Meharées

A "méharée" is a journey through the desert where travellers travel on "méhari" dromedary camels and participants in this type of trek are called méharists. The "méhari" camel is a noble animal par excellence. It is white, slender, large, haughty and very resistant. It is a saddle animal adapted to raids and races on the sands of the Maghreb. Its place of origin is the Algerian strip north of the Sahara. The typical image of a Bedouin caravan that we keep in our memory, whether the most genuine one from National Geographic or the most Hollywoodized, is certainly based on a méharée journey. Now that it has been revealed what the name might suggest, I would like to clarify whether Méharées can match its semantic heritage. I believe that intrepidity, adventurousness and charm should be called upon. Do these attributes strike our noses? The perfume scent qualifies the fragrance as an amber-spicy one, and waves flags with musky, (warm) spicy, woody, ambery and powdery notes, along with a slight sweetness. Hostilities open with an orange cinnamon accord that really surprises and helps the development of a woody, half-creamy, half-sober heart mood. When the base notes settle down, the main facets are revealed. While cinnamon stays alive through development, musky, amber and vanilla accords take over and define the dryness rules as well. It is certainly a captivating, warm and enveloping fragrance. Perhaps with a denser amber tone, maybe with some resins added, a stronger and animalistic musk and hotter and dirtier spices, I would consider it a devastating perfume along the lines of Musc Ravageur or L'Air du Désert Marocain or even Isra & Miraj. Perhaps then it would become difficult to use, lose its balance and versatility, its price would increase tenfold and perhaps no one would buy it... and perhaps L'Herbolário would discontinue it. So, I thank L'Herbolario to keep this fragrance just the way it is now, in its state of bringing me "enough happiness". I also enjoyed my camel ride in the Lisbon Zoo. Last but not the least, I would like to comment on the perfume ingredients. There is no trace of synthetic accords because L'Herbolario has a policy of using almost only natural ingredients. Unfortunately, that also justifies the so-so performance. My opinion about this magnificent perfume: It has a discrete presentation. Although with an EdP concentration the performance is just average due to L'Herbolario policy of using only natural ingredients (And I am happy about it). The price is beautiful and can be even lower during a seasonal sale! Is it a perfume I recommend? Yes, I do recommend it due to its ingredient quality, magnific musky/ambary/spicy scent and low price. Did I mention that smells like Musc Ravageur (but without cloves note)? Music: Camel - "Stationary Traveller"

To my nose: the strongest note is opoponax, although not listed, I believe this imparts the myrrh aspect of it’s ‘myrrh and dates’ description. If you are unfamiliar with this note, resinous opoponax smells of incense, amber and mustiness. It’s extraordinarily beautiful in the same way that old second hand book shops smell when they are overheated by winter radiators, in short, cosy and ancient. Les Nereides released ‘Imperial Opoponax’ of which I have a small decant. This fragrance combines the musty old book shop with a hint of cherry sweetness, again, another wondrous creation. Alongside this note, an air of dirty musk resides, giving Meharees an animalic feel. This is not the clean whiff of laundry so evident in contemporary musks, but a big old whiff of the unwashed, ultimately rendering it a rather sexy fragrance. For those fearsome of ‘dirty musks’ such as Musc Koublai Khan and Musc Tonkin, you will find L’ Erbolario’s interpretation somewhat easier on the nose, yes, sexy, but not ‘inside out second day knickers’. A third olfactory sensation comprises of a vaguely dried fruit scent. I feel this is the least obvious of it’s components. Is it the date provided in it’s description? I’m not sure. There is a noticable sweet ‘mulled wine-like’ smell that could be constituted of date, raisin, even a slightly plummy jam. Although the fruit appears, it appears shyly, lurking in the background. Atmospherically, I can recall the dusty watercolour illustrations of my Children’s Illustrated Bible, vividly depicting the exodus through the desert or the Three Kings bearing fragrant gifts at the Nativity. As an adult I have shed any latent belief in biblical stories or indeed organised religion, however, I find the fragrant link to this childhood memory both beguiling and consoling. Overall, this is a scent of comfort, the warming hug of a lover on a cold night, languorous and appeasing. There is no exuberant stimulation here, it’s a soft edged, muzzy headed, fragrant Valium. Check out my fume writing at "Odiferess" on blogspot.

