Shazam!

I've had this sample for quite a while but waited for the autumn to try it - it's fabulous, spicy and woody, just the kind of scent I love. it's not too 'girly' and would smell wonderful on a man. labdanum is missing from the scent profile, but it is definitely present, to my nose (the website description says that labdamnum & vanilla make up the amber - see below). here is the scent description, as written by Sarah: "Amber oriental An Oriental fragrance, according to the world of perfumery, is not one which started life in the East. No, it’s a French early 20th Century vision of an Oriental woman, sometimes Japanese, often mysteriously Middle Eastern. When one of our friends wanted a real Eastern fragrance for a real Oriental European woman - herself - we went for something rather more realistic: a strong, independent, unambiguous fragrance. Something to suit her personality. Its amber base is made with sticky dark labdanum and soft vanillin. Then we throw the whole spice market at it and add the scent of freshly squeezed oranges. top notes: pink pepper, juniper berries, tangerines, basil heart notes: frankincense, cedar, cocoa, cardamon base notes: amber – vanilla and labdanum, patchouli"

Tried a sample of this a couple of years ago and thought gawd, that’s a bit like I remembered Lush karma in the opening and I was a bit “hmmm” that’s a bit too zingy for me! I left it a bit and tried it again on another day. It was a bit of a rubbish day and I decided to use up my sample and I was unexpectedly cheered up by the scent! The zing was there but several minutes in I got a lovely frankincense/orange/patchouli that grew sweeter the longer it wore on. It was a mood lifter so I bought a little bottle. I now want a bigger bottle as I can see myself giving it a lot of wear over this wintertime, a mood-lifter for 2020! It’s definitely a great Christmas scent although I’ve found different facets come to the fore in different seasons and weather, sometimes more patchouli/orangey, sometimes more resinous/sweet. Oh and my husband noticed it and commented on it in a positive way without being asked first! I reckon he could easily get away with wearing it too!

4160 Tuesdays Shazam is another sweet, semi-gourmand entry from the house that is quite delightful. Mostly resinous, Shazam is dominated by labdanum, amber, vanilla, and incense, with a trio of juniper, basil, and tangerine in the opening and a heavier-handed use of patchouli, and to some extent, cocoa, in the dry down after several hours. The key player, if there is one, is labdanum, the resin that leans smoky, smoky, and ever so slightly animalic on my skin. It leans slightly to a gourmand, but is distant enough from being a true gourmand. It's pleasant while not being as delectable as a gourmand, either. Performance is good--the projection is not loud but it's strong on longevity and does not lose much power over its first 4-5 hours. Shazam reminds me significantly of Benjoin 19, the Le Labo Moscow city exclusive, and against the Le Labo city exclusive pricing of $300 for 50ml, the Shazam pricing of $90 for 50ml is modest. 8 out of 10

I first smelt "Shazam!" from a sample I was sent when I bought another fragrance from this fabulous perfume house ("Over the Chocolate Shop"). I kept going back to it, knowing I would need it one day. I wasn't sure when, I knew the time would come. Well, that time did come. I wanted something spicy, heady, a definite oriental, but with softness and femininity. Shazam! has that initial powerful spicy opening but dries to a musky spice with amber pushing up through. It smells sweet on my skin, but never cloying, never overpowering, but the kind of sweetness and creaminess that brings out the spice perfectly (think a nip of brown sugar in a chai tea). Shazam! is the perfect oriental - so many go too full on and forget to balance the spice which results in a hair lacquer effect. 4160 Tuesdays nail it. If you love a proper oriental fragrance, this is the one for you to try.

