Jamil

According to the poetry of love of the Banu 'Udhra it isn’t rare for a man who has fallen in love with a woman to die for he burns and is consumed wholly, body and soul. The image of beauty that forms his solitary memory finds no distraction or relief through the desert heat and sands - to an extent that even prayers would go unheard for the unsuccessfully seeker of the veiled beauty. The story of Jamil ibn Ma'mar, a poet of Madina, and his obsession for Lady Buthayna, is that of an eternal and unhappy and unconsumated love affair that would take over his life. This sentimental romance would involve courtship, abandonment, desperate farewells and returns, suffering and nobility of spirit. For Jamil, love is the whole of life, and sung with an infinite variety of tones as he cries out: “My bosom friend, in your whole life, have you ever seen a slain man weep for love of his slayer, as I do?” (Perhaps they should not have called it Stockholm Syndrome after all?) The fragrance opens with a prominent, sweet-spicy and earthy clove note, which is counterbalanced by the bitter-sweet red fruits and the sour/fresh green apple compote. An ambivalent very sweet rose de Mai blossoms in the centre of the composition. Yet surrounding the rose is a metallic accord (perhaps from the fruity acidity pairing with or corroding the clove note) as if to sabotage poor Jamil's efforts by driving a dagger right through his suffering heart. Jamil continues to shift and as it starts to dry down a musky-powdery lone orris root adds further melancholy and solitude. Woody and earthy notes emerge to surround the floral heart. Whilst cistus and oppoponax add a final and intense burst of sweetness and life to the rose, which is further enhanced by a booziness provided by the fruitchouli, vetiver and cashmere wood add once again an earthy and dry feel to the composition as the rose's outer petals start to turn grey and die away just as the centre begins to shine at its brightest. Jamil is a contrasting, dynamic, beautiful yet melancholic scent that is a very interesting olfactory creation inspired by the Arab poet's life. It’s an Eau Fine, not Nektar, concentration - so outside the SoOud world this probably means somewhere between EdT and EdP levels. 3 sprays provided 8 hours of life with average projection and an interesting spicy and sweet/sour sillage. It's not entirely dissimilar to SHL's Rose de Petra and lovers of spicy, dry rose scents with a fable for Arab/Persian poetry should give this a try.

SoOud scents are experiments from Stephane Humbert Lucas. I wish this one was available in an extrait as it doesn't last as long as I would want it, Nevertheless, I am captivated by it and am very glad to have the full bottle. I agree that it starts out with a synthetic quality but then the rose and fruit notes settle in while eventually the base notes appear and it contains the notes that readers have listed in previous reviews. Some might think this presages Humbert's latest scents in his eponymous brand. But the rose and fruit notes seem ripe an suite and far from synthetic. It is not a masterpiece, but it is wonderful as a day scent in warm weather. Unisex, with moderate silage and moderate longevity. Just right for the warm days in my city. If you can find a sample you should get one before you go for a whole bottle.

Please update the notes Top Notes: Pink Pepper, Wild Red fruits, Green Apple, Clove Heart Notes: Rose of May, Rose Essence and Superessence, Cistus, Opoponax, Orris Base Notes: Patchouli, Vetiver, Musk, Amber Accord, Cashmere Wood

I had a bottle of this and sold it after a couple of wearings. I just couldn't understand the plasticky accord in it. It smelt so synthetic to me and not in a good way. Reminded me of an old drawer full of crayons, scraps of paper, rusty scissors, and a hard pencil eraser. That was the image I got out of this perfume. Hard pass.

Correct notes! Top Notes: Pink Pepper, Wild Red fruits, Green Apple, Clove Heart Notes: Rose of May, Rose Essence and Superessence, Cistus, Opoponax, Orris Base Notes: Patchouli, Vetyver, Musk, Amber Accord, Cashmere Wood