Love at first wear for me. When I first receive bottles one of the first things I like to do is sniff the atomizer to get a idea of the fragrance. My initial thought was that I had made a bad blind buy. Off the atomizer it smells like a heavy “dated” scent (no pun intended). I don’t like those types. I had sprayed my pillow before sniffing it and though “Hmm this ain’t so bad. But I still don’t love it. About a half hour in I began to get this really soft and warm vanilla/cinnamon combo that was so comforting. I kept smelling my pillow over and over and I liked it more and more. Now on my first wear during a cold day is when the magic happened for me. I sprayed it on the inside of my jacket when mixed with the cold air gave off the most delicious smell I had ever sniffed. This will sound weird but for me it gave off this deliciously fresh bubblegum type of smell. It had a fresh, minty but warm, soft, creamy vanilla scent that just makes my legs weak. Oh man so damn good! I haven’t gotten any compliments on it thus far but I don’t even care. I love the heck out of it and it is now my signature winter scent. It’s a hidden gem no doubt. Scent: 10/10. In the right weather (cool weather) it’s heavenly. Think bubblegum with a gourmandish twist. Projection: Soft, as it should be for a scent like this. I don’t like loud fragrances anyway so this is perfect for me. Longevity: On skin, 10-12hrs with about 3-4hrs projection. On clothes it lasts for days & smells even better the longer it stays. Versatility: Can be worn day or night in cool spring, fall or winter weather. Definitely Unisex and can be worn on most occasions (besides maybe work because it’s a bit too “elegant”.) And I just Iove the name “Meharees”. It sounds like the name of a young middle eastern girl that has unique gifts and heals the sick. She’s worshipped in a small city somewhere & the townspeople adore her. Hell, If I had a daughter I’d consider name her After this fragrance.

It's strange that on Fragrantica it is listed as "for men." I am Italian and remember when this fragrance was released. It was always presented and promoted as a feminine fragrance and only later as unisex. In fact, on L'Erbolario's website, the brand describes it as: "An explosion of spicy, woody, and amber notes. Fresh accords, enriched by warmer and velvety tones, with a sweet and delicate base: here is a fragrance that every woman likes. And it also enchants men." The last sentence, "And it also enchants men," was added later. This morning, I went to a L'Erbolario store and mentioned to the sales assistant that here it is listed as for men. She was utterly astonished and said it was incredibly surprising; according to her experience and the sales statistics of the fragrance from its launch to today, it has always been a product sold 99,9% to women. She even mentioned that she had never sold one to a man. Therefore, to be accurate according to the actual positioning, which is also the brand's chosen one, it should be moved to the women’s fragrances or at most unisex, certainly not among the men's. That said, it is a fragrance that truly evokes a desert journey—warm, spicy, and embracing. I love it very much, and not just for the cold season; because it evokes dunes and oases, for me it is a scent that conceptually evokes the warmth of the desert and, with a light spritz, is quite wearable even in the height of summer. I don’t know Musc Ravageur, so I can’t make comparisons. If you’re looking for a warm, spicy, vanilla-sweet fragrance that’s not cloying, I recommend trying it. If you like Opium and are looking for something more enveloping, powdery, and gourmand, it could be a good option, but always worth testing. It’s not a safe blind buy, IMHO.

