Ceremy

As soon as I smell the DNA of Iris Ghalia, I am completely captivated.
Nothing fits together and yet somehow everything is so perfect.
It’s like a journey through Wonderland…
Endless meadows, strange trees, and bright colors impress upon you.
You look around frantically to see everything, yet still feel like you’re missing something.
I walk past flowers, garden carnations and irises are practically beaming at me. To my left, a pond with hundreds of water lilies and blue lotus plants stretches out, offering me their beautiful blue-yellow blossoms.
I continue walking… bushes, trees, and baskets of fruit adorn our entire field of vision.
Animals roam around the trees, quite tame and calm. They wander with me through the fruit fields, as if they want to accompany me, just at the beginning of the journey, through Wonderland.
A river appears, and it feels as if it wants to show me the way. So I follow it.
Some time later, I arrive at a market. Here too, I am overwhelmed by impressions.
The merchants are calling out to each other, holding out their goods to me or waving me over to their stalls.
It smells of spices, woods, fruits, flowers, and animals.
At the market, my impressions are completed. Here at the market, what one desires most is offered.
For me, today is an olfactory perfect experience.
So I move on. To my right, iris butter is being offered to me. Pearl necklaces made of sandalwood are laid out on the stalls, and shards of various oud.
After several hours of exploration and discovery, I arrive at a clearing. The sun is just beginning to set.
Deep red light adorns the evening sky of Wonderland.
On my journey, I have packed all my olfactory treasures that I found and taken them with me. Now I unpack everything and lay it all out together. The animals come back to me and settle around our olfactory treasures.
Although each individual piece is something completely unique and differs from the other materials, they form a beautiful overall work of art. Everything flows together as one. And although I was initially overwhelmed by various impressions, now everything merges into a perfect overall artwork for me.
And so my day ends.

The new Iris Ghalia: Trifecta is for me an absolutely successful, brilliant release.
I have always loved the IG, but I have also always wished for a bit more dimensionality in breadth, darkness, a bit more animalic and oud. All of this is what the new IG: Trifecta offers me.
Especially at the beginning, the intensity of the musk is significantly enhanced and also more animalic.
Later on, the animalic aspect settles down, and it is for me a more intense, darker, and deeper experience compared to the “normal” IG.

The sky is heavily overcast. Black-gray clouds cover the sky.
Only a few rays of sunshine occasionally find their way through the thick cloud cover.
The prince rides swiftly on his horse in great haste and rides to the stable at the grand castle. The stable smell and the scent of hay rise to the prince's nose.
He dismounts from his horse and leads it to the others.
From here, he must continue alone, as the prince must fight his way through the thorny rose vines to reach Sleeping Beauty.
Once he has battled through the meter-thick rose bushes, only a long wooden staircase separates him from his beloved.
Yet despite the wounds from the thorns of the roses, the prince hurries up the wooden steps so that he can free her from her curse.
Soon they will be king and queen.

I simply couldn't pass by the new "Oud Royale"... The reason for this is, of course, that Oud Royale is one of my favorite ouds and "Oud Royale (Pure Perfume) | Ensar Oud / Oriscent" is one of the most outstanding oud fragrances from EO for me.
To summarize briefly, "Oud Royale (Pure Perfume) | Ensar Oud / Oriscent" is so special to me because it not only combines the best aspects of oud with a beautiful rose note, ambergris, and high-quality musk. It is also incredibly dense, highly intense, so dark that it almost borders on black. A fragrance of absolute masterclass in my eyes.

The new "Oud Royale: Taifi Sultani | Ensar Oud / Oriscent" had a tough time, as expectations alongside its brother are understandably high.
My expectations for the fragrance were to showcase the strengths of the OG while lightening it up with an underscored, high-quality rose.
And I’ll give it away: my expectations were completely met.
For me, Oud Royale has always been the king among ouds.
Taif rose, on the other hand, is the queen among roses for me.
Now the king and queen are united… this can only be good ;)

The new OR also starts incredibly dense, intense, and dark - although not nearly as dark as the OG.
The beautiful oud is strongly present from the beginning, nestled on warm, almost creamy-animalistic musk, with hints of ambergris in the background.
The composition, which is actually so dark, is brightened and lightened by an unbelievably juicy, fruity-sweet rose. The rose plays a central role in the first minutes but never pushes itself forward alone. It remains a interplay of all fragrance notes, although the oud is already the most prominent to my nose.
The rose notes are incredibly high-quality and never too floral or even disturbing. On the contrary, they enrich the composition and form a counterpart to the brother, which cannot be excluded when the OG variant is already in the perfume cabinet.
For me, an absolutely successful release that I wouldn't want to miss in my collection.

