Folklory Al Ward Green

I'm so loving this. Including the toe curl inducing first blast. Perfumery has an incredibly powerful association effect, this took me back to my arabic / oud phase and a bunch of random memories from circa 5 years ago came flooding back - it's like a time warp. This is gorgeous totally full bottle worthy. The oud is subtle but present, more of a sweet feminine (but powerful) take on oriental flavours - honeyed exotic rose. Definitely has that mysterious lady in a burka pulling a streak of "what in the delicious heavenly oudy gods name is she wearing" vibe. I also smell a sweet realistic patchouli. I'm definitely going to have to buy this. That bottle too! Gorgeous. Wrecking my brain because I know I have smelled this already - or at least very close to it - few years ago in a sample. It was niche and expensive for sure. I will note it if it comes to mind! Edit: I think what it reminds me of is the oud rose aspects of Oud Ispahan but without the overpowering "gasoline" aspect of the oud. (So more subtle oud) Also the resinous sweet aspects of Ambre 35 Berry without the waxy candle aspect. Also, the patch I smell (not listed but very present) is like the one in L'ombre Fauve. Oh nooo. This is not a laster. I've had to respray 3 times in a few hours. :/ *sobs*

A shockingly sweet opening which reminded me of JOOP! and had me frantically tapping the ‘dislike’ button. BUT luckily that dies-down after 10 minutes and then (although it remains still too sweet for me) I end up deciding that this is okay. It’s resinous, ambery and complex and I’m sure many of you will find this very interesting. The benzoin is delicious but there’s definitely a large scoop of vanilla here. This is quite the powerhouse, worthy of further investigation. Just remember to ignore the toe-curling initial blast.

It's a pleasure to be the first to write a review on this beauty, although I'm not qualified enough to describe all nuances of it's notes. It's very powdery on me and not quite as warm and sweet as I expected, actually, the green colour fits here perfectly: all the notes listed above are true but they create a somewhat unexpected impression with the powdery freshness. I think cardamom must be that unusual note that makes this composition so interesting: a little bt scratchy, maybe? This is not a really smoky scent, only a faint hint of incensey oud is detectable for me, and I suspect that tobacco is present as well. HOney is there and blended beautifully. I smell something dry, green and soapy, and maybe vanillia, too, but oud is only hidden in the backgound, no barnyardy smell at all. It's not really that typical Arabian darkness and mysteriousness I thought it would be, but it's absolutely very unique. When sniffing it from close (wrist) it resembles a little bit of an imaginal modernized Shalimar (no citruses and leather, but some bitterness). Packaging: The outer box is huge, the inner one is unusual and suits the perfume well, the bottle itself is heavy, made of china perhaps? Luxurious looking, not cheap at all, neither is the perfume itself. Edit: After a few hours of wearing I was sure it reminds me of something.... and it's Desnuda! Of course, Desnuda is fruitier but the drydown is very similar: dry and lots of powder.