Liking the heart and base of Musc Ravageur but hating the overkill of cloves in the top and also really liking L de Lolita lempicka i had to check out Meharees, especially for the price(30€ for the 50ml here in germany). to get it out of the way first: yes, it's very very similar to MR with way less cloves and it's also a less feminine and a little less sweet L Given the "official" more detailed note breakdown this kinda what i get out of it: Top notes: orange, rose, cinnamon, dates, a hint of clove Middle notes: cedarwood, guaiaco wood, patchouli, sandalwood, myrhh Base notes: vanilla, amber, musks Pretty fruity right after spraying it on but not like tropical fruit, more like dried sugared fruits with rose and a pinch of clove in the top. Gets more woody, incensey and sweeter in the heart, though the cinnamon stays very long for me while cloves and rose fade away. In the base the vanilla really outshines the rest but is kept in check by the musk. it never gets cloying but has a rather dry spicey feel to it. Overall this is either a vanilla-gourmand or oriental spicey depending on how it turns out on your skin. Either way it's a very well blended fragrance. Definitely a Unisex since neither the feminine nor masculine side overshadows the other. Last about 12 hours(excellent) on me while projecting about arm's length. Great compliment factor from all the people that noticed it on me. In the end this is imo a better version of MR at a fifth of the price. If you liken the theme of vanilla/cinnamon/spices/musk you have to check it out if can get ahold of it

This is an absolutely beautiful, sensuous, powdery and warm spicy oriental. Meharees is completely unisex (not sure why it says for men). It is REALLY hard to locate though. I had to purchase a decant just to be able to try it. If anybody knows where you can get a full bottle (that ships to the US) please message me! I am a huge Musc Ravageur fan and wear it regularly so I am not quite getting the same clone effect as some others. To me they are in the same scent family but still smell pretty different. But 158 people clearly disagree with me. :) Meharees is the much tamer version, less animal, less punch. It starts out smelling a lot like the mid-point of MR so for those who do not care for the ka-bam opening of MR but like the dry down, you would probably love this. This retails for only $40, unbelievable price. The only trick is finding it. While it is MUCH less expensive than MR, the lasting power is substantially lesser as expected. But at this price you can spray it as much as you like! And it is the closest thing you will find to MR. So, if Frederic Malle isn't in your budget, this is a terrific substitute. Frederic Malle isn't in my budget either, I am just going into deep debt because of my champagne taste and beer budget when it comes to perfume. ;) If I can ever locate a bottle of Meharees it is SOLD that is for certain. Love finding something great for a great price. I get a little buzz. :) EDIT: Woo-hoo!! Thanks to a kind Fragrantica member who directed me to an Ebay seller in Italy, I now have a bottle on the way!!

My second review of Meharées, and a side-by-side comparison of Meharées and Musc Ravageur: On one arm I sprayed Meharées, and the other Musc Ravageur. They might be in the same spicy genre, but on my skin they are two different perfumes. Meharées is softer, more rounded and gentle. The wood notes and vanilla are more dominant than the spices. Musc Ravageur is noticeably spicier and animalic—leaning more masculine in my opinion—even though I like to wear both. Musc Ravageur is all about dominant spices mixed with some sweet smelling, and very, very naughty, skank. Musc Ravageur lasts longer on my skin too—with a bigger throw. Long after my nose can no longer detect Musc Ravageur (at the 7-8 hour mark) I am still getting compliments. Sadly even though I love Meharées, other people have a hard time picking it up. Granted I only recently acquired Meharées though a trade with a Fragrantica member, I have had the opportunity to wear it several times around others so maybe I need to keep testing. Unlike in my first review where I thought I couldn’t pull this off in warm weather, I do think Meharées might be one of those spicy scents I can wear in summer. And at least on my skin I think performance will be better. When it comes time to switch out my Fall and Winter scents, Meharées will stay so I can retest it in a few months. My personal assessment is that the two scents are not remotely the same. Meharées is the gentler, older distant relative. This is a scent I could wear to bed. I really love it.

