Azalai

I love oranges. Where I live in Northern California we produce the vast majority of orange fruit in the United States, which means you cannot take a drive anywhere without running into an orange orchard. When the orchards are in bloom the aroma is enough to make your knees buckle underneath you. The flowers are pollinated in the spring months where they will spend the summer and most of the fall producing orange fruit that is typically ready for harvest in the winter. I have many wonderful memories of being bundled up against the fall and winter wind chills, strolling through orange orchards, and finding ripe owaris, Valencias, and bloods bursting with oils and juice. Azalai effortlessly transports me there. Curiously though, Azalai has a lot more to do with acacia than with orange but Hemmendorff is clearly a nose that truly understands how things “smell”. The very obvious orange citrus opening perfectly links to crystalline fruit and a hay-like and floral saffron before going to an acacia accord that is beautifully honeyed and smells of orange blossom. It’s such an effortless, obvious, and beautiful movement. Surrounding these notes are smooth amberic balsams and a creamy lactonic quality that creates supple comfort and a cool dusty feeling. The latter might be the velvione according to the brand’s description, an aromachem I am completely unfamiliar with so I cannot say either way. Floral and citrusy, woody and creamy, pleasantly sweet yet a bit bitter boozy - the balance to this perfume is superb. Azalai is a perfume about smart choices. It strikes as being quite minimalist in that there does not seem to be much to it, but the choices made as to which materials to use are without misstep; as if the formula was created, and then Hemmendorff said “now subtract one material” or asked “which material is unnecessary” - removing anything unnecessary or extra. It is seamless, well thought out, tells a story through good performance, and smells great. Excellent work.

Beguiling bittersweet amber, with arabesques of incense and fruity hookah smoke. My favourite of the Stora Skuggan suite. It’s akin to my favourite Swedish saffron, Byredo’s Black Saffron, but while BlackSaff imagines a sexy nightclub, Azalai imagines a dusky palace from an unplaceable era. This is the first orange I’ve come across that truly reads bloody to me – tart, deep, ruddy. Everything about Azalai feels roseate, like it’s been filtered through stained glass. It’s more candied fruit bazaar than spice market, but the saffron creates a rich, leathery heart and partners beautifully with the blood orange. While the first breath was a bit metallic (maybe that’s where the mint is hiding?) it quickly sunsets into six hours of honeyed dates and apricots. Pure indulgence. No wonder it costs what it does. Mental Snapshot: A hazy, languorous eve at the height of your reign. Your adoring court titters about your dais, while peacocks preen in the half-light and golden-collared tigers loll at your feet. You recline on a tapestry pouf to be handfed peeled grapes by your thralls. “What’s an email?” You ask your seneschal. “Is that like a eunuch?” tl;dr: pure resplendence 🦚🕌

I love this so much. The scent is so good and it changes character several times and all of them are pleasant. The dried fruit notes and incense should really be top notes because I mostly smell them in the opening. As it dries down it gets a smell that shares some similarites with something I smelled from Lush. It is very pleasant. The projection is not large, it is a very safe and mild scent in that sense. It is also very unique 10/10 scent although I suspect i might use up a bottle in no time. It lasts a long time. I am now 7 hours later and I can still smell it although it is a skin scent. If I had a work meeting in a small room I don't think I would bother anyone. It is pleasant and work safe. Maybe it leans a little bit feminine on the drydown. But I sprayed it on my beard and I just been smelling like I just had a pleasant conditioner on it. The opening reminds me of Camel by Zoologist. It is very different, but I think whatever they use as "dried fruits" is probably the same. Someone else here said they could only smell dried fruits in the drydown, but for me it is mostly in the opening. Although it is there all the time.

Okay I have fallen in love with this very quickly today. The notes (especially saffron) are beautiful. But it’s how this has made me feel. After a very long and stressful 10 days or so I’ve felt very calm wearing this. What I love about it is it’s not too loud and in everyone’s face. (Not that I mind crazy spicy perfumes, after all Desert Suave is my signature) (ps this is nothing like Desert Suave) and it’s not a tame perfume. It’s just perfect for a day where you want to smell amazing and enjoy keep smelling your skin. (The amount of times today I’ve just had to get a sniff!!) I am absolutely in love with this and it’s my first from the brand so now I have to get the discovery set. Edit - To say I’ve worn this several times over the past few weeks. This has become my go to if I need something relaxing at night.

Azalai is a heady mix of airy saffron and church incense given levity with a burst of blood orange and sweetened up with dried fruits which give a nod to Thanksgiving and Christmas cake. This would be a great winter warmer for Bon Fire Night, great projection that would cut through the cold dark nights. It starts of bold and firmly unisex but leans further feminine as it dries down. It is reminiscent in its spiced fruitiness of Parfum 1 by Fugazzi, another favourite. This is the first fragrance I have smelled from this house but the combination of notes, coupled with stellar performance has piqued my intrigue in Stora Skuggan.