Quarzazate Florascent 2018

I breathe in and in my mind's eye at least ten sauna masters of my absolute favorite sauna appear (they must be clones, as there is only ever one there). They have all somehow completed a perfumer's training and are now ecstatically extracting every bit of incense and sandalwood, every drop of resin that gives the saunas their signature scent - until everything is bottled in little bottles.
A hint of tea and vetiver and something hidden floral is secretly dripped in afterwards.
On my skin, the fragrance is bitter and less charming for the first 2 minutes. But as soon as the alcohol has evaporated, the metamorphosis begins. It smells of time out, letting go and relaxation. The incense makes it almost a little spiritual, the vetiver is grounding and the tea and flowers shimmer very minimally through the thick resinous wood planks.
I am blown away by this fragrance. It immediately transports me to a place of calm.
Quartzazate doesn't blend in, it doesn't flatter anyone. It leaves no questions unanswered - it is honest and open but in a warm way and then gives you a lot of serenity.
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Compared to Lüscher's 46N8e, Florascent clearly wins in my purely subjective ranking. The 46 is sweeter in the background and more floral in the top note, all in a way that I don't really like. On the other hand, I really like the needle-like quality of Lüscher. You could certainly come up with the idea of layering it. In Quartzazate, the resinous wood and the incense dominate - as I said, the flowers can only be guessed at behind the wood - I like that - even if it may be less rounded than the 46. It just suits the wearer for me - corners and edges and all that.