Saffron Lazuli

This is a fragrance I'd wanted for a while, along with most of the Confidential line from Carolina Herrera. Lets get this out of the way first: this line is quite astonishingly good and is widely eschewed by the "FragCom" ostensibly it seems, because Herrera isnt a niche brand but is charging niche money for these fragrances. Avoiding them on this basis is a mistake, in so far as I can tell. The Confidential line is an evolving range of very high end niche-style fragrances with some serious perfumer noses behind them, including Jordi Fernandez, Quentin Bisch and Veronique Nyberg amongst several others. They are characterised by rock solid performance, very powerful projection/sillage and each iteration representing a study on a central theme of one accord. They are in some cases quite unusual takes and many are fairly heavy hitters. They are not to be taken lightly. I own the (fantastic) Stallion Leather, Nightfall Patchouli, Sandal Ruby and Iris Empire, with Neroli Boheme, Cedar Chic and Gold Myrrhe Absolute coming in the next couple of months. As I say, I very much enjoy this line. Saffron Lazuli is one of the nicest in the lineup and as might be expected from the name, is a bold and somewhat in-your-face study on sweet, spicy saffron. It is an incredibly powerful fragrance, but is surprisingly forgiving of a bit of aggressive over-spraying. The opening is a sweet and spicy hit of saffron, tonka bean and vanilla that somehow manages to stay fresh despite being so powerful. The drydown is fairly linear with the floral mid notes and woody base there from the outset and not emerging later as you often see with the accompanying notes to saffron fragrances. The sweetness seems to be more tonka bean than vanilla to my nose. There isnt an overpowering floral core to this: it is quite subtle and serves to keep the saffron honest in terms of not being cloying or sticky. It is one of the sweeter saffron fragrances I've come across and is right on the knife edge of being slightly too sweet because of how powerful it is. As it settles down the sweetness does back off a little but the formidable projection remains. It is very well blended and judged, as with all the Confidential line. It isnt an immediate love but it is a definite enduring love that stays with you once you spray it and get used to it. The movement from projection and sillage beast to skin scent is a slow process here but it is startlingly attractive when the drydown starts in earnest and you get a little more of the leather and woods in the basement here. I've written a bit lately in my reviews about my blossoming understanding that there is no such thing as gender in fragrance and that most things are unisex really. Saffron Lazuli is a brilliant example of this. It defines unisex in that it is both rich, sweet, sensual and pretty for the traditional definition of a female wearer and sexy, spicy, leathery and refined masculine for the traditional definition of a guy, at the same time. It is quite impressive in that it manages to be both and sit right in the sweet spot (pun intended) between both traditional gender profiles and the grey (blue?) area between where these cease to matter. If ever there was a "you do you, wear what you want if you love it" fragrance, this is it. It isn't a daily wearer but has enough versatility to be able to wear to the office and in casual settings if you want to. Something this powerful and spicy that projects like this does isnt usually office safe but it sort of manages it. Again, quite impressive. I'd suggest it is probably a safer blind buy for a woman than a man, but conversely, more office safe for guys than for women, purely because women may find something as powerful as this more of a challenge to wear in these surroundings. But it takes all sorts and I'd contend any woman wearing this to the office would be on safe ground with me. Many of the Confidential line require a little bit of bravery to wear properly and this cobalt blue colossus is no exception. I think your body tells you when you really love a fragrance because you notice yourself sniffing your wrists without realising it. You take in a big breath, close your eyes and allow your mind to wander a little and this fragrance brings this out in me as well as any I've tried. It isn't evocative for me really, it isn't trying to tell a story I don't think, and this is perhaps one of the reasons the niche end of the "FragCom" continues to sleep on this collection. Modern niche perfumery loves a story, to sell the daydream of an alternate reality, and for all the wonderful things about the Confidential line, it isn't selling that. It is directed at offering you a series of genuinely interesting, fantastically presented, very high performance takes on popular accords that smell fantastic, in really beautiful bottles. It is hard to imagine a saffron fragrance on this brief being produced any better, in all honesty. Three word summary: WILD BLUE YONDER. Scent - 9/10 Sillage - 10/10 Drydown - 9/10 Bottle/packaging - 10/10 Performance - 9/10 47/50 a very powerful score for a very powerful fragrance.