All my other favorite “feminine woody” scents were overtaken by this one. It opens peppery, cologne and fougere-like, but settles into a very sweet dusty juniper with orange chocolate. Since my city has so much cedar, I find this warm and nostalgic. The patchouli is perfect, earthy and woody rather than cloying or synthetic like so many others, and all on a bed of dry, cozy incense. Evergreen woods, spice and aromatics make this a very suitable male scent, and a slightly challenging women’s scent-- though with the trendiness of Baccarat and Santal 33, I think this will only become easier to wear with time. It’s not exactly sexy, having the aloof hipster aura of sandalwood, but I can see this outdoorsy scent drawing in lumberjack-styled urbanites like a siren’s call.

I decided to revisit this fragrance because intially we didnt get off to a good start. Shazam was what I thought the Lion Cupboard would be on me. Shazam really does smell like the inside of one of Grans wardrobes. On the opening I am immediately hit with the cedar, cardamom (my favourite spice) and basil. The effect is almost peppery. As this softens over the first hour then the amber and olibanum become much more evident. These are strong spice notes but I just about pick up the tangerine, juniper and chocolate. Its a gorgeous fragrance that really does just get better with time. Its not very sweet at all and the perfect unisex fragrance. Excellent longevity and moderate sillage.

My second favourite scent from this fabulous little perfumer. Even my son announced I smelled 'very good' whilst wearing this, which is quite an achievement! Still, I absolutely adore this scent and find it works best on me when used on a cold grey wintry day. I smell sweet, fruity but spicy and slightly sticky yummy juice. Almost good enough to eat/drink. I was convinced for a while it contained rose as it smelled somewhat similar to Amouage Lyric to my nose, minus the frankincense of course. But, perhaps it is an olfactory delusion on my part, who cares. The longevity is amazing and so is projection. Such a gorgeous, heavy, delicious oriental. Give it a try. Thanks Sarah!

Such a very nice scent! It has notes that I normally like so I expected to approve but I am happy with the uniqueness of this. Scents with juniper, cedar and pepper will often veer in a sharp and bracing direction but this is all rounded edges and smoothness, thanks to those lovely base notes. Very unisex in my opinion. The only listed note that I didn’t really smell was probably the basil. I truly think this is a great option for night or day and mostly all season wear, though it might be a little “off-topic “ for hot summer expectations. I fully recommend trying Shazam. Great name besides!

A heavy, spicy, oriental fragrance with femininity and softness at the top. Opening notes herein are Tangerine, Juniper Berries and Basil; middle notes are Atlas Cedar, Olibanum, Cardamom and Pink Pepper; base notes are Amber, Patchouli and Cacao. Initial opening is powerful spice that dries into musky spice with amber. On my skin, this settles so well in sweetness and creaminess thing with the perfect blend of spices. Mysterious one in a super lovely bottle. I feel it deep, warm, spicy, rich and even tender. Projection and longevity are great too....

Shazam was a bit of a miss on me at the start. It confused me and tickled the back of my nose consistently in a way that made me feel as though I were about to sneeze. This must have been the cardamom. It also reminded me, not just because of the name, of a magic shop, because of that patchouli. Now, with all that in mind, I could not be more in love. It's so warm and spicy plus it also works well in the warmth for me, because my skin is rather cold. I just purchased a 9mL... won't regret it at all. Will hopefully be able to buy a 100mL bottle.

Wow this is gorgeous. I am rapidly getting to the bottom of my sample and this will be my next FB! Perfect for Christmas with its warmth and spiciness. The oranges and cloves (?) remind me of mulling spices and the whole perfume is perfectly balanced with some freshness from the cedar and berries and warmth from the amber and patchouli. The drydown reminds me of Fancy Nights/Prada Amber but the longevity of this is massive, I put some on early evening and it's still going strong next morning, just closer to skin.Another beauty from Sarah!

So far, this is my favourite 4160 Tuesdays fragrance. This fragrance transports me back to a young girl on a school trip to a stately home. It reminds me of the bare floorboards, the beautiful antique furniture, the gorgeous four poster beds. It reminds me of the afternoon we spent making pomanders before it was time to go home.

