Sky22

Swiss Arabian is the native perfume brand of the United Arab Emirates since 1974
I became aware of this brand in 2012, when I moved to Dubai for work at the time and spent the following 3.5 years there.
Swiss Arabian makes among other things dupes to well-known fragrances and from the price-performance ratio, this brand is simply unbeatable. The durability and sillage is extraordinary, on the Gulf is anyway generously perfumed what the stuff holds.
Even the clothes are incense with "Bakhoor" (fragrance blocks).
Discreet, body-orientated waters are quickly lost there.

Now I've made my way back to Dubai, one of my first ports of call was, of course, Swiss Arabian.
One of the new releases of the house is "Gharaam" with five other fragrances it thus belongs to the new "WAAW Collection".

Gharaam is an Arabic unisex name and roughly translates as
Love, devotion, infatuation, devotion.

With Gharaam the house has produced a Baccarat Rouge 540 Dupe, since this is my signature fragrance I have of course not long thought and immediately struck.

Since I have already written a detailed commentary on BR540 and many also know the fragrance, I would not like to go into the fragrance description here but rather describe a brief comparison.

I just sprayed on both fragrances and within a short time BR540 faded away; Gharaam definitely wins in terms of longevity.
The sweet floral jasmine note comes through more strongly in Gharaam and still has a spicy fir resin note among other things, which I personally really like.
The heart note is clearly dominated by amber; warm and radiant like an amber.
In the base, the cedar is more intense and beautifully balsamic-woody.
The characteristic saffron note has turned out a little lighter than in the model or original.
In addition, Gharaam is not quite as sweet as BR540; absolutely unisex suitable and in my opinion a nice companion for cooler days.
Gharaam smells, however, a tad more synthetic than BR540.

Overall, I would describe the scent as an ambery, "golden" cotton candy, I could detect the scent on my jacket for days to come.
Woody-sweet, slightly floral, it even reminds me of the first version of BR540 (before that was apparently reformulated).

Gharaam is more budget friendly -costs half- and so far the best BR540 dupe I've come across.

The sillage is very satisfactory, despite mouth protection and safe distance I could Gharaam at a friend who has also bought the fragrance- very well perceive :-)

The bottle looks decorative with the gold cap and the decorations of the initials of the line (Arabic "waw" letter) and also fits perfectly with the contents in terms of color.

The fragrance is available in Germany as far as I know only online, who knows BR540 and loves, Gharaam can confidently order blind :-)

The brain stores scents, as is well known, and for this reason I had consciously decided on a new perfume for my upcoming wedding.
After all, years later, when I smelled the fragrance, I wanted to bring back memories of the big day.

By chance I discovered Mon Guerlain and the decision was made.
My fiancé gave me the fragrance a short time later for my birthday, there were still four months to go before the wedding.

During this time I started wearing Mon Guerlain occasionally in rehearsal. It simply fitted perfectly into the overall picture of a romantic-rustic October wedding. To the cream-coloured vintage wedding dress.
To lilies Casablanca.
And as my very close companion, Mon Guerlain; the perfect autumn scent par excellence

The fragrance is classically elegant without being stuffy. Sexy and sensual without being sinful. Attractive, yet innocent. Restrained, yet present. Striking, without screaming "here I am!"
In my opinion, the ideal image of a bride. She doesn't need to be noticed, since the day belongs to her anyway and she is the center of attention.

A fragrance without corners and edges, a so-called crowd pleaser, yet it stands out from the crowd.
Mainstream? Nothing. Yes, it's sweet, but not sticky. It's spicy sweet. Even slightly ethereal and aromatic-fresh, thanks to the bergamot in the prelude.
I perceive a light liquorice note and also coumarin in the background. Iris gives it a special, powdery touch.

With Angelina Jolie as the face of the advertising campaign, Guerlain has hit the bull's eye.
The provocative rebel has become an elegant lady over the years, just as I personally have developed over time. With the years, the maturity and life experience one becomes calmer, more relaxed, calmer.

