Amir

Gosh what a hypnotic spice bomb. The opening is petit grain and floral notes which are only fleeting and then its all about the myrhh, labdanum and amber. There is also the incense but I think the myrhh is the most dominant note in this. Im transported to the Middle East with mosques and minarets. Sombre and all encompassing. I keep thinking of Russian orthodox churches as well. There is also a green element which I guess is the lemon tree. There is very little sweetness whatsoever so definitely a unisex fragrance. Powerful sillage and lasts forever. I just dont know where I would wear this. I could only wear it indoors or folks would be puzzled by the scent of church wafting around them. Serious sillage so you have been warned!

I received a sample about a year ago. I liked it the first time I tried it but for some reason I put it back in the sample box. I saw it in there a few months later and liked the color so I tried it again. It was VERY nice. The color is how it smells if that makes any sense...Delightful. The cycle repeated itself three or four times before I finally broke down and bought a full bottle. I'm very glad I did as it is a unique perfume. You will get beautiful resins and incense for the first hour. It will later dry down into spices, wood, smoke and incense. This is a unique composition. Scent 9 Longevity 10 Uniqueness 10 Value 9 Creativity 10

Sultry fragrance talking about opulence an decadence. It just evokes fantasies of an attitude of the Western Civilization, called "orientalism", pointed out in Edward Said's works, which encompasses Middle East and Islam as the homelands of all the pleasures. Great sillage with blissful and a bit oily neroli in the top notes; French labdanum emerges only after three or four hours, giving to the fragrance a powdery and enchanting ending. Staying power is simply magnificent: 16+ hrs!

Naughty catholic school girl scent, the one who smokes after school and ends up getting you in trouble when you hang out with her. Dark, rich, oriental amber with massive sillage and longevity. A little goes a long way. Very good quality with nothing synthetic about it. Has a bit of being in a church feel. Gorgeous drydown. My sample is from Lucky Scent, and I liked it so much I ordered it on the same day I tested it.

Although the work of an Italian house, this fragrance is based on an Asian incense, very much unlike the western/liturgical version presented in Cardinal and LAVS. This is darker, with myrrh as the main player, with a herbal, almost medicinal quality that sets it apart from sweeter, creamier resins like olibanum. That hint of an Asian temple sets up an exotic frame, within which Amir plays out its charms: initially austere and rather earthy, then softening with floral and citrus notes before pulsing, in the dry down with waves of musky/powdery sensuousness. Myrrh is never far away though and its earthy, bitter tones make me struggle to completely enjoy this fragrance. Amir is an olfactory representation of Shakti in Hindu philosophy: a dynamic energy, associated with the feminine, which stimulates passion and creativity, but whose essence remains essentially mysterious. Returning to this fragrance after a thrilling tour of sweeter incenses, I've decided that it is too sour and suffocating for me , even for winter wear, so I've sold it on.