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A Story of the Missing Oud
To begin with, I’ve sampled Shams Oud in 2018 and since then, it planted a seed in my mind that has finally led me to the purchase in 2022. Back then I was a huge fan of incense-heavy fragrances and incense as an aromatic material itself (I can advise you some incense scents as I’ve tried quite a few of them).
Do not let the name trick you as it is an incense-dominated fragrance. Frankincense plays its solo here, surrounded by warm spices and balsamic notes (I believe it’s Nagarmotha). To my nose, there is a sprinkle of cinnamon in there, however it isn’t listed as a note there (but we all know that the notes are sometimes just pure marketing tricks and very-very subjective). There’s no oud whatsoever, at least it is not dominant note at all.
The scent projects quite well, and stays with you for a long time (perhaps even for too long to my preference). It is a solid winter-autumn scent, if you plan to go out. Do not wear it if you will spend more than an hour in a car/bus/etc. as it might be too much for your nose and kill all the joy of wearing this beautiful incense.
Do not let the name trick you as it is an incense-dominated fragrance. Frankincense plays its solo here, surrounded by warm spices and balsamic notes (I believe it’s Nagarmotha). To my nose, there is a sprinkle of cinnamon in there, however it isn’t listed as a note there (but we all know that the notes are sometimes just pure marketing tricks and very-very subjective). There’s no oud whatsoever, at least it is not dominant note at all.
The scent projects quite well, and stays with you for a long time (perhaps even for too long to my preference). It is a solid winter-autumn scent, if you plan to go out. Do not wear it if you will spend more than an hour in a car/bus/etc. as it might be too much for your nose and kill all the joy of wearing this beautiful incense.
Not an ordinary Vetiver
So, vetiver as a note to me can be categorized (based on the fragrances smelled) in couple different groups:
1. Nutty vetivers: these are vetivers that are very subtle and usually project a hazelnut-like note, something you can smell in the Vetiver Extraordinaire by Frederic Malle
2. Earthy Vetivers: my personal favorite, usually mixed with some ISO E super and have a distinct earthy dark smell, for example Sycomore by Chanel, Gurlain’s vetiver or the famous Encre Noire.
3. “Mineralized” vetivers: this one is debatable, I put stuff like Grey Vetiver in there as they appear “cold” and somewhat neutral to me, like a stone.
St. Vetyver, surprisingly enough, is very hard to categorize. It starts off as a green, nutty-like vetiver but quickly transforms into something citrusy-sour, very similar to a perfume I have in my collection - Timbuktu by L’Artisan Perfumeur. The vetiver note is surrounded by certain fruitiness (citruses in St Vetyver and Mango in Timbuktu).
The creation of DS&Durga should be inspired by the Caribbeans and colognes sailors used to wear in that region. Can’t say anything to that, as I’ve never been there but the scent leaves overall nice and easy to wear impression. Definitely not the first vetiver I would recommend to try to understand how vetiver usually smells like but it’s a great pick up for people tired of the “usual” vetiver note and searching for something new.
1. Nutty vetivers: these are vetivers that are very subtle and usually project a hazelnut-like note, something you can smell in the Vetiver Extraordinaire by Frederic Malle
2. Earthy Vetivers: my personal favorite, usually mixed with some ISO E super and have a distinct earthy dark smell, for example Sycomore by Chanel, Gurlain’s vetiver or the famous Encre Noire.
3. “Mineralized” vetivers: this one is debatable, I put stuff like Grey Vetiver in there as they appear “cold” and somewhat neutral to me, like a stone.
St. Vetyver, surprisingly enough, is very hard to categorize. It starts off as a green, nutty-like vetiver but quickly transforms into something citrusy-sour, very similar to a perfume I have in my collection - Timbuktu by L’Artisan Perfumeur. The vetiver note is surrounded by certain fruitiness (citruses in St Vetyver and Mango in Timbuktu).
The creation of DS&Durga should be inspired by the Caribbeans and colognes sailors used to wear in that region. Can’t say anything to that, as I’ve never been there but the scent leaves overall nice and easy to wear impression. Definitely not the first vetiver I would recommend to try to understand how vetiver usually smells like but it’s a great pick up for people tired of the “usual” vetiver note and searching for something new.
An old soap bar
This is a duplicate of my blog review on this fragrance :)
Today, I randomly picked Melograno, a cologne made by the Italian house Santa Maria Novella.
Summer 2022. It is blazing hot outside. I’ve decided to google fragrance stores near me and found out that I’ve actually never visited one small store hidden almost in the city center. Excited I went there as their website promised a clearance sale. Upon my arrival there were just couple items left. I found out they’re closing the store and moving it to another country (If only I knew it earlier, they had like 60% off on Clive Christian and Amouage). So there were just couple fragrances left, mostly from the Santa Maria.
