Himalayan Spell Obvious 2024

Recently, the brand Obvious Perfumes launched a new line.
“High Standarts” is what it’s called. Does this also come with a higher quality? So far, I found many of the brand's fragrances rather disappointing, although sometimes very interesting ("Scoville | Obvious," for example).

Three fragrances kicked things off, each dedicated to a specific theme and location.

One is from the town of Malfa in Sicily, one is inspired by the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (who endured much suffering in her life), and one is dedicated to the remote regions of the Himalayas.

As someone with a personal connection to Buddhism and the magic of the Himalayas, “Himalayan Spell” immediately caught my eye.

Raspberry, leather, oud... hmm, a well-known fragrance from England immediately came to mind. What intrigued me more was how this familiar fragrance DNA would be connected to Nargamotha, which has a very complex scent profile, in relation to the Himalayas.

Now, onto the actual perfume and the impressions it left on me:

Right after spraying, you can indeed tell that it has a raspberry-leather-oud DNA. However, this typical impression quickly gives way to one that truly represents the theme wonderfully: Tibetan incense, which is suggested here through the blend of oud and Nargamotha.

What particularly impressed me was how beautifully Julien Rasquinet wove this in. Autumn in Lhoka and The Holy Mountain Eau de Parfum came to mind. While I found the incense in both of those to become a bit overwhelming after a while, Julien managed to incorporate it here in such a way that it plays a clear role as a note without being too dominating. Since Nargamotha and oud both have a similar character, this works surprisingly well. The fragrance retains its niche character, yet is still extremely wearable for me.

Hats off, Mr. Rasquinet.

He has succeeded in linking a pleasing fragrance DNA with the special character of Tibetan magic, and he has done this wonderfully.