Aamal The Spirit of Dubai 2017

Aamal from the Arab House of Perfumery Niche Haute Luxury Nabeel from the Second Generation of The Spirit Of Dubai Exclusive Line is a Oriental Woody Coriaceous Amber Smoky Incensed Fruity Spicy Floral Unisex perfume; It was released in 2017. An ultra-niche collection; that by becoming a personification of the city, The Spirit Of Dubai collection was inspired and paid tribute to him. Aamal, like other creations of the brand, brings the opulence of traditional Arab perfumery with smoked woods and resins mixed with the refinement of French perfumery with the addition of fruity floral accords very present, a signature of The Spirit Of Dubai line.

Aamal starts with a vibrant and citrusy bergamot exit, already quickly intertwining the rich elegance of a sumptuous bouquet of captivating roses and the warm and spicy footprint of a very leathery saffron, referring to a leather already quite smoky also at this beginning that already promises a lot. I also feel this exit complemented by a fruity accord dominated by the bittersweet acidity of the green apple and the soft sweetness of the peach, revealing a rich blend of aromas that welcome with a fresh and fruity lushness.

In the central part of this fragrance, the woody note of an easy oud enhanced by cipriol intertwine in a harmonious dance of mystery and sophistication. This union added to the creaminess of sandalwood creates a rich woody heart, while the incensed and sweet benzoin with patchouli add a heady ambery warmth. The floral and saffron notes offer a sensual and seductive nuance, balanced by the softness of dry woody cedar and the sweetness in the measure of vanilla. A soft dark hint of hot spiced coffee brings a brief aromatic arabesque hint.

As Aamal deepens towards drying, it reveals a warm and sensual base of amber with musk. The super-sized amber adds a golden warmth that envelops the fragrance as a whole, while the musk combined with the castoreum provide an animalic leathery depth. With the finishing touch of a smoky metallic 'oud it adds an earthy element and anchors the fragrance in unmistakable oriental territory, and frankincense and green woods reinforce the smoky and earthy woody character of the fragrance. Another excellent creation with very good performance!

Similar idea to the Frederic Malle - Moon. While Moon goes into spicy leather castoreum territory after fruity smokey opening, Aamal goes into sweeter direction rather than leathery. Spicy raspberry peach cinnamon coffee opening, dries down into vanilla caramel oud. Both fragrances are cypriol heavy. Oud is absolutely accord, there is not even a tiny bit od real oud in this fragrance.

Performance is good nothing mindblowing. Longevity is over 10 h and projection is above average for the first few hours.

Now lets be real, first, the price is absolutely insane. 1000€ for 90 ml fragrance is awful, especially for something which does not contain real oud. Presentation is awful, just way too much. While the perfumer is not disclosed, i am pretty much sure that this is Jordi Fernandez. Also fragrance should be more original idea for the price.

In my opinion, Aamal is the better "Dubai - Turath | The Spirit of Dubai," even though it is a bit more challenging than Dubai - Turath and places its accents on different themes despite the unmistakably similar fruity DNA... quite exciting, as Aamal is essentially the story-wise 2nd Gen of "Dubai - Abraj (Eau de Parfum) | The Spirit of Dubai."

Now, without further ado, let's get into the review. Generally, I was surprised that no one has really reviewed this fragrance in detail, but we will change that shortly:

- As with other SoD fragrances, it is extremely difficult to really pick out individual notes. With "Aamal | The Spirit of Dubai," you can actually smell the dried fruits from the very beginning; combined with a subtle, beautiful rose note and a directly perceivable smoky note, along with a good portion of spiciness coming from the cardamom.

- As the fragrance develops, a lovely saffron note becomes noticeable along with the cinnamon. The scent settles a bit; the initial smokiness and the "apparent fruit-smoke chaos" - which many seem to perceive here - becomes rounder, and only now do I detect a subtle coffee note that swims in the background along with the cypriol and especially castoreum. Don't get me wrong, it is not "animalistic" in the sense of being aggressive or stinky, but rather subtly present and very tolerable in combination with the woody accords.

- Gradually, an earthy-mossy, slightly leathery base forms in the background, on which the fragrance will linger for a long time. In the drydown, the fruits remain subtly detectable, and this smoky impression persists, but now on this slightly earthy-mossy, minimally leathery base.

- I don't need to say much about the performance; it performs effectively long and well; both aspects are definitely at the top.

Overall, Aamal is simply a beautiful oriental from the 2nd Gen. It is not the best from the house, but definitely not as bad as it is talked about here. You just have to know that you are getting a smoky-fruity scent with a lovely sweetness and a slightly mossy drydown that somewhat resembles "Dubai - Turath | The Spirit of Dubai." Expectation management is also extremely key here; definitely test it beforehand, as the fragrance costs a pretty penny!