Almond Harmony

Let's face it: THOO...the bottles are gorgeous. And historically, the fragrances and I do not seem to get along :o) I recently purchased five sizable decants of almond-centric fragrances. And I must say, I really love all five fragrances much more than I hoped! I think I just love a pretty, well-blended almond accord! This is surprising to me because almond is not a note I actually thought I enjoyed (as much as I do). Out of the five and next to Une Nuit Nomade "Chemin d'Amande," THOO "Almond Harmony" is the most gourmand-ish and most realistic almond fragrance from the bunch. The perfume's opening is a slightly bitter melange of bergamot, petitgrain and almond. The opening is strong, noticeable, extremely fresh and green on my skin. I ordinarily dislike green, or fresh opening perfumes. But within 10 minutes, the loveliest, purest, almond paste note punches through. Thankfully, the strong emergence of almond note never rises to the nauseating sweetness of an extract note. The almond accord in Almond Harmony is EXTREMELY dry, dusty and powdery. The almond smells more like almond flour, or almond meal versus almond extract. Almond Harmony is NOT a boozy, or syrupy fragrance. Almond Harmony wears as a very powdery, dusty, arid, dry fragrance. Throughout its wear, the beautiful almond notes become more prominent. Mid-notes of powdery iris and dry florals (heliotrope, ylang-ylang) do emerge but do not overtake the almond notes. The tonka, balsams and musk contribute to a beautiful, comforting, warm drydown. The harmony between all the listed and detectible notes is amazing. The blending makes for a very artistic and lovely perfume. After trying several other almond-centric fragrances, I decided to purchase a full bottle of Almond Harmony! I'm excited 'cause it's that nice!

The best scents from The House of Oud tend to be their creative gourmands (as well as the excellent rose-oud that is Blessing Silence). Almond Harmony - a creative gourmand - is one of my absolute favourites from this house. Almond, when done well, is a cosy, rich yet quiet gourmand note with just the right amount of sweetness. Here, it is complemented to perfection by heliotrope, tonka bean and vanilla, as well as featuring a smooth floral heart. AH is almond-dominant from the opening, with some citric freshness in the background giving it a lift. The green petitgrain in particular is an inspired addition. As it develops, the almond remains dominant while the floral heart slowly comes to the fore. Ylang ylang adds smooth sweetness while heliotrope enhances the almond note with its almond-like floral haziness. Clean, powdery jasmine adds body, and iris and rose round out the powderiness here. Vanilla adds smooth, dry sweetness at the drydown phase, and there is a lovely softly spicy tonka bean note here that marries beautifully with the almond. There is a nice, balsamic amber note in the base too, tying it all together. It fades to a musky almond skin scent eventually. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. Aptly named, this is an excellent almond-centred composition. I'm not usually a gourmand fan, but AH is objectively excellent and very wearable. Feminine-leaning but potentially unisex, depending on taste, AH features just the right amount of sweetness. Cosy, wintertime elegance. 4.5/5.

I'm wearing this on one wrist and Farmacia SS Cara on the other, and I LOVE both of them. They are very similar and I'm having a hard time deciding which I like more as I can only afford one of them right now. Almond Harmony is the type of almond I like: creamy, sweet, with a big dose of heliotrope and vanilla. You get whiffs of Etro Heliotrope in this. Very playdoh on me which I enjoy. There are some differences between AH and Cara. AH is spicier on me, something like a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg. The ylang is blended very well, it's just a touch to add a tiny floral element. Cara is more linear almond, softer, more vanilla and feels girly sweet. Cara smells more like almond confetti to me. The sugary, hard-candy shell is very apparent to my nose. AH leans slightly more unisex, but both are extremely feminine to me. The sillage on AH is a bit stronger too. They are both incredible to me and you probably don't need both, unless you're an almond addict like me. I'm still struggling with which one to buy first. The playdoh notes are stronger in AH and it projects louder that Cara. I'd say go with AH if you want a less linear confetti almond experience, but you can't go wrong with either one.

The reviewer that said the smells like marzipan when first sprayed is 100% spot on. However, it becomes significantly less photorealistic as it mellows and ages. I'm not always a fan of powdery heliotrope, but this has very little of that and much more nutty vanilla. At the point of dry down, it is beautifully complex and has a backbone of floral woody notes to compliment the almonds and sweet vanilla. As it matures, it becomes slightly less sugary and has more of those bitter almond and tonka notes. As I expected based on reading reviews, there's not a lot of projection from this one. However, the tonka/vanilla and slightly powdery almonds is a lovely skin scent that lasts decently. In a way, this is the perfect gourmand for long days and close quarters - as it lasts but it doesn't project much. I can get 8 hours of wear with a generous spraying, it's just never going to project no matter how it's applied (adjust your expectations accordingly). Imo, this is what TF Vanilla Sex was trying for but failed to reach – a slightly sweet, vanilla skin scent that doesn't scream and shout, but provides a lovely experience when up close.

This one’s a beautifully blended perfume. The almond is very strong at the beginning, and remains throughout, albeit slightly subdued. It’s not overly floral or sweet and definitely unisex. My biggest gripe is how quiet this one is, and how it pretty much disappears from my skin after a couple of hours. Expensive niche perfumes have a reputation for their strength, but this one does not last long enough. The sample I received from Luckyscent stung my skin and made it red, which makes me wonder if it has any extra alcohol added (I’ve never experienced this when trying a perfume). It’s a shame, because this one is full bottle-worthy if only it lasted longer! EDIT: I judged this too harshly. I think I overloaded my senses and went nose blind to this, and considered it to have poor performance, but it actually does pretty well. This is the closest thing to my beloved Etro Heliotrope and a quality scent (although it does sting my skin a bit). Almond lovers must try.