Alamut

Alamut is name of a historical place in my country(iran)so I was very curious to test it and today I have the oppurtunity thanks to free samples of shaghayegh perfume shop I wasnt looking forward to love alamut as sandal and labdanum are second and third high rated notes.I highly dislike labdanum and don't like sandalwood when it's strong and seprately distingueshable.when first dabbed I can detect a combination of sandalwood,rose,warm a little dirty amber and a hint of smokey labdanum.it's totally unisex and as I had expected sandalwood is very strong for my taste but all in all I don't dislike it. As time passes it becomes more floral and powdery.labdanum fades away and sandalwood calms down.I like this powdery floral-amber combo alot.it has a delicious sweetness which I wasnt expecting Drydown is still amber-powder-rose and other florals but there's also musk and sandalwood comes back.it's easily noticable but doesn't cover other notes,just hand in hand with benzoin and amber rounds musky powdery florals.it's still unisex but leaning a bit towards feminity and I have to confess that I like it alot.all the notes are so high quality that one can easily detect them though they're blended well.it's warm,delicious,deep,rich,full bodied and sexy.it's also seems to be potent as I've dabbed a little on my wrists and I catch this seductive wafts of musky red rose and white florals grounded by rich balmy base notes as I'm typing but it's not overwhelmingly heavy.I didn't expect to find a love here but I do love it.it's yummy in a mature and original non foody way.I don't have anything similar in my whole collection and I'd love to have such an enveloping,grown up outstanding fragrance.anyone can feel sexy,speacial,powerful and full of self confidence wearing it.it's not something I wear often.a bottle will definetly last my whole life still it's good to have it.it's a fall,winter/night scent so I may ask it for my birthday gift(my birthday is in december) I'm happy that such a perfect perfume is named after this castle in my country Edit:it stayed on my skin for 5,6 hours(very soft in last hour) which isn't great considering it's price tag but is still good and acceptable for me.spraying a good amount may enhance it as I had just dabbed a little

I've been wanting to test this for a long time and luckily Cereza kindly sent me a sample - thank you! Alamut was definitely not disappointing. The opening is sparkly with aldehydes and rich with rosewood, making a very distinct impression. It's immediately warm, with no light top notes doing a quick appearance and disappearance. Alamut builds and develops from the opening, the woodiness of the top notes holding up the flowers til the woody base notes pick up. The narcissus is what I feel most of the flowers here, but overall they have just a light presence, a slightly animalic undercurrent which give this a bit of spice amidst the smooth woods and amber. The dry down is an amber and sandalwood dream, cosy and inviting, though on the dry side, which is fantastic. While the amber is a base note, I feel it's presence throughout, cushioning all the other notes and keeping them soft. Definitely my favourite amber scent. It's amber, but with flavour and substance. I'm not sure about the Arabian theme, as the labdanum haze is very gauzy throughout the composition - which is perfect IMO - but what this makes me think of is an old wooden trunk that's been hidden away in an attic for years and years, filled with treasures from your grandparents and great-grandparents. Alamut is an idealised version of how that trunk would smell the first time it's been opened in decades, soft wood, old letters and an old perfume bottle with a few golden drops left. This is based on the EDT which has very good staying power and projection. A perfect womanly woody scent, that's still unisex. Cosy, rich and distinctive. FB worthy for me.

On the surface, it could be viewed just as a musty sweet powdery rose fragrance, but Alamut is truly a tale of vintage florals and inspirations. It was inspired here and there seemingly by Guerlain Vol De Nuit, Jean Patou Joy, Samsara, and is presumably a soft blue print for Maai by Bogue Profumo. You gotta test this on skin to witness the dance of the florals and woods. At an instant blast there is the rosy rosewood that quickly introduces the musty vintage tuberose and dry narcissus that instantly reminds me of Bogue Profumo Maai, Guerlain Vol De Nuit and that also of Papillon Perfumery Dryad. It is not as animalic but it speaks the element. Slowly, the creaminess & indolic florals bloom with sweet powder, sandalwood and reveals a roses&jasmine combo that is in the style of Jean Patou Joy. The sweet creamy powder here also a reminiscence of the house’s star Teint De Niege. There is also this dry musky animalic woodiness in it at the drydown that peeking in and out along side the sweet floral-y powder. Alamut is not a smooth blend, but is rich in ingredients and faucets of perfumery styles. It could be judged as a mess, but each facet that reveals itself is with intention and a solid character you could distinguish and identify. It is like watching a movie. I am keening to try the EDP and the Parfum version.

