5
Al Layl - Excess in Restraint
Al Layl (The Night). Another well-crafted perfume by Ropion under Malle's creative guidance. This one is among my favorites, possibly my favorite take on the traditional Hindi Oud and Rose pairing. These Mukhallats make use of heavier oud profiles, often soaked for too long, but that helps to ground these compositions better and prevents the rose from taking over.
There are many amazing takes on this style, most using higher-quality ingredients. This perfume, however, is all about craftsmanship, not about the ingredients. This is where Ropion's touch makes the difference. What he brings to the table with his take, is restraint in excess. He gives you a full taste of the Oud, the Rose, and the Saffron, yet knows how to round things up, how to extend the lifespan of these materials, to stretch the composition, and to pamper their asperities. The rose is quite shy with this one. The oud is the star, dry, on the barnyard side of things, spicy, a bit smoky, and with an almost betel leaf bitter flavor. Ropion uses synthetics to lift these facets, and various musks, amberwoods, and sandalwood to make it last forever and to mellow it down a bit. And it does shine with a warm, ambery glow and a creamy sandalwood touch in the far dry down. I personally never found this perfume off-putting one bit. It was an instant love for me, and I sampled it way before I even got to delve into natural ouds. I would never find pleasure in such an oud on its own. I find it too heavy and "feral". These types of ouds are ideal for blending. And also cost-efficient. And that is proven here at full potential (except for the cost-efficient part). I wish these perfumers could access higher quality, natural materials to work with at their own speed. Maybe one day.
IG:@memory.of.scents
There are many amazing takes on this style, most using higher-quality ingredients. This perfume, however, is all about craftsmanship, not about the ingredients. This is where Ropion's touch makes the difference. What he brings to the table with his take, is restraint in excess. He gives you a full taste of the Oud, the Rose, and the Saffron, yet knows how to round things up, how to extend the lifespan of these materials, to stretch the composition, and to pamper their asperities. The rose is quite shy with this one. The oud is the star, dry, on the barnyard side of things, spicy, a bit smoky, and with an almost betel leaf bitter flavor. Ropion uses synthetics to lift these facets, and various musks, amberwoods, and sandalwood to make it last forever and to mellow it down a bit. And it does shine with a warm, ambery glow and a creamy sandalwood touch in the far dry down. I personally never found this perfume off-putting one bit. It was an instant love for me, and I sampled it way before I even got to delve into natural ouds. I would never find pleasure in such an oud on its own. I find it too heavy and "feral". These types of ouds are ideal for blending. And also cost-efficient. And that is proven here at full potential (except for the cost-efficient part). I wish these perfumers could access higher quality, natural materials to work with at their own speed. Maybe one day.
IG:@memory.of.scents