Forty Thieves

I feel long overdue to sample the latest Fort & Manle release, Forty Thieves, which I’ve had on my radar for months, given how much I like two of the Melbourne house’s other resinous perfumes, Amber Absolutely and Suleyman Le Magnifique, and so I’m inclined to compare Forty Thieves to these two previous releases, both of which I love. Forty Thieves is resin-dominant, somewhat animalic but also slightly sweet, a palpably-strong blend of its signature resins—incense, labdanum, amber, and balsam—and they’re blended well enough that I cannot really detect any in particular that strongly but it leans a little more to labdanum on my skin. Honey makes it even creamier, though, further making the blend feel complete. The other key players are the fresh bergamot, petitgrain, pink pepper that give a bright and pungent opening with a dry down that incorporates rose, albeit only slightly, along with orange blossom, vanilla, woods, and even the slightest touch of oud, perhaps, though I might simply be inserting that. It’s really not an oud-heavy fragrance on my skin and most of the darkness in it I attribute to the nuances in the various resins in the mix. Amber Absolutely is a boozy, fruity amber, while Suleyman Le Magnifique is a cinnamon amber, to summarize them succinctly, but Forty Thieves is a more animalic-leaning blended amber with the fresh opening and rose dry rendering it somewhat different from the other two. It’s never particularly easy testing off of a dabber from Luckyscent, the only US boutique that sells the Fort & Manle, but with richer fragrance like this, it’s manageable. It performs on par with the other resinous fragrances, with good longevity and projection, but the main selling point of this fragrance is the quality of the composition in terms of nuance, complexity, and completeness. Forty Thieves retails for $190 for 50ml and like all previous releases, the bottle is ornate and mostly opaque, really among my favorite bottle types as far as art. Overall, I love this one and it’s right in my wheelhouse, category-wise, so it’s on the proverbial list for a bottle. 8 out of 10

This is just exquisite! Using my sample again today (third day in a row) because I want to experience all the nuances of this amazing fragrance. Other reviewers have described the scent very well, so I won't go into that. I will say this, however: “Forty Thieves” is everything I wanted “L'Air du Desert Marocain” to be, but “L'Air” didn't live up to my hopes. This is heavenly — bright and oh-so-fresh, yet dusky and mysterious at the same time. Definitely going to buy a full bottle. EDIT: Finally got my bottle. It was a serious splurge for me, but WORTH EVERY PENNY. One spray and I'm in perfume heaven! “Forty Thieves” transports me to a place and time I'm not sure even exists. Wearing this I can easily imagine myself as Scheherazade sitting on a luxurious Persian carpet in the king's chamber, telling fascinating stories every evening for a thousand and one nights. Or maybe I'm the hero from one of her tales — Sinbad the Sailor or The Thief of Baghdad. Either way, the fragrance perfuming the air is THIS, a genie in a bottle — pure magic! (By the way, the bottle itself is a work of art.)

Wow. I am continually impressed by this brand. And they have such adorable names for their Fragrances. It makes me want to learn more and smell more. This one was so interesting! The Incense, combined with the first experiences of rose and (labdanum i am guessing) have a triangular effect of smelling powdery to me, which I usually am not fond of, but I like it in this. As the top note starts to fade, the smell transforms in to what smells like nag champa incense to me, which of course I adore. It is still developing and morphing into its final act. Reading the base notes, I know it's going to be good. Ok it took a long time to get to the base...it is amazing. Dry wood and a whisper. Bravo. Highly recommend.

Notes: Bergamot, Pink Pepper, Labdanum, Amber, Rose, Honey, Orange Blossom, Amber, Sandalwood, Oud and Vanilla Love this one, so far all the fragrances I have tried from this house are all unique and this no exception. This is based on Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves and Rasei has done justice and made this magical potion. Opens with Bergamot and Pink Pepper but the Bergamot note is short lived, the drydown is to die for. Amber, Oud, Incense and Sandalwood take you on a journey just like the fable.

I love it — a sweet incense amber scent. Oud is dialed back, i don’t detect it and was able to wear this on an unseasonably warm, late winter day. I gardened in it for 5 hours, lightly projecting, and Forty Thieves felt warm and resiny. Forty Thieves is similar to others on the market but this is mixed well and feels natural. Some interesting spices, I smell pink pepper and a watery papyrus. Good performance too.

