Bottle Design:
Tarek Atrissi

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Perfume Calligraphy Aramis 2012

7.5 / 10 179 Ratings

A perfume by Aramis for women and men, released in 2012. The scent is oriental-spicy. The longevity is above-average. It was last marketed by Estēe Lauder Companies.
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Main accords

Oriental

Spicy

Woody

Resinous

Floral

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Cinnamon

Lemon

Heart Notes

Myrrh

Saffron blossom

Rose absolute

Base Notes

Oud

Amber

Musk

Patchouli

Perfumer

Trudi Loren

Ratings

Scent

7.5179 Ratings

Longevity

8.3132 Ratings

Sillage

7.4133 Ratings

Bottle

7.9135 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro, last update on 04/21/2021.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Blue Sapphire Parfum

Nouveau Monde

Sheikh Shuyukh Luxe Edition Eau de Parfum

Shades Wood Eau de Toilette

Kenzo Jungle

Arabian King

Reviews

14 in-depth fragrance descriptions

03/02/2013

6Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Coutureguru
237 Reviews

Coutureguru

Very helpful Review 7

Variations on a theme ...

En route to my semi permanent job on a tropical Island I was thumbing through the on board Duty Free magazine and found Perfume Calligraphy available for purchase at a much better price than in Department stores back home. I bought it :) ...

I have bemoaned the fact that this one and Lauder's Wood Mystique are pretty much the same fragrance, espousing the theory that when Lauder realized the folly of releasing WM to an exclusively Middle Eastern audience, they quickly rebottled it under this name and made it available to the rest of the World. Perfume Calligraphy also reminds me in no small measure of Jo Malone's 'Velvet Rose and Oud' ... 'coincidentally' produced under the auspices of Lauder. Yes, I don't think I'd be far off the mark in saying that all three of these were chosen from a catalogue of work by the same perfumer.
"Why buy it then?" you may ask.
Well, the simple answer to that question is that I really like it ... which is why when the opportunity presented itself, I immediately bought Wood Mystique too. These are typical Lauder fragrances ... heavy on the Patchouli and Rose, and I am strongly reminded of vintage Aromatics Elixir, 900 and Aramis Devin by the construction of Perfume Calligraphy.
The slightly 'medicinal' Patchouli is typically memorable, while the addition of spices and a hefty pop of citrus up top are hard hitting and long lasting. The Rose here is almost gourmand in its chunky chewiness and is inevitably also particularly Lauder-esque. Like its twin Wood Mystique, Perfume Calligraphy harks back to releases from this venerable house that I had feared long gone. Although not quite in the class of sillage 'bombs', these fragrances are nothing if not tenacious and attention getting. Oud is a territory that has become rather commonplace in the last half decade, but I do think that Lauder's versions are some of the most accessible on the market.

Perfume Calligraphy is an honest to goodness attempt at a traditional Oud/Rose/Saffron combination underpinned by a rich Patchouli ... I appreciate it for it's simplicity and lack of pretention.

07/13/2014

10Scent 10Longevity 7.5Sillage

MasterLi
376 Reviews

MasterLi

Helpful Review 4

Rose, Oud & Saffron...

This is a fragrance which tries to display the oud note in a subtler kind of way more akin to western perfumery. The oud note is subdued and is underlying at the base. The saffron and other spices combined make this fragrance very pleasant and I really can't see how this would offend anyone. It's well blended in my opinion. Probably good for people who do not like their oud very strong or medicinal. Very good effort.

Edit: Actually, I've since discovered that it's the other way round. This is a Western-made perfume designed to appeal towards a Middle Eastern market! I would say that in that purpose it somewhat succeeds. But the problem is most Middle Easterners will prefer a stronger, more authentic Oud note, whilst most Westerners will find this a little strong for their tastes. It's almost like it "halfway" succeeds at both. But I like it! I think its good either way.

02/20/2015

6Scent 10Longevity 7.5Sillage

Drseid
828 Reviews

Drseid

5

Sweet Synthetic Oud (and by "sweet" I don't mean "good")...