What is it Meharées L'Erbolario When was it launched? 2004 What vibe / image do I get? This one is clean, skin-like, and deeply sensual—like a trip though the hot desert sand, eating sweet cinnamon cookies, with clean, warm skin wrapped in expensive cashmere. Performance: What is the longevity 10+ hours What is the Projection Top: Opens as a spicey floral and citrus scent on a musky vanilla base. Arms Length 30-45 min Heart: The citrus, floral and spices all fade and it morphs into a creamy, woody and musky vanilla scent. 8 hours, slowly goes to intimate Base: Settles into a warm and almost fuzzy, vanilla and wood scent. 8+ Skin Scent What are the notes that I get? Cinnamon, amber, vanilla, sandalwood, musk, orange, guaiac wood, cedar, patchouli, bergamot and rose Is this one still on the market? Yes What can I compare this one to? Musc Ravageur Compliments? Yes, a few over the years What attire Casual to Upscale casual. Places / events you can wear it Works better in cooler weather, winter, early spring and late autumn, Coffee shops, cozy lounges, rainy days, intimate evenings, date night Where NOT to wear this one: High heat, the gym Who is the audience - age group Unisex any age, Why you should try it. If you are looking for a great musky scent and can't afford Musc Ravageur, you should try this one.

It is almost impossible to write about Meharees without mentioning Musc Ravageur. And I must admit - I did purchase my bottle based off of this supposed similarity. If you peruse the reviews here, you will find innumerable comparisons. Many people disappointed, their dreams of a "budget" MR shattered and erased. While Meharees certainly isn't a carbon-copy of MR, this is a GOOD thing, hell, it's wonderful. Why you ask? Because it is ultimately a more WEARABLE Musc Ravageur. You see, Musc Ravageur holds an almost mythological status in the fragrance community. Whether it deserves its acclaim is up for debate, but its notoriety is unquestionable. That being said, MR is by no means an easy or casual wear. It's performance, as well as its notes, ensures its reservation for colder temperatures. Likewise, its potent musk note is polarizing (I love musk myself, but many do not.) With Meharees, the musk is toned down, the citrus turned up and the spices balanced throughout. What you are left with is a gorgeous - and versatile - musky, spicy, orange. Fresh enough to wear all-year long and versatile enough to wear casually or with a suit. Absolutely beautiful and a great daily driver. Pick up a bottle if you want a dryer, fresher, more versatile take on Musc Ravageur. 10/10.

How in the world are you guys getting Musc Ravageur 'clone'? Get out of here. This one is more benzoin, vanilla, and woods: sensual and sexy. MR is heavy on the cinnamon and clove: loud animalic dirty sexy. This one is extremely light with the hand on the warm spices, more benzoin and vanilla. The woods and other facets come out more, well balanced. MR is not. This one is "I'm sexy and I know it." MR is "Hey, look at me. I'm sexy and you know it!." It opens with the lightest touch of citrus and florals with a big big body of benzoin and vanilla, with cinnamon, woody and herbal patchouli accents . MR is a spice and animalic vanilla amber explosion that drowns out everything. I am a proud owner of both, and to say that it smells like Musc Ravageur is downright untruthful and insulting to those who are looking to purchase.. Musc Ravageur is animalic, extremely spicy forefront that cuts the vanilla sweetness. This is not it. The spices are WAAAY lighter on this one, more balanced, with amber vanilla and woods. My suggestion to the liars is to actually buy a bottle of MR, otherwise ease up on the lies. It's the holidays for goodness sake..

I've been into serious fragrance collecting now for about ten years and I know what I like and I've gotten really good at looking at notes and doing my homework on fragrances as a lot of them are blind buys, simply because a lot of them you can't find in shops. I've been putting off buying this fragrance for way to long and yesterday my bottle arrived and "wow" this stuff is incredible, truly mind blowing, this is love from the start til the end and I've had to put it into my top five. I don't understand why people are getting bad performance out of this as its still screaming off of me after twelve hours of application. I definitely get that lovely hot sandy opening that lasts for about half an hour then the cinnamon and vanilla kicking in and it just gets better as it processes, I also get a strong amber in the drydown that gives an almost smokey vibe. I got my bottle on eBay and bought it from a seller in Italy. if you have this on your wishlist, stop putting it off and get it, this is going to be perfect in fall and winter and I can see this being my new Christmas day scent. 10 outta 10..

