Ninamariah

KEMI BLENDING MAGIC
Owner Sergio Momo
Nose: Chris Maurice
Discontinued
Relaunched under Xerjoff’s K Collection, they (at least these ones) differ from the original ones. There seems to be even less real Oud if any and for example one of the main notes - Caramel - is not even mentioned in the notes of Kemi in K collection.

Some perfumes which I love in summertime. I know, the most of the people don’t wear these kind of heavy ones in hot but on my skin these are best on warm weather.

KEMI (released originally 2014)

Top: Cedar, Laotian agarwood (Oud)
Middle: Gurjum Balsam, Caramel, Castoreum, Civet
Base: Sandalwood, Vanilla, wood notes

I have some obsession with caramel notes in summertime and in this concoction, I just can’t resist it. It’s so amazing now when it melts on my skin. This smells exactly how you can imagine because of the notes: woody, oudy, sensual, animalic, soft, sweet and addictive. It’s well blended and enjoyable.

‘ilm (2014)
Arabic word for “knowledge”
Very challenging and barnyardy

Indian Assam oud
Oud from Bangladesh
Oud from Laos

“It is an unfathomable combination of different types of oud wood with their heavy, brown, earthy, and slumbering smell, evoking a sense of age and wisdom. ‘ilm opens with the fruity dimension imparted by the loudness of oud wood. The fruity dimension also imparts tobacco-like features to the solid and mystical oud and makes it enchantingly mysterious. Dark, yet bright and promising, heavy, yet full of passion, like knowledge that is unattainable, which once possessed bestows to its bearer all the secrets of the universe.“

️And no, I don’t believe or think that this is real Oud. There is a little hint of those and the rest is something else but I enjoy it regardless. Real Ouds and synthetic blends are totally different categories for sure. My thoughts on “Ouds” is well said in Ensar Oud website:
“The perfume industry has flooded the market with synthetic oud aroma chemicals, watering down and convoluting the legacy of oud with their shallow and linear plantation ouds.
To be blunt, most brands starting to use the term are just milking the cash cow that is the growing trend and vast market of wealthy Arab and Middle-eastern nations given their affinity towards everything oud, and nothing to do with appreciation of the fine aromatic.
The use of oud as a term has never been more widespread, nor has the quality ever been so low. For commercial purposes, oud is any ratio of the lowest grade ‘agarwood oil’ in combination with any other oil, be it of natural or synthetic origin.”

First I have to say that it's very rare that I talk about a fragrance by comparing it to another fragrance as much as I do now. I usually approach scents as individuals and appreciate even small differences that create a different feeling in me.

The name and the notes sounds so nice and even if I noticed that the notes are almost identical with Portrait of A Lady I was hoping, at least, that there is something that sets it apart from POAL in a positive way. Some beautiful detail, maybe wonderful Oud note, which POAL doesn't have (doesn't even need though).

The opening reminds me immediately of POAL but that beautiful combination of spices, Patchouli, Rose and Frankincense is immediately gone. And that's it. So what sets them apart is that Rosewood is boring, and generic without any unique thing and it's just a shade of its archetype, POAL. It's very difficult to think why to choose this one over iconic POAL BUT if you feel that you like the scent of POAL but it's a way too potent, dense and "big" scent for you then Rosewood would be your choice. There is barely Oud in it, honestly I don't detect it at all so you can ignore it totally if you don't like it. And vice versa, if you love Oud a lot and you are expecting something truly Oudy Rose, you can ignore Rosewood.

Rosewood is not a bad scent by no means if thinking a scent. It smells nice, pleasant, it's for sure very easy to like. It's blended ok as well. I'm sure that it will be popular. But as much as I love POAL, this doesn't evoke any emotions in me and I don't know when I should wear it. And to all of you who don't know POAL: you can try this one but please try that masterpiece as well.

Sartorial71 has made a beautiful review below, I'm thinking the same but about the original one. All of that fits Rosewood too, but it lacks some magical finish which is so incredible in POAL.

They resemble each other’s but they are not same.

ROSEWOOD
Top: Pink Berries, Pink Pepper
Heart: Rose Essence, Rose Absolute, Oud
Base: Incense, Patchouli, Sandalwood

PORTRAIT OF A LADY
Top note: Rose
Middle notes: Blackcurrant, Raspberry, Clove
Base notes: Patchouli, Sandalwood, Frankincense (Incense)

This review is based on a sample.

I will write a more detailed review after buying a full bottle (maybe), this review is based on 3 full wearings in Finnish summer (15-20c).

First of all there is not Magnolia here!!!

