Top Notes 
Blackcurrant
Raspberry
Saffron
Heart Notes 
Honey
Jasmine absolute
Osmanthus absolute
Base Notes 
Caramel
Musk
Orris butter
Pastry
Patchouli
Sandalwood
Suede
Vanilla
NicheOnly
122 Reviews
NicheOnly
1
What did I miss?
When it comes to product with limited availability or a very high price point, there is no other brand for whom the moniker "can do no wrong" is better suited than Roja Parfums (or in 2025, Roja London). Time after time, I find myself wondering if I'm the lone idiot or if the hardcore fans are duping themselves into thinking that Roja Dove has yet again turned water to wine. It happened last year with both Lost in Paris and Tea at BG, now it happened again with Neiman Marcus. And the story is quite underwhelming from start to finish. I'm reflecting on my experiences from testing the scent in-doors twice, once in the morning and once in the evening. I'm sure some will find the very first thing that I wrote in my notes amusing: "Ouch. That quality f*king blows."
In both wears, Neiman Marcus opens fruity-spicy-sweet-creamy. This opening opposes a creamy raspberry part (think fruitchouli or the style in which raspberry is done in Kilian's Angels' Share Paradis) with a rubbery saffron part, a clear indication of the underwhelming blending. I've smelled saffron like that in many places before, e.g. Moresque's Scirocco, but the rubbery smell also has some reminiscence of the dry-down on Initio's Blessed Baraka. In the on-skin dry-down, you mostly smell the rubbery saffron opposed by suede/leather and in some parts, I can also sense the orris/pastry buttery accord that Roja used in Lost in Paris last year with the orris likely accentuating the spiciness alongside the saffron. To my nose, the floral tones never pop. The final dry-down beyond 3 hours is the buttery pastry accord from Lost in Paris with no suede/fruity aspects aside it.
And the package that I just described has me puzzled. The actual scent and the listed notes imply that the goal was to deliver a creamy raspberry fragrance built on a leathery base. However, that idea completely falls apart in the execution where the leathery-spicy parts outshine the raspberry in the dry-down. I'd say the performance is just average and of course the value is subpar as well. The delivery of the saffron is incredibly lackluster for a fragrance retailing at €515/50ml, basically putting it in competition with S-tier market leaders like Nefs and Jump Up and Kiss Me Hedonistic. But make no mistake, even if the pieces were to fit together better, that wouldn't give Neiman Marcus a high enough ceiling to be competing with scents like Nefs & Hedonistic, because there's not enough depth to this profile - it's just a tame leather with sweet spices & creamy raspberry.
In both wears, Neiman Marcus opens fruity-spicy-sweet-creamy. This opening opposes a creamy raspberry part (think fruitchouli or the style in which raspberry is done in Kilian's Angels' Share Paradis) with a rubbery saffron part, a clear indication of the underwhelming blending. I've smelled saffron like that in many places before, e.g. Moresque's Scirocco, but the rubbery smell also has some reminiscence of the dry-down on Initio's Blessed Baraka. In the on-skin dry-down, you mostly smell the rubbery saffron opposed by suede/leather and in some parts, I can also sense the orris/pastry buttery accord that Roja used in Lost in Paris last year with the orris likely accentuating the spiciness alongside the saffron. To my nose, the floral tones never pop. The final dry-down beyond 3 hours is the buttery pastry accord from Lost in Paris with no suede/fruity aspects aside it.
And the package that I just described has me puzzled. The actual scent and the listed notes imply that the goal was to deliver a creamy raspberry fragrance built on a leathery base. However, that idea completely falls apart in the execution where the leathery-spicy parts outshine the raspberry in the dry-down. I'd say the performance is just average and of course the value is subpar as well. The delivery of the saffron is incredibly lackluster for a fragrance retailing at €515/50ml, basically putting it in competition with S-tier market leaders like Nefs and Jump Up and Kiss Me Hedonistic. But make no mistake, even if the pieces were to fit together better, that wouldn't give Neiman Marcus a high enough ceiling to be competing with scents like Nefs & Hedonistic, because there's not enough depth to this profile - it's just a tame leather with sweet spices & creamy raspberry.
NicheOnly
Deschi
RichScents
Zwergenelfe
GrafKatzula