This is beautiful beyond words. But since we speak with words, the person who described what this scent allows me to feel is Baudelaire: I am beautiful, oh mortals, as a dream carved in stone. This fragrance represents the Platonic idea of beauty for me: that extreme, ethereal beauty we are all looking for because we know it must be there, and when we find some parts of it in this world we are pleased. I get this kind of pleasure from Alamut: it completely raptures me into another world. Shalimar has the same effect on me, but I have to admit Alamut is on an even higher level, and it is the highest expression of beauty for me in a fragrant form. At least of the Plato and Baudelaire kind, ideal, superhuman (but present in all of us) beauty. This was one of the first niches I smelled so the quantum leap in quality from the mainstream must have contributed to my fascination with it. I hope I will own this scent one day, and it will be my other celebration scent, along with Shalimar. If my life was about opera and art exhibitions and Hannibal Lecter dinner parties and nothing else, I would be wearing Alamut all the time. The assassins were given drugs in the fortress of Alamut so they would sacrifice their lives in battle. I need no drugs as long as I can smell this hypnotic beauty.

Luca Turin gave Alamut one star, calling it a "hideous oriental," completely eviscerating Lorenzo Villoresi "(putting) forth no ideas at all." Naturally, I had to try, as I always do when Turin gives a scathing one star review and plus I was already an admirer of Villoresi. Wouldn't you know it? I love it. Rosy, powerfully woody, filled to the brim with florals and a moderately animalic, musky dry down tempered with a dusty, powdery undercurrent. I most notice the rose and orange blossom in its opening, with the top notes characteristic of a creamy sandalwood, and then a barnyard flower garden narcissus, a humid ylang ylang, all anchored by a sultry woodiness. In fact, in comparison with Rouge Hermes, which has a very similar profile, I easily favored Alamut, as Villoresi pulls no punches and doses the elements with a saturation that has made me fall in love with his compositions. There is a thickness that might be a bit much for wallflowers, but for those with zero inhibition when it comes to scent, I love to lavish in this. Fans of the aforementioned Rouge Hermes, Guerlain Samsara, or Maria Candida Gentile Cinabre: do take note. I swear that Turin just has a personal vendetta against Villoresi! Alamut is irresistible...

Alamut starts off cool and green yet warm and deep at the same time. Upon first spray I get a cool dewy narcissus that is enveloped in rosewood. An interesting contrast of the youthful exuberance of spring and the ancient wisdom of winter. As the fragrance travels along I get a burst of cinnamon, I know it isn't listed but I smell or sense cinnamon all the same. This perfume gives the sensation of being warm and cool at the same time. I sense flowers but can't pick any of them out in the middle of the perfume. They are cloaked in spices and woods, blanketed w/ a cool fine powder. This perfume for some reason brings to my mind a poem by Sylvia Plath called Love Letter and, in that poem, she describes the feeling of being cold like ice until little by little the ice inside herself starts to melt by the warmth of a newfound love. Alamut has a reserve coolness that is tender yet a bit shy and a confident sensual warmth at the same time. This perfume is worn by a woman who is like cool water running over warm stones. The water may warm, but the stone will be smoothed and not even realize it is being smoothed until it is too late. Alamut is Understated, yet powerful in its beauty.

'Stunning' only begins to describe this fragrance.... Alamut is bold, daring and striking. It is beautiful to the point of being brazen, and yet it exudes elegance, poise and sophistication. To me this is a complex gem of a fragrance with so many glittering facets. I find the initial blast is certainly 'boozy' and intoxicating. Whilst being a huge floral, it is also gourmand and fruity. It packs an alcoholic punch that puts me in mind of a fusion of cherry and menthol liquor and tangy orange marmalade. Imagine biting into a rich, dark chocolate liqueur, and the aroma of the sweet yet slightly tart juice drives you to devour it... After the first explosive little sojourn, Alamut then breezes through a euphoric veil of smokiness and exotic dry spices - heady and sensual. It reclines on a luxurious leather couch, unashamedly resplendent, animalic, earthy and woody. The drydown is powdery, musky and warm - comforting and plush. Alamut is mysterious, passionate and intimate. I have a passion for fragrance, but this is one of my favourites - a dazzling Persian treasure!

ALAMUT - is an intense oriental—sweet, floral, and woody—and easily one of my favourites from Lorenzo Villoresi. It’s incredibly intoxicating, really complex, and just feels so opulent, like something straight out of One Thousand and One Nights. There’s definitely a connection between ALAMUT and MUSK, for me. It has that signature musk–rose blend that Mr. Villoresi does so well, and it gives the fragrance this soft but rich sensuality that really stands out to me. The blending is impeccable. Everything is so refined and well put together - He has a way of making these rich compositions feel smooth and completely effortless. I first tried ALAMUT at the Florentine flagship store on Via de’ Bardi when I was sampling the whole range, and this one stood out to me straight away. It just clicked instantly—exactly my kind of scent. Definitely one of my top favourites from the house.

