As Sawira

Penhaligon's does oud. Yes, I rolled my eyes and groaned too. I was wrong to do so. Not only did As Sawira turn out to be better than I could ever have imagined, it is also one of the better westernised oud fragrances I’ve come across. A couple of things to note. Levantium, another offering from the Trades Routes collection, shares many of the same notes but is fresher and more floral in outlook. It’s pretty good in its own right but with ylang-ylang and peach replaced by carnation and labdanum, As Sawira is the superior fragrance: better blended, more rounded and, for want of a better word, meatier. Second, As Sawira is played with a straight bat. You’re not getting an inventive take on oud; balance and refinement are key instead. The oud note itself is very good, with depth and dimension that is hard to credit, especially for what almost certainly is a synthetic variant. It’s at once medicinal, sour, bitter, smoky and almost oily (in addition to being woody, of course) and even imparts a touch of rot. The lead attraction still needs able backup, however, and the rest of As Sawira’s composition isn't found wanting. Saffron and myrrh bookend the fragrance, a recognition of fine spice and resin bartered off as luxurious commoditites in seaports of yore. Davana and wormwood represent the swirling fumes of rum, whiskey and absinthe (and the salty sailor). The florals don’t interfere much but their presence is a pacifying nod in the direction of decorum. Labdanum is nicely rendered, adding hints of incense and leather. The fragrance’s transitions are modest. You’re getting pretty much the same aromas albeit in adjusted proportions. Only right at the end does the oud lose its potency, joined by sandalwood, cedar (a little ho-hum) and barely sweet amber. Longevity is at least 8 hours on my skin, but projection is below average for an EDP. Don't expect a powerhouse. With As Sawira, Penhaligon’s have struck it rich. Edited: for brevity and also because my enthusiasm has waned a little in the interim. I still find it to be a fine fragrance, nonethless.

1:45 - Morning perfume died, giving this one a try. Opens with a heavy saffron in a woodsy note (not the oud yet) and myrrh. Amusingly, before I looked at the notes, the floral brought to mind carnations but now that I think about it, I can't be sure I know what carnations even smell like. Five minutes later and it's getting more oud-y and myrrh-y, which I'm totally down for. I can smell the bergamot but I'm pretending I can't on the hope that it'll feel ignored and fade into the background. It has a bad habit of going aggressively masculine on me. Smells better on my clothes than on my skin, which is kinda awesome because it smells pretty wonderful on my skin. On my clothes it has that strangely addictive, want to bury my nose in it but it also smells like gasoline, thing that some scents have. On my skin, the amber is quickly establishing dominance. 4 - I've never had something smell so completely differently on my skin than on my clothes. Honestly, the dry down on my skin is now boring. It rapidly went through several delightful phases on the way to a pleasantly light amber with a tinge of not-oud wood. Nothing offensive or bad, and a step above "meh", but nothing to write home about. On my clothes it's a robust oud-rose and still gorgeous. I want this in some sort of sachet to make all my clothes smell like this all the time. It's much cleaner smelling than most of the oud-rose perfumes I come across, almost herbal. some point later - it's now my third day straight wearing this. I think it might be addictive. Also, getting compliments so guess it isn't just me? Sometimes it comes across as an amber and patchouli combo, sometimes an oud and rose. Super comforting in cold weather.

I’m so glad that this is still easy to find, but also see why it was discontinued. To me this scent is almost pure saffron which is something I had been looking for for ages, but if you’re not obsessed with saffron this probably won’t be too exciting. It’s a really creamy comforting saffron, and to me I find that all the other notes blend together really nicely to form a base for the saffron without standing out themselves. When I look at the notes I can get a bit of rose and oud which stay in the background. I love these notes but I am wary about them as I have so many fragrances where rose and oud overpower everything else, but that’s not the case with this one. The myrrh gives it an incensey smell but not smokey at all, so I think that’s where I get the smooth, slightly sweet creaminess from along with the amber. The floral notes make this a bit lighter and more like something you’d want to smell of, rather than just a spice cupboard. I always get compliments on this and it seems to project really far and lasts a long time too. Overall, pure saffron made smooth, warm, incensey and slightly sweet. A great performer, unisex and would smell amazing on anyone. 10/10 and an instant favourite.

Although Sawira looks like Laventium a lot, it is more intensive and the quality is more. Sawira lasts more than Laventium and projects more. I suppose that Sawira is a richer version of Laventium. Sawira is limited and is a better choice in comparison with Laventium.Sawira has a rich scent of Oud and Saffron which have made it a luxury and nice perfume for all seasons. اس ساویرا بسیار مشابه لاونتیوم است منتها غنی تر و کیفیت پرفیوم بالاتری داره انگار تمام اون شدت عوودی لاونتیوم تا حدودی بالانس شده پخش و ماندگاری ساویرا از لاونتیوم بیشتره و میشه یه نسخه بسیار غنی از لاونتیوم دانست در حال حاظر فروش و تعداد تولید (لمیتد)ساویرا آین شاهکار پنهالیگن محدوده ولی قطعا انتخاب بهتری است در مقایسه با لاونتیوم .. ساویرا عوود و زعفرانش بسیار بالاس خوبی داره و میتونه یه کار بسیار شیک و بیآزار برا تمام فصول استفاده بشه میتونم لاونتیوم رو ای دی پی و در مقابلش اس ساویرا رو پرفیوم خالص درنظر گرفت ساویرا تولیدش مجدوده وبسختی پیدا میشه سمپل ارجینال جهت تست موجود است

First impression here, As Sawira open strong and amazing, the Oud is very balanced and smells like the good Oud we use in Arabia. I smelled Levantium before, but it didn't catch my heart as As Sawira. Now it does smell really good, but I can't be sure about longevity and projection as of now. My past experience with Levantium was not so great in terms of projection quality and lasting. So I am hoping I get more from As Sawira. Being in Penhaligon's is always amazing, the sale staff are always generous when you are curious and they are well knowledged (Kudos Edinburgh branch). I got my sample and I will be smelling it for the coming days and might come back to update my review if i see it necessary. Would i buy it as of now? No, i got many other Oud based fragrances and I don't feel like getting As Sawira. But i highly recommend taking a trip to the nearest branch to give it a try.