Jardins de Misfah Une Nuit Nomade 2019 Eau de Parfum

This perfume was the first date accord I've ever smelled, and it was such a pleasant first time.
Velvety, sweet, somewhat meditative; it’s comforting and exotic.

I remember reading somewhere that when Radiohead’s frontman Thom York was struggling with depression, Michael Stipe (R.E.M.) called him. He told him to close his eyes and repeat: “this is not real, this is not happening”. Legend says, this is what inspired the song How to Disappear Completely.
Loving that song, oh!, so much, I decided to try the same exercise years ago. I remember visioning myself laying on an imaginary, empty beach; the sunset was unnaturally pink, the weather neither warm or cold, palm trees swayed in an inexistent wind, and suddenly I wasn’t here anymore.
The reason I'm writing all of that down here is: this fragrance is how that whole scenario in my head smells like.

(Video review on TikTok @sharpteethstarlet)

This is a beautiful and unique perfume. It’s spicy, sweet, fruity, floral, and blended to absolute perfection. I love how simple the perfume pyramid is, but how complex and sophisticated this scent is. It’s a stunning take on a rose-centered fragrance and it’s definitely made for those looking for more daring fragrances.

Jardins de Misfah starts off with a blast of spicy deliciousness, which is then quickly overtaken by a sweet bowl of dates. The rose slowly creeps in, followed by a gentle, creamy, nuttiness to the scent. It’s mouth watering, addictive, and extremely sexy. Someone below mentioned that it reminded them of a Lebanese market or restaurant and I totally agree. It definitely has a middle eastern vibe to it, and the quality feels so luxe. It’s honestly sooooo damn good.

My issue with this fragrance is the performance. With how strong it comes out the bottle, I would expect it to last all day and project strongly throughout the day. But it doesn’t last you all day, and it most definitely doesn’t project for longer than an hour or two. I’m someone that needs their fragrances to last long and project on the stronger side because my skin tends to “eat” fragrances. Maybe I’ll have to wear it by spraying it on my clothes but I can’t lie, I was a bit disappointed with the performance.

Also, I know a lot of people suggest this scent for the winter / fall, but I don’t think it could stand up to cold weather for very long honestly. I wore it today on a warm NYC summer day, and it was nice… while it lasted lol. It never once became cloying or anything like that. I think this is an appropriate year round gourmand scent, and can be worn day or night.

This is just as per notes. I mainly smell the rich sweetness of honeyed dates, with a hint of rose in the background. I don’t really recognise the other notes, but they work very well together. Someone suggested this is a Baklava type scent, and I have to agree. It’s simply delicious and comforting.

This is a lot less rose forward than the extrait, but even as a rose hater I love them both! This is more of a daytime scent for cool weather. The extrait is more of a sexy, mysterious date night fragrance.

The packaging is also incredible. Nothing like the plain pictures posted here. I wish I’d taken photos, before reluctantly binning/recycling it. I was really blown away. I love it when a brand pay attention to the small details. They also now offer a no packaging option if you want to save some money and trees. I love this house!

Syrupy, jammy, spiced rose. Wow!

Very unique and special in my opinion, especially since I'm not personally a lover of rose scents.

It's like having spiced tea and nutty biscuits in a rose garden, full of plump, velvety, glowy blooms. The cardamom and nutmeg in the opening kind of accompany the denser cloud of rose throughout its whole performance.

It becomes powdery and aromatic as it settles, and there is something deeply contemplative about it. Like a fragrant poem. It feels poised, grounded, and serene.
A grown up floral gourmand that gives me the strange but beautiful feeling that I have everything under control.

It's a bit contentious, but to me, Jardins de Misfah feels like a sister to Hibiscus Mahajád They're both deep and sticky roses, but JdM has those spice notes whereas HM leans into a fruitier, almost guava-like interpretation. On a Friday night, JdM catches up with her friends at a wine bar, while HM is still doing her hair. She wouldn't leave the house until 11pm. They're the same age, but they have different lifestyles. The Lykke Li to HM's Zara Larsson, if you will.

The date note in JdM is really the standout and it lends that sticky, honeyed note. You can really visualize the "chew" in this fragrance. I can never tell what saffon actually smells like on it's own, but along with the other spices, makes the overall composition much less floral than rose-centered fragrance would have you believe.

I like JdM, I do. As a 30 year old guy, I think it's a beautiful rose that's fun to wear in the evening or for chilly weather. With that said, I think I prefer my roses drier and less sweet. The honey-like dates are fun, but I don't think they're for me.