I received a sample of Forty Thieves and did not like it at the beginning. Don't let the first spray disappoint you. At first application it can be a bit harsh. Then comes the good part..the dry down. Absolutely beautiful incense/resin with honey rounded off by rose, papyrus and bergamot. Definitely a cold weather fragrance. It lasts a long time on me.

If I have to sum up my review in a word, it’s a “Unique” smelling perfume. Must try. Purple hat and amber absolutely are also great offerings from this house.

this is just a banger, but dont judge it by its opening, the dry down is gold

Forty thieves is a Woody and balsámic perfume which is not my type if scent. The opening is intense and a bit dirty and medicinal, with the spicy touch of the pepper, the incense and the Orange blossom. Then un the dry down It becomes totally Woody and resinous. I can feel a very perceptible sandalwood,with the typical pencil smell, not creamy, and a mix of resins, with the incense, the labdanum and the amber un first place dirtied with honey and oud. the dry down shares some vibe with danal oudh nashwa by rasasi cause of the mix of oud and honey. I can find some quality but i honestly dont like them he smell very much. Regsrding the performance It is average... Good longevity but moderate sillage. Unisex but a bit more on the masculine side. For autumm nights... Scent: 7 Lonhevity: 8 Sillage: 6 Q/p: 5 Versatility: 6 Originality: 8 Global: 7

Coming from someone who tried Confessions of a garden gnome and was not a fan of it at all, I was hesitant with this one. I'm glad it's the opposite of that one, and is actually a really nice fall time scent. The notes listed is what you get but in all dark versions, which is excellent and works so well. I have to also add, it gives off a nice barbershop/aftershave feel too to me. It seems this was discontinued for the new line they just came out with, so is it worth hunting this one down? Not really. It's enjoyable but not a big love for me.

Pleasant but familiar Oriental scent centered around a honeyed incense note. The scent opens with the incense with slight pepper and bergamot. The heart is honey, labdanum, rose and papyrus. The perfume settles on a powdery bed of vanilla, balsamic resin and woody notes. The slight masculine leaning scent has moderate to strong sillage and good longevity. Overall nice but done many times before. Enjoy!

My 2nd favorite after Purple Hat. Very deep,dark and resinous. The honey is kept to a minimal while the incense,resins,papyrus and labdanum shine. Much more masculine than feminine which is great for me but I still find that the performance is not great. It' not terrible as longevity is around 5 hours but you would think projection would be better just looking at the notes and the price.

I make this short. I blind bought it a few months ago. I do Enjoy wearing it but it’s sort of a disappointment to me. I have many other perfumes that have the same DNA. It’s not original or anything special. It comes across as well blended and I really like the bottle. IMHO I wouldn’t rebuy this. There’s plenty of this type of perfumes done much better. Performance is ok. I’m not sure this is one of their better offerings

You're a wax candle, taken from an olde hookah shop for a journey across the desert. After a few days under the sun, your camel keels over and dies from exhaustion, and you fall with it, tumbling from your leather bag and into the sand. You spend your final moments melting over a thousand granules of steaming glass, becoming one with the ageless dune. Not a bad way to go. Forty Thieves by Fort & Manle.

Oriental, strong myrrh, labdanum, powdery vibe to this thing. Smells like a middle-eastern granny. Dislike this one, unfortunately.