Oh Meharees! Warming, hot spices and woods, amber and (very modest) vanilla with subtle zesty citrus notes (orange oil?) all wrapped up in lots of airy and kinda salty musk. I do get the idea of dates, because there is a thick sweet note here that I usually get from dates and figs. Now that sounds like a lot of notes and impressions, but in reality it's all very well blended and effortlessly morphed into one thing. It really is unique. This is not your average spicy oriental. It's a bit of a skin scent - the kind that stays close and smells like the better version of me (Wouldn't I like to think that!). Overall, Meharees is a sensual fragrance with oriental vibe, and a lot more to it. It's also one of 2 or 3 fragrances that I would dare to describe as sexy. I don't like using that word to describe a fragrance because every ad does it to sell yet another fruity floral to young girls. Meharees is far from desperate and attention-seeking as you can get. Instead, it draws you in and keeps you interested. It also makes you write silly reviews. I'm in love. :)

Meharees is a shift changer on me. I love it. Im absolutely addicted to the opening! This smells like a stronger more cinnamon packed Lira And Tender Madeleine I have both and Lira I swapped because it was light on me. I adore TM but that seems to fade quickly (must be my chemistry) well Meharees smells like sweet cinnamon , oranges and vanilla. After the first 15 minutes it starts to smell like L de Lolita and musc ravageur an hour later it becomes cleaner smelling...i still smell cinnamon but much calmer, wood, and musk. The very end is where I can smell that this was created for men. It has a slight after shave smell but not enough for others to really notice. At times I think I smell sweet Hot sand . it melts into the skin so beautifully. I love wearing it alone but also with musc Ravangeur to make MR last longer. 2 sprays of MR and 2 sprays of mahareesI think it's georgeous! I've been searching for my perfect cinnamon, orange ,vanilla. This is it. Moderate sillage and decent longevity...i can smell it in myself for about 4 hours.

I love this fragrance, but there's a lot of confusion about its "notes". The description on Erbolario's official website mentions "dates" and "myrrh", but then, it also gives a different list of: orange, guaiac wood, amber, vanilla, musk. No mention of cinnamon and all the other notes I see on here, even if cinnamon is the most voted note by fragrantica users (I absolutely don't smell it). I also strongly oppose the general tendency found in most reviews to list 5-10 different notes like we're supposed to be able to smell each one individually and in a realistic manner. To me, Meharées doesn't have any prominent "realistic" note. It's very warm and sweet, with a resins/amber accord. It's also a little spicy and powdery. It's like a comforting warm hug, and it gives its best in cold weather. The mention of dates is spot on in my opinion, because it gives the idea of a sugary-fruity accord, but it's warm like dried fruits, rather than fresh. Considering the price, for me it's the perfect soothing fragrance to wear when it's cold.

This reminds me of dates with spiced milk. It`s a very warm, cozy and comforting scent. Almost edible. Edit: I have just bought it a few days ago, after my initial sniff test in Italy last year. I don't know what I was smelling back then, but now I don't smell the lactonic note and dates anymore. The first spray is leaning on the more masculine side for me. All I get is masculine, warm, spices. But, once it settles a bit it's becoming more unisex and the cinnamon becomes very present with a creamy/soapy undertone. On my skin it does not last longer than 2 hours, on my clothes? 3 days by now. I sprayed this on my shirt and it still smells and I gotta say, day 3 smells the best. It's musky, soapy, warm, little bit spicy and a sweet. This has such a good lasting power and how the scent developed over the past days is really amazing. I was not sure if I want to keep it, after the completely different and masculine scent experience I had as compared to when I smelled it the first time. But now: This is a keeper!