Is it really worth it for everyone who already has the OG?
Certainly not, the similarity is given and the differences are not gigantic.
However, for those who want a brighter, lighter version and enjoy the high-end rose notes from EO, they have found something truly special here.
For me, it's also a great option for daytime and then switching to the regular variant in the evening.

Cheers

I have been searching for a summer fragrance for the summer of 2024.
Actually, summer scents are not really my thing, as other fragrance directions convince and excite me more.
Nevertheless, something new and special was needed for the hot days, and that's how I came across the new and limited Marzocco. Since it shouldn't be too fresh, this creamy little fragrance sounded very appealing. Said and done, ordered:

After the first spray, I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, I found myself in an Italian summer dream.
I was standing on a sandy beach in Sicily, with a radiant blue sky and endless stretches of beach. My feet were in the warm sand, and the scent of sunscreen lingered on my skin.
Meanwhile, I was enjoying an ice cream with two scoops: lemon and vanilla. Bellissimo!

The fragrance has a very creamy character that refreshes with sweet, citrus notes and almost gourmand hints (ice cream!). Mandarin and lime bring a certain fruitiness and support the citrus accords.
Orange blossom also adds sweet notes to the mix, while jasmine flowers lighten the composition with floral accents without becoming dominant. In contrast to the orange blossom, which I perceive more distinctly, jasmine remains in the background.
The musk is very soft and creamy, introducing light, powdery notes. The vanilla, combined with the musk, forms the creamy base, which is supported and nicely complemented by woody notes.

Overall, the notes do not sound revolutionary or new, but the execution is fantastic, and the high concentration of fragrance oils certainly contributes significantly to the exclusivity and convincing presence.
For me, it is a scent that makes me unable to stop smelling myself after spraying it on because it smells so good and alluring.
With this, I have now found one of my summer favorites for this year. My expectations have been exceeded! :)

The sea is rough, for a heavy storm has arisen.
A Viking ship navigates the stormy sea with whipping waves, howling wind, and lightning illuminating the sky.
Everyone knows - Thor is swinging his hammer and striking his anvil like never before. Sparks are flying in the sky.
Waves are piling up into huge, shifting constructs and then sinking again. They crash against the ship's hull, and the salty water has long since covered the entire deck of the ship.
The ship is tossed back and forth, the men hide under their animal-scented furs to escape the adversities of the storm a little.
A barrel filled with pickled fruit, which was brought on board as a supply, has splintered, causing the fruit and wood shards to mix in the salty sea water.
In the midst of this chaos, a healer kneels beside an injured man and treats him with various plant tinctures and flower oils.

The Vikings bravely continue to sail. Over time, Thor's fury subsides and the storm fades.
The clouds slowly part, brighten, and sunbeams fight their way through the previously dense cloud cover.
Eventually, the salt dries on the men's skin. Rain and storm have been endured.
What remains is the memory of this incredibly wild journey, the impressions, and the scent of salty ambergris.

Jamaican Ambergris is the third fragrance from the brand that bears this name.
I was curious about the scent and did not know what place it would take among the two others.
One reflects for me more the aquatic and salty properties of ambergris, while the other brings more fruity components into play.
This one, Jamaican Ambergris, connects the two scents and reflects both compositions in its own way.
From the very beginning, we have very, very intense and salty ambergris notes.
They give the fragrance aquatic and fruity qualities. The ambergris is so intense that it remains the main character throughout the entire composition. The name is absolutely fitting here.
It is rare for expensive ambergris to be used in such generous amounts, which makes the scent high-quality and unique.
There is also high-quality Hoi An Oud included, and not in small quantities (2 grams per 50ml). However, this is less prominent, as the ambergris initially overshadows everything.
As the fragrance develops, the oud notes, on which the scent is based, emerge in interplay with creamy sandalwood.
Juicy roses and blossoms lighten the composition a bit, while vetiver, Peru balsam, and massoia wood keep the strong fruity notes in check with dry, woody, and slightly resinous notes, preventing the scent from becoming too floral or too sweet.

