Kismet Lubin 2016

I have the greatest difficulty not getting lost in "Kismet." This perfume belongs to the scents that make me absolutely nervous because they are just TOO good, making you want to constantly smell the perfumed spot on your body. I go completely crazy over the depth and complexity of the fragrance, hardly daring to stop sniffing for more than five minutes, as I might miss one of the numerous facets of this dream scent.
"Kismet" seems most distant to me right at the beginning in the top note. On one hand, it is beautifully citrusy, which I love, but on the other hand, I perceive very harsh, almost TOO spicy oriental spice notes. This strikes me as relatively harsh, yet also incredibly interesting. Anyone can do citrus - in "Kismet," the citrusy opening is a challenge and instantly catapults you to a Moroccan bazaar on a hot summer afternoon. As I said, the beginning is not even that beautiful, in my opinion. But then, with full force, an oriental-floral heart note unfolds, which I find absolutely wonderful and which gains some earthiness through a light patchouli background. I personally do not know centifolia, but I can clearly perceive that the rose is very, very spicy because the initial spiciness has made its way into the heart, and that the rose also has a slightly candied quality and brings a hint of marzipan; all of this is set against a curtain of patchouli - the rose indeed appears sweetly disguised as a mysterious Oriental in the theater. Wonderfully, the patchouli prevents a fresh-sweet body lotion tone from sneaking in here - on the contrary, its presence creates an incredibly serious, solemn depth. I find this to be an extraordinary artistic achievement.
When finally, at the end, a delicate sweet vanilla note appears, which I do not perceive as strongly as many have described it here, the initially harsh-spicy scent flows into a sweet paradise of seductive Arabian delicacies. The light almond note, which is still minimally recognizable in the base note, as well as the oriental sweetness of opoponax and the soft resinous tone of labdanum, turn the vanilla into a grand, mature fragrance that has nothing in common with the childishly peaceful sweetness of my beloved winter gourmands. This base note grants the heavenly calm of sweet fullness.
A truly extraordinarily beautiful scent that I love to wear especially in these bitter times. Because it is so complex, it constantly holds new surprises within it and prevents me from getting bored at home. Because it is so expressive and evokes some associations, it fuels my imagination and invites me to small daydreams between two work tasks. And because it is so wonderfully artistically designed, it feels so serious and mature, giving me the security I seek and miss in my current situation. Added to this is the incredibly beautiful bottle, which feels so heavy and precious in the hand. A fragrance that certainly deserves its name.