Journey Woman is fruity with plenty of lush apricot, a slight hint of Jasmine tea and lightly spicy. Entering the heart of this Eau de Parfum the apricot is drizzled with honey. To keep this from becoming a gourmand fragrance, the florals warm up and are joined by fresh woody cedarwood. As Journey Woman continues into the base notes, there is the slight aroma of pipe tobacco, sweetened by vanilla and warmed by leathery, earthy saffron, made smoky and earthy by cypriol. All is then freshened by the final addition of musk. 

A modern, sexy, sophisticated fragrance beautifully crafted!

Long wearing with superb sillage. A fruity, floral, fresh leather wrapped up in a red bottle with golden accents. How about a journey to somewhere. Make my luggage red and my plane ticket to Japan!

May be purchased at Parfumerie Nasreen.

$380.00
3.3 oz./ 100 ml.

Opus VIII

Amouage

The Library Collection

Strength: Eau de Parfum

Type: Floral, Woody, Green

Launched: March 2014

Top Notes: Jasmine - moist, green
                    Ylang-Ylang - Soapy clean and powdery
                    Orange Flower - Soft and powdery

Heart Notes: Silver Frankincense - Lovely incense scent, smooth and creamy
                       Saffron - Bitter sweet, leathery soft and earthy
                       Ginger - Woody, warm and spicy
                       Vetyver - Woody and earthy
                       Gaiac Wood - Woody, smokey, balmy with a vanilla Sandalwood aroma

Base Notes: Balsam - Warm and sweet
                     Benzoin - Slight vanilla note
                     Jamaican Bay - Spicy and warm, rich, hints of allspice and menthol

".......A dialogue between reality and illusion."  You have to try this eighth addition in the Library collection to believe it!

Opus VIII is a warm weather masterpiece! The notes listed above are all present. The quality is top shelf. This parfum glides effortlessly from first mist onto the skin to the dry down. Green, clean and wet in the top notes. Followed by soft powdery, yet clean florals. Moving gracefully into the heart, I nearly didn't notice. Soft leathery notes appeared with woody, earthy scents. Silver Frankincense slid into the composition incense, smooth and creamy. Moving effortlessly along, gaiac wood with hints of vanilla warm on the skin and it is ready now for the base notes. Warm and sweet balsam with benzoin adding a little more vanilla to warm and spicy Jamaican Bay.

Opus VIII is both Masculine and Feminine. Sweet and dry. Light and Dark. Floral, spicy and woody. Two fragrances layered on top of each other. Together yet, apart.

Perfumers Pierre Nigren and Richard Herpin worked under the direction of Christopher Chong to create this Eau de Parfum. it is meant to be juxtaposing layers, light hitting a crystal with those flashes of color shooting out. It was created with the parfum connoisseur in mind, regardless of age or gender.

My second trial of this magnificent parfum was different from the first trial. It was spicy, moist and woody. It changes ever so slightly with your body chemistry. However on my skin, it is most times as the first trial. I love this latest edition in the Library Collection. For me it is as if I have two fragrances in one bottle and possibly a third. At the end of my testing, I found it to be wonderful for all seasons, occasions and time of the day or night. Be prepared for the many compliments you will receive while wearing it. Opus VIII is so magnetic that strangers and friends alike will forget themselves and lean toward you to breathe deep, explaining that they cannot help themselves because you smell wonderful.

Try Opus VIII and enjoy this wonderful masterpiece for yourself. Then breathe deeply the multiple facets of you!

May be purchased at Parfumerie Nasreen.

$360.00
3.3 oz./ 100 ml.

Dark Purple

Montale

Nose: Pierre Montale

Strength: Eau de Parfum

Type: Fruity, Floral, Woody

Notes: Fresh Orange, Greedy Plum, Geranium Bourbon, Red Fruit Cocktail, Rose, Grey Amber, Teak wood, White Musk, Patchouli.

Rose Eau de Parfum with fruits to sweeten along with gray amber. Engaging woods and musk. How could you go wrong. Try this one to see if it is the rose you are looking for. 

May be purchased at Parfumerie Nasreen.

$170.00
3.3 oz./100 ml.

