A smoky, nostalgic tupig scent for dressed-up nights
Smoky Gourmand is a 100 ml parfum from Wren Atelier, launched in 2024. The bottle and cap are heavy, and this is a niche house I would be proud to see represent the Philippines on a global stage. The spray projects strongly, and the first thing that hit me was nostalgia. I live in Tarlac, with Pangasinan not even an hour away, and I know exactly what this is going after: tupig, a very popular Filipino kakanin, or rice cake. I love that.
The notes I read were pandan on top, tupig, tuberose and mango in the heart, and vetiver, vanilla, amber, sandalwood and musk at the base. It is not your typical gourmand. It is smoky, with a hint of tobacco, and it feels like a light tupig made elegantly. It is light enough to wear in the morning, but ideally this is for special occasions, like a meeting with the CEO.
After more than an hour it is unisex leaning masculine, very smoky, with that nostalgic tupig smell still there. It is a dressed-up fragrance, the kind you wear with a suit and tie, a barong or a button-up shirt. A date night, boss man fragrance. It is signature worthy, and I love it.
Salty aquatic with a fruity twist on Megamare
I picked up Hayaam mostly for the presentation, a dark bottle that gives me a Game of Thrones, dragon-like, Lord of the Rings kind of vibe. It is the first fragrance I have tried from Niche Emarati, a sub-brand of Lattafa, and if the other presentations are like this I might buy more just for the packaging.
The first spray smelled very familiar. It is definitely fruity, with some aquatic, seaweed-like notes, and it reminds me of Megamare, not one to one but very close. The notes are marine notes, salt, lemon and davana on top, lily of the valley and iris in the heart, and ambergris, oakmoss and sandalwood at the base. It does not hide itself at all: it is a blue fragrance, aquatic and salty, with some fruitiness.
I compared it with Lattafa Atlas, which also goes after Megamare. Atlas is more seaweedy aquatic, while Hayaam has fruitiness in the aquatic, salty smell. It is going after the same idea but with a more fruity, sweeter twist, and the saltiness and aquatic side are amped up. I am not a fan of Megamare, although I can see the appeal, because it is extremely long lasting and very strong. I assume Hayaam will be a beast mode performer too, but I have not tested it yet, and if it performs it could go up in my opinion.
Fresh, green and earthy, the scent of a wealthy farmer
Hacienderos is the very first fragrance from Wren Atelier, launched in 2020, and it comes as a 50 ml parfum concentration. On the first sniff I thought, wow. It is fresh, citrusy, green and a little earthy, unisex leaning masculine, and it feels more like a daily morning wear.
The notes are lemon, rosemary and buchu on top, geranium and cypress in the heart, and flouve, a barnyard accord and leather at the base. It is very aromatic, and it is listed as an aromatic fougere, which is a family I am still learning about. To me it smells grounded, earthy, citrusy and green, and honestly really nice. It is the scent of a wealthy farmer, which is probably why it is called Hacienderos.
After an hour it had become more woody, herbaceous and green, with a hint of citrus still lingering around. I picture the person wearing it as someone who owns hectares of land but can still get their hands dirty, and that is perfect. I want to do a full wear test to see how it performs here.
A clean, subtle musky floral with a hint of coffee
Scandalous comes from the Persona Line by Tadhana, a Filipino house whose fragrances are some of the most unique I have put my nose on. This one is clean and subtle, and both my girlfriend and I like it. It is not a beast mode performer. It is made for people who appreciate a fragrance for its simplicity while still wanting something unique.
On the nose it is musky and flowery with a tad of fruitiness, unisex leaning feminine. The notes are cardamom and bergamot on top, rose, tonka bean and orris in the heart, and Davao coffee, vanilla and sandalwood at the base. I have worn it many different times, and it feels sexy, a little shocking and alluring, with a lot of uniqueness to it.
It is not long lasting, but it transforms within the first hour and gives you a hint of darkness from the coffee, which is definitely worth its name. I am a proud owner of this line and plan to keep supporting it.
A gorgeous bottle, but mostly leather and oud
Awfa was a complete blind buy, so I had no idea what I was getting into. The packaging is probably the fanciest I have seen from Ahmed Al Maghribi: the box comes in two pieces and the bottle is gorgeous, probably one of the best designs from the house. It is an eau de parfum with close to 51 percent oil. The atomizer is another story. It is not sturdy and does not spray much, and I am not a fan.
My first read was strong oud and leather, maybe saffron. A little goes a long way, and it is beast mode. The notes are leather, orange blossom, clary sage and powdery accord on top, labdanum, caramel, red rose, lily of the valley and cedar in the heart, and oakmoss, musk, Indian oud, ambergris, bourbon vanilla and Haitian vetiver at the base. In reality I only get leather and oud, and none of the flowers or the caramel.
It is supposed to be sweet and dark, but it came across as just dark and oud-heavy, and to me that is very one-dimensional. I have smelled a lot of fragrances like this, especially among Middle Eastern perfumes, at a much lower cost. After an hour it had simplified into smoky, dark, leathery and very earthy, with a subtle oud and little sweetness. Not bad at all, but the bottle deceives you. I expect it to last, but as it stands this one is not for me.
