Ischgelroi

Nha Trang is a kind of premiere for me. I have never tested such an expensive fragrance before. Actually, it’s not a scent I would buy for myself. However, curiosity managed to blow all my concerns away. Here, once again, heart has triumphed over reason, or perhaps nose over wallet. Even my small sample is already priced like some designer fragrances.

Right off the bat, the fragrance is superb. Here we have Nha Trang Oud in a very high concentration. This gives the scent its green Oud character. I perceive Nha Trang as a green, rather fresh Oud. This Oud is accompanied by a floral bouquet consisting of lotus, tuberose, jasmine, rose, clove, and daffodil. The most dominant notes for me are rose, lotus, clove, and davana. Very subtle hints of honey and vanilla can be detected in the heart and base notes. I would describe the fragrance as oudy, green, and very floral.

Nha Trang is a very good Ensar Oud, but unfortunately, that’s all it is. For me, Nha Trang is simply not better than the “normal” Heritage collection or cheaper fragrances from the Privee collection. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can justify the truly outrageous price. There is simply nothing that convinces me to pay the asking price. On one hand, I am thrilled, but at the same time, I am disappointed. Nha Trang leaves me with unfulfilled expectations.

The longevity is solid at 8-9 hours but could be a bit better. The sillage is also rather restrained and stays about an arm's length away.

This morning I finally had the chance to test the new Aventus. I had actually turned my back on the designer and niche scene for a while, but with a new Aventus, it was immediately clear that I had to test it.

Maybe I'm not the perfect target audience for this Aventus, but I have known Aventus since the first batch from 2012 that I was able to call my own.

My description of Aventus Absolu: The scent opens with noticeable Aventus references, but I have already noticed that this is the rather softened Aventus from 2018. The dominant use of smoke and oak moss is virtually non-existent. After about 30 minutes, the fragrance becomes significantly sweeter, and cardamom, cinnamon, and cashmere wood emerge, along with an Ambroxan note that instantly ruined the scent for me. Ambroxan envelops the entire creation like an impenetrable fog and undermines the other notes. Unfortunately, Aventus Absolu remains like this for the entire duration. For me, it is far too one-dimensional and rather amateurishly composed.

I could definitely recognize the similarity to Sauvage or more precisely "Sauvage Elixir | Dior." Here, they also worked with cinnamon, cardamom, citrus fruits, pepper, and a lot of Ambroxan. I would really recommend everyone to rather buy the "Sauvage Elixir | Dior."

Aventus Absolu is a disappointment for me across the board. It lacks any refinement from the original Aventus. The Aventus Cologne also has potential and was able to convince me. With Aventus Absolu, I only see a money-making machine to create an exorbitant amount of money with a hype and to convince fans of the brand that the old Aventus is back and with it the performance. The price is far too high. I see the scent at a maximum of €100.

Of course, some will disagree with me here, but for an Aventus fan like me who still knows the very old Aventus, it feels like a slap in the face.

The only positive for me is the performance. It is really good at 8-9 hours and leaves nothing to be desired.

I am truly immensely disappointed with Aventus Absolu.

"Woke Morisco - Albanian Van Gogh | Ensar Oud / Oriscent" landed with me rather by chance. More specifically, through a swap with a Parfumo. In this case, it wasn't a Blind Buy but a Blind Swap.

Actually, I am not a very big fan of Ensar Oud, because I often find his creations too similar or lacking in balance and accentuation. Of course, this opinion can be debated, but unfortunately, I have never really warmed up to the brand, except for a few exceptions.

"Woke Morisco - Albanian Van Gogh | Ensar Oud / Oriscent" is something completely new from Ensar. It is a very fruity fragrance that consists of about 60% fruits. Here, the scent of bitter orange and the distinctive scent of blood orange can be particularly recognized. In my perception, pineapple is the somewhat less dominant fruit in this creation. Rose can also be detected here, but only in a small amount. For me, the rose lies like a veil over the creation. Amber and iris can also be recognized; they form the creamy component that distinguishes the fragrance from a rather bitter or classic cologne and also keeps the animalic aspect of musk in check.

I would describe "Woke Morisco - Albanian Van Gogh | Ensar Oud / Oriscent" as a fruity, creamy fragrance with a slight animalic note. I would not describe "Woke Morisco - Albanian Van Gogh | Ensar Oud / Oriscent" as floral. Iris simply does not have that typical bouquet scent for me.

I really cannot see a similarity to "Erba Pura | XerJoff." Fragrances like "Erba Pura | XerJoff," "Kirkè (Extrait de Parfum) | Tiziana Terenzi," "Gaya | Anfas," or Lamar are fundamentally different. In general, indie brands are difficult to compare with niche brands. This is due to the character of a mass-market. The avoidance of IFRA regulations also plays a decisive role.

I can only partially understand why "Woke Morisco - Albanian Van Gogh | Ensar Oud / Oriscent" is received so poorly. However, I must also note, as Caligari aptly described, that this fragrance is never recognizable as Ensar Oud, and this will certainly result in a lower rating. Ensar Oud is, after all, the typical manufacturer of oud for everyone and not of fruity, creamy fragrances. Seeing Ensar detached from oud is certainly difficult for the typical Ensar buyer. I believe "Woke Morisco - Albanian Van Gogh | Ensar Oud / Oriscent" has become a victim of a brand name that has implied expectations for many regarding a certain ingredient.

