I thought I'd share my impressions, it's been a while since I've bought anything fragrance related but this is just the kind of thing I enjoy.
First, this is very complex. I may not describe it accurately, and probably won't... all I can do is share impressions that may be swayed by faulty scent memory.
How to even begin? Well, when first applied there are a few main themes that jump out. Rose, of course... a juicy red rose..fairly sweet, deep and rich smelling. Musk, which in this case smells clean, like the essence of musk with anything furry or halitosis smelling removed... more sweet and skin-like than animalic, slightly earthy. And another accord that is really elusive and complex... some descriptors are resinous, dark, woody, bracing, smoky, hard. A wild guess might include olibanum, myrrh, wood oils like teak, camphor, mint, pepper, gardenia and of course oud. At first this 3rd accord feels dark and hard, like obsidian stone, and if you smell it up close it dominates the composition. The silliage however, is far more balanced.
Over time the 3rd accord softens and recedes, the darkness starts to feel more human and less mineral, the composition transitions from Arabic to French as the rose and musk become more dominant and the 3rd accord, accompanied by the musk, becomes more like body odor in the best, most French way possible. I also think the oud becomes more prominent, anchoring the base. The heart of the fragrance, where everything comes into balance, is truly magical. Gradually, over hours, the 3rd accord fades even more and the fragrance softens, with the rose and musk gently dominating.
The closest comparison to a mainstream fragrance is probably SHL 777 "Black Gemstone", which is a nice composition, but like most fragrances today is marred by being too sweet and synthetic. Of course, Sultan Red Rose Attar is not synthetic at all... but also not for the faint of heart. It is a big, bold composition with plenty of silliage. The silliage is probably the best part, it's very strong, much stronger vs the projection so you get whiffs of it here and there. For the most part this is how I prefer to experience it as well, it's better to wave your wrist past your nose than smell the fragrance directly, except for possibly the drydown when you're left with a gauzy cloud of rosy musk with the 3rd accord mostly gone.
Overall this is exceptionally good, certainly in the very top tiers of Attars/Mukhs in terms of both composition and quality of materials. It's not inexpensive but I can also say it's a great value and probably significantly underpriced to be honest. If I could afford it I'd buy a tola...
First, this is very complex. I may not describe it accurately, and probably won't... all I can do is share impressions that may be swayed by faulty scent memory.
How to even begin? Well, when first applied there are a few main themes that jump out. Rose, of course... a juicy red rose..fairly sweet, deep and rich smelling. Musk, which in this case smells clean, like the essence of musk with anything furry or halitosis smelling removed... more sweet and skin-like than animalic, slightly earthy. And another accord that is really elusive and complex... some descriptors are resinous, dark, woody, bracing, smoky, hard. A wild guess might include olibanum, myrrh, wood oils like teak, camphor, mint, pepper, gardenia and of course oud. At first this 3rd accord feels dark and hard, like obsidian stone, and if you smell it up close it dominates the composition. The silliage however, is far more balanced.
Over time the 3rd accord softens and recedes, the darkness starts to feel more human and less mineral, the composition transitions from Arabic to French as the rose and musk become more dominant and the 3rd accord, accompanied by the musk, becomes more like body odor in the best, most French way possible. I also think the oud becomes more prominent, anchoring the base. The heart of the fragrance, where everything comes into balance, is truly magical. Gradually, over hours, the 3rd accord fades even more and the fragrance softens, with the rose and musk gently dominating.
The closest comparison to a mainstream fragrance is probably SHL 777 "Black Gemstone", which is a nice composition, but like most fragrances today is marred by being too sweet and synthetic. Of course, Sultan Red Rose Attar is not synthetic at all... but also not for the faint of heart. It is a big, bold composition with plenty of silliage. The silliage is probably the best part, it's very strong, much stronger vs the projection so you get whiffs of it here and there. For the most part this is how I prefer to experience it as well, it's better to wave your wrist past your nose than smell the fragrance directly, except for possibly the drydown when you're left with a gauzy cloud of rosy musk with the 3rd accord mostly gone.
Overall this is exceptionally good, certainly in the very top tiers of Attars/Mukhs in terms of both composition and quality of materials. It's not inexpensive but I can also say it's a great value and probably significantly underpriced to be honest. If I could afford it I'd buy a tola...