07/07/2013
Coutureguru
223 Reviews
Coutureguru
2
Another little gem ...
Sama by Hamidi Perfumes is another of my Arab oils that I have diluted at 30% in Perfumers Alcohol and what a little gem it is! The Hamidi website includes 'sweet and bitter woods' to the note pyramid ... in the absence of what those woods may be I'll just have to trust my nose in deciphering them :).
Off the bat, Sama displays a sweet, vanillic vibe ... but then it does contain Amber, traditionally created out of Labdanum, Benzoin and Vanilla. A good quality Oud is also prevalent here, but not in such great quantity as to overshadow the blend.
Rather, Sama is more about sweetened up woods ... my nose definitely detects hints of Cedar and smoky Guiac, with the creaminess of a little Sandalwood present too. I also get the faintest hint of Linseed, which may sound strange but works quite well with the sweetness.
Coincidentally, Linseed oil contains Linoleic Acid ... a 73% constituent of Evening Primrose Oil. This must account for the vague floralcy I experience here ... nothing I can put my finger on, but definitely present.
The sillage and longevity of my dilution is average at about 4 hours of skin life. Even as an oil this particular fragrance never performed much more than that, but it is very nice if one is willing to re-apply and the cost of diluting these oils is negligible. I wouldn't dilute any of them to less than full perfume strength ... it may affect their richness. If one enjoys good sillage then 'perfume' strength behaves very well as an EDP.
The bottle Sama comes in is gloriously kitsch :) ... see pic below! I'm having inordinate amounts of fun playing with these inexpensive oils.
If one is into quality Arabic fragrances that don't break the bank I highly recommend giving the oils from Hamidi a whirl. I'm sure they can be ordered online ... luckily mine come from a lovely little shop in my local Oriental mall. At less than $25 a pop for between 17 and 25 mls I think they are a bargain ... whether one chooses to dilute them or not.
Off the bat, Sama displays a sweet, vanillic vibe ... but then it does contain Amber, traditionally created out of Labdanum, Benzoin and Vanilla. A good quality Oud is also prevalent here, but not in such great quantity as to overshadow the blend.
Rather, Sama is more about sweetened up woods ... my nose definitely detects hints of Cedar and smoky Guiac, with the creaminess of a little Sandalwood present too. I also get the faintest hint of Linseed, which may sound strange but works quite well with the sweetness.
Coincidentally, Linseed oil contains Linoleic Acid ... a 73% constituent of Evening Primrose Oil. This must account for the vague floralcy I experience here ... nothing I can put my finger on, but definitely present.
The sillage and longevity of my dilution is average at about 4 hours of skin life. Even as an oil this particular fragrance never performed much more than that, but it is very nice if one is willing to re-apply and the cost of diluting these oils is negligible. I wouldn't dilute any of them to less than full perfume strength ... it may affect their richness. If one enjoys good sillage then 'perfume' strength behaves very well as an EDP.
The bottle Sama comes in is gloriously kitsch :) ... see pic below! I'm having inordinate amounts of fun playing with these inexpensive oils.
If one is into quality Arabic fragrances that don't break the bank I highly recommend giving the oils from Hamidi a whirl. I'm sure they can be ordered online ... luckily mine come from a lovely little shop in my local Oriental mall. At less than $25 a pop for between 17 and 25 mls I think they are a bargain ... whether one chooses to dilute them or not.
