Arabian Nights 2011 Eau de Parfum

Byron75
13.05.2015 - 08:59 AM
4
Very helpful Review
10
Bottle
7.5
Sillage
7.5
Longevity
9
Scent

Beautiful perfume, major disappointment

I've been looking for "Arabian Nights" for ages so when I finally managed to get it thanks to a lovely parfumo.com member, you can imagine my excitement. The package arrived, beautiful box and then this wonderful bottle that reminds me of the Alhambra...so far so good! Since I had never sampled it before (yes, a blind buy), I was so curious and anxious to smell it. I sniffed the atomiser and this gorgeous scent overwhelmed me! Oh yes, this must be even better than what I was hoping for...it turned out that it was much less.
Let me explain it better: Owning already a bespoke perfume with oud as a base and burning regularly the wood chips in the house, I reckon that I'm able to recognize a true oud from an accord and I strongly believe that "Arabian Nights" contains a very descent amount of it.
After application, the famous by now rose-oud combination with a light herby (must be the thyme) note takes you by the hand, promising a dreamy journey into what "Arabian Nights" should be. Later, the rose subsides without ever disappearing completely and no more thyme. Patchouli with saffron are the co-protagonists along with the oud now and it's delicious. It's strange though that both these phases last less than half an hour before you get to experience a blast of cedar and sandalwood, making "Arabian Nights" more of a "Forest Nights". So woody but still very good. The wood experience lasts for quite some time before it settles close to the skin into something warm and comfortable. The oud is still detectable as well as a hint of rose (at least on my skin) along with the labdanum, that probably gives us the amber/musk note in the end. Unfortunately, all this beauty reveals itself for an hour and then you remain with a skin scent. Longevity is very mediocre while sillage is ridiculously weak. I feel exactly like fellow @Scarletting...heartbroken. How can anyone create such a perfume, with what appears to be high quality ingredients and deliver nothing more than a light skin scent that you can barely smell on your own wrist after a couple of hours?
I still love it, it's opulent, wonderfully mixed but it promises you the world and delivers just a glimpse of what could have been an unforgettable perfume!

P.S. After more than six months and a new bottle that still awaits for me in the drawer, I can say that my opinion is starting to change. This perfume is transforming itself depending on a variety of factors. Actually, during summer nights the heat amplifies the scent and its staying power. During the winter, when entering a heated room or in case of heated skin you get the same effect. So, what this perfume needs is heat and humidity in order to unravel its beauty and projection. I'm completely in love with it!
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