I was incredibly curious to try this one. Does anyone know- who is the nose that created this? At first spray, it was just ok. Underwhelmed. A few minutes later, bam. It blows up. A seductive hold that never let me go. I can’t explain why the initial blast leaves me indifferent and then, within minutes it blooms so magnificently, it’s truly weird. This is strong, assertive. It’s not safe for blind buys. You think you’ve smelt it before but when you sniff again and again, you realise that, actually, no, it’s a stand-alone recipe. This is the very first leather that works beautifully on me (probably because there’s no leather but a combination of gaiac wood, tonka and vanilla). I also loathe tonka, so please don’t think this is just its notes dropped together. It’s a well thought-out symphony of strong notes. The jammy fruit is divine and boosts the allure factor, the rose is a supporting player in the background. The orris root is grounding, carnal but not too animalic. As a juice, it’s both sweet (fruit) and dry (saffron)- deep and sexy but hyper-sophisticated. I adore saffron and this is an ode to the note, it absolutely satisfies that desire. It stays true and multi-layered for many hours, after which it still smells strongly of cleanliness but is more linear. To my nose, it’s the love child of BR540 and Oud Satin Mood (I am a long-time lover of both). If combining two so distinct formulas sounds freakish, hold the reservation and try it anyway. You might be surprised, as I was. I got a full bottle already. It’s very expensive but I got it on a 35%-discount-day and I consider that a very fair price, given that this lasts so well in the day and it’s a 100ml bottle.

An invitation arrives in the middle of a quiet Omani winter, handwritten and sealed, guests allowed but only those chosen. The venue is a white palace perched high on the hill. As you arrive, the air inside folds around you, thick with bukhoor, soft smoke curling through the halls like a whispered spell. Drums and traditional music rise and fall, marking the bride’s entrance, “Zaffat Alaroos,” the grand procession. Each beat vibrates through marble floors and walls that gleam with a quiet, almost otherworldly light, as if lit from within. The guests are draped in traditional Omani attire and rich Arab garments that shimmer in the dim glow. An attendant approaches with a tray of crystal glasses filled with saffron sherbet, red as blood. You take one sip, hypnotic and mysterious, and the world tilts slightly, as though you’ve stepped out of time. Hours later, you step outside into the cold night, and the palace behind you blurs, dissolving into the hill. The next morning, you tell your coworker what happened, the music, the sherbet, the weight of the night. They go quiet, then say the palace has been abandoned for years. That is when you realize the wedding had been hosted by Djinn. To me, that is Saffron Lazuli: elegant, atmospheric, dark.

This will be my 400th review! And in those 400 samples I have found myself becoming more and more of a niche fragrance snob. I love the indie and small batch producers who are able to take chances. They have the latitude to mix unique notes and come up with a scent that captivates in a fresh, unique, and out of the box way. That is why I thought I would not love this fragrance as much as I did. I generally think that designer brands must cater to the masses so they create things that fall in the safe zone. Saffron Lazuli is not that..it is gorgeous. Yes...it does resemble Initio Side Effect. Similarly priced and with notes of saffron, wood and vanilla. Here the mix comes across more warm, lightly leathered, and spicy/sweet, It is beautiful and alluring. If you've read any of my other reviews you know I am not a sweet gourmand gal - hence my surprise! This also lands in beast mode for sillage and longevity. You cannot go wrong.

DAMN this is a good ass smell. bold and bright, spicy, woody, smoky, intoxicating. im getting a good dose of saffron, but it really takes you through all of the layers of notes (there is leather in this according to the CH website), and it becomes a lovely comforting mix of the base notes in the drydown. very well-blended and opulent-smelling... lasts for 8+ hours on me and the dry down lasts a good 12, and it smells incredible from beginning to end. big compliment getter as well, this and sandal ruby are well-executed concepts for scents in my opinion, though this one is more my taste. not much else to say other than try it for yourself!!!