MA'RÉ

This fragrance starts off with a refreshing blast of citrus and moves into a mix of salty sea air and extremely green cypress. Yuzu and lemon start off extremely bright, eventually settling down into a more subdued clean, neroli forward vibe. The fragrance pyramid on this scent is missing Arak, which is an anise flavored alcohol. I get a bit of that licorice/anise scent as the brightness of the citrus fades, but the anise scent isn't overpowering. It melds with the aquatic notes, which are also quite subtle to me. Aquatic notes are often a no for me. But the greenness of the cypress enhances the citrus and acts as a grounding force for the oceanic notes. Cedar and fig feel like supporting roles here.

This was my favorite scent in the Jazmin Sarai mixtape discovery set. The citrus is powerful at first spritz, but as you wear it, the cypress adds depth. It's a woody/fresh + citrus scent. Like the other Jazmin Sarai scents I have tried, it sits very close to the skin and you can easily sweat it off, so it isn't an all-day slugger of a perfume. If you like woody scents (as I do), this is a good summer scent.

This fragrance is the Mediterranean in a bottle. Absolutely gorgeous, and one of the best neroli scents I have tried. The neroli note is stunning, and perfectly captures the smell of natural orange blossom water; which is a staple in Lebanon (and in much of the Arab world). It is mixed with a tart, sour, and dry lemon note. I'm not getting a yuzu note ala L'eau d'Issey, but I am familiar with citron fruit, which this does sort of resemble; albeit without any sweetness. These two notes drive the fragrance until the cypress starts to appear, which smells fresh and green, not particularly smoky. I can't say I really notice arak - one of my favorite drinks, albeit one which has led to far too many horrible mornings - fig, or anything particularly aquatic, however. Unlike, say, Neroli Portofino, I don't notice any sweetness here. Nor does it have the barbershop qualities of the Aqua di Parma line. It is dry, bitter, bracing, and refreshing, like mixing orange blossom water and lemon juice in an ice cold glass of water, but forgetting to add any sugar. This is magical on a hot, humid day. Its smoothness and uplifting beauty perfectly embodies the gentle tenderness of Fairuz, by whom this fragrance was inspired. Her elegant voice is as iconic to Lebanon as the cedar tree which adorns its flag. Performance is ok in general, but superb for this kind of scent. I get around 6-8 hours out of it if applied liberally. It projects nicely for around an hour, then sits closer to the skin. By hour 3, I'd call this a skin scent.