Andalusian Soul

Few houses, if any at all, produce bottles that look quite as beautiful, or as elegant, as the ones from the Murano and Murano Exclusive collection from The Merchant of Venice. I don't usually comment on presentation, since it rarely has any impact on the fragrance itself, however there is a deeper reason today than just the fact that they look truly stunning. The scent in question today, Andalusian Soul, comes in a gorgeous glass bottle with shades of orange, red and yellow, evoking a warmth and brightness, that perfectly suits the fragrance itself, reminiscent of the golden Mediterranean sun! Andalusian Soul opens with a powerfully boozy rum accord, but not a commonplace rum. The rum accord is deep, dark and sweet, a rum that has has been aged perfectly for decades in an oak barrel, and now has a deliciously heady aroma. The rum is joined by the lightest honeyed-floral acacia note and a touch of amber, just enough to give balance to the rum, while simultaneously giving it further depth of character. However, that's not all. There is a clear backbone of vanilla, flitting through the top notes, giving it a warmth, that blooms as the fragrance progresses. As the top notes fade, the acacia departs, and the amber and rum settle into their role as a supporting character, the true star of the fragrance takes center-stage. And it is here, in the mid, that my favorite part of this olfactory experience begins. The vanilla, that earlier was whispering, flirting through the veil of the top notes, now blooms in full. The vanilla is full bodied, decadent, and incredibly warm and cozy. And it takes Andalusian Soul from a beautiful booze-forward fragrance, to a wonderfully gourmand scent. In the mid, the vanilla mixes with a light dusting of sage and rosemary, but rather than taking on an herbal quality, it takes on a interestingly baked character! The mid, which on paper should smell like an herbal vanilla, instead comes across as a delicious butterscotch and biscuit combination, and it does this without entering the dangerous territory of cloying, thanks to it's superb blending and balance. As the fragrance progresses to the dry down, it becomes a more traditional vanilla, with the lightest civet in the background, giving it a lovely intrigue, and a sensual quality. Here, in the dry down, it becomes the perfect comfort fragrance. It feels like the warm embrace that is a perfect end to any day. The vanilla, now melted and almost liquid, is blended to perfection and, with the civet and fading baked character, it is, quite possibly, the perfect representative of a hug in a bottle. It never quite fails to make one feel cozy, safe and happy. Andalusian Soul is deceptively simple, yet wonderfully complex. On the surface, it is a warm boozy vanilla, but it is, in fact, so much more than that. It is a chameleon of sorts, going from booze to biscuits to beautifully sensual, and it does this elegantly, in a way that few other vanilla fragrances can manage (and I have more than a few to compare with). For those that care, the chameleon-like nature carries over into the longevity and sillage department. However, by and large, I've found it to perform decently well, getting 8-9 hours on my skin, with decent projection for the first 2 hours, while sitting closer to the skin for the remainder of its life. However, with how the fragrance smells, I can't help but wonder if it is done on purpose. That having been said, Andalusian Soul is one of the most comforting fragrances I've ever had the pleasure of smelling. And I do believe that everyone should sample it at least once. From unboxing, to spray, to drydown, to the inevitable respray, it is truly an experience.

Umm..I’m pretty sure these notes are off or are literally in micro percentages. It’s vanilla, rum, amber and something else sweet. So if the notes scare you, don’t be. It’s Warm Vanilla Sugar by BBW w/a tad more amber and a subtle rum note. I’m grateful for that because I’m not into weird vanillas. I want my vanillas to smell good, not interesting. It’s not super boozy like Dulce Diablo or even Angels Share. I honestly wouldn’t have even known rum was a note if I didn’t check here, but then again, I like boozy fragrances. I always thought rum, scotch, and bourbon smelled good and it’s an adult scent I can get down with. I just want to smell good and this certainly smells good. It’s probably my favorite vanilla fragrance. It’s straightforward, but not boring. It also doesn’t smell like cookies because I also don’t want to smell like food. With this in my collection, I can probably get rid of half of my vanillas because this and Althair will be my Fall Winter vanillas and Vanille de Tahiti or Guerlain Bosca Vanilla are my summer vanillas. I used to like Accident a la Vanille but it just smells like a stick of butter now. While I love buttery notes, I’ve never wanted to slather myself with a stick of butter. Vanilla and booze are my guilty pleasure notes so this is right up my alley My other guilty pleasure note...popcorn. Might try to layer this with What about Pop but it might make it too foody for me.

The Merchant of Venice - Andalusian Soul 🍂 From all Amber-Vanilla dominant fragrances I own (so far), Andalusian Soul pretty much wins it all for me. And I’m obsessed! “Andalusian soul is dedicated to the maritime trading route from Barbaria. This maritime route connected the Venetian republic with morocco and southern Spain.” If you could imagine the goods that existed in this trading route, they were probably full of herbs, spices, aromatic sacred wood, as well as amber or resins. The perfume itself is a beautiful reflection of the trading route, from the presentation, the box which is very attentive to detail, the gorgeous glass bottle with yellow and orange shades giving you a vibe of the warm atmosphere reminiscent of the Mediterranean sun, the gold tag with the perfume name and its collection. I only wish the cap would be built a little bit better though, but that’s probably just me. The scent is feminine, sweet, yet elegant. The floral notes in here have been done just right for my taste. It also has this mysterious nuance in it with the incense, rum, a little bit of clove, and rosemary all the way down to civet note in the base which keep Andalusian Soul more interesting to me. I’ve been wearing this for a while now and enjoy every minute of its development. Kinda reminds me of my time in the south of France as well. It’s just beautiful really.

Saying I like Andalusian Soul would be an understatement. I'm head over hills in love with it! And the reason for my instant and such strong love I see in perfect timing. That I have made acquaintance of it now, in the middle of winter. Andalusian Soul is like one cosy, warm room heated by the fireplace. Like hearty hug of a much longed friend. Like a sweet kiss that brings calmness and sense of being home. All that is created by the mix of divine vanilla, amber and rum combined in just perfect proportions. It warms you up in an instant. One spray and you're there. But I love this Fragrance also for the way it ends. As its drydown is a total surprise. Well, maybe not so much a drydown per se but the very final residues after a night and more than 12 hours from your last application. 'Cause what I woke up to was a delicate powdery smell. So charming and unexpected that I needed to remind myself what perfumes I've been wearing last day. Well done TMoV! Andalusian Soul is my third fragrance from the house, after Suave Petals and Rose Moceniga, and I adore all of them. Do recommend trying the whole Murano line as last but not least the bottles are simply magnificent!

This one is a lovely gourmand. I had no idea what acacia might be like, and there is something very unfamiliar in this opening for me--so I guess that is the acacia--sweet but aromatic and fresh. I keep vacillating between putting this one on my list to only sample again in the future vs. "like a lot" (which means I might end up with full bottle someday). I think my hesitation is the opening. The rum is a little off-putting to me, which makes sense cuz I'm not wild about many boozy scents. But after the first 45 minutes or so... especially if I forget to sniff for a while, I get transported by how much it has morphed in that time. I'm totally a sucker for that dry down. A little sweet, a little woody, a whole lot friendly and warm. The more I write the more I'm afraid I'll end up telling those folks in Italy to wrap this up and ship it to me! Oh! almost forgot to say, packaging and presentation (if you DO order from Merchant of Venice) is completely stunning. I just got a bottle of Byzantium Saffron, and the box, the little map inside, the satin lining, the bottle, the little tassle! Wow--I don't mind paying a bit for that. Also, I got 5 samples free!!