Harem Rose

As usual the "reminds me" section is completely confusing. I've only had Harem Rose a few days.. so still figuring out what I think about it.....but no it is nothing like Oud Satin Mood or Rose D'Isparta (I own both) - the only thing those fragrances have in common with Harem Rose is ROSE... :D This is unlike anything I own - it is unique......looking back at how reviewers and the Fort&Manle website describe it I think the word "antique" sounds apt. Of course I expect it will mature and change over the next few days and I will UPDATE if I can contribute anything else. Some fragrances are not easy to put into words.... If you love roses, as I do, I think this is a good addition. It is difficult to locate and even on discounters websites it's pretty expensive for the 50ml - also like the majority of fragrances I've bought its near impossible to find somewhere to test/sample it. ** Samples/discovery sets are not easily available where I live either, so I never bother with buying samples I figure I'd rather put my limited fragrance budget towards a full bottle and take a chance.

I have samples of both the original and the reformulation. Original is an unremarkable ambery rose that leans heavily on incense. The reformulated (gold cap) version of Harem Rose is deeper and much more satisfying, imho. The rose reminds me of the luscious rose in Bulgarian rose oil, sticky and silky at the same time. The supporting players - springy vetiver, a resinous edge, soft woodiness - round it out and make it unisex. It's gorgeous and richly romantic on my husband, but he doesn't wear it much. When I wear Harem Rose, it feels ornate yet approachable; it's served me well for formal family occasions like weddings and funerals. On me it's fairly linear, lasting 10h+ on skin with a close sillage that turns heads. So far it's the most noticed and complimented of all my samples, which surprises me because I assumed it would come off as basic in passing, like so many rose fragrances do. People seem to dial into the warm well-rounded rose right away, just like I did.

There's a 3D effect in this one that I find interesting - all the facets of rose coming together to create a kind of olfactory sculpture. It starts out on the dewy, vegetal side, and as the perfume evolves, it becomes darker, richer and more complex. Someone described that rose as "gothic" and it strikes me as the best adjective, especially because, to my nose, there's a strong beeswax note in here that, associated with that whisper of incense, reminds me of votive candles. The orientalist inspiration behind this perfume is obvious as soon as you put it on, and it becomes even clearer as it settles on your skin: it's sensual and warm, with ambery facets, and a lushness that will remind you more of a hammam than of an English garden. I find this very seductive, and even though it's very much not my style, I'd find it absolutely irresistible on someone else. There's a complexity in it that fascinates me. If you're a rose fiend, you might want to give that one a try.

A little birdie told me this is no ordinary rose. Not sure why fragrantica only listed one lonely rose note, from the website: Amber, benzoin, vanilla, rose, cashmere woods, vetiver. This is definitely a resinous, warm spicy rose, and the rose itself is no common rose damascus is my guess (and I see some of the other reviewer's also.) It's exotic and spicy. The FM website doesn't list spices but it feels subtly spicy. Couldn't pick out what exactly maybe saffron or nutmeg. Really nice scent! Glad I got talked into it. Lots of tea upon further tries. The kind I smelled in Moustache...bergamotish. This lasts incredibly well. Gets super spicy and resinous on the dry, rose still there too. Love it. **Several hours later. A sweet sweet vetiver. This note is the bomb dot com it is typically the one that lasts all the way to the end. In fact you can only really notice it many hours later, but it is then strong. *** Niche sample swap UK - get in touch!***

In my opinión one of the most interesting fragances of this Bran. It is happening something weird yo me with these perfumes. Before trying them i had some ideas about which Inés k would like and which Inés i dont... But i am failing all muy suposiciones!! 😂 In this case i thought...one rose perfume more? Lyric, black aoud, noir de noir, une rose... I have already some rose fragances on my collection so i wouldnt even tried It.. but as It comes into a Discovery set i am just trying It now and... It is gorgeous! It is rose, yes, but a very different rose, very ambery and dark, but without the typical litera of patchouli and oud that these kind of fragances usually have... This is different to all my other rose fragances and is something that i could imaginé buying. The performance is better than in other f&m perfumes. I find It unisex and very versatile... Scent: 9 Longevity: 7.5 Sillage: 6 Quality/price: 5 Versatility: 8 Originality: 7 Global: 9