Scheherazade

Another banger. A measured, calculated, subtle, and comforting scent that walks the line between being an opulent showcase for high-quality ingredients and functioning as an entirely versatile, wearable perfume. The oud dose in this isn’t rude enough to raise the eyebrows of any normies in your day-to-day orbit; the sandalwood is pillowy and soft; the fruit and spices are harmonious and vibrant. Just keep in mind that buyers should not expect a huge monster of a scent or honestly anything that might be termed “challenging,” which might be a downer for Bortnikoff fans who are after a certain degree of stank in their scents, but for those who enjoy fruity, woody gourmands and prefer for their perfumes to contain ingredients of a singularly high quality, I’d urge a sample be procured posthaste. This is the first scent I’ve smelled that I’d call characteristic of Rajesh’s works thus far, and it’s no less enjoyable for it, but I do feel like if someone sprayed it blind for me and asked who I thought made it, I’d be likely to guess that it’s a Rajesh collab. This is probably owing to its similarities to Santa Sangre, which further down in the thread has already several times been noted as a sibling to Scheherazade, so I’ll forego a side-by-side comparison. However, I did enter into the experience already a fan of Santa Sangre, specifically the creamy sandalwood present there, so the high dose of it here happens to be particularly welcome in my case. Scheherazade opens with a shower of candied fruit, limoncello, freshly snapped green stems, rock sugar, and a distinct feeling of being in a cool, damp, shaded spot on a hot day. This feeling is fleeting however as there is an immediate impression of stepping into the sun, at which point the experience becomes dryer– a warm, fuzzy ride of sandalwood and cedar only just barely kissed by a touch of oud, vanilla (not listed), sweetened intermittently with brief glimpses of apricot and blackcurrant. I feel there’s a reverence for Di Ser at play here, a brand about which I wish I were more knowledgeable, but which I know Rajesh has reviewed extensively. I’ve been exposed to their offerings enough to have gotten a broad impression of their approach, and I own one called Mizu that immediately came to mind when I smelled this, not so much in terms of exact scent similarity, but more to do with how both Mizu and Scheherazade both open with such bright, invigorating celebratory blasts of citrus and then very quickly mellow out into pillowy comforting territory with touches of pepper. It could be that the high degree of naturals used in both Scheherazade and Di Ser’s fragrances is creating that impression, but either way, I think Di Ser fans could potentially find a lot to love here. This is a perfume that hits a sweet spot for me. It’s unique enough to stand on its own, but it doesn’t broadcast any sort of divisive aspect that might cause me to tire of it. Will you like this if you don't enjoy candied citrus and sandalwood? Unlikely. Is this a hedonistic, drunken tale of conquest and debauchery? Well no, I think it’s rather more of a tender bedtime story, but it’s top notch for what it is. And as with bedtime stories, my only wish is that this lasted just a bit longer, but that’s sometimes the price paid for wearing a composition this dominant in naturals, and luckily in this case, the story can be retold with another simple press of an atomizer. Good story. Tell us another one, Rajesh.

I’m always hesitant when I try to write up review of a fragrance that I think is a masterpiece. It’s not as if I have not tried to do this in more than a few of my reviews, it’s just that I fear that my ability to use language to capture the sensual nature of this fragrance is may not be up to the task. But here goes. Before talking about the scent itself, I should comment on the exceptional presentation. Bortnikoff fragrances come in a multilayered box with gold lettering that invokes a regal quality. More importantly, the bottle itself is high art. The glass is thick but also has a tapered glass that holds the perfume. The label features Scheherazade’s name in Arabic. On the back, the description of the genesis of this fragrance includes these words: “Combining the finest gourmand absolutes sourced from around the world...” Knowing this sets up very high expectation, which I believe are not just met but, exceeded. The opening is spiritual experience. This is not hyperbole for me. It is quite powerful without being anything close to overwhelming. The listed notes for the opening are Black Currant and Bergamot. As with the other two fragrances created by the team of Dmitry Bortnikoff and Rajesh Balkrishnan, Sayat Nova and Santa Sangre, every ingredient is of the absolute highest quality. I find the opening of Scheherazade almost leaning green and earthy. But there is not a green scent that I can compare it to. It is sui generis. I can say the black current and bergamot are a part of the opening that help it reach its heights. If you want to have a scent experience that is unlike any other, then the opening alone should get you searching to purchase a sample. What happens next is an example of what happens when mater perfumers combine talents to bring together notes that take us on a journey that has its twists and turns but always in was way that raises the overall effect to exquisite heights. The apricot is ripe, the black pepper spicy as we begin to pass through the middle notes. It doesn’t take long, however to notice the distilled Malaysian oud. This is a very rare ingredient and enters us to what make a high-end fragrance worth its price. I have a large number of the great ouds, but this one is not trying to an in-your-face experience. It is subtle and classy a bit like hiking up through woods to discover views of the lights of stars above and the lights of cities below. The Lebanese Cedar and the Indian Sandalwood join the Oud to form the base. I must emphasize again this is a subtle scent even if its overall longevity is long lasting and resonant. I would categorize, after the opening, the silage as moderate. But I cannot recall a scent that makes me bring my wrist to my nose nearly as often as I do this. I have been wearing Scheherazade each day since I received it last week. Each time I discover something new. I feel blessed to know that this fragrance exists. I look forward to another partnership between these two creators. The price point is well worth it. At the rate I am using it I think I will have to get another bottle before it sells out. The fragrance is unisex and can be worn any season, night or day.