Perfume Calligraphy goes on with a mild, amber sweetened cinnamon and vague sharp citrus, supported by traces of saffron spice and Oud. As the composition moves to its early heart the Oud takes its place as star, gaining a slight barnyard animalic facet as it grows in intensity to the point of dominating most of the other composition aspects. Joining the Oud in the background is the supporting hay-like saffron, the relatively sweet, smooth amber and barely detectable dulled rose. The composition remains highly linear through the late dry-down with the Oud taking center stage throughout, only allowing remnants of the saffron detectable with the smooth amber providing mild to moderate sweetness through the finish. Projection is excellent, and longevity outstanding at around 20 hours on skin.

Usually one samples the original composition its flankers are based off of before trying the flankers themselves. In the case of Perfume Calligraphy this was done in reverse. The Rose and Saffron flankers both proved excellent, so it would stand to reason the composition they were based off would impress as well, right? Enter Perfume Calligraphy... As soon as I sprayed the composition on skin disappointment immediately set-in. No, this was not the kind of disappointment from a terrible composition, but rather the kind where you go in with relatively high expectations only to find the composition more in the range of average, maybe even *just* good. The culprit here is the primary Oud note used in Perfume Calligraphy. Definitely the composition shows significant Oud-like qualities with its mild barnyard facet, but to those who have experienced the real thing this will quickly reveal itself as synthetic. Certainly Perfume Calligraphy is not alone in its reliance on synthetics to recreate super-expensive high quality real Oud as most of the "Oud" compositions on the market are equally guilty, but the amber-driven sweetness just doesn't mesh with it well at all. Also of little help, is the synthetic Oud is so dominant that excluding the previously mentioned sweetness, only the saffron spice can hang with it throughout the entire composition's "development". I put quotation marks around the word "development," because there really isn't any. It is the same overall accord throughout from near-start to finish, and the underlying sweetness mixed with the synthetic Oud can get annoying as time passes. In the end one has to appreciate the composition as being well-made with its outstanding performance metrics, but the real question is whether one would want to wear it? In the opinion of this writer the answer is a somewhat hesitant "no". The bottom line is the $120 per 100ml bottle Perfume Calligraphy shows off it performance chops in fine fashion, but its highly linear sweet synthetic Oud focus is tiresome, earning it an "above average" 2.5 to 3 stars out of 5. Having worn its great flankers that are both highly recommended, this one I feel completely indifferent. Word to the wise; buy the Rose and Saffron flankers and leave this one on the shelf, gathering dust.

02/19/2013

8Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Yatagan
415 Reviews

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Yatagan

Top Review 39

Heavy Metal

Dark, heavy, massive. Perfume Calligraphy is liquid Heavy Metal: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Blind Guardian. During my first test of this perfume, I had expected something more elegantly Arabic, mentally led in a different direction by the beautiful script on the bottle. In reality, however, the scent is not playful and light, but equipped with everything that gives perfumes a heavy, long-lasting, deep tone: myrrh, oud, patchouli, rose, spices. And all of this in an intensity that is unmatched.

Heavy Metal is not meaningless noise, but virtuoso music that is perceived not only through the head but also through the gut. It conveys a cathartic experience, an adrenaline rush that, in combination with volume and characteristic rhythm, can have a liberating effect and evoke a hard-to-explain sense of well-being. Those who have not experienced this live will not be able to understand it. While jazz particularly addresses the intellect, classical music manages to bridge the gap between mind and feeling, Heavy Metal (and connoisseurs know that it would actually be better to refer to it simply as Metal instead of Heavy Metal as an umbrella term) primarily unfolds through the gut, through a feeling of music.

Calligraphy addresses emotions with such force that one might even accuse it of being somewhat clumsily composed. The now much-quoted combination of rose and oud, spices and patchouli can also be found in other fragrances and has become somewhat worn in its effect.

