Shem - el- Nessim

What can i say about such a beauty...Grossmith is probably my favourite house right now, and i have sampled amouage, mcdi, serge lutens.... and this is by far the most beautiful well done fragrances i have ever tried, and i have the pleasure to own one and i can't wait to get the other 2 (betrothal is too pricey for me right now...so i didn't even try it). It is rich (one of the richest i ever tried), deep, perfectly balanced, noticeable but not loud like black orchid or poison, it rather stays warmly close to the skin. About the scent itself...you can really tell these fragrances have a long story behind them and that they come from a different era. They are "haute société" lady scents and you can really tell. It's a bouquet of flowers, not a huge bouquet, just few of the best, most exquisite flowers of the garden specially and carefully chosen (after all these 3 fragrances of the line are inspired in gardens of the most exotic places of the world). It has a powdery quality, not exagerated like in YSL Paris or Caron's N'Aimez Que Moi, just a hint of powder embracing the natural not too sweet flowers, kind of remembering times when one wouldn't shower daily, and would use tons of powder instead. The flowers also have a creamy quality that makes them lay and melt int he skin softly. As it developes, the soft creamy base of vanilla starts to appear, as a delicate bed in which the powdery flowers lay. As said, this is a strong scent (i mean that it is not an eau de toilette..ore one of those that hardly have any silage) but not loud, so it lays softly in the skin. It does not have a crazy projection neither...this is soft and elegant, an intimate luxurious fragrance that talks and whispers in short distances..a jewel that waits elegantly there to be discovered by the others, like a pearl hidden inside the oyster. The longevity is amazing, and there you can really tell that this is HIGH quality. This fragrance stays until you take a shower int he skin...longevity is endless, and it doesn't need to be a super loud fragrance like poison to stay there for hours and hours..nah...we are talking about a masterpiece! it will stay calmly and softly developing it's aroma there until you wash it off. And this has only happened to m with this brand and amouage..the rest of fragrances that have such an amazing silage it is because they are extremly loud, like a lady that wears extremly make up and minidreses because she wants to be desperately noticed...no..here we are talking about royalty...Sem-el-Nessim would be that amazingly beautiful courtesan, pure elegance and grace, that sits quietly a bit apart form the crowd. 10/10..just perfection

After having reviewed the old world beauties that are Hasu-no-Hana and Phul-Nana, Shem-el-Nessim completes the trilogy of Grossmith's resurrected century-old classics. Painstakingly re-composed with the help of the original handwritten formulas, these perfumes are opulent, vintage-style beauties - true heritage items from the British perfume world. Shem-el-Nessim is reminiscent of vintage Guerlain L'Heure Bleue, particularly at its opening - they share a neroli-dominant opening, as well as a heart led by a powdery iris-heliotrope accord, laced with spices. The original SeN predates L'Heure Bleue - but both are apparently copies of Coty L'Origan, a groundbreaking spicy floral that ironically is the only one to not survive. SeN has a citrus opening, with the aforementioned neroli note most dominant - giving a beautiful green-tinged orange-floral quality to the early stages. Other florals creep in, notably sweet, heady ylang ylang and powdery iris. The iris smells more like orris butter than the rooty floral note, adding rich, powdery depth to the heart. Rose follows, also powdery, complemented by green, peppery geranium. Carnation adds warm clove-like spice, and almond-like heliotrope brings up the rear. It becomes softly woody and musky as it dries down, with dry, dusty vanilla adding some sweetness. As is the case with L'Heure Bleue, the heliotrope-vanilla accord here makes it feel like a precursor to the modern gourmand. The spices remain, fading to a musky, spicy skin scent after a time. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. It is feminine-leaning and best worn in autumn/winter evenings. A beautiful, classical perfume made with high-quality ingredients, this is another opulent, baroque creation from Grossmith. However, it is not FBW for me as long as I have vintage L'Heure Bleue, but SeN is a worthy alternative that is equally good. 4.5/5.

Simply a masterpiece and it's still a great lesson of high perfumery also, cleverly re-done by an expert such as Mr Roja Doves. The opening reminds me very clearly my beloved l'Heure Bleu, even though it is said that it takes also after to 'Coty's L'Origan (but I've never chanced to meet the latest, unfortunately!) which was of the same period. It has so many different evolutions that it would be really unwise trying to describe them all as I'm sure it reacts differently on each skin. I've always thought that these kind of phenomenons could only be re-discovered in Versailles's Osmoteque or lived in the memories of old ladies. It was love at first "sight".... a little "bit" expensive though I believe it worths every cent but....I'm sure the ingredients must be top quality, after all. Excellent persistence also! I've still mouillettes keeping the fragrance after one year or so. This is my only doubt: when I start using it and consequently getting accustumed not say addicted to this wonder, how can I go back to my previous ones? as Sharm el Nessim has no rivals! I wonder how brilliant and great must have been the original version! Sometimes I regret to be "young" as I wish I would have lived during the Belle Epoque only to know how exactly all those superb creations - released at that time- could smell .

The Gilded age grace of Shem-el-Nessim transports one to the grandeur of the period—billowing leg of mutton sleeves, sleek hour glass shapes, stiff high-collars, top hats and gloves. There is an Edwardian finesse to it, suggesting contemplative inactivity while bathed in the golden glow of sunlight. It has an opalescence to it that differs it from the matte melancholy of L'Heure Bleue and the pearly powder orange hue of L'Origan. One highlight here is the satisfying synergy that comes with neroli laid over orris, like a glistening orb and its ghostly after-image. Geranium and ylang also is a stimulating coupling—what would otherwise be considered a Mutt and Jeff of sorts ends up having such a chemistry, each softening into the other like a passionate embrace. The clove-spiced heliotrope, a voyeur of sorts, peeks through, but doesn't muscle its way into the scene to steal its radiance. For a phrase or two, Shem-el-Nessim straddles between heady and soft, but in due time, it melts down to the poshest powder of its Florentine iris and a cool, musky bitter almond vanilla cream. Wearing it warms the cockles of my heart.

A brighter, more camphoraceous iris perfume in the line of Hiris (which is milkier, dull somehow but not in a bad way, dull like scuffed--or like unshined silver, and smoother / not camphoraceous at all) but even more multifaceted and exuberant, like a stained glass window to Hiris's muted indoor light. Both are super satisfying perfumes imo. Also, Shem el Nessim is more "blue" where L'Origan by Coty is more "orange" and Shem has no discernable anise which is what always annoyed me a bit with L'Heure Bleue. I love the odor space this one, Shem, sits in or exists in (together with L'Origan and L'Heure Bleue). I guess neroli / orange blossom figures heavily in all three perfumes, shining brightly against the orris root. Shem el Nessim is truly mysterious (a fellow sniffer says "otherworldly" and I agree) and a truly exciting and very solidly elegant perfume. For me the best of both L'Origan and L'Heure Bleue combined, embellished and adding up to something distinctly magical.