Have I mentioned that I am susceptible to advertising? When I read the quite a few reviews and statements about Mukhallat, I thought immediately: I have to have it! The scent seemed to fit me perfectly. Synthetic strawberry bubblegum with vanilla, musk, and almonds - it sounded so kitschy that it was almost beautiful. No. I expected a cheeky, eccentric fragrance that would be an idealization of the artificial aroma of cheap strawberry bubblegum. A banal theme from a pink Barbie doll room that becomes an elite scent beyond any girly image through great perfumery art. I was curious about the solution that Montale found for this equation. I was looking forward to Mukhallat, especially since I also really like the characteristic snow-white metal bottle.
Then the package from the online perfumery finally arrived. Indeed, the scent already looks elegant and special from the outside: golden box, stylish storage bag, the playful gold cap of the spray …
The ritual begins with the hasty removal of the cellophane wrap. I am curious. Now it’s time to spray. At first, a bit cautiously. Some describe the perfume as an unbearable scent bomb. In principle, I have no qualms about loud, sweet, and extravagant scents if the quality convinces. I love to vary fragrances according to occasions, moods, seasons, and times of day.
Almonds, vanilla, white musk, wild strawberry, and Peru balsam - I like all of them. What could go wrong?
The scent is already a bit intense, right from the start. What does a bit mean? I don’t want to call it penetrating, but it has - let’s say it more kindly - an enormous presence. Distinct, sweet, loud … Well, I expected that. Just not in the direction of wild strawberry or strawberry bubblegum. But I don’t perceive any of that. Not even almonds or vanilla and such.
30 minutes later: I am still waiting for the promised strawberry aroma. But it doesn’t come. Instead, the strong floral scent seems increasingly familiar. My little gray cells begin to work, checking all possible tropical or exotic scents. Wasn’t there once a fragrance oil Monoi de Tahiti from Yves Rocher? Bingo! I found the scent way too strong and sweet back then. The fragrance oil is still lying unused somewhere. And now I also remember the plant that gives the beauty product from the French Polynesian islands its scent: Gardenia Tahitensis, the Tiare - a large white flower with an almost synthetic sweetness that I actually find intrusive. Of course, that’s a matter of taste. I like intense scents, but when they also have that certain “alluring” quality, it becomes too much for me - for a perfume that I wear. And Mukhallat is such an alluring scent. Heavy, sweet, and warm, it catapults me right into a magical tropical night in Tahiti. Oh wait, why is it called Mukhallat then? By this Arabic name, I would have expected something more oriental. Was a false trail laid here?
An hour later. Still no trace of strawberry. The scent has not changed. It reminds me of heliotrope and ylang-ylang, maybe a bit of gardenia; it is still an alluring tropical night. I am disappointed. I had expected something entirely different and am puzzled by the fragrance pyramid. Because I don’t sniff out any strawberry, no almonds, nothing at all - except the Tiare, which supposedly isn’t even in there. If only there were something gourmandish …
A few days later, I give Mukhallat another chance. I almost fear the rush of sweet tropical night that will immediately envelop me, or rather, suffocate me. Or? Unfortunately, no … There it is again, the tropical night. A great drama: sweet, cloying, dominant, a strong, exotic floral scent for which I apparently am too Central European. When, where, and on what occasion is one supposed to wear this intrusive exotic flower mix? I don’t know. Maybe a summery South Sea party? But otherwise?
Mukhallat will certainly not become my favorite scent. The cheeky, funny, exuberant quality that is often mentioned and that I was looking forward to is not found here. Of course, one could have played ironically with kitschy melodrama, South Sea romance, and magical tropical nights. But that apparently didn’t succeed or wasn’t even planned.
I am disappointed. I can’t do much with this scent. In a way, it is even quite banal because it has little to offer: nothing really winking or shocking, no emotions that touch me, no puzzles or mysteries to unravel, no interesting scent development, nothing that inspires me. No challenge, at best the exaggerated passion of a penny novel. But even that sounds more promising than it is.
If anyone wants to give this unusual, luxurious scent with its truly above-average sillage and longevity a home where it will be more appreciated, I am happy to let it go, though not for free. Just get in touch with me.
Woodland strawberry
Almond
Bourbon vanilla
White musk
Peru balsam
Adr1anna25
BoBoChamp
Maiavs
Mossoak
Liberrita
CoraKirsch
Larasu
DufteFrau
Gold
Precious