#sotd Scheherazade by Bortnikoff 3rd collaboration between these 2 talented people, @rbalkris and @bortnikoffparfum and I love all three for sure. Let's start with a major question that am getting from people, is it similar to Sayat Nova? Based on my personal humble opinion, no, it's not even close to Sayat Nova by any means. Scheherazade is all natural and yet, it lasts more than 8 hours with a magnificent scent bubble around you. It's not loud or abrasive since it has Oud at the base but surprisingly very uplifting, specifically in this scorching heat. From the first spray when you get that juicy bergamot, savoury red mandarin and black current which open up in different facets. Starting from green, sulphurous, fruity, a little woody, liquorous, vinous, bitter, balsamic. Which keeps the fragrance very balanced and unisex. The heart has apricot, I love apricot the fruit and after Sayat Nova, I love apricot as a smell in perfume so this one does have Apricot but as I said, not similar to Sayat Nova, as this one is more uplifting, with green grass vibe thanks to pepper which works wonder with apricot and black current is still present which has evolve to bitter and balsamic hence the fragrance is never over sweet for me. The dry down is very woody thanks to cedar and Oud which is not skanky but very smooth and delicate thanks to creamy sandalwood. Overall, it's a fragrance which everyone would love and would like to wear. It's not loud, not synthetic for sure hence don't expect super monsterous projection but a subtle scent bubble which lasted more than 8 hours on me and am more than happy. Now don't be a cry baby because you can't handle the truth 😂 and if you want loud fragrances buy blunts spray 🤫 (satire for one favorite person, not so much)

Something fairly unique with familiar tones. I didn't know what to think at first as I'm always hoping for something heavier on the oud side, and took me a few wearings, but starting to really enjoy this perfume. The oud profile in this reminds me of Filaria Oud by ASQ smooth yet creamy almost industrial in a good way it fits the tone of the fragrance. The Sandalwood for me is the star. My first artisanal bottle was Santa Sangre as the sandalwood in it just blew my mind, I definitely detect that same sandalwood here and it's gorgeous. The opening for me I'm still trying to figure out I'm not sure what I'm getting, but pretty sure it's the black currant, but the bergamot is bright so it makes whatever I can't decipher ok and enjoyable. This is nowhere near the apricot I experience in Sayat Nova. These fragrances are worlds apart. The apricot to me is very light and almost thought it was papyrus at first making me think I was smelling a santal 33 without all the overdoses of aroma chemicals, but as it dried down the apricot is more of just a sweetness and light touch in this, where as in Sayat Nova (which is much more dark , gourmand, vanillic) the apricot is more like a apricot reduction in a dessert. This is not that apricot much lighter, sweeter, natural. Overall I like this fragrance. It's a unique offering. Always happy to see a new bortnikoff drop with oud in the mix. This oud note though is much more tame than some of the other bases that you'd see in like some of the darker more animalic offerings. I hope to see darker oud/musk juices in the near future!

SHEHEREZADE Bright green cypress fresh citrus and powdery buds open up A mandarin peel can be detected First sniff like a cold Norway wind getting into the warmer Mediterranean spring Fruitier with time like Cambodi ouds with dried fruits, especially peach and apricot Beautiful woodsy almost cypress like Cedar notes are present all over, a fresh woody green aroma, Now imagine a peppercorn tanning in the desert sun, warming up with dried heated pepper and sweet apricots and dates, Sweetness is balanced not powerful but just enough Mandarin notes enter the heart and its sweetness ends in the base Very refined and elegant Simple but depths Personally I feel it's a very calming scent, almost Japanese style Blended in beautiful harmony and elegance Initially I thought it must be an Arabic spicy gourmet scent which has volume complexity and depths, I always think about spices and resins when it comes to "arabic" but Sheherazade is quite the opposite, refined, elegant, fresh and sweet with structured complexity and structured depths. If I would give the scent a phrase that fits in my personal opinion it would be: A sweet North Wind. The opening reminds me of countries like Norway or the Taiga region in Russia. It dries down in a fine slight powdery sweetness, Projection is soft but present. A very calming & refined scent, actually I would also add: timeless Thank you for reading and thank you to my dear friend Rajesh and to Mr. Bortnikoff for this beautiful creation. My most sincere Greetings.