Alamut EDP A worm texture of fabrics in an ancient castle, and i believe it represents "Alamut Castle". It has worm amber, rosewood, rose, sandalwood, powder note, labdanum, patchouli, chilies, cloves, and musk. It has that superbly alluring sultan throne fabrics smell in winter to worm up and cover yourself with. Alamut EDT It's more sour, more fresh, and kind of lighter, & i believe it doesn't have the same pyramid as the EDP version! there are quite differences. The EDT version has more of neroli, milky tuberose, sweet almonds, more powder effect, less amber, no patchouli, less cloves, chilies, musk, and osmanthus. Eventually both versions are quite alluring, and charming. The EDP version is velvety with thick texture as you can feel it even after 20 hours (on plotter). The EDT version is satin to silk with light to medium texture.

Alamut is a beautiful fragrance. A gigantic, opulent, incandescent floral. Ylang - Ylang, osmanthus and jasmine take centre stage with tuberose and narcissus smiling from the wings ( a rosy note is not obvious to me). Further down the ladder a creamy sandalwood, rich resins and finer touches of musk and patchouli bring warmth and depth to the composition. It lights up the air around it like an olfactory firework display. One of Lorenzo Villoresi’s finest creations. I love it!

A beautiful floral/balsamic scent with a slight touch of animalic notes somewhere in the background that makes it wearable for men.. Perfect for winter days and nights. Really cozy and I enjoy sniffing my arm. One of the best parfumes with animalic note. Very well balanced. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 8.5/10 Projection: 9/10

I love this fragrance. I love the rose at the beginning, and then I like tuberose and sandalwood. I am not an expert in this field, but this fragrance in the EDT version is monumental, and its sillage is extraordinary.

I would find it hard to improve upon Tiger84s' wonderful review. The signature Villoresi quality & purity shines through, this unique offering is a beautifully complex & sensual addition to my wardrobe.

Alamut is the most beautiful fragrance what i ever smelled. It is my signature parfume for a long time. I love this so much! This smells exactly like the lipsticks from the 80's :-)

Glorious, excellent sillage and longevity. It totally envelops me and is beautifully blended. It’s on my list to buy.

Masterfpiece, very very good complex fragrance, great price and perfromance

Bought this sample simply due to the fact that it is named after one of my favorite books, and easily the most intriguing place/man in history. If you have not yet read Alamut by Vladimir Bartol, I’m jealous of you, I would get a lobotomy to read it again for the first time. Now, onto the scent, to me this is one of those “vintage perfumes”, evocative of a grandparents’ house and their bottles of perfumes so ancient you could barely read the name on them. To name a few, those are Salome by Papillon, Musc Ravageur by FM, vintage Dune or Chanel Coco. I’m imagining this is due to the popularity of amber and powdery notes in their younger years that stuck with them through the rest of their life. It is also slightly soapy, nonetheless this would be a tough wear today in an age of florals and vanillas. On the matter of do I think this is the scent that would embody “Alamut”? Maybe, my grandfather was a huge bookworm and I’m sure in his old, dusty bookcase filled with old books this would have been on the shelf. But in my mind, Alamut is something way more dark, way more stuffy, way more indolic. It would be filled with incense, balsam and amber, but in the same vintage way this sample is. There would be a dark and unsettling undertone that makes you reluctant to reach for it. Overall, you have to be really into this scent profile to enjoy it. Vintage perfumery is my beloved genre, not because I like to wear them but because they transport me throughout time and keep memories alive. If you do not share the same sentiment, this scent profile is hard to like.

The initial top notes release a cool blend of floral and powdery scents, creating a perfume reminiscent of a bygone era. As time passes, the white flower and green notes gradually fade, giving way to the woody essence of sandalwood with a lipidic touch. This particular fragrance bears a resemblance to the olfactory experience found in "Voyage Sur La Route d'Udaipur" by La Sultane de Saba, although the specific composition remains unknown to me. Alamut's lingering scent endures for a considerable duration. The initial floral phase exhibits a strong diffusion, but as time progresses, the diffusion weakens, which is noteworthy. Interestingly, towards the end, during the transition to the previously mentioned lipidic and sandalwood notes, the diffusion strengthens once again. I recommend Alamut for those who appreciate vintage oriental floral fragrances.

The kind of fragrance that transforms you into a character. Where's my kohl eyeliner? A very red fragrance indeed. I can't say I have smelled an oriental like it, and I have smelled a lot of orientals. I can't even really describe it. I'm not even sure if I like it or not. It's spicy, dusty, a tiny bit sweet, graphite, powdery musk. Definitely unisex. I think this is the type of fragrance that has to grow on you.

Opens powdery and ambery with floral hints It has vintage vibes with the soapy qualities There are different white flowers and rose that are light and airy and very powdery In the base there is dry sandalwood and soft musk Overall it's very clean and gentle but i personally don't see myself wearing it as it's very vintage or old-fashioned