Mon Guerlain was my tranquilizer in this -clothing- stressful phase of wedding preparations. Whether it was because of the lavender?
Not even the monster-in-law (sorry) who made my life a living hell could upset me. With Mon Guerlain I felt protected and gently wrapped. He helped me to stand above things.
Was I actually wearing Mon Guerlain or did he wear me...?

Unfortunately, it did not have a happy ending: we separated shortly before the wedding. It's been more than a year since then, and I have never used Mon Guerlain again.
The limbic system stores olfactory sensations, linked to intense emotions and people who have accompanied you during this phase.
Maybe it's not about the "happy ending" but about the story itself.

The soft vanilla note, paired with jasmine and sandalwood, enveloped me like a cuddly blanket.
How many times did Mon Guerlain wipe the tears from my cheeks, give me courage and strength, whisper to me: "Everything will be fine." Like a hug, he was my comforter
Like a best friend who has stood by you through the hardest times, who knows your weaknesses and imperfections. Even though you present the strong woman on the outside

No, I'm still not over it and whether I can ever wear Mon Guerlain again is in question. Today I had to admit this to myself after a long break and re-testing: Mon Guerlain for me is just melancholy to spray on - Hello Proust-Effect!
I am still mourning my ex and also after the scent, both of them will never again be like and what they once were for me.

Maybe one day I'll fall in love again. Maybe I'll let Mon Guerlain come back into my life. Unfortunately, with fragrances it is almost impossible to cover up the deeply rooted memories and the emotions that go with them.
Damn, why isn't there a reset button for the archive up there?

Time heals all wounds, they say. I am not completely healed yet but one thing is for sure, the power of fragrances should never be underestimated. In the positive as well as unfortunately also in the negative sense.

"Sometimes it's time to close an old book. There's no point in reading the chapters over and over again. "Because they don't change. And there are so many other great books."

And scents...

So long, mon Guerlain, mon Amour!

It was in July 2017 when I got to know and love Baccarat Rouge 540.
Up to that time, niche fragrances were a foreign territory for me.

I arranged to meet a fellow student for coffee that summer evening. We shared a common passion: scents
So this date turned into a perfume date. No kidding, he came to the date with a backpack full of bottles.
The people in the café probably thought we were crazy, luckily it was an open roof terrace and so nobody bothered :-)

He introduced me to the world of niche fragrances
Kilians, Creeds, Parfums de Marly, Amouage, Bond No. 9, Xerjoff, Memo Paris...I was overwhelmed by the new impressions and partly overwhelmed.

It was tested, evaluated, discussed, and coffee breaks were taken in between to neutralize the nose.

Around midnight I had no more free space, I had sprayed all over my wrists and ankles, I had used up all the test strips.

It looked as if he had saved the best for last: Baccarat Rouge 540 from MFK. A mistake, because I couldn't smell anything despite the extensive coffee breaks, the numerous Turkish Mocha, but I sprayed BR540 half-heartedly on my blouse.

The next morning I was met by a bright, sweetish woody scent. Where does this beautiful scent come from? From my blouse in the laundry basket!
I immediately called the friend, what was the last scent tested? Bacara... what?
It was all over me, I couldn't stop smelling my blouse before he landed with a heavy heart in the washing drum.

BR540 is difficult to describe and put into words, it triggers many associations;
Cotton candy, strawberry jam, caramel? No, sweet wood, fir, woody?
That medical grade! Pharmacy? Dental practice? Bandage, Band-Aid? Tomato vine?

Many have already described the fragrance in detail here, so I don't want to repeat myself or even summarize everything, my overall impression and what I liked most about BR540 was just this sweet and sterile, medical note.

My friend added that Ethyl Maltol, Ambroxan and Hedione make this fragrance so distinctive, but many people are anosmic for it
(fortunately I do not belong to this group).

At that time as a student I could not afford this fragrance, fortunately I regularly got a generous bottling from my colleague. Over time a deep friendship developed between the two of us and BR540 became "our" signature fragrance.

At the same time an endless search for a budget-friendly dupe or replacement began; No. 94 by Atelier Rebul, Ariana Grandes Cloud, Burberry Her, Tinharé and Cosmic by AP thus landed in my collection.
But no, of course, nothing could even come close to matching the masterpiece.