The longevity for me is in a good range at about 8-9 hours, and the sillage is always just under an arm's length and becomes close to the skin after about 6 hours.

For me, "Woke Morisco - Albanian Van Gogh | Ensar Oud / Oriscent" is one of the most interesting discoveries this year because this fragrance is simply different.

I haven't written a review in a long time. The reason for this was that I haven't tested many fragrances lately that convinced me or had something that gave me a reason to write a review.

I've wanted to test Oud Yunnan 2003 for a while, and by chance, I was able to acquire a sample in the Souk. Many thanks to Parfumo for that.

Some of you who have been following my statements lately will surely have noticed that Ensar is a brand I like, but apart from "Cambodi Cologne | Ensar Oud / Oriscent," no fragrance has completely captivated me. Often, I find Ensar Oud to be overly exaggerated and pushed too hard for quality. I often had the impression that Ensar tries to justify its prices by incorporating a kind of justification into its fragrances. This is different for me with the Altars, but they are not the main topic today.

Oud Yunnan 2003 is a fragrance that, due to its classification in the Semi Bespoke category, has created certain expectations for me. Unfortunately, Oud Yunnan disappointed me.

Oud Yunnan is an animalic fragrance that, unfortunately for me, completely suffocates the other notes with its really overly loud oud note and musk. Notes like blue lotus are certainly something that should not be suffocated. Similarly, the orange notes can create a beautiful contrast to the animalic or oud. In my opinion, Ensar has done this very well in "Cambodi Cologne | Ensar Oud / Oriscent," "Chypre Narcotique (Pure Parfum) | Ensar Oud / Oriscent," and "Irian Green | Ensar Oud / Oriscent." Unfortunately, Oud Yunnan is a fragrance that never finds peace and is permanently out of balance. Here, Ensar has again tried to highlight the expensive notes in a forced manner, following the motto that just the ingredients are worth $1000. To be honest, I don't believe these alleged statements about the so expensive ingredients at all. Especially his somewhat poetically sounding texts. With Oud Yunnan, I cannot relate to the impressions or emotions written by Ensar at all.

The following notes I could recognize from the pyramid: musk, jasmine, beeswax, a sweet yet smoky oud, ambergris.

I am really disappointed with Oud Yunnan. It's not a bad fragrance, but it's certainly not something I would see at over €1000 for 50 ml.

The longevity is in a good range for me at 8-9 hours, and the sillage is particularly strong for me for 3-4 hours.

Personally, I find Chinese Oud much better and more interesting in a comparable direction.

I have had Al Majmua in my collection for quite some time now. It was once again one of those typical blind buys. Fortunately, this time it was not a problem to purchase a bottle of this fragrance, which is not always a given with Areej.

First, I want to talk about the entire seventh collection. It often seems to me that this collection is misunderstood. This collection is not a typical Areej collection as was the case with Indolis etc. Russian Adam consciously takes a different path here and uses the idea of floral attars. Of course, the fragrances are not as profound as in Russian Musk II or "Grandenia | Areej Le Doré." The fragrances of the seventh collection have a lower concentration; whether this is also the case with Beauty and the Beast and "Ambre de Coco | Areej Le Doré," I unfortunately do not know. However, the lower price is clearly a decisive criterion for me in the evaluation, as this is particularly good for an Areej. Russian Adam recently released a video in which he consciously addresses the criticisms of people. I can really recommend this video to everyone. For me, it would be wrong to evaluate Al Majmua with the same standards I used for "Siberian Summer | Areej Le Doré." They are simply two different things in terms of price and concentration.

Next, I want to briefly discuss the classification of Al Majmua as a Chypre. The fragrance is not a typical representative of the Chypre genre. It lacks notes such as rose, musk, labdanum, or galbanum. Al Majmua is similar to Chypre for me. Hence my classification as a Chypre. It is a fragrance with Chypre elements, such as oakmoss, patchouli, bergamot, and vetiver (which I also see as a Chypre element for an earthy touch). Al Majmua is a modern interpretation of a Chypre theme. Russian Adam also writes about this: “Modern chypre version of one of the most famous and challenging Indian attars.”

I do see a similarity to "Musk Lave | Areej Le Doré," although I perceive this Areej as darker and more animalic. However, I do not see any similarity to Atlantic Ambergris II at all.

Al Majmua is a very good entry into the world of Areej and also into the Chypre theme. Price-wise, of course, it is also favorable. Comparable Chypre fragrances without synthetic components in this price range are rare; the only competition that comes to mind is "Chypre-Siam | Rogue."

Al Majmua is truly an unusual Areej. Al Majmua is modern and without animalic notes or oud, which is really unusual for Areej. Also, the step towards under €200 for 50 ml is something entirely new for the brand, a kind of novelty, so to speak.

The longevity is absolutely in the good range for me at 7-8 hours, especially considering the lower concentration mentioned earlier. The sillage is about 3-4 hours at arm's length for me and after about 6-7 hours, it is close to the skin.