After our Company Overview post about Possets, the owner got in touch with us and kindly offered to send some free samples of her favorites our way. This is the first of the samples I've tried: Shah Jahan & Mumtaz Mahal, of Taj Mahal fame.
Price: $12.50 for a 5 mL amber glass bottle of perfume oil with polyseal cap.
Samples: Available as part of a 6-pack for $12.50.
(More details about price and shipping can be found in our Company Overview post about Possets.)
Description from the website: "As close to divinity and you can get, as close to perfect mortal love as possible. Rare Bulgarian Zdravetz combined with ylang ylang and a smoothing of rare and perfect red musk. A strong suggestion of patchouli of the finest aged variety, finished off with a kiss of oude infused lips, and a dollop of real Tahitian vanilla bean aged infusion and I can think of no other perfume which so closely resembles that love of loves which Shah Jahan held for his beloved Mumtaz. Today you can see the rendering of a devotion in marble as the Taj Mahal, in life they loved so passionately that she died giving birth to their 16th child. A strong and sexual blend, oriental in the most classic sense."
My thoughts:
The first thing that popped out at me when I started testing this was the scent of lychee. Immediately--the moment I opened the vial, I thought, "what is that familiar smell?" It was the smell of opening a can of lychees or longans, a sweet, floral-perfumey but distinctly fruity aroma. Strange. It was the olfactory equivalent of "out of the corner of my eye"; when I smell it directly it smells of a somewhat cottony vanilla musk to me. I suppose the lychee note might be the ylang ylang plus the red musk (which usually does have a fruity undertone) playing tricks on me.
The lychee impression continues from a distance, blending with the slightly powdery-floral vanilla base to make this scent feel less like a rich, sultry oriental to me and more like a tropical drink. I feel very much disoriented and puzzled by comparing this impression to the listed notes, but honestly, the closest analogue I can think of is BPAL's discontinued Tiki-themed scent Opuhi, "ginger blossom and vanilla orchid"--a similar powdery vanilla orchid base mixed with slightly fruity notes and white florals.
Something toasty in the scent reminds me of caramel or possibly cinnamon buns as it dries down. It's not cinnamon, though! Maybe vanilla and some barely detectable patchouli?
It's pleasant and enjoyable, but much cleaner and softer than you might expect from reading the description. I wouldn't go into it expecting a dark, feral Oriental! While lightly musky, this perfume smells clean and light to me on the whole.
Note: this scent is vegan.
0 comments:
Post a Comment