Arabesque

To whoever said this reminds them of nirvana black, I hope you get your [redacted] sloppy style. I owe you my life. This is the perfect replacement for the original (!!) formula before they changed it to 'black for her' and made it so sweet and heavy on the vanilla. It might not be perfectly identical (can't compare anymore, my bottle ran dry years ago) but it fills a long empty and barren corner of my heart that I thought would always be yearning for a comfort I'd never reach again. Its genuinely perfect, easy to wear on a regular day at the office but still nice enough to wear on a night out. Its simple and woody while also powdery and elegant. Its beautiful. The sandalwood and incense are in love and having a dalliance with the orris root. They layer in a way where one will surface to center stage before diving back into the mix. There's an herbal note that threads throughout, maybe the jatamansi? Its a new note to me, I've never heard of it before, but I'm growing very fond. The dry down is a little bitter and herbal, but I personally prefer that. If you want to layer it with a vanilla, you can, but it's really not necessary. Brb buying a full size bottle. I've had the sample for ten minutes and it was love at first sniff. I'm obsessed I've been huffing my wrist like a madman. You don't understand, this has been my white whale for years. Nirvana black was discontinued, and I did manage to get my hands on the reformulation but that was stupid expensive and disappointing, and the original formula is pretty much impossible to find. This is the first thing I've ever found to fill the void. I don't want this review to entirely center comparison, its a beautiful perfume that stands on its own. If I had smelled this with no prior hopes, I'd still love it. Beautiful, dry, woodsy powdery androgynous, its everything I already love.

Once again Fragrantica has messed up the notes. Here are the real ones. An exquisitely spiritual blend of beautifully aged Arabian sandalwood, Mysore sandalwood, precious Egyptian kyphi, sweet orris root, benzoin resin, cassia, and blessed spikenard. What they call incense here is not the typical incense you encounter in perfume, but kyphi instead, which is honeyed, fruity, and herbal. NOT incensey like incense sticks or churchy smoke. On to the review: Arabesque has been one of my favorite Alkemias since I started exploring them years ago. It is because Arabesque is quiet, contemplative beauty, not a bold and dramatic powerhouse. Arabesque is easily one of the best sandalwood perfumes I have tried and its also the most wearable of them all. Arabesque starts and finishes with a smooth, creamy, luxurious Mysore sandalwood. It’s a very tame wood, not a single harsh or offensive facet to it. Just perfect. Accenting the sandal is a healthy dose of sweet, resinous benzoin, which is vanillic, but in a more subdued way, avoiding any pastry-like scent. Far in the background there is a touche of soft orris. The orris lends a tiny floral hint, but its not powdery, like it can be in other scents. Overall, Arabesque is gorgeous, silky smooth, tranquil, and perfect for wearing by itself or layered. Strength-wise, Arabesque is one of the stronger Alkemias ans it gives me a good day's wear, and them some if I have spread it on my hair.

One of my absolute favorite sandalwood scents. Rich, silky, full, very smooth. But not heavy or loud. It's a sandalwood with a vanilla-flavored-incense and powdery feeling. I find the vibe both cosy, calm, introspective and elegant. Very wearable, but to me the perfect setting would be a cold, starry winter night. I have the oil version, and the more it ages the better it becomes - it gets much more full, rich and "well blended", as the notes get time to settle. So preferably let it rest up to a couple of months before using it, or even before testing it if you can wait, because that will give you a better and more truthful impression of how it's supposed to smell! (or at least know, that if you test it immediately that it's not the "finished form") The performance is very impressive to me. I usually use just 1-2 drops in my hair and I still smell it the next day - sometimes also a couple of days later. This is simply just one of those fragrances I always enjoy getting whiffs of throughout the day, and is one of the must haves in my fragrance wardrobe!

It was Unearthly's comment above that made me order this scent. I received it today, opened the sample vial, and my eyes rolled to the back of my head. That told me all I needed to know. Within a month I'll be ordering a full bottle, probably the ultime version because I want to bathe in it, others be damned, both people and perfumes. Is it holy grail? I don't know yet. Look for my edit in a couple of months. For now (it's an hour and half later) I will say it's going a tad sweet, vanillic, but resinous as well and mimicking Organza Indecence. This is always a good thing.

somehow neglected this one when i first got the sample set. no more! this is one of the most gorgeous ambers ive ever smelled. the performance is killer, two hours later and i can still smell myself without having to sniff right where i applied. the benzoin is Gorgeous!!!! almost an orangeyness to it. and the sandalwood lingers and smells soooo nice right on the skin. im obsessed, would absolutely buy a larger size when i run out! this brand is fantastic at ambers between this and gothique, very eager to explore more from them