I smelled this one and instantly bought it: amazing eau de cologne that stays quite long on your skin. Despite it being called Melograno (or Pomegranate in English), it smells nothing like pomegranate but rather like an old but well-crafted bar of soap. Old-school vibes, so this one is definitely not for everyone. Earthy-musky notes dominate here. The notes listed on fragrantica are not the ones you actually feel. It feels exactly like if you went to your grandma’s summer house and took a bath with an old, hand-crafted bar of soap. Felt amazing in the summer as you instantly imagine going out of the shower refreshed, ready to face the heat of the day.
You can say that Melograno is an old but elegant gradfather of another soapy fragrance - Artisan Pure by John Varvatos.
Hi everyone, I’ve decided to go through my collection to remind myself of the scents I have and rarely use, and also to reminisce about the times I used to wear this or that fragrance frequently. Then I thought why not create a bunch of posts about it to discuss and re-live some magical moments with you my dear scent heads.
Today, I randomly picked Melograno, a cologne made by the Italian house Santa Maria Novella.
Summer 2022. It is blazing hot outside. I’ve decided to google fragrance stores near me and found out that I’ve actually never visited one small store hidden almost in the city center. Excited I went there as their website promised a clearance sale. Upon my arrival there were just couple items left. I found out they’re closing the store and moving it to another country (If only I knew it earlier, they had like 60% off on Clive Christian and Amouage). So there were just couple fragrances left, mostly from the Santa Maria.
I smelled this one and instantly bought it: amazing eau de cologne that stays quite long on your skin. Despite it being called Melograno (or Pomegranate in English), it smells nothing like pomegranate but rather like an old but well-crafted bar of soap. Old-school vibes, so this one is definitely not for everyone. Earthy-musky notes dominate here. The notes listed on fragrantica are not the ones you actually feel. It feels exactly like if you went to your grandma’s summer house and took a bath with an old, hand-crafted bar of soap. Felt amazing in the summer as you instantly imagine going out of the shower refreshed, ready to face the heat of the day.
You can say that Melograno is an old but elegant gradfather of another soapy fragrance - Artisan Pure by John Varvatos.
Today, I randomly picked Melograno, a cologne made by the Italian house Santa Maria Novella.
Summer 2022. It is blazing hot outside. I’ve decided to google fragrance stores near me and found out that I’ve actually never visited one small store hidden almost in the city center. Excited I went there as their website promised a clearance sale. Upon my arrival there were just couple items left. I found out they’re closing the store and moving it to another country (If only I knew it earlier, they had like 60% off on Clive Christian and Amouage). So there were just couple fragrances left, mostly from the Santa Maria.
I smelled this one and instantly bought it: amazing eau de cologne that stays quite long on your skin. Despite it being called Melograno (or Pomegranate in English), it smells nothing like pomegranate but rather like an old but well-crafted bar of soap. Old-school vibes, so this one is definitely not for everyone. Earthy-musky notes dominate here. The notes listed on fragrantica are not the ones you actually feel. It feels exactly like if you went to your grandma’s summer house and took a bath with an old, hand-crafted bar of soap. Felt amazing in the summer as you instantly imagine going out of the shower refreshed, ready to face the heat of the day.
You can say that Melograno is an old but elegant gradfather of another soapy fragrance - Artisan Pure by John Varvatos.
Hi everyone, I’ve decided to go through my collection to remind myself of the scents I have and rarely use, and also to reminisce about the times I used to wear this or that fragrance frequently. Then I thought why not create a bunch of posts about it to discuss and re-live some magical moments with you my dear scent heads.
Today, I randomly picked Melograno, a cologne made by the Italian house Santa Maria Novella.
Summer 2022. It is blazing hot outside. I’ve decided to google fragrance stores near me and found out that I’ve actually never visited one small store hidden almost in the city center. Excited I went there as their website promised a clearance sale. Upon my arrival there were just couple items left. I found out they’re closing the store and moving it to another country (If only I knew it earlier, they had like 60% off on Clive Christian and Amouage). So there were just couple fragrances left, mostly from the Santa Maria.
I smelled this one and instantly bought it: amazing eau de cologne that stays quite long on your skin. Despite it being called Melograno (or Pomegranate in English), it smells nothing like pomegranate but rather like an old but well-crafted bar of soap. Old-school vibes, so this one is definitely not for everyone. Earthy-musky notes dominate here. The notes listed on fragrantica are not the ones you actually feel. It feels exactly like if you went to your grandma’s summer house and took a bath with an old, hand-crafted bar of soap. Felt amazing in the summer as you instantly imagine going out of the shower refreshed, ready to face the heat of the day.
You can say that Melograno is an old but elegant gradfather of another soapy fragrance - Artisan Pure by John Varvatos.
