Nushka
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Nushka
Pagan goddesses, fairy dust and Midsummer night's dream
Not in step with any trend, but also not reminiscent of any vintages, Antheia is a world in itself, timeless. I am surprised it's not talked about more - it truly is unique, and in my opinion, underrated.
I get a blast of fresh, fruity notes in the opening, but they're airy instead of juicy, like pollen falling from wings of fairies. Then florals: violets and iris (orris butter?) come forward, rounded by soft base notes. I love the earthy and slightly musky (animalic) aspect which prevents it from veering into clean and soapy territory - it's a garden alright, but it's wild and not ruled by any gardener. Mischievous, like Puck.
In general, it has this magical, suspended-in-time and Shakespearean "Midsummer night's dream" quality about it. Pre-Raphaelite paintings of cherubs and goddesses come to mind as well.
Longevity is average to low on skin, and average on clothes - but it's fleeting nature is in step with its whole essence - dream-like and otherworldly. This characteristic (and not at all the notes) remind me of "Lady Rose Lion (Monkey Unicorn)" by 4160 Tuesdays - also unique, otherworldly and strange (in a great way!).
All in all, it is one of those fragrances you wear for yourself, not for others. It will dazzle your senses and take you away to a magical garden - for a while - but all spells must come to an end eventually...
I get a blast of fresh, fruity notes in the opening, but they're airy instead of juicy, like pollen falling from wings of fairies. Then florals: violets and iris (orris butter?) come forward, rounded by soft base notes. I love the earthy and slightly musky (animalic) aspect which prevents it from veering into clean and soapy territory - it's a garden alright, but it's wild and not ruled by any gardener. Mischievous, like Puck.
In general, it has this magical, suspended-in-time and Shakespearean "Midsummer night's dream" quality about it. Pre-Raphaelite paintings of cherubs and goddesses come to mind as well.
Longevity is average to low on skin, and average on clothes - but it's fleeting nature is in step with its whole essence - dream-like and otherworldly. This characteristic (and not at all the notes) remind me of "Lady Rose Lion (Monkey Unicorn)" by 4160 Tuesdays - also unique, otherworldly and strange (in a great way!).
All in all, it is one of those fragrances you wear for yourself, not for others. It will dazzle your senses and take you away to a magical garden - for a while - but all spells must come to an end eventually...
Fluffy and comforting
One of my most successful blind buys - a beautiful, architectural-looking bottle made of thick glass, with gold dust floating in the juice.
I love vanilla, and will forever be nostalgic about one of my first perfumes: Cap Nature Vanille by Yves Rocher. Nothing could ever come close to the memory I had of it - until I got Moattar Dhahab, the golden perfume, straight from the official Junaid store in Dubai.
It is a sweet vanilla, without it being a gourmand. It is a floral sweetness, with a veil of musk which lightens the composition and lifts it. Visually, I would associate it with the colour white rather than gold - it is a fluffy, clean musk. Longevity is great on clothes (days!), a bit less so on skin (5 hours). The sillage is quite intimate, noticeable to those who will come within two steps of you, but it does not linger. These characteristics make it very wearable and inoffensive. It's one of the most harmonious and well-balanced vanillas I've ever smelled, no wonder it's Junaid's bestseller!
It just oozes femininity, the understated kind of sensuality elegant women have. It's become one of my comfort scents, protective like a talisman - I wear it and immediately feel like everything is in its right place.
I love vanilla, and will forever be nostalgic about one of my first perfumes: Cap Nature Vanille by Yves Rocher. Nothing could ever come close to the memory I had of it - until I got Moattar Dhahab, the golden perfume, straight from the official Junaid store in Dubai.
It is a sweet vanilla, without it being a gourmand. It is a floral sweetness, with a veil of musk which lightens the composition and lifts it. Visually, I would associate it with the colour white rather than gold - it is a fluffy, clean musk. Longevity is great on clothes (days!), a bit less so on skin (5 hours). The sillage is quite intimate, noticeable to those who will come within two steps of you, but it does not linger. These characteristics make it very wearable and inoffensive. It's one of the most harmonious and well-balanced vanillas I've ever smelled, no wonder it's Junaid's bestseller!
It just oozes femininity, the understated kind of sensuality elegant women have. It's become one of my comfort scents, protective like a talisman - I wear it and immediately feel like everything is in its right place.
