Mads361

Unsuspecting, I entered the ancient, small antique shop of a crotchety old man.
I was immediately hit by the smell of ancient, greasy, leather-bound books.
Cold, damp hay lay on the somewhat dirty floor, covered in clods of earth.

I slowly rummage through shelves of documents, creeping through corridors littered with antique decorative items and furniture that have long since left their best days behind. A musty, green, old and yet familiar smell settles on me.
A shadow appears between jars of essential oils and civet paste.
The shopkeeper, an elderly gentleman dressed in old robes, looks at me with delight.
After hours of browsing, I finally left the store, but the smell lay on me like a veil.
Pitch black, green-oily film.
Very concise civet, noble flowers, green, damp hay and fine oud.

It is such a balanced, powerful composition that it almost seems to stop time.
For me, a fragrance to close my eyes and enjoy.

Pleasantly animalic, definitely wearable. The fragrance welcomes you with open arms, envelops you and makes you reluctant to let go.

For me a 10/10

The name says it all

The fragrance has been extremely interesting for me since the name was announced, as I had already suspected that hemp would be used. An absolute novelty at ALD, according to Russian Adam. I think it's obvious that this step is quite daring. But I take my hat off. The implementation shines in all its facets.

The forbidden plant outgrows itself. The hemp oil is clearly perceptible and creeps through every room and into every nose.
The grapefruit is also clearly perceptible. But not overly sour. I would say tangy-tart. The color scheme has also been nicely adopted here.
Orange-golden, the bottle exudes an image of cool summer evenings.
Together with lime, ginger and turmeric, a spicy, fresh adventure in the forest.
Flowers sprout from the earth.
A skunk stumbles past in the bushland, leaving behind a whiff of its appealing aroma. The animal is clearly perceptible, but not in any unpleasant way, as one would assume, given the animal.

Later in the drydown, I also detect a little vanilla and imagine I smell slightly damp, sweaty moss.

I think I will experience a lot with this fragrance as the season approaches and I am glad that Forbidden Flower will accompany me on my travels.
In my opinion, it's definitely worth a try if you like high quality and new things and you're familiar with the "Siberian Musk III | Areej Le Doré" fragrance. Because one thing is for sure, you will hardly find anything comparable. It is unique and outstanding.

Flacon and workmanship, as with the Classics, and admittedly, already top class. The presentation is impressive.
Instead of a gold cap and plaque, now in black. Impressively simple and mysterious. The font is reminiscent of ancient diaries and documents from times long past. It simply fits.

A fragrance so mysterious and powerful.

A journey back to the time of the Ottoman Empire. With its magnificent appearance, Ottoman Empire IV embodies a time when the trade in spices, perfume, architecture and power played a completely different role in everyday life.

The art of perfume making flourished, with fragrances as personal expression and status symbols. The trade in spices and perfume contributed to cultural sophistication and economic prosperity.
Ottoman Empire IV is a fusion of diverse aromas from the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
Full of spices that can also be found in Russian Adam's creation. Cinnamon, cardamom and saffron. Turkish roses and frangipani are accompanied by nutmeg, the very restrained vetiver and Jamaican pepper, which seems out of place. It tries to bring a certain edginess to the very rounded composition.

It is a spectacle of top and heart notes.

The trade routes of the time paved the way for a lively exchange with France, whose influence is clearly perceptible

The fragrance is round, elegant and delicate, yet at the same time present and by no means restrained, which is also reflected in the impressive bottle. Ottoman glass artists were known for their ability to produce artistically designed and decorated glassware. The Ottomans also maintained close trade relations with other centers of glass production in Europe and the Middle East, which led to an exchange of techniques and designs.

An art embedded in amber, oud and moss - that's how you could sum it up in one sentence.

For some, this fragrance may seem a little overloaded and wild at first. But this first impression should quickly fade and a very pleasant, almost perfectly balanced creation emerges. It is as if you have stepped into a time capsule. This is how I imagine the scent of a flourishing empire that is in its prime and does not seem to tire.

Equally amusing in the light of the former motto "Devlet-i Ebed-müddet" - the eternal state - is the fact that this is already the fourth edition of this fragrance. It does indeed seem to be of timeless duration, and it always charmingly reminds us of times gone by.

With Russian Oud 2, I feel like Obelix, except that I have fallen into a deep black, cast-iron cauldron full of dark chocolate. So infinitely strong and viscous that it seems almost impossible to escape.

Alarmed by the mishap, Willy Wonka intervenes, who was pouring his latest oud distillate into a 53ml glass art and lost it when it slipped on the melted chocolate scattered all over the room.

An evocative scent of the deepest dark chocolate mixed with wild, fine oud.

This powerful composition is mixed with a pleasant, underlining layer of deer musk and resinous-animalic notes. The air began to stick. Enveloping and mystical, the scent wafted from the factory to every corner of the city. Opulent and oriental.

I left Willy Wonka's factory enveloped in a veil that I never want to take off.

For me, the fragrance is a demonstration of the highest art, disguised in one of the most beautiful bottles I have ever seen. The legendary "Golden Ticket", the cap, is majestically enthroned on the imposingly decorated and finely detailed body, which carries the dark magic within it.

Noble, elegant, opulent and powerful, Russian Oud 2 envelops everything that comes close to it.

Nevertheless, I don't want to leave it unemphasized that I have no direct comparison to Russian Oud 1. But for someone who only knows Part 2, I am very impressed.

I discovered Papilefiko by chance during my trip to Dubai and since then it has accompanied me on hot days.
Another masterpiece from the hands of Dominique Ropion.
Anyone who knows his creations knows that it is in a league of its own in terms of quality and this is no different here.
Wonderful cardamom accords paired with a light effervescence and picturesque, yet quite gentle, by no means feminine, flowers. Rounded off with a cheeky, green, slightly creamy balsamic note.
The perfect daily companion for warmer days.
Rather masculine for me, but who am I to judge? The person has to fit, not the gender.
Light spice, refreshing appearance.
Drydown beautifully comprehensive. A fragrance to feel good. Liberating like wings.

Longevity makes a good impression, as usual from Nishane.
Sillage initially quite opulent, then decreases somewhat over time, but remains perceptible for a long time.

I can only warmly recommend a test sniff.