Wore it to bed last night (I went about midnight). Came downstairs abut 12:00 and mum was like "Oh, you smell L-O-V-E-L-Y! WTF is that?" I tell her it's Shazam! She comments on how light it is on me. I can't smell it on myself at all. ... Guess it works well with my chemistry, then?

Oh WOW! This is sublime...💜 For me this is right up there with Andy Tauers Lair Du Desert Du Marocain and estee Lauders Youth Dew. Recommended EDIT: the only downside of this fabulous perfume is that the silage is so poor on me. Needs respraying after 2/3 hours.

I love the idea behind this company, ethical, don't test on animals, environmentally friendly, vegetarian etc. I tried about 10 samples and this one definitely came out my favourite... probably because I love warm and sweet fragrances.

very nice scent from 4160's. lovely cosy incensy vibe, perfect for autumn or winter

So when I unfurled my little sweetie wrapped sample and read the description of Shazam! I'd expected something a touch heavier on the amber/cacao side of things. Well no let's backtrack a little. Before I even spritzed it I gave it to my partner to try, she read the description knowing nothing about the brand, Then she said in a challenging tone "hmmmm well we'll see if it smells like Marrakesh shall we?" (She's been to Morocco a few times see) Instantly upon spritzing she was like 'OMG! It does!!!' Needless to say she adores it to the point she wants a bottle right away! but also added that it reminded her of being brutally massaged in a steam room by a 18 stone lady, with arms like an Olympic shot-putter. Which just made me really want to go to Morocco now. Anywho... this is a really lovely and well judged composition from Sarah. I reckon that the general creaminess of the amber accord in here sits right with the incense wood and mildly spiced nature of the top notes and the freshness of that kind of orange opening. Really liked it, update when I've worn it properly.

This smells exactly as the accords suggest. I agree with the review that mentioned a pine scent, but it’s well belendend with everything else, like a warm, aromatic soft spice, you can definitely smell amber, patchouli, cardamom, pepper and cedar (after the top notes have gone which takes maybe 15 mins). Definitely unisex, but I’m not keen on anything that’s aromatic as I find it leans too masculine on my skin. This is a beautiful fragrance though.

Don't get the ACDD, LADDM, and Richwood comparisons but this is good stuff, probably the best I have smelled from Sarah McCartney. Very intriguing, cosy, and warm fragrance. Entirely unisex with decent performance, I'm surprised people had issues with performance, maybe the ambroxan is making them anosmic.

Like eating oranges in a Greek church. Lovely. The cedar is quite pronounced (hence the church) but enough sweetness from the tangerine to contrast. Fresh and lovely without being obvious. I think I would have called this something like the Churches of Pilio.

Unfortunately the performance was weak on my skin. It is woody, sweet spicy, oriental, pretty standard to my nose.

On my skin, this smells exactly like a Christmas tree/pine tree in the opening. In the dry down I still get pine tree, but it softens, and the cedar scent really comes through as well (if you have any wood furniture, you’ve probably smelled that pungent cedar smell when you open one of the drawers). Then the cedar starts to blend into a soft, spicy incense scent. This leans very masculine on me.

I can smell anise or tarragon (although it's not listed). Not pleasant one, like a cough syrop.

This is the perfect scent for the oriental purist. The label "oriental" seems to get slapped on a lot of perfumes these days and when I see that, I expect amber, vanilla and spices and I'm often disappointed to find all kinds of things going on that have nothing to do with what oriental fragrances are supposed to be. Like the reviewer before me says, you often get the "hair lacquer effect" and it all ends up just too chemical-y. This one really sticks to the tradition and doesn't have those problems. Gorgeous amber made creamy by a lovely dollop of vanilla, spiced beautifully with a perfect combination of peppery notes and resins. The spices and musk really come to the fore in the dry down, making this go from what seems like a very feminine scent to my nose to a very unisex one. It's probably better suited to cooler months than warmer ones, but I'd imagine it's perfect for a night out (or a night in with that special someone) any time of the year. As heady as this is, there's something very pure about it. It's clearly been created with a lot of respect for the oriental genre and it shows. Excellent longevity, moderate-strong sillage. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for their perfect oriental, anyone dipping their toe into the "amber" waters for the first time, or anyone who just wants to smell ridiculously sexy without getting a headache while trying. Lovely stuff. It's full bottle worthy for me.

