Sharif

This perfume is magic! Absolute magic. The ultimate sepia toned fragrance, translucent possessing both resinous heft and depth, but has a lightness, allowing it to be light and nuanced. It does remind me of coke. Not cocaine before you Tuscan leather sniffers start, but coca cola (other brands are available) infact it's more like the syrup of an own brand or soda stream cola, or holding up cola bottle (sweets) to the light. That's highly reductive though because it has a blend of spices with gingery bite, cinnamon warm, anise character and much more. Leathery amber is a broad approximation of this fragrance. It’s MAD because I looked at the notes and reviews here and people were talking about almond notes etc... which I TOTALLY didn’t get at all. However as this dries down after several hours it goes almost floral, and lightly powdery and that sweetness becomes that cherry/almond benzaldehyde smell but really, really natural, not something forced in fact it smells like real tonka absolute which has those qualities and indeed I get almond sure, but like nearly 12 hours later on my clothes. I like it very much indeed, a fun fragrance to wear if you like sweet, piquant spices, cherry coke/Dr Pepper stuff like that but conveyed in an unusual and high quality manner. I want it but I fear it’s not gonna be easy to get as the sample is old.

Truly lovely: somehow oddly medicinal, strangely sweet yet completely calming and never "too much". On my skin this tends more towards a nearly-amaretto-adjacent note rather than almond per se; its warm and woody undertones blend so beautifully to create an aura of safety and calm, rather than anything thunkingly butch or vulgar and cloying. A quiet, diplomatic yet extremely seductive presence. Perfectly unisex and with the kind of centred, understated charm that gently strokes your soul rather than whacking you around the head with how good it is. Perhaps, from one angle, a kind of individual, nichey, artisan reversion of Givenchy Pi? But much much more distinctive and characterful all around than that may suggest. I don't really get the leather, and if there is civet, it's staying oddly quiet and furry rather than reeky-animalic here; perhaps shades of cinnamon and dates, but that may be a hallucination. Most gorgeous of all to me when autumn draws in and it swathes you in comfort. Wears close to the skin, but trails out enticingly for hours and hours. Whatever lies behind its mystery, it's a true elixir. Noble indeed, as the name suggests. Not cheap, but then nothing about it suggests that it should be - it's high class in the truest, most honest sense.

When I learned that a new series of Arab perfumes was about to be presented by Abdes Salaam, I have been intrigued. Sharif is the first of seven new fragrances:the name mean noble person and the perfume was built thinking in terms quite different from the current trend ;I think the description given by the composer is very appropriate:"Sharif is the scent of a noble Arab Sheik who chose the supreme elegance instead of the show of wealth,kindness and seduction instead of arrogance. In the pure tradition of the Middle East, Sharif consists intense notes of leather and aromatic woods with the delicious aroma of amber scents of the East, and sweet almond". At first you feel an animal note and you have a strong impression of camphor along with a hint of bitter almond,but then the scent opens, leaving room for a gourmand scent, where I seem to smell vanilla and anise. As with other Abdes Salaam's perfumes, I do not think it's a simple composition:I feel that this fragrance has two souls, a dry and hard one and another soft and tenderly sweet. It's simply surprising! The laconic description from the Nose is Leather,Precious Woods,Amber,but I suspect that there is much more.

Of three blind buys I made from La Vie del Profumo, and a handful of their other scents I've sampled, this one is by far the standout masterpiece. An exceptionally beautiful green woody oriental that has had myself and others swooning near the bottle before one can even get the first spray out. Exudes class, nobility, and eastern exoticism without going the more familiar spicy route. Not at all a casual scent, nor for "casual" personalities. But easily the signature scent of a powerful masculine presence, yet also applicable to feminine wear with the fresh greenery on display. Ideal for darker complected, oilier body chemistry and temperate weather, and unforgettably distinguished in its overall presentation. Not a cheap date, as the 32ml is currently 110 euros ($125 USD). But again, not for a budget persona either. Well done, La Vie del Profumo. This irresistibly gorgeous fragrance is the stuff of greatness, and should be worn as such. ★★★★ (out of ★★★★).

che bello questo sharif! un profumo che richiama a gran voce la tradizione mediorientale focalizzandosi su una poco battuta, almeno in occidente, combinazione di cuoio, zibetto e muschio di quercia. ma se queste tre note sono quelle portanti (e il muschio di quercia non è per fortuna preponderante) in realtà compaiono nell'evoluzione anche mandorla, ambra e benzoino. l'effetto è magnifico: si inaugura con una bella botta di sensazioni animali che si ammorbidiscono presto su un fondo leggermente gourmand e canforato, passando attraverso un'elegante legnosità (non so come altro descriverla!). bello e inusuale.