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

Wow, this is divine. Reminds me of Musc Ravageur by Frederic Malle but better (not quite as camphorous) and actually affordable. It sure does smell expensive, though. It's got this deep, sensual, resinous quality to it and I can't stop sniffing my wrists. Arabesque would smell sexy on people of any gender. Definitely one of my all-time favs; probably my new signature scent. I'll be upgrading from the roll on to the EDT soon.

WOW! I LOVE THIS! This is as close to an affordable and good quality sandalwood layering scent as you can ever hope to find. Lasts forever, projects strongly, pairs with a lot, and has enough subtle spices and extra backbone to stand on it's own. Extremely easy to wear in any scenario, and possibly my favorite from the house. Hidden gem, high recommend!

Not a dry powdery wood, this is smoother and more on the vanilla side. I'm even getting a lemony edge. It sort of reminds me of Avon Skin-So-Soft, but more richer and complex. I have the ultime, but still wish it would project more. What can I say, I'm a greedy bitch for sandalwood. Tam Dao EDP is still my holy grail but this is up there.

One of my absolute favorites from Alkemia and easily one of the best sweet sandalwood fragrances I've ever come across. It lasts all day and has great projection, I'll catch Arabesque wafting around me like an aura randomly throughout wear. The Kyphi and resins add a mystical appeal to this fragrance giving it a nuance of magic.

upon first impression i get dark chocolate, incensey sandalwood. soooo my vibe. maybe moreso for the cold months, not a heatwave in july lol. but something about it is also summery to me, like going on a weekend trip and wandering around an incense shop and then getting ice cream after......it’s a soft and happy smell. :)

Hands down my fav from the introductory sample set! Creamy sandalwood with just the right amount of sweetness and smokiness. Warm, cozy, silky, rich, and sexy at the same time. All the notes seem very well balanced. Had better longevity and projection than most of the other samples too.

I only have a sample but I can say that it’s one of my favorite fragrances. It blew me away. Slightly sweet, woody, cozy, magical. Edit: Have full size now. I think it has become my favorite fragrance of all time, which I never thought I'd say about any perfume. Lots of compliments too.

I was looking for a nice wood scent that isnt super overpowering and this is really lovely! can open almost medicinal but becomes a soft sandalwood, slightly sweet but not in a gourmand way, in kind of like a creamy way? very pretty : )

"An exquisitely spiritual blend of beautifully aged Arabian sandalwood, Mysore sandalwood, precious Egyptian kyphi, sweet orris root, benzoin resin, cassia, and blessed spikenard." From the site. Apparently you're supposed to let perfume oils sit for awhile and "age" before use. I didn't let this age, but knowing this now I certainly will and then I will have to revisit the fragrance... I interestingly get a lot of chocolate from this in the beginning, there is a very prominent sweetness like vanilla and there is a real herbaly note propping itself up on that. It's very creamy and almost gourmand on my skin. When the woody/slight incense notes come forward they are beautifully sweetened and warmed by the vanilla-esque notes I'm getting. But this overall isn't want I thought it would be or hoped for. It's very mild. The longer it sits the less sweet it is. There is some interesting animalistic notes which mix with a stronger dusty woody palate. I think this would make an excellent layer scent and after it has sat for awhile, I will revisit it with this purpose in mind and report back at that time. As of right now, I don't think that this is something I'd wear solo as it is. 6.5/10

I don't like a lot of the sweet wet sandalwoods that I smell all the time now, but this is completely different. It has enough powderiness to not become cloying. Alkemia excels at resinous incensey scents, and this one is definitely worth a shot if you like those. Alkemia does have a TON of variations on this theme though, so I think it's worth sampling several to find your absolute favorite (the magic & mystery set is a good place to start). I can also confirm that this has become better over the space of a few months, so don't judge it right out of the mail.

Woody incense with a clean musky, almost soapy, air about it. A light scent with a soft-spoken powdery texture plus a sweet ambery touch from the benzoin. The warm, creamy sandalwood really comes through as it dries down. Moderately strong projection over 3-4 settles into a soft scent bubble, longevity 16hr+. Kyphi is an ancient Egyptian incense, and this is certainly an incense-forward fragrance. However, kyphi lacks the fruity nuances of frankincense. Alkemia says this doubles as a fixative.

The performance is insane! 12 hours and I still detect it clearly on my skin. This is a very smoky, powdery, and slightly sweet sandalwood. It’s resinous, deep, and unisex. Very sexy and dark, best suited for night and colder weather. The incense is very strong in this, and it leans a little more masculine than what I typically go for. Regardless, I enjoy catching whiffs of throughout the day, and the longevity is amazing for the price point. Loving Alkemia so far.

At first I couldn't quite place my finger on why I like this fragrance, despite it being something that I don't think suits me personally... until I realized it's basically a Y2K hippie, shops-at-Wild-Oats or Whole-Foods, grows-their-own-herbs kinda scent. Might be into witchy stuff on the side. Oddly nostalgic.

very woody scent as expected, it reminds me of the ylang ylang essential oil that used to be on my desk. (side note i dont know if that ylang ylang oil was accurate to what it actually smells like) doesnt have a lot of projection on my skin unfortunately i have to stick my nose really close to my wrist in order for me to smell it. but what i do smell is very soothing and calming, no wonder sandalwood is so popular and beloved. doesnt smell powdery to me so the orris doesnt really stand out. i really like it but the lack of prejection really kills it for me :(

i'm a major sandalwood lover but this is just a little too soapy-clean for my tastes. the other reviewers likening it to something you'd smell in an organic food store are correct; those fresh notes with the sweet resin and the orris root remind me of how a room smells after a weeks worth of different incense sticks and sage bundles.

Uncomplicated, stale almonds, inoffensive but barely there, as it dried down it developed a sour note. This is the fragrance that made me want to try Alkemia and I’m deeply disappointed in the real life scent.

This is a good and likable scent, I will say that. I've been searching everywhere for an affordable perfume containing rare mysore sandalwood that I've smelt in India in a sandalwood shop as a child and this one does have very noticeable mysore sandalwood-that is distinctly more potent and creamy than any other kind of sandalwood IMO-so yeah I got what I wanted. There is also a sweet, milky vanilla that's probably the benzoin that sits like a cloudy marshmallow on the perfume. It's not a bad note, especially if you're fine with sweetness, but ideally I would prefer that not to be there-there's too many sweet smells in perfume these days. I prefer this perfume to just be sandalwood, kyphi and orris. But overall, this is a safe blind buy, it's a good perfume and you will smell good, that's guaranteed. I just think the raw, bitter, creamy, grounding sandalwood should just stand alone for once in all it's deeply reverberating, sensual glory and the vanilla should go hang out somewhere else for awhile, it's had it's fun-not sure if that's too much to ask?

Man, perfect for the sandalwood enthusiast. Really thought this was gonna be heavier on the incense - but as stated previously - kyphi is not your average incense. Smooth, mellow, somewhat creamy honey and vanilla. It's a pleasant fragrance; I hate sandalwood, but wouldn't mind someone near me wearing this. Just not me.

I really enjoy this oil. It’s creamy, woody, a little sweet and a little incense-y. I’ve had this about two years and it’s even more wearable now. It’s not loud but it is definitely present. I can smell it on myself all day and on my coat sleeves in the winter. I have the regular rollerball oil.

An aisle of powdery strawberry-vanilla marshmallows in a EuroMart made of old cabinets. Also your life as a mouse in a darkly varnished baseboard eating strawberry icing off wheat cereal.