And again! Oranges With incense and amber, cardamom, pepper, berries! the mix doesn't work along, it's like a chaos & it results in the smell of a burnt milk chocolate with oranges & dried fruits bar. I personally don't like to smell like that! Edit (26th Sept 2016) It reminds me allot of "Richwood" by Xerjoff with that orange, woods blend with allot of pepper. Edit (9th Sept 2020) Today i just re-visited this blend again after checking some video of one of the reviewers regarding their lifetime blends. Shazam! is quite a combination of sweet ambery with touches of woods. It has a bright tangerine that doesn't show up on top note as it rises up in the middle with cardamom & cedar with hints of olibanum. The top note was a burst of pink pepper, smoke, and incense with touches of patchouli, but the drydown is quite interesting as it goes tender with slight vanilla tangerine & herbal woods. It's really funny how noses taste changes when sniffing more blends! i couldn't see it 4 years back the way i see it now, it remains cute but not an breath-taken, it's just that i tend to lean on animalic blends.

Not all observatories are built of steel and glass. Some are carved from ancient wood and wisdom, where mechanical planets trace their paths through the perpetual twilight of desert mysteries. Here in the thin mountain air, elevation sharpens the senses: first the bright bite of altitude, then the way spices catch in the throat like distant light. Time dissolves in the dark. What begins as calculation—the precise geometry of pepper's gentle ignition and austere cedarwood gears—softens into something warmer, more profound. Each celestial model points inward, finding its own true north in bitter cocoa and burnished amber. Brass orbits wheel overhead at the angle of eternity while censers trace their own paths below, drawing cosmic dust and incense into the undertow of old magics. In the smoke and spice of these shadowed alignments, the machinery of night turns ever inward.

This has a similar furzey base and sweet dry down to many others from 4160. Unusually, I seem to get a different experience from this fragrance every time I spray it, so much so that sometimes each wrist can smell different from the other during a single wearing. Nose tickling pepper in the opening. Sherbet lemon and cloves with pine, none of which are listed, I know. An aromatic vodka and orange cocktail muddled with basil leaves. As it develops it become more resinous, woodsy and cosy. Sometimes I get oud and incense, sometimes they don't show up at all. Although it is a lovely experience to wear, sadly the overall fragrance has only gentle projection and longevity, and certainly doesn't pack the kind of punch that the name would suggest. A very grounding scent, he said I smelt like soil, and asked if I had been working in the garden.

Wore this a bit during my previous career. Smells like confident pencils (cedar) and oranges - a schooly combo, a little arch, but warm and structured. I wouldn't buy a full bottle, but I'm grateful because it taught me that I love amber-type scents, even crazy ones. We are lucky to have 4160 Tuesdays in this small island nation.

Loving this one from 4160, which is rare for me. A woodsy, goumand balsamic with cardamon (yumm) the only note I don't like here is again the juniper (whyyyyy) but thankfully it's not dominant and disappears in the opening. Phew. No basil either. Phew. The rest of the notes are lovely, and it's a nice woodsy spicy balsamic.

Shazam! reminds me of one of my favourite scented candles that is no longer produced: "Oriental Spice". What a lovely surprise to find a perfume that is very much alike. I thought I lost this scent forever. Excellent! How to choose in a brand that has so many good ones?

I can detect the labdanum feel others mentioned, but it’s mostly a strong wood incense on me. The other notes are pretty much nonexistent. Still, it's a lovely pressed wood-chip incense type of cedar and sandal, so that's an up. Very nice, very wearable.