Intense Tiare

Montale

Nose: Pierre Montale

Type: Floral, Vanilla

Strength: Eau de Parfum

Notes: Tiare Flower, Coconut, Ylang-Ylang, Rose, Vanilla

The first note to emerge is Tiare Flower, sweet and heady, exciting the senses and quickly joined by milky coconut. Following next are ylang-ylang, rose and within three minutes, vanilla finishes and rounds out the entire composition.

Tiare with it's gardenia-like aroma combined with milky smooth coconut, clean sweet ylang-ylang and rose becomes very tropical island exotic. Before any sharpness would have a chance to develop vanilla smoothes, warms and sweetens the entire composition. Tiare flower is in the center floating just an inch above the other notes, which lovingly compliment it softly from the background. The very lovely, Intense Tiare speaks softly and whispers of an Island across the seas where an exotic paradise awaits.  Sun drenched, white, sandy shores, coconut trees and tiare flowers swaying ever so slightly in the salty breeze.

Note: Bourbon vanilla is my guess completing this lovely composition which excites and awakens the senses.

May be purchased at Parfumerie Nasreen.

$170.00
3.3 oz./100 ml.

Black Aoud

Montale

Nose: Pierre Montale

Type: Floral, Woody, Musk

Strength: Eau de Parfum

Notes: Rose Petals, Mandarin Orange, Labdanum, Patchouli Leaves, Musk, Cambodian Oud


Mandarin Orange and rose petals mist from this lovely aluminum flask as you depress the spray. They melt into a wreath of patchouli leaves, woody, earthy and warm. Musk warms up on the skin fresh and clean to lighten the notes while leathery labdanum softens and rounds out the notes. Precious Cambodian oud appears to have entered the scene to complete the opulent richness of this fine Eau de Parfum. 

Black Aoud is a very red rose heightened by mandarin orange, encircled by woods, musk and leather. 

Sophisticated eau de parfum to wear with confidence. Dark and mysterious, however hard to ignore. Beautiful sillage and long lasting. People around you will know you are wearing a rose parfum, but to the untrained nose, they will marvel at the surrounding scent. Black Aoud is a parfum in which these velvety rose petals are undoubtedly center stage dusted with mandarin orange. Simply sleek and beautiful. 

May be purchase at Parfumerie Nasreen

$170.00
3.3 oz./100 ml.

Red Vetyver

Montale

Eau de Parfum

Type: Fresh, Woody, Citrus

Nose: Pierre Montale

Notes: Grapefruit, Elemi, Red Cedar, Patchouli Leaves, Vetyver, Black Pepper

Red Vetyver starts off with a citrus burst of grapefruit and a hint of pine and lemon from elemi. These are quickly joined by a forest of red cedar, crisp and clean along with earthy green and woody vetyver. Further enhancing the woody flavor are patchouli leaves. Rounding out this composition is a hint of black pepper for that slight spicy nasal punch. 

This Eau de Parfum is a classy, fresh and crisp signature scent. Wear it as if it is your own natural scent. It is what you smell like...always. Red Vetyver is long lasting with nice sillage. 

May be purchased at Parfumerie Nasreen.

$170.00
3.3 oz./100 ml.

Violet Fumee

Mona D'Orio

Type: Floral, Green, Woody, Spicy

Strength: Eau de Parfum Intense

Top Notes: Mediterranean Lavender, Calabria Bergamot, Balkan Oak moss

Heart Notes: Egyptian Violet Flowers, Egyptian Violet Leaves, Turkish Rose, Pipe Tobacco, Clary Sage, Saffron, Vetyver from Haiti

Base Notes: Opoponax, Myrrh, Cashmeran

Beautiful! Very feminine but not overly floral. Starting with a burst of Calibrian Bergamot, Mediterranean Lavender and Oak moss from the Balkans, the start is earthy, creating the perfect bed for the upcoming notes to rest on. This combination of notes alone lets you know that this will be a very deep and velvety violet. As the dark purple violet scent emerges, it is fumed with pipe tobacco. Along with this note arrives the violet leaf note. The leaves add to the composition a damp mossy feel. The leaves generally add an aquatic, metallic freshness that I personally love and here it is no exception. In this composition the leaves keep the prior and following notes from becoming too dark and too deep. Turkish rose, also fumed with pipe tobacco adds its lovely essence, while Haitian vetyver adds another fresh yet woody note. Herbal clary sage and spicy saffron add spicy, herbal facets to this ever blooming parfum.