If you want to like perfumes like Ani but find them too sledgehammery and cloying, you could give this a try. I love the sandlewood drydown, and the performance is great. I came back to my sample of this, and I can't believe I didn't love it before. Maybe it's because now it's autumn, the perfect season for this type of perfume. It's in the same spirit as Sayat Nova, but brighter and more wearable. There's also a lot more going on in here, and it teeters on the edge of being a bit risky, with the blackcurrant sometimes going a little bit into pissy territory. He could have named this one Sans Fleurs too (although I love Sans Fleurs as it is). Side note: my note listing as provided by Bortnikoff doesn't include any type of mandarin. Strange. The blackcurrant seems stronger than in the sample I had too, though that's not a bad thing. I can't understand the negativity towards this, it'd absolutely gorgeous, and the sandalwood is real, it's a rare treat these days, and even at retail it's worth the price. I wore vintage Journey Woman today which made me think, mmmm I bet this would transition nicely into scheherazade for the evening, and I was right, but what's immediately apparent when applying the latter is it's MILES ahead of Amouage in terms of quality and artistry, and I love Amouage. What clinches it the most is the pure natural joy of Bortnikoff perfumes, unmatched anywhere in the niche world for me (perhaps Papillon can compete, I'm just beginning to explore them).

A dream letter to Scheherazade. The time I was told first about the realese by my dear friend Rajesh I immediately felt in love with the inspiration blueprint, and had all the best expectations. The name and idea behind gave a lavish inspiration as it surely represents a fine example of an expertly blended perfume.You may directly anticipate the beauty of the smell by its presented notes too, to me, it represents with all the elegance of fine silks worn in the Arabian nights. The perfume starts with the blackcurrant and the bergamote giving to Scheherazade a very smooth and rounded sides. The aromatic vibrance of the fruits and spices mixture gives a lush touch to the note palette. Along side with light sweetness coming from the Apricot. In order to close the frame of the dreamy 101 nights scenery, I find it complete and mature for both genders. The woody accord here is interpreting the ararabesk woody of the mashrabiyya inside the palace of Scheherazade, softened by a delicious Mysore Sandalwood and enflamed by the Malaysian oud for a full enjoyment and glamour, letting Scheherazade by herself discovering it as a romantic letter. Congratulations my dear friend. This gem has my total recommendations✌

I want to bathe in it. I don't particularly enjoy oud, I don't like fruity fragrances or anything overly sweet, and I'd say I'm relatively agnostic regarding woody fragrances. But I'm crazy about this!!! It has a subtle your-skin-but-better thing working that is addictive; is there a goodly amount of uncredited ylang in there?? Fair warning, this definitely isnt a fragbro scent though; which I think is the Bortnikoff market (nothing from this line has really worked on me before). Trust me, if you love floral-musky skin scents you NEED to try this even if it doesn't look like your normal thing. (Side note, VERY VERY VERY unhappy with the atomizer though. After my dabber sample I was so looking forward to bathing in a spray and it's literally the worst atomizer I've ever used...barely anything comes out. It's crimped on so I'm hesitant to completely remove it. Plus, I think this would work best applied as a roll on AND a spray, so an easily removable atomizer would've been ideal) **edited to add that I kind of want a back up bottle of this, which is frankly ridiculous considering the amount of fragrance I own. It's magical, atomizer frustration and all

So I wrote Bortnikoff to get my bottle early and it can't 10 minutes ago, so this is first impressions. So this is the 3rd collaboration from Dmitry and rejesh. Rejesh was one of my first reviewers that I leaned on when I begun my journey into niche perfumery. The scent is high quality per usual. And this may be a feminine scent in the middle east? But I don't perceive that initially. Most women in the states want either a powdery vanilla scent or something with heavy fruit. Usually anything but the very most western oud is tolerated. The oud here is not western, but also not fecal. It's beautiful to me so far. I think I may actually get to wear a non western pud out the house without getting too many looks. This will play well in the heat I think. I'll come back with the middle and dry down review later. So far the fruits l, oud, and pepper are standing out to me and i love it

Take the best calming/pseudo-gourmand elements from Bortnikoff and Balkrishnan's Santa Sangre, and infuse crisp greenery reminiscent of Haxan into the base, and you'll wind up with Scheherazade. An effervescent, fruity beauty, this fragrance opens with bergamot, and an excellent use of Robertet's Black Currant isolate, which lends a cheerful berry top-note. In the heart, the currant and bergamot transition into tart apricot, almost green in tonality. This is given some backbone with black pepper and cedar. Finally in the base, green Malaysian oud, almost moss-like, works with sandalwood to complete the composition. Overall, this is a resounding success, and balances gourmand with fresh and uplifting in a way I've never experienced. Two thumbs up!

