Layali CPO

When I read the notes for this I was thinking what will an Arabic take on a fruity scent be? It's pretty much what I expected in some respects but I'm also glad there's not a hint of rose or oud or the usual stuff that despite not being listed, can loom large. The opening is a turbo charged explosion of fruits, mainly plum, dark berries and blackcurrant but some exotic smell too, perhaps coming from the ylang ylang and jasmine. Layali is a upbeat and uplifting scent which instantly reminded me of my childhood and specifically a leisure centre where I used to do martial arts. It wasn't the sweat, rubber mats and chlorine though but maybe some sweets I had in the foyer or the slush puppy machines and canteen area...I don't actually know? but it's always fascinating when fragrance can transport you back to a time you'd buried deep in your subconscious. Anyway...the thing which makes this fragrance is the olfactory nosedive it takes as it settles down, very clever and totally needed to counteract the heady nature of the oriental flowers and strong fruity notes. The element I'm talking about is cumin or a curry spice note which just pokes it's head out, deep into the composition and frankly without it this scent would be nice but nothing to get excited about. It's the same way a fecal or animal note adds to a perfume just giving some shade to all that brightness. Hugely strong to begin with but I actually found it not too strong in the end and performance was good. Layali put me slightly in mind of Enchanted forest and Byredo Pulp due to the blackcurrant and plum notes respectively. Very good stuff though and a excellent flacon, an interesting blind buy that I thankfully don't regret because to me it's not a perfume taking itself too seriously. Layali is a bit of fun.

Layali is the dusk of a tumultuous, beautiful day you'd want to hold the most. But no one can stop time, or the beauty of a day. Its unspeakable bliss shapes the slow glide to the twilight . A little melancholy feeling that evening accompanied with a prelude to farewell, slightly aldehydic, a drop of dimness from citrusy and tangy notes. A green ray lies down like a veil on the horizon, and brings nocturnal gardens and flowers bloom. Iris , lily of the valley, roses exude a heady scent before they close their petals for the night . A deep, distant trembling sky is spreading its wings and Venus has risen, and now is awake and high, gazing upon East. As the languid base floats, enhanced by soft notes of amber and musk and soft wood puffs , you will probably be tempted to go to the balcony of an old house, leaning for a while and listening to distant sounds . A tomcat scurries in the dark, only his eyes light up . Basswoods sprinkle their blond party popper in a thick, crumbling carpet where heels sink. Finally you reach a dimmed sofa bed a second before the louring breath of basswoods goes definitively to your head.

fermenting plum, black currant, ylang, neroli, jasmine, oud and ambergris that really come across as a patchouli, cooling mint feeling on skin, no rose because if it was present it would make this jammy, but it's not; very interesting, unique and lovely bottle

Very nice perfume oil reach perfume by Swiss Arabian. Black carnt oring bloom . Jasmin and ylang ylang . And wood

To start of I'll admit that I did buy this mainly for its ultra retro bottle. It really looks like something from the 1920s or maybe even late 19th century even. As for the scent, for me it's mainly sweet plum on a bed of soft roses. It's not sweet or strong enough to really smell like jam. Not very multifaceted, but definitely clean, soft, sweet and soothing. To me it's clearly on the feminine side. Sillage and performance completely depend on temperature with this. Applied inside in the AC it's more of a skin scent on me. If I apply it in the morning and go out into the roaring Mumbai heat it intensifies for an hour or so but then kind of vanishes. However, if I apply it before going out on a 'cooler' Mumbai evening of 25° Celsius (or 77 Fahrenheit) it really performs best, projecting nicely around me and lasting till the end of the night. Generally I found attars perform a bit better if allowed to heat up a bit, but for a soft scent like this too much heat seems to make it fade very fast. I quite like this scent and sometimes really crave it. But I must admit that I wouldn't necessarily repurchase it if it came in any other bottle.