I received my first 50ml bottle of Meharees yesterday and after 2 sprays I was struck with instant regret, Regret that I didn't purchase the 100ml bottle to be exact! Wonderfully crafted fragrance, on my skin I can detect the vanilla, cinnamon and a musk note? Whatever, I love the way it smells on me!I'm glad I've found an alternative to Jaipur for men which I love but can't wear because of it gives me severe headaches! They are not similar smelling but share that same feeling of being transported elsewhere when worn! There is nothing cheap smelling about this fragrance, and it is completely accessible for a man to wear! This I would describe as a scent of a well-traveled soul! Sexy, exotic.romantic, and blissful are the words I associate with Meharees! Male or Female this fragrance will compliment both! From further on I will purchase the 100ml because I know the 50ml isn't gonna last me too long! I highly recommend this fragrance, try before you buy if possible I hope you are as delighted with it as I am!

At the risk of sounding like a texty teen: OMFG! This scent is a beautiful, a handsomely presented gourmand brother of Musc Ravageur. I have a nice size decant of Musc Rav, but have been putting off buying a full size retail bottle b/c of its not too economic price. I was confident, due to the "...reminds me of" votes (thanks to all fragrantics who voted) that this would smell at least SOMEWHAT like Musc Rav; but this is superb, DEFINATELY worth the purchase, esp for such a well done scent at a great price and A MUST HAVE (as someone already said below) if you are looking for somthing like and Musc Rav, whether you own it (Musc Rav.) or not, grab a bottle of THIS and in just a couple sprays, watch this one unfold on your skin. I find it to be more complex then Musc Rav on my skin, personally. I would give it 5/5 hands down,but will say 4.5/5 as longevity and silage could be better. All in ALL --. AWESOME FRAGRANCE -- perhaps even one of my top ten, we'll see.

Meharees is a class act! The vanilla, cinnamon and amber are all present from the beginning with the most gentle whisper of dried citrus peel, almost like Earl Grey tea accompanying the mix. On my skin, it starts out so soft and subtle that I thought it might get lost right away. I quickly discovered how much the resinous amber accord really begins to blossom and intensify after a few hours. I have read of it's kinship to the timeless Musc Ravageur and I TOTALLY see it. I wasn't crazy about the loud musk note in MR, so Meharees is the perfect fit for me. I've yet to wear it in Winter Months, and I can only imagine how much more it will come alive then. For the price, I consider this a perfume of great quality. Do pick up a bottle, you won't regret it! PS: Does anyone know who the Perfumers are for L'Erbolario? I'm curious to know if this was made as a "knock off" to MR, or if it was created independently and has a similar vibe. Thanks for any info!

★★★★1⁄2 I first tried Musc Ravageur when I was in London, it haunted me. Such a boozy sweet and naughty scent with contradictory elements of romance. Several years later, I came across Meharees in my local pharmacy, and while I knew other L'Erbolario scents but Meharees was an unknown path... It's thinner than the Frederic Malle fragrance but has a very alluring dusty element that makes it mysterious and closer -in character- to one of my favorites: L' Air Du Desert Marrocain. Don't let the price and the availability in pharmacies fool you, this is a beautiful sandy vannilic cinnamon, ready for your night out. It has been my favorite club scent, as it has amazing longevity and medium sillage (I don't want to be the person that suffocates the dance floor). This is blind-buy worthy if you're into orientals. If you're aware of Musc Ravageur and you want something less sticky & more ethereal with a sandy effect. Beauty.

First Impressions. The opening of Meharées is fantastic, a mysterious journey into a open air market in Egypt: a cinnamon driven, dry fruit and spices, and natural vanilla scent. After about 30 minutes the warm amber notes arrive with a few of my favorites: sandalwood, a juicy orange and a gorgeous guaiac wood, taking this journey several more hours down an intriguing path. It’s a cool Spring day and Meharées is the perfect companion. I can imagine this working in everything except hot weather. And I agree with all the comparisons to other scents, and yes there is a bit of 80s retro vibe to Meharées, but it’s also so much more wearable. (I can’t wear Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant, for example). Therefore I would classify this as a timeless masterpiece, at apparently bargain prices if you can find it. And you know I’ll be looking. (Thanks to swap partner deb.martinez for including this beautiful sample)