The scent opens with sparkling citrus green notes and prominent blackcurrant. On skin it mellows out quickly into spiced fruit. By this I do not mean stewed sweet fruit, rather more fresh spicy fruit with an almost ginger flare. The perfume rests on a softer sweet base, which may include vanilla. Malaysian oud is detectable, but lies in the background as others have mentioned. By no means a statement perfume, it should be worn for personal enjoyment and comfort. Further to this last point, I find all of the collaborations based on historical muses inspired and heartfelt. It is also interesting that the three collaboration perfumes exude a sense of friendship and compassion, rather than vanity and power. Reviewed from a full bottle.

The remarkable opening: like eating fresh, mouth-puckering, summer fruit desserts in a remote, wooden shack. The middle brings out some powdery, makeup notes that remind me of sweet tarts. I don’t pick up the Oud note specifically, but I’m assuming it’s the note that gives this scent some legs. Base is smooth and creamier, like a liquid sandalwood mixed with some fresh fruity florals. I love everything about Scheherazade but unfortunately, it’s not within reach of my teacher salary. I would need at least a 20% discount to even contemplate this beauty. But yes, I love it.

Way creamier than I expected, which to my surprise, surprised me in a pleasant matter. An interesting summer-scent without all the performance booster is something I would imagine all of us enthusiast wishes for. With that being said, I can certainly understand why people would not appreciate it the way I do. That is due to the prominent apricot paired with the sandalwood, these two combined creates this creamy sensation I pointed out first. Creamy, fruity, woody/light peppery.

Citrus and oud are two of my least favorite notes, but they come together beautifully here. To my nose the cedar is a bit more prominent, though. At first I wasn't quite sure what to think about this one but each time I sniff it I'm liking it more. I just bought Cologne de Feu and at these prices Scheherazade would probably be redundant as they both are citrusy.

Opening with a lushious and mouthwatering black currant, this Bort is perfect for the spring and summer. Uplifting citrus and slight apricot in the background lead the way to the soft powdery base with a light oud and woody drydown. I find this to be unisex with moderate projection. Bright and happy.

I don't know how, but I ended up with 10ml of this which I've been using occasionally for the last few months. I still can't describe it. It's almost gourmand and savory gourmand at that. Like some sort of fruit pie? I don't know what this smells like, but I like it.

I’m extremely happy with this perfume!! Everybody find that I smell great when I use it! Another masterpiece of Bortnikoff & Rajesh !!!

Just received a 9ml sample from Thailand. On first spray, the freshness from bergamont catches you, which quickly makes way for a spicy interlude and subsequently settling down into a spiritual incensy woody fragrance that is magical. Clearly unisex to me with a slight feminine leaning at dry down due to floral sandalwood type profile. The Oud remains tamed and in the background providing support. For some reason, I get hints of Jasmine and other flowers in the dry down. The fragrance does justice to the name : Scheherazade...who is a female character and the storyteller of the famous One Thousand and One Nights...so is the fragrance which is slightly feminine at dry down and the fragrance opens up to new stories via its mysterious scents as it evolves (1001 types???). I live in the Middle East, and in my humble opinion, this does not smell like a typical fragrance profile from here. It does however does justice to the name from a creative perspective. For those looking for extremely well blended, long lasting, smooth fragrance with ok projection & silage and a magical skin scent type dry-down, then it is worth exploring. I look forward to spending more time with this work of art. Enjoy!

A like but not a love for me. Maybe if the apricot was toned down a bit and the citrus/oud was amped up or a little cardamom was thrown in, I would have liked it more. Projection is "average" .... feels more like his cologne series. This one needed like 8-10 sprays. I guess I expect more from a Bortnikoff.... I'm still a big fan and was very impressed with Dubai and Musk Khabib for a somewhat fresh but heavier fragrance.... both are next on my list. I think if Bortnikoff wants to do freshies that's the space he should focus on.... fresh but heavy.... Anyhow Scheherazade unfortunately is a pass for me.

Ok, this is good, high quality oils... but at this price I want great, not just good! I want great as in the fantastic Oud Maximus or Lao Oud. Two of my favourite perfumes of all time. Lately this brand is releasing okey stuff but is pricing them as their masterpieces... I am done with this. I cannot spend $350 on a perfume worth at most $100. This brand had me with their early releases, but now I give up. Price sub-par releases lower so we know we cannot expect Oud Maximus quality, or deal with consumers wrath.