Nesnas Qareen

Devilishly good. And what a sweet little otherwordly creature it is! Maniacally intense, fiendishly clever, fiercely weird, puckishly amusing. A firecracker - and mysterious shapeshifter too, flipping and flitting back and forth between its two facets like one of those spinning-disc optical illusions which show you two entirely different faces at once. Despite its strength and other-worldliness, it doesn't really want to scare you, much less beat you to a pulp; it wants to tease, toy with and perplex you. I can almost hear Prin Lomros cackling with gleeful devilry as Nesnas crackles through its gears. Very much an attention-seeker, in the most provocative and charming way. It's pure mischief and havoc. First there is the no-compromise smoke beast - neither woodsmoke nor cigarette, but something much darker: ashy, charcoaly, pitch-black and carbonised grey, almost noxious, but still bewitching. Maybe gunpowder? If you hate smokiness you'll loathe it - this is in the Zoologist T-Rex league when it comes to fiery mayhem. But then comes its alter ego, as a full dessert plate of Mideastern delights, with apricot, dates, halva and cinnamon all present and very much correct. Wafts of beautiful resins round out the whole picture. I don't smell much similarity with Ma Nishtana (to me, a much calmer, mellower, more relaxing wear than the impish caper this is); this one is a jump-scare thrill-ride not much like anything else I've ever smelled. Its sheer audacity makes me laugh out loud. An odd duck indeed but a fiercely brilliant one. (And one final paradox to top off the general chaos: while it's huge at first, reaching way across a room, its sillage shrinks surprisingly quickly on skin, dying down to an ambery ember within 2 hours or so; the afterlife is quieter, hanging on with the same smoke/sweet mix, but more privately. You can still resurrect it, of course, with a respray bringing it back to outrageous, uproarious life for the rest of the day. Muuahahahaha!)

Not sure what people are complaining about. An incredibly beautiful oriental and balsamic perfume that is, yes, a little on the ashy/smoky side, but so perfect in its presentation. One of my all-time loves so far, because of its ability to be beautiful and edgy at the exact same time. Would probably suit those who are familiar with smoke, ashes, and yes: beauty. Then again, good luck finding it. Muahahaha. Prin, you devil. For the curious, it's a little like Ma Nishtana without the clove, with added thickness.

A smoky leathery Floriental with distinct gourmand facets, this beautifully composed fragrance is an ode to a mythical middle eastern half man half beast monster that breathes fire. The perfume opens with strong notes of leather and spices, prominently cinnamon and nutmeg. The heart has both floral and gourmand aspects including rose, saffron flower, dates, apricots, tobacco and a halva ( middle eastern dessert) accord. The perfume settles on a powdery ashy note with incense, accords of fire and ash, labdanum, and elemi resin. Gorgeously blended, extremely unique unisex fragrance with moderate to strong projection and good lasting power. Enjoy!

Having inspired by the NESNÁS folklore is interesting, but to me, this scent transports me to a local sacred Thai-Chinese Buddhist temple during significant religious days where there are ritualistic practices that generate a dense mystical cloud of holy smoke as well as incense ash swirling all around in the air and filling the atmosphere. However, the smoke I get is not only from the above but also from a strong whiff of black carbon from waste burning five blocks away from the temple. Very realistic in the strangest way. The leather here amplifies its bitterness even more rather than primarily giving leathery accord. I feel dates and balsamic facet act as a saving grace and actually affirm the smell of 'the Chinese-mixed Buddhist temple' instead of those very traditional authentic Thai Buddist ones (which is more Bois d'Ascese by Naomi Goodsir). I bet Prin the owner would at least partly agree with my take on this ;)))

This definitely fulfils the brief of representing a demon... maybe even a little too well. The first time I smelled Nesnas Qareen I hated it. The second time I liked it.. and the third time, I disliked it again. I don't know what to say but the nice and distasteful elements just clash too much. I can't accept the ash note that dominates the composition and is very reminiscent of a chain smoker woman (in kind words) who has been cooped up all day in a dingy den doing the devil's work. 100% score for artistic vision and execution, but this is not the most appealing or wearable of perfumes... Perhaps on the right skin combo?