However, in this scent, all components shine through so directly, clearly, and intensely that one might think of the clear contour between black and white areas, perhaps also the contour between the gold and black on the bottle. Each component stands out sharply and strongly from the others. Oud and rose are easily recognizable, as are patchouli and cinnamon, myrrh and cardamom. It’s as if the components stand next to each other, mixed yet separate, intertwined but distinguishable, like the streaks of liquids that do not mix, like oil and water.

Of course, the mentioned fragrance accents create an effect that evokes thoughts of Arabian nights, of scents from a bazaar or the seraglio, but ultimately the combination in this fragrance is stronger, heavier, darker than in comparable other perfumes with Arabic tones.

Among the fragrance sisters that bear more or less resemblance to this scent is Armani Rose d‘Arabie, which I consider similarly successful, but would never associate with Heavy Metal. And this is certainly due to the fact that in Rose d‘Arabie the rose note (along with other floral notes) is more distinctly perceptible, thus making the feminine aspect of the fragrance stand out more clearly than in Calligraphy, which comes across as somewhat more masculine, pronounced, and heavier.

One might consider the comparison between Heavy Metal and a fragrance to be bold. However, it is so obvious to me because during one of my last tests, this very music was playing in the background and intertwined with a melange of scent, sounds, and feelings that, unusually, did not evoke clear memories or associations like many other perfumes, but remained symbolic, like the beautiful Arabic script on the Calligraphy bottle, resonating in my gut long after.

01/04/2015

8Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Meggi
1018 Reviews

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Meggi

Top Review 23

Relationships

Calligraphy is a difficult, elusive, yet fascinating scent for me. Echoes of various others (of which I do not know them all) have already been mentioned; however, there are too many relationships to assume imitation. In the overall view, despite - or because of - the abundance of references, a coherent, individual picture comes together. Coincidentally, all the relatives that come to my mind personally are from the year 2010. I will name them and partly repeat what has already been aptly noted in other comments:

We take the fruity-bready opening from Oud Royal (Armani) (there saffron, here cinnamon and saffron) and the noble, subtle oud note. We add the opulent-dark-fruity rose from Rose d‘ Arabie (Armani) and again from Oud Royal. For the heart, we borrow the myrrh note from Arso (Profumum Roma), which is richer, stronger, and rounder in that one, while in this one it is stricter and harsher. The green-herbaceous character that accompanies the scent journey over hours is drawn from the opening phase of Amouage's Memoir Man. By the way, I probably wouldn’t have thought of the latter if I hadn’t coincidentally had both on my skin recently.

Nevertheless, something very independent and appealing emerges from Aramis, especially in the contrast between the flattering-oriental side and the herb-strictness of the green components. It is profound, dark, powerful. At times harsh. Then suddenly seductive, smoldering, erotic. Suddenly withdrawing again.

Perhaps (pure speculation!) Aramis is closer to the complexity of the Orient than the others, which to me seem as if they have each picked out a single, possibly idealized aspect: Calligraphy would be, so to speak, the distillation of the whole. Nevertheless - or therefore - I find the scent cumbersome, difficult to wear, and prefer the other mentioned ones.

Many thanks to Angelliese!

More reviews

Statements

14 short views on the fragrance

ScentedSalon

10 years ago

8Scent 10Longevity 7.5Sillage

1

Strong lemon at the top, lasts forever. No rose, no oud but woody spiciness abounds. Masculine, not soft. A trace of class but too tame.

Heikeso

8 years ago

9Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

9

4

Resinous rose, woody dull oud, herbal-soapy, fresh, rather masculine. Warm & cool at the same time. Subtle yet very special atmosphere.

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Seejungfrau

8 years ago

5Scent 8Sillage

9

3

Powdery crushed rose petals &
Myrrh/saffron threads in a silver bowl >
[the cool notes]
richly spiced/oriental melt_
Balsamic

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Seerose

8 years ago

8.5Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

8

1

Star+bright-herb-woody-resinous and more. A balanced blend. I can definitely smell Oud, saffron blossom + myrrh. At first, a hint of leather. Longevity=15

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