This line is really appealing, & I’d likely love more of the creations than like them, but I’m sorry...$230.00 is the LOWEST price?? And apparently, these were priced at around $190.00 just last month ( acccording to a review a couple below me )..! Look, I’m no stranger to paying too much for a bottle of fragrance, but I’m sick of the avarice of some niche parfumiers. Earlier this evening I happened upon yet another obscure line, pricing their fragrance at $190 for only 30ml, so I’m officially fed-up. Now, I’m not including houses like Areej le Doré, as I feel that Adam’s creations have earned their prices for the most part ( in my opinion ). It’s just that it’s beginning to feel like taking advantage of the impulsive & compulsive nature of fragrance-collecting, and the whole “if they’re paying this much, surely they’ll pay THIS much”. Yes it’s capitalism, we make our own choices, it keeps the economy stimulated, blah blah blah... But they wouldn’t charge these prices if no one was paying them. Do we really believe that “it MUST be worth it, it MUST be ‘special’ if it’s priced as such”, and by the same token, do we still assume that if a fragrance is inexpensive, it must also smell “cheap”? I’m babbling as usual, but I have to state that I’d rather give my money to guys like Andy Tauer. I’m not merely spouting sunshine out of my blow-hole when I state that I consider him essentially the godfather of true created-on-the-kitchen-table niche, so I doubly respect the guy for not capitalising on the cult-status of L’air du Desert Marocain. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’d pay a lot more than £99 for it (I consider it priceless), but I don’t think the price has risen for years, or maybe ever. His 30ml Tauerville frags are relatively affordable, but no less wonderful, and one never gets the feeling that he’s utilising less of his talent or fewer of his skills in creating fragrances that cost less than $2.00 per ml. And surely he doesn’t exist in some alternate universe where prices for materials, ingredients & services remain static year after year? Yet he absorbs the costs without ever compromising quality. Of course, Tauer is not the only brand worthy of our pennies. There are many, many deserving artisans and creations on the saturated fragrance market, and by the same token, I’m not stating that Fort & Manlé and their fragrances AREN’T deserving; they look and sound gorgeous. In fact, I’m fairly miffed that they’re out of my self-imposed price range, so don’t assume I’m on a soapbox of ethics, when in actuality I’m a spoiled brat—think Veruca Salt on a budget. You certainly don’t need anyone’s approval to purchase what you enjoy. My choices, my opinions (so, no shortage of those, then? *eye-roll*)

I feared sampling this because of my experience with Bojnokopff and how incense fragrances often feel too much like stepping into a 15th century European Cathedral. This was not church like at all rather it was an exotic seduction. The incense note is most prominent and lasts quite a long time. As the hours pass the honey, amber and vanilla join the circle of smoke and swirl together to create something sweet and engaging. The sillage is quite nice I do not have to lean in to catch my scent and the longevity is now 10+ hours. It is a dark brooding irresistible bedouin settled for the night near a protective cave in a far off land. He sips his drink and bites into a sweetened cake as he watches the falling stars. The fire keeps him warm as his shadow playfully dances in unison with the flickering flames.

Another F&M scent with the house DNA running through. This one those is more of a honeyed resinous scent, sweet, balsamic resins. I'm also getting some of the sweet appled rose from Mehmet (the one I tried yesterday!) as well as the amber note that is a common element in most of their work. I do own this one, and I do like it, but I'm starting to feel a really common thread between this and maybe 3 or 4 other scents from the line. I am aware that a few of these have been retired and aren't offered as part of the line up anymore, but STILL -- some obvious crossover here, and even though a lot of these scents do smell the same, they also smell DAMN GOOD, so I can't fault that. Wonderful scent, if not a little familiar...

Testing from a sample, and I immediately feel the quality and artistry of this fragrance. On my skin, it leans towards 21 by Costume National and Tobacco Nuit by Atelier Cologne, but it is much smoother, rounder and ethereal. I tried to like 21 and TN, but both had a sharp, vinegary note that I could feel in my throat. I'm not sure what that note is, but Forty Thieves manages to not only tame it, but make me crave it. Definitely full bottle worthy.

~hand test/first impression When I was catching wiffs Forty Thieves reminded me a lot of current, very 'polite' formulation Lonestar Memories from Andy Tauer. Maybe brighter, fresher, sweeter. Close to the skin however 40T also gives me myrrh/shampoo vibe in first phases - I'm surprised orange blossom is quite prominent on my skin, aldo not dominating other notes. Will not update the comment, because I accidentaly dabbed everything at once. ;)

This was the third fragrance I bought from this house and none have been remarkable. The opening has a sweet fruity note mixed with the incense and pepper that is slightly off putting. Dry down is pretty nice, but typical... but after an hour or so something in it makes me a bit nauseous. not worth the price in my opinion. Stunning bottle tho.

Whoever voted this to be similar to amber absolutely is right. Here's why If you look at amber absolutely, if you significantly lesson the rose and omit the candied plum, you basically get this. This is basically the naked amber base of amber absolutely lol! I like it tho. Amber Absolutely is still great too!

Honey smoke.. Resin, honey, and smoke, i get allot of cade oil. red pepper, amber, and slight of tiare flower. As it cools down i start to detect petitgrain, bergamot, sandalwood, & papyrus. This is resinous, greeny, with touches of wood powder here & there. Cute

Yes!!! fort and manle never disappoint me! another amazing release, strong on the incense on drydown but as always it takes you on a journey and smell amazing! glad I got couple of samples, not just one 9/10

One of the most beautiful perfumes from Fort & Manle, especially this old version.