Picking pumpkins and gathering a coven
First Amouage for men I have ever tried, didn't expect much as Amouage lovers seemed disappointed when it first came out.
Wellllll...maybe I'm not that difficult, or maybe this little gem is wonderful, despite all the critics.
Smoky, bitter and sweet iris. Linear, but oh so satisfying!
Starts off with slightly medicinal notes, veers into burnt woodchip with a dry, sweet undertone. May very well love you back, despite seeming temperamental at first.
Longevity is stellar, especially on fabric, but sillage quickly becomes intimate (and rightly so). I do not see anything gendered about this perfume, anyone could easily wear it.
It's not just black iris, it's charred iris!
This is niche for introverts - you will smell of woodchip smoke, without invading other people's personal space with weird notes. The sweet undertones make it very wearable and familiar, without being sickly sweet.
It is perfect for central European October, when the wind gets colder, the sunsets - redder, and the evenings start smelling of fires, as people light up their fireplaces and stoves to warm up their houses. I wear this on walks (imho this perfume makes much more sense outdoors) and it's enveloping and protective, like a thick woolen handmade sweater that dried in front of a chimney. Perfect for pre-Halloween activities, like picking pumpkins and gathering a coven. ️
I had a small decant that lasted all fall and all winter, and I think I will buy at least another, bigger decant if not a full bottle.
Wellllll...maybe I'm not that difficult, or maybe this little gem is wonderful, despite all the critics.
Smoky, bitter and sweet iris. Linear, but oh so satisfying!
Starts off with slightly medicinal notes, veers into burnt woodchip with a dry, sweet undertone. May very well love you back, despite seeming temperamental at first.
Longevity is stellar, especially on fabric, but sillage quickly becomes intimate (and rightly so). I do not see anything gendered about this perfume, anyone could easily wear it.
It's not just black iris, it's charred iris!
This is niche for introverts - you will smell of woodchip smoke, without invading other people's personal space with weird notes. The sweet undertones make it very wearable and familiar, without being sickly sweet.
It is perfect for central European October, when the wind gets colder, the sunsets - redder, and the evenings start smelling of fires, as people light up their fireplaces and stoves to warm up their houses. I wear this on walks (imho this perfume makes much more sense outdoors) and it's enveloping and protective, like a thick woolen handmade sweater that dried in front of a chimney. Perfect for pre-Halloween activities, like picking pumpkins and gathering a coven. ️
I had a small decant that lasted all fall and all winter, and I think I will buy at least another, bigger decant if not a full bottle.
A wood nymph's perfume
A weirdo indeed! Your mileage may vary depending on expectations.
The pyramid here is different from the notes stated on the official website.
I was expecting lots of rose (spoiler alert: hardly any rose detectable, yet something else entirely is happening).
I went from nope to yessss within 10 minutes though!
The first spritz on my wrist made me scrunch my nose: "what is that...no" - it was finely ground dried mint and nothing else. I asked my husband's opinion - he didn't like it, and said it's something a robot might smell like, something Data from Star Trek would wear! It's actually his comment that made me want to understand this perfume better because I definitely did *not* get anything remotely robot-like! To me it's definitely foresty and green somehow.
One more generous spritz on my neck and sweater:
I waited, and 10 minutes later the minty powder was gone, and in its place: the softest Chypre! I was a-mazed. So beautifully light - everything that catches my breath and sticks in my throat in Sisley's chypres is also present here but delicately interpreted. Magical!
The rose and fruit notes are barely there, just a nuance to the green composition that helps soften it; and the focus is on the hay note and the oakmoss. It is a watercolour Chypre, if there is such a thing! Brings to mind a Ukrainian master of illustration (Vladislav Yerko) illustrations of the Tales of misty Albion: Arthurian England and mythical creatures in a dreamy fog.
I'm not quite in love but deeply intrigued for sure! Very happy to have a decant of this strange creature.
The pyramid here is different from the notes stated on the official website.
I was expecting lots of rose (spoiler alert: hardly any rose detectable, yet something else entirely is happening).
I went from nope to yessss within 10 minutes though!
