Hayal

Hayal haunted me. It still haunts me. I knew from the moment I smelled this glorious scent, that it had to be mine. This is one fragrance that has pushed me beyond my knowledge of perfume exploration. What is this scent that makes me think I am from the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt? How can a fragrance be so well crafted that I feel like a completely different person born in a different time. This feels like what Queen Nefertiti wore to rule the Kingdom of Egypt, as Pharaoh. Yes! This fragrance feels like the Sun is bathing you with gold, while you lay on a bed of fresh, exotic Jasmine. And as the Jasmine slowly crushes under the fragment of your skin, the intoxicating scent of the flowers melts from the heat of the sun (+ the warmth of your skin), then permeates into the air, causing you to gasp...for joy while it takes your breathe away. My Lord! It is Sensual. It’s Heavenly. It’s an Aphrodisiac. Words are not enough to describe the MASTERPIECE that is Hayal. I’m stunned! But it still progresses, and I smell a delicious rice-like note, from the Jasmine. It’s not decadent, more like a fresh, aromatic, accord. Wow! This is insanely beautiful. Are these tears rolling down my eyes? I’m in love with this enchanting fragrance 🥹. With Hayal, you only need a few sprays to command the room. It lasts all day and I promise that you will be the center of attention. To experience this fragrance you have to be open to “different”. Hayal is different. And the bottle? I haven’t seen a more intricately designed and insanely beautiful bottle this year. This is a yes over yes for me. I count myself lucky to have this piece of art. Yes. It’s art. And officially at the top of my list for my best fragrance find of 2023.

This is smooth and creamy and sweet while remaining non-gourmand. Its white flowers, but it is NOT a floral fragrance in my opinion. I saw in the "this reminds me of" section someone put out that it smells like Sweet Celestials by Strangers Parfumerie and that is a very good comparison. they are both a bit nutty and the rice note is there in both. I find the rice in Sweet Celestials to be too sweet, and there is a green note in it that along with the sweetness it becomes sticky for me most days. Hayal on the other hand is creamier, milkier, and the sweetness is lower down in a more toasted warm kind of way. I love the vanilla with the nutty ricey warmth and I think it suits my chemistry more than Sweet Celestials did. I also think there is a comparison to be drawn to Gioiosa by Profumum Roma - in the creamy vanilla-y toasted-ness. Hayal more toasted than Gioiosa but they are definitely in the same world. Both are expensive too - you really notice the richness and velvety smoothness of them both. Overall, I think that Hayal is the nicest "rice" scent that I've ever smelled -and, I don't even think its meant to be a 'rice" scent at all! I naturally love all the notes that are officially listed in it - the white flowers, the vanilla, amber, tonka bean - all of it! Its right up my alley. I'm a fan. The only thing that might take a point off, is the ultra red colour of the juice. This fragrance is going to stain anything and everything it gets on. so... be mindful of that.

When I first smelled this, I was immediately struck by the intensity of it. It was stunning indolic jasmine, very different from anything I'd smelled, but I didn't quite know whether this was something I'd actually wear (do I want to smell like a rice pudding?). It somehow reminded me of my childhood growing up in China and elicited a kind of emotional response I didn't know a perfume was capable of doing. I was sniffing at my wrist ALL day when I first applied. The second time I smelled it at the store, I instantly knew it had to be mine. It can be quite heavy for the first hour, and became a bit more wearable in the drydown. I got lots of compliments on my first day wearing it. Now it has become one of my favorites. I get so happy just looking at the stunning bottle and sniffing at the nozzle without actually applying it.

If you like scents with notes of rice, you will be pleasantly surprised by this perfume. Even though rice is not listed here as a note, this smells like JASMINE RICE with candied floral background. It's intoxicating and very interesting. During the mid part of this, it smells slightly minty. The first time I tried it, I did detect a faint whiff of mothball on the dry down, probably due to the jasmine interacting with another scent I had on that day. I haven't smelled that in subsequent days of wearing it. It's such a unique scent, I just had to splurge on the full bottle after I finished my sample. It's expensive but you're not going to find anything else that smells like this.

This is an incredibly precious jasmine with creamy rice scent, with great longevity and beautiful presentation, but BEWARE: she is a total beast and a little goes a long way. The first time I tried it, I was overwhelmed and put off by the heavy/thick opening, and it was about an hour before I could start enjoying the softer dry down. Now I know that the trick (for me) is to use just one mini spray. Lasts all day and is just the most gorgeous creamy jasmine rice ever. Still pretty thick, like when you're wearing essential oils, but not indolic or cloying. Needless to say, my beautiful little bottle will last me a good while!