Sumi

I stand in the middle of the forest. In a clearing filled with sunlight. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and feel one with nature, with everything that surrounds me, and I am filled with peace and bliss.
I inhale the scent of the fir trees, the earth, the grass in the morning dew, the trees and flowers, and I feel at home.

Forest is a scent that cannot be compared to anything else. An olfactory masterpiece that could not have captured the theme of the forest better, yet it does not lack the wearability and beauty of a perfume.

I stumbled upon "Forest" here in the forum and understood it more as an experimental, novel scent that one should smell at least once for the experience. Therefore, I ordered the sample without any personal expectation that anything would come of us.
Now I can't imagine being without it, and a bottle must definitely be on the way.

I am very happy to have come across something extraordinary and beautiful once again, and I thank you here for the inspiration!

I received Golden Hemisphere as a sample in a beautiful fragrance swap, along with the other two scents from Wild Eden.
As part of my iris testing marathon over the past few weeks, I had added it to the iris test list and was very curious. On one hand, because the notes sounded fantastic, I like natural perfumes, and I was very eager to experience the natural iris.
Golden Hemisphere hit me like a bomb, and the name fits the scent so well.
The opening, as I mentioned, immediately reminded me of “Homage,” which I still consider the most beautiful fragrance ever. A lemon/orange/rose combination that is bright and radiant, yes, illuminating. Not fresh or zesty, but substantial and yes, illuminating. I don't know how else to describe it. The opening phase lasts only a few minutes, and the heart is then mainly defined by the iris, which still receives rays from the top notes. More orangey than rosy. A beautiful scent experience. What incense is to Homage, iris is to Golden Hemisphere. The main protagonist is very elegantly accompanied.
This lasts a few hours and then fades into the warm base, so that the iris is still noticeable in the background.
The whole thing naturally plays out with the certain “muffiness” that natural perfumes tend to have. However, this doesn't bother me at all, especially not here, as the golden glow provides a good counterbalance.
I find the choice of ingredients and the combination simply superb. And the craftsmanship by the perfumer is skillful and elaborate.
What can be criticized, of course, is the low longevity that this type of fragrance inherently has. And for that, this perfume brand is simply too expensive. Regardless of the best raw materials, 89 euros for 15ml, which you have to reapply every few hours, is definitely too much. And no matter how great the raw materials are, they cannot justify the price. Other great natural fragrance brands also use the best ingredients but charge only about half.
And in comparison to the perfume oil “Homage,” which cost 270 euros for 12ml, but has a longevity of at least twelve hours with just one drop, it turns out to be cheaper. And let's be honest, it doesn't come close to the beauty of Homage overall. But that is hard to top for me.
But against all reason, I still had to have the bottle. The bottle is very simple and plain, while the packaging is all the more high-quality. Everything was lovingly and very elegantly packaged, and the contact with Ms. Ademi was very pleasant.
I also find the other two scents very well made, but thankfully they didn't capture my heart.

I have wanted to write a comment about Enslaved for a long time, as it has absolutely blown me away this year, alongside Shem el Nessim, and has helped reduce my oud obsession and simply enjoy fragrances more diversely. But I was lazy about writing, though I think the world still needs to learn a few aspects about this masterpiece. :)
It is true love, not a fleeting infatuation that usually comes and goes.

What my predecessors have written is correct; Enslaved is powerful and deep, yes, perhaps even diva-like. But it is never loud or intrusive. Personally, I can wear such scents in any situation and with any wardrobe. This may be due to my fundamental belief that one should not hold back, that one does not have to adapt to anything, and that the things one owns are there to be used and enjoyed at will.

Now to the scent, or rather the opening, which is the most beautiful of all and very difficult to describe. In fact, it is a radiance that is most prominent in the top notes. I suspect it is the bergamot, but a creamy bergamot. And this radiance runs through the fragrance, although it diminishes over time as more notes come into play and the scent becomes increasingly powdery.
This brings us directly to the comparison with Habanita. One cannot deny a similarity, but it only appears from the heart note, and even then, Habanita simply cannot keep up. Habanita lacks the radiance, the bright liveliness, the versatility.
I have now gone through several samples, both of the EdP and the Extrait, and the Extrait clearly wins for me. Because the best part of Enslaved for me is the opening, and it is so much more intense and longer-lasting in the Extrait.

A long-term love that will accompany me for a long time and at a high cost.

