Sky

Uncompromising classic.

Nohiba transports you back a fair few decades with her fiercely aldehylic & mock-moss opening but wait, there is a plump & pillowy “perfumery” perfume lurking below the radar. She is dated yet mutable and as contemporaneous as nature herself. She is meaty & voluminous yet light enough to shimmer with a golden heat-haze. You will either love her or loathe her, but take a while to understand her (as you would a painting) & you will be rewarded with an interesting, unfurling romantic scent journey.

When your nostrils have become accustomed to the dry, stripping bergamot you are aware of a fine, ivory soap with a hint of triple milled powder. It is herbal & clean not in today’s modern sense (all ozionics & solars) but in that of the past, almost as nature herself. Not sweet, almost savoury, definitely dry – a sage green with a touch of terracotta.

When the arid rawness of the start subsides, the warm, spicy desert-heat of Nohiba arrives. Light, sour Roses – not fresh, but pot-pourri petals left out in the sun. If there’s any lemon in there, it is the bitter pith & peel. Coriander & old store-cupboard savoury herbs add a dash of dust, but the true stars are sun-baked carnations & ylang-ylang. Big! Bold! Ablaze!

As the heat-haze wears on, Nohiba softens to a sun-warmed, spicey-sweet, woody-oriental harking back to a bygone era. Her last gasps are of smoky woods, old pine cones & salty skin.

Nohiba is very distinctive but there are moments where she swings towards scents you recognise. This grande dame wanders through the garden of perfumes-past, picking at the petals of once famed fragrances: a snippet of Sisley, a dash of Aromatics Elixir, a handful each of Cinnebar, Opium, O de Lancome, Guerlain’s Terracotta Voile d’ete ……on & on she travels…a scent ship in full sail.

Nohiba truly is a bosomy, well upholstered fragrance. She is as tough as a corseted matron but remains voluptuous & womanly beneath. She is a William Morris woman - a mix in time of austerity & romantic fantasy.

To sum up: the holographic love-child of old-school Opium & the original O de Lancome.

Yes, yes, yes.

This scent is like reading a beautiful, ancient novel that slowly unfolds & unfurls, page by page, on your skin - strange, compelling, addictive, exotic, timeless.

If you like resinous-incense scents, you will love Opus IV.

The opening is citrus & quite bright: green & luminous with a fresh sappy note. The overall colour-feel is a luminescent sunrise glow. It is deep & yet translucent, rich yet never sickly, incense-smokey without the fire.

The resin-sap note begins to glow in the intense dry heat of the incense. And the incense is the good kind... a little churchy, a little hippy, a little exotic. It is the same that I find in the Chai Chapel Earth incense that you burn on hot coals which gives a slight touch-of-the-sauna to the scent.

Underneath, I am aware of a sharp metallic note - never unpleasant, just intriguing. I burn frankincense & love this tangy aspect it imparts. This truly is an ode to this wonderful resin. I do not detect any sweaty notes AT ALL (& I often have trouble with cumin in perfume). The dryness is delightful - I love a parched scent! Sunbaked papyrus pages in a desert where gnarled trees ooze resinous sap & the ground smells of baked clay.

IMO, it is neither masculine nor feminine; not quite eastern, never western...this is one of those rare scents that will transport you away from the hububb of your life. I would enjoy this on any skin as it has an otherwordly quality & a story-telling ability that I admire in perfumery. The strength is good & longevity is exceptional.

Amouage perfumes can sometimes appear to try to hard & be just too, too much but this one is a real understated treat. The best of the bunch & close to my frankincense HG.

Simply put: WANT.

Can you pull off Envy with aplomb? Does Eden work well for you? Have you the right chemistry to tame Calyx? If you can work wet-florals or answer "yes" to any of the above then you may enjoy this unusual floral fume.

In all honesty, on my skin, this scent sickens & dies, turning a testing into a stomach-twisting headache. I am not a big, bold floral gal but along with the flowers I also find stagnant water, mildew on sodden earth &, of all things, ashtrays (chemistry & scent-perception is such a strange thing!). That said, I can truly appreciate the concept.

Here is a floral that aims to conjure up the still, heavy, heady moist air of a hot-house full of exotic blooms. Others (say a cool-skinned blonde) may marvel at the intoxicating pervasive perfumes but to my nose these strange flowers, wet woods & over-ripe fruits seem sad & trapped, removed from their natural environment.

The start is green, sappy, peppery a little bitter. This settles to a humid, white floral heart where slighlty sickly fruits & that sour-stem note add to the still, moist, heady throng. It continues to grow & glow on my skin, a dark vine entwined round my wrist, ending in a slick of wet, woody warmth.

BP has the uncanny knack of being unique & yet it reminds me of other fragrances, many of which do not sit easily on my skin. I find the hyacinth from Envy is very present along with the green note of Eden & white florals found in Premier Jour Soleil.

Not for me at all - but cool-skinned floral-lovers should give it a try.

Very, very soft - a chiffon scarf, a whisper of a scent on a balmy breeze. Clean & fresh as line-dried, white cotton. It is the silent, swaying, sighing outdoors...relaxed yet alert, & very natural.

Truly unisex. The barely-there citrus notes make it crisp without being tart, the gentle warm cedar & orange slowly sink in echoing your own body warmth & subtle sweetness. The bamboo leaves give it a mouth-watering, pale green zing.

You're not going to rock out to this scent - it doesn't make a statement, it isn't sexy, cute, flirty, bossy, it just (deep breath in, & out).....IS.

It's like a cucumber sandwich - a palate cleanser. Great to wear if you need to centre your thoughts, for work or to relax - it won't bother your mind or anyone's nose. I'd imagine it'd work if you were ill or nauseous, when your nose rejects your favourite scents.

Oooo this courtesan has a cold, cold heart - it's true!

In some ways, Courtesan is Roma's odd little sister - they share a note that reminds me of cold, dry, grey slate & baked earth.

Where they differ is in their warmth & level of spice. Roma embraces you with a truly cosy & comely beauty, full of voluptuous curves & womanly charms. Courtesan knows her magnetic attraction & holds it like a steely gun to your head, keeping you at arm’s length with her chilly reserve & firey nature.

I adore spices & here they are all on show, not heavily & daringly as in Jungle, but in a refined way. I also find a distinct white pepper note that remains in the foreground throughout. Looking at the notes you may wonder where all the fruits, caramel & chocolate are: on my skin Courtesan isn’t candied, “frooty” or juicy in any way. It showcases the natural sweetness of cinnamon with its calm, dusty & dryness, echoed again in the cacao, & offers the wearer a grown up bitter-sweet berry tartness.

The base is very sensual…she knows how to please……soft musk, creamy woodsy sandalwood & a gentle amber. Yet, throughout the life of Courtesan a cold, grey blood pulses through her veins: the whole fragrance is built upon these great, grey foundations!

The longevity is good & the trail is obvious but modest, it is one if the most mysterious fragrances I own. This perfume is very unusual & well worth a try if you like distinct, dry fragrances with a cold, white heat. If you have ever read Memoirs of a Geisha I am reminded of Sayuri, the beautiful, tough Geisha with cold, blue eyes. Such beauty held in such a cold embrace.