Nejma 4

This is my second day in a row wearing this. A rarity for me but it's really rewarding the time spent. It opens up with a strong carnation note which reminds me of a vintage Guerlain, I'm not sure which, l'Heure Bleu? On me this is mostly a ylang ylang perfume, big, fat, buttery and delicious ylang with a vintage presentation. I think LittleRed nails it - what vintage would smell like new. I don't get any oud at all, thankfully. I think that what I'm experiencing as an animalic aspect is a beautifully blended oud note. It kind of drove me crazy a bit as I kept thinking it smelled like something else. First I thought, Mitsouko, then it was l'Heure Bleu, then 24 Faubourg at which point I lost it completely and thought Odalisque and Divine before realizing that Nejma 4 has carved out a little space of it's own at the nexus of all these amazing floral fragrances. My experience with the sillage and longevity was a bit confusing. It kept disappearing and reappearing unexpectedly hours later. I thought it was gone and put on some Angelique Noire, which is a very strong fragrance. In the morning though I smelled again of Nejma 4. This is a very well done if not terribly original fragrance. It deserves a better name than "4" Edit: After coming back to this again and again, I've concluded that it's love. It's one of the few fragrances I don't fear overspraying. Not because it isn't strong - it's fearsomely strong. But, because it's perfect at any level or concentration.

I've decided to leave a second review because since I posted my first one I have fallen completely in love with this one. I doubt I will ever again be a one perfume woman. But, if I were, this would be my signature. The first few times I wore this I was so distracted by all the tugs at my memory and trying to figure out what on earth this smelled like, was it 24 Faubourg? Mitsouko? Giorgio? Dioressence? that I missed out on how gorgeous it is. I've decided that it smells like all of those and none of them. It has the upright, somewhat haughty bone structure of a fifties chypre and the plush, slightly overdone padding of an 80s floral oriental all the while smelling completely au courant. It is both green and yellow for those of you who see fragrances as colors. Classic and utterly modern. Full of references to other fragrance and utterly and uniquely itself. Most of all, it is beautiful.

NEJMA 4 is from another era! First I was a bit assaulted by strong geranium and carnation together with loads of bergamot. I automatically assumed this is going to smell a bit out dated, but then narcissus got to my nose! Oh my god! The beauty of narcissus in NEJMA 4 is simply stunning! I love the flower it self and I was yet to find such a beautiful interpretation. Unfortunately it does stand in the background, but I still it was the reason for me to keep exloring NEJMA 4. The drydown gets back to being a bit too oldschool for me. It dries down to somewhat powdery yet very clean/soap - like vintage scent. It has lots of oakmoss in the mix giving this a very powdery/sharp accord on the clean base. Lasting power - excellent, survived even a shower. Radiates very stronlgy. This is my firs try of house of Nejma and I can say I'm eager to explore further.

Heady and robustly sweet. This is identical to an old Aveda scent- one of the Key Elements. I'm not sure which one, but this would be a more intense version of it. I really liked it at first, but as I wore it it became too much for me. It's so saturated and it just doesn't dry down.

This is a very nice, classic spicy floriental similar to Opium, but for this price you might as well get the richer Opium lol This is still my second favorite out of the seven though, and my first is #2.