Last year I treated myself to a bottle from my first salary
But I was horrified to discover that the formulation had been slightly changed. Much lighter, more transparent or watery and therefore (worsened) durability. Or had my nose changed over time?

Have any of you had a similar experience? (compared to older batches from 2016).

Nevertheless, I was overjoyed, because BR540 stands for my long, unquenched longing to be "reunited" after a long time, as if you would see an old friend again after years.
Familiar, yet slightly alienated.

It fits - correctly and in moderation - for almost all occasions, during the day in the office, in the evening and for going out. It has style and class, radiates elegance, absolutely unisex but must definitely fit the wearer.

I associate very pleasant memories with the fragrance, starting on a balmy summer night under the clear starry sky in Istanbul.

BR540 is radiant, warm, vibrant and magical - just like the vibrant metropolis where we met.

BR540 has been a great success since its release and since then my signature fragrance.
But do you know this? This restless search for "What could top this?" for a better scent, but one that goes in a similar direction?
So I came across Sensual Instinct among others and was allowed to test the fragrance in a chic Hamburg perfumery.

After the first spray I was deeply disappointed; a juicy rose soaked in syrup blasted at me and I found the start to be fruity and liqueurish. THAT's supposed to smell like BR540?! Hmm... Never!
But as you know it from Montale, it takes a long time until the actual scent develops :-)

So I took the opportunity to test other Niche fragrances and stay in the perfumery.
Half an hour later, a very familiar scent blew towards me, wait a minute, I know YOU, don't I?!
Sniffed again on the wrist, yes, you can smell immediately which fragrance the perfumer was inspired by ;-)

The name says it all: Sensual Instinct is sensual, beguiling, unisex, but I find it very feminine
The rose is present throughout the fragrance, with the coffee and praline notes, Sensual Instinct goes more in the gourmand direction. Somehow the scent reminds me of Bailey's, sugary-sweet, liqueur-like, I think I also read somewhere that Sensual Instinct contains a whisky note among other things, but this is not listed.
The juicy oakmoss note in the base is to kneel down!

Yes, the scent has this amber BR540 DNA, there's no denying it, yet it's "different".

Of course I took Sensual Instinct with me immediately, it should not be missing in my collection!
The durability is unbeatable, typical for a Montale by the high concentration of fragrance, even after 10 hours I can perceive it very well.

To be honest, I have received more compliments and positive feedback from my environment since I started wearing Sensual Instinct than with BR540.

If you like BR540, you should definitely test Sensual Instinct. Better durability, bomb silage, warmer, denser, deeper and more gourmand; not quite so medical (that's mainly what many people dislike about BR540, I like it).

I'm very happy to have found Sensual Instinct. For me the perfect fragrance for the cooler seasons, although I have already worn it in summer :-)

Secret Sucré is for me the somewhat different gourmand scent, it dances through the nutty-woody notes from the series. Sensual and tender without being intrusive.

The prelude starts quite powdery-sweet, it takes some time until it unfolds properly. But this is precisely what makes the fragrance so exciting; it develops slowly and after the extensive enjoyment of the top note, the woody notes join in, giving the fragrance a unisex touch:
Secret Sucré is a unisex fragrance with a distinctly feminine orientation, but also recommendable for male perfumers who like it sweetish.
Cashmere wood makes Secret Sucré even warmer in the course of time and sandalwood gives it a slightly smoky note.
The base is a beautiful, dominant caramel vanilla tonka bean composition, the vanilla here is very authentic. Benzoin and amber keep discreetly in the background. It remains powdery-sweet-woody until the drydown.
Secret Sucré unfolds very well in cold temperatures, for warmer days I can't imagine him as the composition could seem "killing" after all. Dosed in moderation, the Sillage is very well perceptible and pleasant for the fellow human beings, without annoying :)
The durability is exceptionally good, sprayed yesterday evening and this morning still clearly noticeable on the skin.

For gourmand lovers Secret Sucré is definitely worth a test; If you are looking for an "adult" gourmand, you will find it here :)

Addictive, my new secret favorite.