Alkemi

Sweet myrrh is the first thing i got when i sprayed this on. Then cacao patchouli, and amber came up a bit after few seconds. The cashmere comes later (around 2 minutes) so as hints of sandalwood, & cedar, and no incense detected yet. I really liked the semi gourmand of the cacao, & patchouli blend with amber and vanilla. I really don't know if i'm ever going to detect the incense or the ylang in here but the domination of the sweet myrrh is just unbelievably perfect! it's just perfectly balanced and a bit above the amber, and patchouli cacao mix. Later, the honey shows up mixing with myrrh. The creator wrote "Transforming Oriental wood and resin into fragrant gold, she (Marie Duchêne) has imbued her creation with echoes of an ancient and magical Egypt, when per-fumum was a gift for the gods." This is the smell of "Patricia Velásquez" as "Anck Su Namun" in "The Mummy 1999" movie when she was waiting for "Arnold Vosloo" as the "High Priest Imhotep" & standing next to the golden cat statue scene. I can see that purely & incredibly clear! This could be going to my top 5 fragrances! i just couldn't believe that this fragrance would be that perfect! i'll test it some more and well see where it will be going to.

So, Alkemi is a women only perfume ?! It is a joke, believe me: it's definitely suited for any man of courage. You, guys, don't stay too far from this one and try to reject this women's conspiracy to keep this treasure for their use only! It's tailored for (all of) those who love some epic scent-marvels as Annick Goutal's Sables, Serge Lutens' Amber Sultan and Chergui or Histoire des Parfums' 1740. Alkemi is one of the best perfume that I recently tried and bought - precisely when I used to be in love with its brother Cozumel. For the winter months to come, this kind of alchemy is a blessing. Alkemi is an excellent bitter and sweet warm concoction, with a lot of patchouli and amber, plus a wonderfully smoky sandalwood. A definitely niche quality, which density and sillage are impressive. A deserved 9++/10

I was head over heels in love with this during all of winter. It’s very contemplative, smokey and hallowed, and it’s comforting, like a soft cashmere blanket. It resonates with the very old soul. The longevity is not so great, but every reapplication is thrilling.

Yesterday i tested Alkemi and i must say it was a fascinating journey with its ups and downs. Alkemi is an olfactory chameleon, I counted up to 4 phases when Alkemi changed its face. After I sprayed it on my wrist it was a huge Meh - so sweet, so syrupy, but at least not fruity and with already remarkable patchouli. Patchouli actually stopped me from scrubbing it off. :) After more or less 15 - 20 min i thought "hm, it reminds me now of something i tried recently and didn't like at all" - and indeed in this 2nd stage the sent reminds me on Fougere Bengale from Parfum d'Empire. Alkemi has very similar sweetness degree, i also get some tobacco similar to FB, though it's not listed, probably my personal perception of insence & myrrh blend here. But a lavender & oakmoss in FB puts me off, while Alkemi's myrrh & patchouli& incense makes it rather sufferable, altgough still very very sweet with ylang-ylang. One hour later it changed again - now it was (ta da!) patchouli, still very sweet, but smoke has gone! (at least for my nose, i'm incense fan and enjoy it each time in almost each perfume). I even thought well i could wear it when i could suffer the 1st and 2nd phases... At this point Alkemi was a tween a bit sweeter brother of classical pure pathouli scents: Histoire de parfums Noir Patchouli or Reminiscence Patchouli. And finally (3-4 hours) i got finest silkiest sandalwood, a very delighting one. And here in this point it was - what a suprise - a Coromandel! It was me who put Coromandel in "Reminds me of" part. I was not sure which of so many "reminders" should i choose, so i took my favorite :).

I voted above that I just 'like' this fragrance, but I'm not sure I actually do not love it. It's unusual and kind of weird and old stylish, but in a very medieval way. Perhaps it's the name, but this fragrance transports me back in time, as if I stepped into an alchemist's secret lab. The main notes I get are amber and patchouli, but it's so rich and deep I can't tell the other notes apart. I think the ylang-yland and the sandalwood are the most prominent after these and I can definitely sense no vanilla at all. The whole composition strongly reminds me of 'Cruel Intentions' By Kilian. Unfortunately, though the opening is very heady and loud, after an hour or more it stays close to skin and though it last well (6-7 hours) it doesn't compare to CI's lasting power and sillage. Still, it's a warm, sensual, heady oriental, best suited for colder months or sexy nights out. This is a strange and unique fragrance that should definitely be tested before buying, but I do believe that lovers of By Kilian brand will find it to their liking. Personally, I'll have to test again and see if it's worth a full bottle.