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Alhambra by Paolo Gigli

Alhambra

Turandot
10/14/2011 - 03:03 PM
20
Top Review
8Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage 7.5Bottle

Speechless

Once again, I find myself close to despair due to my inability to articulate a completely new fragrance experience in a way that you can envision it. Alhambra is almost impossible to categorize within the frameworks available to us. It seems others have experienced the same, as I appear to be the first to classify the perfume.

Nevertheless, I will attempt to describe my impressions. What astonishes me is the fact that Alhambra smells mysteriously mystical and sensual to me, yet is still a bright fragrance. I have not encountered this before. Once again, I am captivated by a perfume that completely does without flowers and, aside from a hint of citrus, without fruits. At the opening, I can recognize the geranium, but here it is not as overpowering as I have experienced in other perfumes. Mint can be sensed, but I do not notice the lemon.

However, what is astonishing to me is the heart note. Listed are oud, patchouli, vetiver, and sandalwood, of which I can hardly imagine anything. But let's assume that it is a woody note; then the theme of Alhambra should be more medicinal-spicy-woody and somewhat smoky-musty. But for me, it is rather velvety-creamy-animalic, almost a bit oily. And incredibly sensual, which is surely due to the base. And as mentioned, the whole thing is bright and elegant. So, now tell me how I should categorize this. You really have no choice but to test Alhambra for yourselves. You will not find the splendor of the Spanish palace in the fragrance, but the beauty and tranquility that the individual courtyards are supposed to radiate can be found in the perfume, and that is why it makes it onto my completely utopian wish list.
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11 Comments
AnabelleAnabelle 10 years ago
Tried a drop. Instantly on my wishlist!!!
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oYooYo 13 years ago
Heiligenholz could refer to Palo Santo, which is known here mainly for incense but is also available as essential oil. When burned, it has a mystical scent, slightly sweet and warm-woody. There's nothing musty or herbal about it.
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CallasCallas 14 years ago
My curiosity is piqued. ;-)
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Odeur23Odeur23 14 years ago
I’m not sure if I would like the scent. But your comment makes me want to at least give it a try...
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ApiciusApicius 14 years ago
Thanks for this info. So, Alhambra would be the first perfume from this brand that justifies the exorbitant price!
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FlorblancaFlorblanca 14 years ago
WOW, I’m going to try the sample now. I’m really looking forward to it.
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ErgoproxyErgoproxy 14 years ago
That sounds like a candidate for me to test.
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Medusa00Medusa00 14 years ago
Great description. Adding to my wishlist, at least for testing.
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HibouHibou 14 years ago
It's still okay. And it's not that long until Christmas. Maybe we should make our wish lists accessible to everyone somehow - along with the sources ;-)
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Aquila2110Aquila2110 14 years ago
Yes, you described it wonderfully; I can really imagine how it smells now. Unfortunately, it's not a scent for me personally, too many notes that I don't like. But I can totally understand that it's an unusual fragrance experience.
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DeepRiverDeepRiver 14 years ago
One of the few Gigli's I haven't tested yet... but you're making me very curious... It's going on my wish list ;-) And the bottle is once again a feast for the eyes... Ah...
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