The first spritz on my wrist made me scrunch my nose: "what is that...no" - it was finely ground dried mint and nothing else. I asked my husband's opinion - he didn't like it, and said it's something a robot might smell like, something Data from Star Trek would wear! It's actually his comment that made me want to understand this perfume better because I definitely did *not* get anything remotely robot-like! To me it's definitely foresty and green somehow.
One more generous spritz on my neck and sweater:
I waited, and 10 minutes later the minty powder was gone, and in its place: the softest Chypre! I was a-mazed. So beautifully light - everything that catches my breath and sticks in my throat in Sisley's chypres is also present here but delicately interpreted. Magical!
The rose and fruit notes are barely there, just a nuance to the green composition that helps soften it; and the focus is on the hay note and the oakmoss. It is a watercolour Chypre, if there is such a thing! Brings to mind a Ukrainian master of illustration (Vladislav Yerko) illustrations of the Tales of misty Albion: Arthurian England and mythical creatures in a dreamy fog.
I'm not quite in love but deeply intrigued for sure! Very happy to have a decant of this strange creature.
I am Groot
Blind test by courtesy of a generous perfumista : boy, did this juice wake me up this morning!
This is the elixir of life as made by mother nature. This is the drink of Ents. This is Narnia waking up for the first time with giant trees sprouting whole from the ground. I swear I could hear sap circulating from root to unfurling fresh new leaf. Do not be fooled by the glass bottle: this perfume is GREEN. Moreso, it's so green, it's alive and almost screaming "I am Groot"!
Not looking at the notes, this is what I got on my wrist: pungent tomato leaves, something spicy yet watery (cumin? Cardamon? Carrot seeds?), and something that reminded me of the cypress note and green opening of Moroccan Leather by Memo. The lovechild of Eau de Campagne Sisley and Eau de Cartier (old formula). Unisex, masculine-leaning in my opinion (but not so utterly macho that I wouldn't wear it).
And SO STRONG. Maybe too strong. Like the novel "The Trees" by Ali Shaw where nature rebels and takes revenge and trees sprout everywhere and anywhere instantly, destroying and killing all that are in their way.
I don't recognise any flowers nor fruit. I do get the watery part (that's what my brain decoded as "sap"). Any similarity with Moroccan Leather fades in development, only the opening notes are vaguely echoing off of each other (did the elemi+bergamot remind me of cypress?).
A weirdo that I thought would turn out to be something by Amouage that I hadn't tested yet. Imagine my surprise when I saw this bottle and discovered the pyramid and the official description of the frag (urban nightlife?? Not at all what I get!).
I'm a beginner where green fragrances are concerned and this one has so much Oomph that I fear I'm not ready for it yet. I will test it again in springtime, and then it will fill my mind with images of pagan celebrations and landscapes of green, green, green...
This is the elixir of life as made by mother nature. This is the drink of Ents. This is Narnia waking up for the first time with giant trees sprouting whole from the ground. I swear I could hear sap circulating from root to unfurling fresh new leaf. Do not be fooled by the glass bottle: this perfume is GREEN. Moreso, it's so green, it's alive and almost screaming "I am Groot"!
Not looking at the notes, this is what I got on my wrist: pungent tomato leaves, something spicy yet watery (cumin? Cardamon? Carrot seeds?), and something that reminded me of the cypress note and green opening of Moroccan Leather by Memo. The lovechild of Eau de Campagne Sisley and Eau de Cartier (old formula). Unisex, masculine-leaning in my opinion (but not so utterly macho that I wouldn't wear it).
And SO STRONG. Maybe too strong. Like the novel "The Trees" by Ali Shaw where nature rebels and takes revenge and trees sprout everywhere and anywhere instantly, destroying and killing all that are in their way.
I don't recognise any flowers nor fruit. I do get the watery part (that's what my brain decoded as "sap"). Any similarity with Moroccan Leather fades in development, only the opening notes are vaguely echoing off of each other (did the elemi+bergamot remind me of cypress?).
A weirdo that I thought would turn out to be something by Amouage that I hadn't tested yet. Imagine my surprise when I saw this bottle and discovered the pyramid and the official description of the frag (urban nightlife?? Not at all what I get!).
I'm a beginner where green fragrances are concerned and this one has so much Oomph that I fear I'm not ready for it yet. I will test it again in springtime, and then it will fill my mind with images of pagan celebrations and landscapes of green, green, green...