It all started with my desire to be inspired by a fragrance once again. That doesn’t happen very often, and I mean real enthusiasm, like OH MY GOD! What is this? Smell, rejoice, dream....
I made my way to Düsseldorf to browse through the perfumeries, among other things. At Douglas on the Kö, I immediately saw the fragrances from Roja Dove presented in a row, the regular collection. My favorite salesperson, an Arab, came right away to introduce me to the fragrances and tell me what an incredibly cool and capable guy Roja is, whom he had the chance to meet at the fair. I told him that I had read a bit about him and that I had already tested Amber Aoud and was really impressed. Once by the fragrance itself, the authenticity of the Arabic, and of course by the quality. At the same time, I also told him that I currently had two difficulties with Oud and would rather orient myself differently.
On one hand, the problem is that I don’t use Oud very often in everyday life because it is quite heavy and dark, and I have to be in a special mood to wear it; I now identify more with soft-oriental fragrances, for example, Homage by Amouage. There is Oud in it, but it is not an Oud fragrance. One must distinguish. There are Oud fragrances and there are fragrances with Oud.
The second problem I have is that the topic of Oud absolutely annoys me. In the Western variant. Because those who know Oud, real Oud, as it is produced/used in the Arab countries, find it hard to get along with the Oud fragrances in Western perfumery. And I mean Oud for incense and in oil form for perfuming. I dare say that alcohol is partly a reason why Western Oud fragrances, no matter how well they are made, cannot convey the true beauty of Oud.
On the other hand, due to the Oud hype, we also have so many poorly made fragrances that simply adorn themselves with the Oud note or use it as a selling point. Many fragrances are very similar and overall bore me.
During the conversation, I sniffed one fragrance strip after another from the Roja Dove "normal" collection. Yes, nice, top quality, but I didn’t find the absolute knockout, taste-wise. I looked to the right at the Aoud Collection with the Oud fragrances and thought, ah since I’m already here, I would like to test the Musk Oud out of curiosity. I did just that. The Arab salesperson sprayed the Aoud Absolue on a fragrance strip and said I should smell it, it is pure Oud and something special. And there it was, OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! WHAT IS THIS? THIS IS PURE OUD! Yes, it is supposed to be pure Cambodian Oud (my favorite Oud) and pure perfume. The test strip turned brown (because oily and highly concentrated) and I had arrived in fragrance heaven.
I have smelled a lot of Oud, even exclusive Oud, beyond the 500 Euro mark at Al Qurashi or Areej (a very exclusive Arab Oud provider), but I had never come across something so beautiful before.
The skin test followed. The main characters are Oud and Rose, a combination that is probably the most commonly used, also in Arab perfumery. Initially, the Oud is in absolute focus. A deep, not too dark, sensual, creamy Oud. I have never smelled anything like it. It is probably the vanilla that rounds it off, which is very untypical for an Oud fragrance. Because there was always some attribute that I found disturbing. Either too earthy, or too sharp, in the worst case, fecal. After a while, the Rose joins in, filtered through a veil and held by the Oud. Very interestingly done, it is clearly there, almost in the foreground, but not at all penetrating, which is so often the case. This lasts for quite a while. In the base, it becomes drier, powdery. Leathery. And in all phases, the fragrance is simply unique. An absolute work of art. Roja Dove describes this creation as a contemporary/modern interpretation of pure Oud. It is authentic enough to be accepted on the Arab side, as well as modern enough to absolutely delight the Westerner.
In comparison, I was sprayed with the regular Aoud Eau de Parfum. And I thought only, no, after this, it doesn’t work at all. Yes, it smells authentic and of high quality, but definitely different, and once again the observation: the alcohol ruins everything!
There is, of course, a catch. The Aoud Absolu costs 990 Euros for 30ml. One could say SHOCK! However, one must not forget that Oud is the most expensive raw material; that excellent Oud fragrances in the Arab countries can cost several thousand Euros per Tola (12ml).
The question is only, can I afford it? Do I want to afford it?
Yes, I want to. No, I cannot. Not necessarily. This question has actually put me in a moral dilemma. Which I would rather not report on here :)
The decision is definitely that I would like to share it and would be satisfied with 10ml. So if anyone is interested, please get in touch..

Anyone interested can check out the interesting link about Roja Dove and Oud. I found it interesting to learn more about the man who created something so wonderful.
http://jetsetfashionmagazine.com/wordpress/beauty/interview-with-roja-dove-only-50-people-in-the-world-own-my-most-precious-perfume

For me, the scent is primarily creamy fresh. I can't pick out all the ingredients in detail, especially amber, saffron, and incense. I would never suspect them here, as the fragrance is very soft, almost sweet.
In the top and heart notes, lily of the valley and rose dominate. The rose is white, at best a delicate pink.
I smell vanilla and suede, but only very lightly in the base.
I really like the scent and it serves as a place of calm, something soothing. I also find the fragrance very suitable when one is not feeling well and can only handle light fare, like I can today...