Kashkha Swiss Arabian Eau de Parfum

The whole business of perfumes & the price of them is such a very delicately balanced matter. I have decided to give these Near-Eastern (I'm afraid I ^am^ going to take my cue fræ the stricter historical scholars here & say 'Near East' rather than 'Middle East') 'fumes a fair & open-minded assay. I am ^very^ impressed! The only thing they lack compared to the perfumes of the great Western perfume houses is a certain polish & finesse. So, are we willing to pay three four or five times the price again just for that polish & finesse? Apparently we are! Ought we to? Well, as I said @ first, the pricing of perfumes is a very delicate matter - and a perfume is something you ^put on yourself^ & is with you perpetually for hours thereafter. So that the significance of that ~mere polish & finesse~ can in fact become disproportionately large. This is evinced by a pattern that emerges when one reads a considerable number of reviews of these 'fumes: at first saying there is virtually no difference between them & their multiple-times-as-expensive western counterparts, followed by observation of subtle deficiencies, and eventually culminating in sometimes even the expedient of actually binning them.

My opinion is, that if one keep in mind that limitation - that certain lack of polish & finesse -, & adjust one's expectations accordingly, they are ^phænominal^ value-for-minlet! I have some, & I certainly shall be using them.

Actually, this one is not a particularly striking example of the principle just-expounded, as it is not particularly inexpensive. It is a very fair & well-integrated oudy 'fume with a very acceptible synergy of soapy-musky, ambry, floral, & oudy.

I am really surprised by this Swiss Arabian! Here, various spices and woods are combined, making it very "un-European." I think it is a feast for those who are somewhat experienced with oud scents! For the less experienced, it may seem a bit "unbalanced." It is certainly not "Shalimar" or "Opium." Here, it is a well-known homage to the Orient. However, what "Kashkha" has to offer is quite special and largely unknown. Even I have not smelled an oud scent in THIS form before. Apparently very contrasting spices, flowers, and woods come together to form a whole that is neither "round" nor "angular," neither sweet nor bitter, but everything in one. The cinnamon comes through very dominantly at first, as the rather fresh fruity note recedes into the background. Slowly, cardamom and saffron join in. The rather cool and bitter spice of cardamom meets the "yellow" heat of saffron and the glowing warmth of cinnamon. In between, oud. This slightly animalic-dark note, often referred to as "barn-like." I quite like it because it symbolizes the "true oud," which is often too intense for "European noses."
But the oud offers not only the "barn note" (here at the beginning) but also fully resonant and multifaceted aspects of agarwood. These range from bitter-woody to almost "rooty," slightly "metallic," and warm balsamic with a hint of smokiness. Later, as the long-lasting potpourri slowly fades, the scent is further supported by warm amber, a bit of musk, and light cedar. I am also almost certain that now and then flowers flash through. Definitely roses and possibly jasmine or ylang-ylang. Perhaps both.
The woody-spicy aspect prevails throughout the entire perfume progression. Caution in dosing is advised. Because a little "too much" can sometimes be a bit overwhelming for a while. Although the scent is very beautiful ;-))

this fragrance has captivated me. I have repurchased it several times, and now you can also find it online in Germany. For me, it embodies the essence of oriental nights, always bringing Morocco to mind: narrow alleys, dusty, a bit dirty, the scent of fruits, unfamiliar dishes, and spices wafts from the open shops, and then the door opens, and a few friends come out of the hammam, cheerful..... and when a breeze from the desert arrives..... then I have arrived in 1001 Nights.
And that is where I feel transported when I wear my Dubai fragrance. No glamour, but rather primal foreign scents, all united and captured in a charming bottle.
I will keep repurchasing it :)

Saffron clearly sets the tone here for my nose. I also perceive a green apple that emphasizes the bitterness, while bergamot adds a splash of freshness, which does not detract from the opening note. The bitter spiciness that captures everything is sparkling and (challenging), yet not unpleasant, just unusual. One might already wonder whether it is more masculine or feminine, as throughout the entire progression I feel that it is at home on both sides. It takes a moment before the fragrance becomes more conciliatory with my nose and increasingly warmer. From this moment on, the cinnamon note is clearly recognizable and how it somewhat restrains the opening aromas. Generally speaking, Kashkha becomes friendlier and a bit more balsamic from here on. At the top of the lavishly adorned gold bottle sits a cap, crowned with a rather light, amber-colored, faceted stone. This color aligns with my perception of the fragrance. The top and heart notes remain unchanged in their blend for a long time, having lost some of their initial exuberance due to the cinnamon, yet without becoming boring. Kashkha has facets like its gemstone on the bottle. If one is willing to wait before judging too quickly, one will also experience the woody undertones of oud and cedar, which keep the fragrance balanced between feminine and masculine. Undeniably, a lot of warmth still radiates here, giving the initially somewhat angular aroma smoother and softer contours. Kashkha is definitely a fragrance that needs time and calm to develop and show its true self. One might be tempted to judge it like a book based solely on its cover, without having read a single page. Here, one must first set aside the bottle and the initial impressions and admittedly give the fragrance more time than is often customary to unfold. The skin chemistry is likely to play an even greater role in this work than it already does, as the aromas initially come across as somewhat bitter. However, the development is exciting, and as mentioned, those who give this drop some time will be rewarded with a beautiful and velvety amber note with a hint of musk. It captures everything that came before and nests it in an incredible softness, giving the fragrance a certain depth and sensuality. The spiciness from the beginning remains present, subtly yet perceptibly swirling and tickling the nose. This transformation works better on my skin than on fabric. On the fabric, the warmth of my skin is missing, which drives the fragrance, and the spiciness somehow remains inconclusive there.

Kashkha means beauty.
And beauty is, as is well known, in the eye of the beholder. While I also enjoy beautiful bottles, the content is personally more important to me.

The fragrance, in my perception, is bright, fresh, spicy, and woody with a wonderful amber finish that wanders through its notes and does not point in one direction.
That is precisely what makes it so exciting for me and is worth (re)discovering every single time.

With Kashkha, I have a fragrance in my collection whose content and beauty even outshine the golden casing...