Roi d'Orient

Have you ever been to a Rituals store? Pity! Yes, because entering one of their shops is like visiting a Turkish Bath & Hammam Spa in Marrakech or Istanbul. The soft lights, the display shelves, the relaxing colours, and the smells transport you to the ancestral rituals of Morocco. And so I let this temptation attract me, and I walked around the shop, browsing products to care for the body and perfume the home, until I found myself in front of the exhibitor of the perfume collection, the Iconic Collection as they call it. They display each essence with the only large 50ml size flanked by its colourful box and surrounded by 15ml travel-size mini bottles. That’s all? No, there is more. Next to each perfume, there is a plate describing the olfactory family and three keynotes, and a small glass bell housing a disc of porous material, a sort of ceramic coin. The disc is used to spray the tester and savour the essence. I know that the verb to savour means to enjoy a food or drink by holding it in your mouth to taste it for a long time and make the sensation more pleasant, but the art of savouring the world with your nose is a unique and indescribable experience. That said, I went through all the tags one by one, focusing on the ones whose notes sounded good on my strings. Although at least five had caught my attention, only two of these were love at first sight. I’m talking about Eau d’Orient and Roi d’Orient. Are you curious to know what sensations these fragrances give me? Read on and I’ll try to interpret them. But, before I dive into the fragrances, I want you to know that you can buy two travel-size items for just €25, which is perfect for testing before buying. To some extent, the scent is even more graceful than the "Oriental Essence - Elixir d'Orient / Eau d'Orient | Rituals" and retains dusty, nutty, and smoky undertones as well as spicy and musky tones. Roi d’Orient unfurls with a blast of amber atmospheres. In the initial mix, I get an unexpected anise and liquorice vibe, which is stronger than the mentioned spicy white pepper. A feeble citrusy from the bergamot is present but does not make the opening too harsh. It gets more and more powdery while approaching the heart. The cologne reveals nutty and rosy edges, with a nougat subtlety and sweet amber hints. The more it grows, the more I get the lipstick vibe of the iris, buttery and powdery. I guess the nose behind this cologne went heavy with the Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone molecule, but in a good way. That powdery edge lingers until the end of the perfume’s lifetime. Finally, when the scent dries down, it turns a tinge sweet, with spicy and powdery coumarin from vanilla pods or tonka beans, another hidden note that is pretty clear in the output. Although the fragrance features musk on the base, I get more of the leathery facet, which I do not dislike at all. If I have to match it with another renowned cologne, I would choose Valentino Uomo or Dior Homme, perhaps closer to the former. It is forceful and gentle at the same time. The robustness of its format makes Roi d’Orient suitable for fall and winter months, and better during evening and night out. It is so elegant, intriguing, and refined. That’s all for now. I liked this gem, and can’t wait to try the latest fragrance added to the collection, "L'Essentiel | Rituals". I base my opinion and review on a travel bottle I have owned since October 2022.

This perfume is absolutely spectacular for the price. I have smelled various amber perfumes but specifically this one is amazing, there is just something about the opening that is so captivating, and the dry down is just as good. Maybe it has something to do with my skin, but it sits so well on me. It blends perfectly with my skin and I have definetly used it multiple times in combination with musk bakhoor and it compliments so well. You can use this for layering with other stuff, but you can also use it as a perfume on its own. The amber is so amazing and I absolutely love this hidden gem, comes at a great price of only 60£ for 50ml. My only issues? The longetivity and the projectivity. I feel that this does not last very long, at most 6 hours. The projectivity as well is not that outstanding, I have definetly received compliments for this perfume but it feels like the sillage literally dies after the third or fourth hour. After that, it's only noticebale if you really pay attention to it at close proximity. To be honest, the longetivity, I can live with, but this seriously needs better projectivity, that's the only thing that's holding this perfume back from being my personal all time top 3. As for the gender, this perfume is quite obviously male oriented, I would disadvice women from wearing it. People seem to be in unison that this perfume is a winter/autumn perfume, however I disagree. I think it is very well applicable even for summer weather, however can be a bit too bold the first hour. If used in combination with something more light, this could be the perfect layering to use for a summer perfume. In conclusion, this perfume is a masterpiece. The sharp top notes in the opening are wonderful, it captivates me everytime, and the drydown in itself is a complete wonder. If you love amber as much as myself, do not hesitate to try this at your local rituals store wherever that may be. This is my personal definition of a hidden gem, beyond astonishing.

I bought a bunch of these in a travel format during the winter sale this year as I've heard great things. Well, quality presentation. Minimalist, as is the entire brand. I dig it. Dior level atomizers on a product priced this low has already endeared me to them and all of the bath/cosmetic products seem awesome as well. I'm slowly falling in love with this brand. Onto the scent! This is Valentino Uomo without the hazelnut note (or Dior Homme without the cacao note). Should I go further? I wouldn't say it's a clone but it's pretty darn close. Since Uomo is discontinued, this could easily sub for it as it's extremely similar, even in quality. Iris and amber bomb through and through. As it dries down it deviates from the aforementioned two and does it's own thing with a bit of a musky nature that's slightly animalic. Fret not though, this is not a "dirty" scent by any means. Quite clean and powdery. That surprised me though! Definitely has that resinous yet soapy lipstick vibe that has become such a popular DNA. At this price point I was expecting Zara level quality (not great, not terrible) but this is actually an amazing fragrance. Performance on this is better than the Valentino and I've never given the OG Dior a full wearing. About 6-7 hours of longevity, projects well for about 2. Detectable but close after that. The quality of the scent is fantastic so at this price point, I think you're splitting hairs if you're looking for DHI levels of performance. This, like it's brethren, is pretty versatile. Maybe not in high heat but suitable for the office, a date, a formal evening in all climates except a hot humid day. Summer nights may even be acceptable. If you're going to prescribe an age range or whatever, this fits in whatever range you might say for DHI or VU. Meaning, pretty versatile again, to me. I don't think you can go wrong here for the price and I find myself very interested in trying anything this brand has to offer.

This is a very intriguing fragrance! I do not think there are only three components here which amber, white pepper and musk. Perhaps these three scents transforms this fragrance into very cool and warm scent in one bottle. There is a green, zesty opening to this fragrance and then the powdery element of the white pepper comes out after 10-20 minutes. After an hour the amber predominantly holds the fragrance together but the white pepper lingers. There is a sweet element in this fragrance, not too much, just enough for it to be mysterious. It has a smokey quality to it as well. It lasts on my skin for a good 5-6 hours with moderate projection but the heat amplifies the fragrance. This fragrance for me is unisex, I suppose it depends on who is wearing it, very much like a chameleon I should say.

Many seem to be of the opinion that this is too masculine for women to wear, but this is one of my favorite scents - daresay, my signature. If anything, I'd suggest it is a men's fragrance that leans feminine. A man needs presence to wear this rich and sophisticated gender-bender. You know the devil in The VVitch? He smells like this. And he lives deliciously. On me, this is a dark, moody amber with a beguilingly subtle spice. A dark, inky night enlivened by a sparking, smoky fire. A beacon in the dark, over which one may be enticed to sell their soul.