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Post by Sandra
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Hey there APJ! Today, I would like to introduce you to a new perfume brand which is celebrating the city of Dubai – The Spirit of Dubai. I have been longing to visit Dubai as I can only imagine it to be beautiful, filled with luxury and culture and wonderful architecture. Modern architecture captivates me and to imagine a city with such stunning architecture against a backdrop of desert, sea and sand together with a whole new plethora of sights and smells has me dreaming of making a trip soon.
The niche perfumery in Vienna, Maison de Parfum, showed me The Spirit of Dubai’s initial five perfumes and gave me samples of their two new releases, Fakhama and Majalis. A complete and utter shock awaited my nose when I tested the perfumes because I could not fathom that I would enjoy them so much.
Fakhama and Majalis – The Spirit of Dubai by Nabeel Perfumes
Fakhama: The Spirit of Dubai by Nabeel Perfumes
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Turkish rose, Bulgarian rose, fruity notes, agarwood (oud), sweet orange, spicy notes, damask rose, elemi, cardamom, coffee, dried fruits
Heart: Sandalwood, benzoin, vanilla, patchouli, vetiver, coriander, ginger, rose, saffron
Base: Amber, castoreum, civet, moss, spun sugar, animal notes, incense, leather, oakmoss
Fakhama opens up strong and masculine to my nose. It is oudy from the outset but interlaced with fruits and spices. This stage lasts for a good two hours and then the perfume warms up. The sandalwood and vanilla curl around the oud and fruits and keep me sniffing my wrist wondering what is so bewitching. Underneath all of this lies an animalic tone which I attribute to the deep drydown. Summer weather should make this stand out and bring out the animalic undertones – at least I am hoping. This is seriously beautiful and I believe will appeal to both men and women.
Majalis: The Spirit of Dubai by Nabeel Perfumes
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Incense, peach, apple, rose, osmanthus, green notes, cardamom, pink pepper, grapefruit, artemisia, strawberry, raspberry, cacao, coffee, olibanum
Heart: Saffron, flowers, powdery notes, cloves, vetiver, patchouli, guaiac wood, dates, carnation, iris, heliotrope, mate
Base: Incense, agarwood (oud), leather, vanilla, woodsy notes, sandalwood, benzoin, myrhh, musk, honey, olibanum, tobacco, hay, labdanum
Majalis starts off with a blast of fruity floral notes deftly laced with cardamom and saffron, two of my favourite spices. The coffee and cacao notes peak through but very quickly and then they go into the background. There is also a lot of yummy goodness coming from the dates which I love. Dates conjure up my trip to Abu Dhabi and eating luxurious dates filled with nuts for the first time in my life. The florals are mixed beautifully with the fruits and woods and the oud is not prominent at all. Majalis takes me on a trip to a far off land filled with sun, sand and a warm breeze. Eventhough this leans on the feminine side I think it could smell amazing on a man. Wonderful perfume – I love it.
I would like to test the original 5 Spirit of Dubai perfumes one by one. I hope to be able to share my thoughts on them soon. Maison de Parfum in Vienna, Austria carries the line and will be adding Fakhama and Majalis as soon as they are available. Maison de Parfum Online ships worldwide.
What is your exotic scent?
Sandra xx