For me, Jamaican Ambergris is the best of the series, and anyone looking for a concentrated dose of ambergris has found a great scent here, though it comes at a price.
For me, a grand release.

If the price is too high, but one absolutely wants to experience this ambergris, one can also take a look at the "Jamaican Ambergris Attar | Ensar Oud / Oriscent," which is also incredibly intense.

I was so excited when I first discovered the name "Private Blend" in the current Ramadan specials from Ensar.
The Private Blend is and remains one of the most beautiful musk fragrances I know and one of my favorites from the brand.
I have long dreamed of how wonderful it would be to hold the PB with a generous addition of high-quality oud in my hands. Therefore, it felt like a lucid dream in which I could fulfill my great wish. It was almost unreal to me that my desired composition would be served to me on a silver platter.
And now the moment has come, and I will share my experience and my opinion on it…

What I love about the OG version "Private Blend | Ensar Oud / Oriscent" is that from the very first second, a dense, warm, and highly potent musk cloud flows into the nose.
Thank God, we have the same effect in this version.
From the start, it kicks off with power. You don't have to worry about longevity and sillage; the performance is once again extreme. The new PB projects well for 15 hours, and after that, it remains perceptible on the skin for up to 24 hours.
Compared to the OG, the performance (especially the sillage) is a bit lighter, but it has more depth; more on that later.
The main players are the two types of musk, Tibetan and Tonkin musk, which are used in high concentrations. Additionally, the fragrance oils are not diluted with alcohol but with a tincture of both musk types, and as a cherry on top, there is a chunk of musk in the bottle.
So, it’s no surprise that with the first spray, a musk bomb explodes, creating a cloud of dense, warm, and animalistic mist that forms the first building block of the composition.
The musk notes are indeed highly potent and distinctly animalistic, but never unpleasant. They also bring a spiciness and, above all, a warm & sweet creaminess that shapes the entire fragrance journey alongside the animalistic notes.
Royal floral notes of a rose weave into the musk cloud, appearing almost juicy and slightly fruity.
Fruity notes of blackberry and spicy tea notes dance around creamy, woody sandalwood. The Mysore sandalwood smells incredibly high-quality and noble. The creamy notes blend perfectly into the overall impression and form a noble part of the fragrance's base alongside the woody notes.
Another highlight is the oud, which, alongside the grand choice of musk, makes the composition what it is - a masterpiece.
Vintage Jaya oud has been used, which forms the base of the fragrance alongside the musk, which remains strongly present, and the sandalwood, which adds bright wood notes and creaminess to the overall impression. And this base has a lot to offer and plays with an incredible number of facets. The Jaya oud brings dry-woody, dark, and earthy notes. All of this creates a solid foundation. Additionally, animalistic and slightly dirty oud notes come into play, which wonderfully blend with the musk and become one.
The crowning aspect of all this, which gives the fragrance so much depth and complexity, is the special oud that has been additionally used. As the name of the fragrance suggests, it is Hailam Kilam.
Hailam Kilam is a Chinese oud from Hainan that smells extremely high-quality and noble, bringing completely different facets into play.
The Hailam Kilam also has animalistic notes, but it also brings a woodiness and, above all, spicy notes. It even has an almost musky touch. This naturally fits perfectly into our musk bomb, as if it were made just for that.
The depth and complexity that the fragrance receives from the interplay of the different ouds is noticeable from the very beginning and I perceive it as extremely high-quality and successful. This is great art.
As the composition progresses, the strong base increasingly pushes to the forefront, and the individual facets that initially danced loosely within the overall work have integrated into the complexity of the whole.

For me, a masterpiece has been created here, and a fragrance that I love and appreciate has not been newly interpreted, but it has been given depth and new facets. For me, both versions will always have a place in my collection, but I no longer want to miss the new, oudier version.
In the end, my dream has become a reality…