The name is super misleading. And despite those tropical notes which sounds heavy, this is very beautiful, subtle and tender. It's not creamy, nor citrusy or sweet or that kind of fruity which makes you want to eat them. First it somewhat fresh and it develops into utterly smooth, warm and charming scent which is irresistible when smelling close to the skin. It doesn't project and a sillage is minimal so this is suitable for intimate moments.

Top: Osmanthus, Orange Blossom
Heart: Apricot, Fig, Frangipani flower
Base: Ylang-Ylang, Vanilla

This review is based on a sample.

Feels very enjoyable, a bit smoky, like humid smoke with a hint of Vanilla. Oud is enjoyable and it blends beautifully with warm Benzoin and soft Sesame. I like the blend during the first hour even if for me it's not like an Oud scent. It's a crowd pleasing western Oud. It's nice after that as well but while the scent evolves it becomes more like woods with Vanilla. A gentle humid smoke remains anyway which is nice and it never gets so sweet. Overall this is nice scent but too general and simple for me. There is no Saffron here, not in the notes, it does'n smell like that either. An earthy feeling comes from Sesame but it's definitely not a Saffron like earthiness. This is great to wear in cooler climate but it works surprisingly well in warm weather as well without being too heavy or suffocating.

NOTES FROM THE BRANDS WEBSITE
Top: Bitter Orange, Sesame
Heart: Laos Oud, Guaiac Wood
Base: Vanilla, Benzoin

This review is based on a random sample.

Sometimes perfumes are strange. Something made me curious to visit my sample again and the cloying part has totally disappeared. Now it's very smooth as well, still (luckily) tuberose doesn't stand out. It's still strong though and I think that it can easily cause headache but not for me anymore.

So, if you try it and don't like it, wait a couple of weeks even more. You may be as surprised as I am now! In this case I'm very happy that my sample was leaking a little bit since I got a sniff of it from time to time when I was just moving my sample. And today the magic happened and now I sprayed this heavily in my arms.

MY FINAL REVIEW:

Absolutely stunning blend where all the notes merges perfectly. Seductive, captivating, full-bodied, rich scent is a combination of fruity aroma, warm spicy touch of precious Saffron, creamy, silky white florals and dark tones from Patchouli, Myrrh and Ambery nuances.

Tuberose is made beautifully since it differs a lot of the style nowadays. It’s not heady nor stands out so clearly which I’m used to but it’s glorious and impressive regardless. Vanilla and Passionfruit gives it fruity sweetness and musky base makes it classy, seductive, yet cozy. It really adds a sensual vibe to the dry down. I’m not a fan of ambroxan, but here it doesn’t bother me after the initial difficulty, even though a hint of syntheticity does come through every now and then. The oud is not particularly noticeable, but it certainly adds depth to the overall composition.

The texture is almost sticky first like bold as well but it evolves into the silky smooth, soft and pampering. This is a fragrance for festive moments as well as occasions when you want to be noticed. It’s a confidence booster. It makes you feel like a queen.

I don't have any idea how my thoughts can change this much during around 5-6 weeks. Now I smell all the beautiful little things in the notes in it but still I can't find Oud in it.

Is this "Oud perfume"? No, it's not noticeable.
Is this "Tuberose scent"? I would say no because there is so much other thing going on as well but for sure it's one of the notes which makes this quite heady and easily dominate the concoction if you don't like it.
Is this fruity? No and first I was disappointed not to even get a gentle whiff of Passionfruit. Now it’s pushing through all that complexity and the fruity flavor is just perfect.

What about the comparisons below? Alien, Aura or even Angel by Mugler: I don't find any similarities and I love so much all of them. Alien has been mentioned many times but it's heady amazing Jasmine. Blonde Amber: nothing same and I get a terrible headache from it. NR Musk Noir Rose: No, not even close and even if changing that into mature grandma scent (whatever that means), no.
Unisex? Absolutely

I think this is either love or hate fragrance. This is very complex and there is a quality but please sample first. This is not a safe blind buy.

THIS BELOW IS BASED ON A RANDOM SAMPLE when I really tried to give it a full wear multiple times but I couldn’t.
Now after many testings I would love to wear it nonstop.

I don't know exactly what is bothering me here the most but the blend is cloying and it gives me a headache. If I'm checking the notes there is nothing which I don't like even if I haven't been wearing so much Tuberose dominant scents lately (love it though). This is blended very well and it's difficult to detect some individual notes. This is very potent as well which may be partly because I don't like this one but I think it's quite strong anyway and with this scent the less is more.