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.

To be honest, As Sawira does smell similar to Levantium but more balsamic, floral and the notes are more balanced and much rounder. Maybe because of the higher fragrance concentration, as an EDP instead EDT, I found it took a much longer time for the scent to fully develop comparing to Levantium and that actually worked better on my cooler than average skin. For some unknown reasons, both As Sawira and Levantium are selling at the same price (HK$1,700) in Hong Kong although As Sawira is selling for £150/100ml at Penhaligon's site, which is £30 more expensive than Levantium. Although these two fragrances are similar and I already have Levantium, as it was such a rare deal, I could not resist but got myself a bottle of this gorgeous scent. Besides, the box of this fragrance is made of real wood and more beautifully made comparing to any other Penhaligon's fragrances.

It's tragic that this oud-for-oud-skeptics scent did not take off. Powdery and deep, As Sawira blends oud with a variety of spices and florals while never diminishing that central ingredient. The saffron opener is jaw-dropping and the dry down to myrrh, amber, and labdanum makes it feel decadent. So many fragrances belabor oud, positioning it as the stand-out – often only – recognizable note. As Sawira, however, makes oud the soloist of an outstanding ensemble. With all of these moving parts, it does strike me as an "older" perfume, and I understand why people find it a generic, dated fragrance. I, however, read it as a welcome return to a by-gone era of fragrance when we embraced complexity in our scents. Unfortunately, since it's discontinued, it looks like I will have to make my bottle last.

Cold weather is starting to build up and I always reach out to my warm oriental fragrances to keep me warm and As Sawira is one of them. As Sawira for me is pure Oriental. Some reviews are too critical with As Sawira, I myself find it comforting and warm. This fragrance is something you have to wait to evolve, the first spray is strong but it simply mellows down to deep floral and woodsy notes. Great longevity and mellow silage. Sometimes you just need people to get close enough to notice your perfume, it makes the scent more intriguing. ....but one must consider never to over indulge in spraying oriental fragrances like this.

Why oh why must this beauty be discontinued? What a lovely scent of oud rose saffron myrrh that left me wanting more. Everything seemed so perfect. Penhaligon doesn’t have anything as wonderful as this in its current line so why not bring this beauty back?

If anyone has this fragrance and is willing to sell it, please message me

As Sawira was a greatly anticipated fragrance for me but has failed to deliver slightly just based on the note breakdown I was expecting. I should've known really with Penhaligon's scents it's all about the blend and they are seldom heavy with one note. I was hoping for tons of saffron, myrrh, oud, amber etc... and although it contains these rich ingredients they are blended into obscurity. Don't get me wrong this is a great smelling fragrance, really, really excellent and I would be lavishing praise on it had I not smelled and subsequently bought Levanthium at the back end of last year. They are just different enough, but still extremely similar I get a mixture of florals and rose with oud and woods. Very elegant and delicately put together and vaguely reminiscent of Tom Ford Noir de noir. The main difference here is that the woodiness and oud has been amped up slightly and the whole thing just comes over slightly more masculine and oud focused that Levantium. If they were the same price I might have been kicking myself that I didn't wait for this one (had I known they would be quite similiar.) however I feel slightly vindicated as this is considerably more expensive at £150 for 100ml's. For this reason I don't think you are getting quite the value compared to other oud/rose and high end luxury scents that are out there for the same price. I can't fault Penhaligon's on the fragrances themselves because they smell great and are inventively blended (especially the men's) but this one has let me down slightly just because I was expecting something magical and the results were just okay. Lasting power is good but so is Levantium I'm happy with that and it's slightly more herbal, sourness.

Opens HARD and really disjointed. Over the top saffron dominates and the bergamot comes up almost sour. It takes about an hour to settle in but when it does the florals come through and it’s gorgeous. The dry down is even better: good quality Oud and incesce that’s more spicy than sweet. Very nicely done. After wearing it a few times I can say that the key to this fragrance is to apply it moderately to lightly... no more than two or three sprays. Over application will take it from beautiful to sickening really quick. On my fragrance sucking skin I get a good 8 hours and sillage is a decent arms length. Reading the reviews makes me think folks might be over applying before it has a chance to air out and open up. While it isn’t my FAVORITE fragrance it totally deserves a slot in the cooler weather rotation as one of the nicest orientals out there. And if you like a mellow Oud in a spicy incense fragrance that smells manly without making you smell like a church, a headshop, or a Greek bakery you will love this one.

Very floral. Notes of rose; geranium, it's green and powdery with lemon citrus aromas. Smells "Oriental," has incense and something a little narcotic, I thought poppy but the note breakdown would suggest labdanum. Spices, musk, more citrus, some bitter vanilla. Rose note intensifies and is quite spiky, scent becomes very powdery. Lemon is still present, maybe lime and grapefruit too? Notes of lemonade detectable before something herbaceous develops (sage?) On the skin it's surprisingly zesty with prominent citrus notes. Performance is good, projection about 2 feet and lasts on skin for around 10+hrs. Unisex, possibly leaning feminine, but not too much. Fine all year night or day. Too much for the office though. Has a touch of maturity, best for someone 28+. At times it reminded me of vintage "YSL Opium for women," (but that was unisex in IMO.) Overall a complex Middle Eastern style fragrance that's both refined and memorable.

This is the first oud, I liked. Honestly, oud is just not my thing. My husband is also suspicious to this note, especially after trying Bond's "New York Oud" on his skin:) Oud is like boring classic literature for me. I know, that this is praised, full-bodied, a must try, trendy, etc, etc, I agree, I nod my head and go back to my beloved florals. But I suddenly liked As Sawira. Immediately. It is so earthy, dry, balmy, woody...ahhh. I guess I can even love oud, made like this. It is quite intense and it stays with me for at least 4 hours, even though I use a miniature splash bottle. I don't think I would get a big bottle with a sprayer, this could be too much for me. But I love Penhaligon's mini-bottles, the cap allows to apply a just right amount of perfume onto the skin. So it's a big like for me personally, but still, as most of the oud-perfumes, not a safe blind buy.

Having limited experience with oud, I feel that I want to smell more of this type. As Sawira seems to scream. There is no way that people around you won't smell this. That oud scent is so strong that it could be nauseating. I squirt the tiniest amount and still smell it a bit the next day. Also, this scent makes me sneeze. If its a chemical oud, I must be allergic. I haven't decided if it smells good...but it's definitely bold.

Oud and saffron opening are not that charming and gives you eastern vibes. I wish the carnation is more prominent than oud. After 2-3 hours, myrrh with a dash of rose and jasmine is lush and goes for another 3 hours. Performance is OK. Acts just like an EDT. 1-2 hours of projection and 6 plus hours longevity. No idea about sillage. If it was without oud, I'd consider purchasing it.

Oud, rose, and myrrh in the main, the dry down has some labdanum but the oud and rose remain constantly the most obvious scents on my skin. It's nice, and I do like wearing the sample I have, but it's not a love from me worthy of buying a full bottle. Moderate sillage (arm's length) and lasts around 6h.

Una rosa fumosa interessante ma molto sottile. Profumo senza sillage nè proiezione. Permane un leggero skinscent smoky, bello ma impalpabile. Una rosa sommessa, avvolta in volute di fumo lievissime. Un velo di oud, zafferano e labdano non pervenuti. Nebbioso, crepuscolare, evanescentissimo.

A woody spicy chypre that evokes the Middle Eastern Trade Routes. A bit too sweet and overdone in my humble opinion but it has good projection and sillage.

The opening is too much and I initially wrote it off, but the dry down is lovely and smells just like some perfumed oud chips I have.