Now entering this already beautiful composition are the base notes. Somalian Myrrh and Somalian Opoponax, and spicy, amber, musk aroma of cashmeran. The olfactory joy is that every note dances around the dark velvety violet which is ever present from beginning to the very end. This is not a loud fragrance but certainly isn't a shrinking or shy violet either.

Violet Fumee is velvety, mossy, spicy woody and warm. It is long lasting, not over powering and is 100 % Lovely!

Violet Fumee may be purchased at Parfumerie Nasreen.

$330.00
3.3 oz./100 ml.

POUR LE SOIR

Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Cologne 

Pour le Soir for Evening

Notes: Siam Benzoin, Bulgarian Rose, Iranian Rose Honey, Incense Absolute

A beginning of sweet vanilla from Siam Benzoin. Add Bulgarian Rose to add a very nice rose floral and sweeten just a bit further by the addition of Iranian Rose Honey for an edible rose. Five minutes along the development of this parfum, Incense absolute adds a mild smoky flavor. 

Nearly a cordial note of alcohol, but another sniff of the wrist and I note a definite whiff of the incense, yet still sweet, edible rose with the vanilla and rose honey. Delicious!

May be purchased at Lucky Scent, The official site for Maison Francis Kurkdjian and many more.

Attar Tribute

Amouage

Notes: Frankincense (Omani Silver), Saffron, Jasmine, Taifi Rose, Leather, Tobacco, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Vetyver

Launched: 2009

 "I am Queen Nefertari of Egypt and have just received the most precious of gifts from the Omani Empire. It is a small white box, the home of a beautiful crystal bottle. Contained within this bottle is the most precious parfum in the world and entirely royal. It graces my course over marble floors amid the marble columns of my palace. I am completely a Queen."

Dreaming aside, Attar Tribute is heavenly and positively regal! If you are someone who has been reading this blog, then it is no secret that I love a well done rose. The damask rose being my favorite, now has competition. The Taifi Rose! The Taifi Rose is from Taif, one of the oldest cities in the world. Taif is located in the western part of Saudi Arabia and situated on the eastern area of Al-Sarawat Mountains. It is known as the summer capital of Saudi Arabia, as people escape the summer heat and flock to this cool, lush city which offers beautiful scenery in a relaxed atmosphere.

My beloved Omani silver Frankincense is the one note I look forward to and expect in all of my Amouage Parfums and is very precious to me. Each and every note of this beautiful ruby of a parfum warms harmoniously on my skin. Spicy Saffron, the warmth of Leather, tabacco, fresh woody cedarwood, earthy patchouli and fresh vetyver. I am in complete awe. I don't know what I would say to the House of Amouage except: Thank You from the depths of my heart for this creation.

I am very grateful to Nasreen for these precious golden drops.

Beloved

Amouage

Type: Floral, Chypre, Leather

Top Notes: Lavender, Jasmine, Rose, Clary Sage, Camomile, Clovebud, Cardamom
Heart Notes: Immortelle, Violet, Ylang-Ylang, Patchouli, Benzoin, Olibanum
Base Notes:  Musk, Sandalwood, Cedar, Vanilla, Castoreum, Maltol, Civet, Leather, Ambergris

Slightly spicy notes dance around these florals like little bits of fairey dust on petals adding a hint of warmth here and there. Moving along a slight earthy, woody note with drops of vanilla emerge with light hints of new leather, before the emergence of smoky ambergris. Somewhere between dawn and dusk, light feathers of white musk mingle with the composition.

This is a chypre, clean, floral with a metallic pop. Dry greens of powdery jasmine, sweetened by purple roses and soapy ylang-ylang. Sophisticated and easy to wear. This classy lady is not apologetic but very confident in all she is and does. Beloved is yet another beautiful parfum in the collection offered by the House of Amouage. Quality Parfum fit for Royalty. 

May be purchased at Parfumerie Nasreen.

100 ml./3.3oz $430.00