Ayala Moriel Parfums Musk Malabi: fragrance review

Originally released to coincide with the spring equinox and Nowruz (the Persian New Year), the intoxicating floral confection Musk Malabi by Ayala Moriel is unabashedly feminine, subtly exotic and hopelessly romantic, evoking for the wearer a sensory experience not unlike a passionate love affair. Musk Malabi was inspired by and named after a traditional Middle Eastern dessert, malabi—a milk-based pudding or custard, thickened with rice flour, which israelikitchen.com describes as "You'll taste rose-flavored sweetness and a light, creamy texture that keeps you dipping your spoon back in till the Malabi's all gone". (Actually the artisan perfumer has a recipe for Malabi on her blog!).

via pinterest

The scent of Moriel's Musk Malabi is a rich, milky-smelling, lactonic musk with a lightly coolish top note, sweetly petering out to rosewater and orange flower water. The result is a succulent and sensual confection that can only be enjoyed in the context of one loving sheer, plush, sensuous scents meant to be shared between lovers; spoonful by spoonful, preferably as the final courting phase before other things happen or as an intimate refueling of energy… Although this description might tend to stigmatize a musk fragrance as being a tad too intimate for comfort (if you know what I mean), there is no such danger with Musk Malabi, because the succulence outweighs the usual funky scent of "musk". The fusion of vegetal sourced musk-smelling materials is an intricate but rewarding experience for the perfumer who ends up with a mix that alternates between warm and cool and complements perfectly with the milkier (like sandalwood inflected rose) and fluffier notes (imagine a downy soft note of orris and vanilla, even though I'm not sure orris is included in the official set of notes)

Having grown up in Israel, the sights, sounds, and smells of the Mediterranean have always been a source of inspiration for Canadian based indie perfumer Ayala Moriel. "What has always captured my imagination about malabi is its soft, evocative-sounding name, and its unique fragrant combination of rosewater and neroli water," explains Ayala. "Rose and orange blossom are such noble flowers yet oh so different."

Tunisian neroli and Turkish rose meet with musk in the heart of Musk Malabi, creating an unusual and mesmerizing triad. This botanical musk, designed to smell as close as possible to deer musk, brings an effortless fluidity to this magnetic fragrance, playing the role of Cupid in the fragrance and drawing the lovers (rose and neroli) together. There is also cardamom, coriander and blood orange on top.
As with all Ayala Moriel perfumes, Musk Malabi is all-natural and free of animal cruelty, created entirely of botanical essences. The top and heart notes of this sensual fragrance rest on a silky bed of atlas cedarwood, botanical musk and Tahitian vanilla.

Good deed bonus in purchasing: Ayala Moriel Parfums is donating 10% of sales to aid Syrian refugees.

Musk Malabi is available in eau de parfum 4 ml ($49) and 15 ml ($119) bottles on the official website of Ayala Moriel Parfums and the Vancouver Giving Gifts & Company.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Scented Musketeers: musk fragrances reviews

A Dozen Roses: Best Rose Fragrances List & Valentine's Day Tips

There is a Persian proverb I love that goes "The world is a rose. Smell it and pass it on to your friends". If, like me, you have always found yourself challenged by the double edged sword of rose perfumes (veering into either screechy bathroom deodorizer or stale, dusty pot-pourri), you know that finding the perfect rose fragrance is an order as tall as the Himalayas. Yet landing on a satisfying, nuanced, fresh and yet deep (or even thorny) rose scent can be like savoring a great Bordeaux; the satisfaction lies in anticipation as much as in the aftertaste, prompting you to intellectualize what is fundamentally a sensual experience. Rose fragrances can be petulant or in histrionics, sometimes sour and pinched, or they can be powdered in granny cardigans & sensible brogues, but these are just the tip of the iceberg, there's a wealth of discoveries underneath. Roses can take on myriad of nuances: from soft and powdery, to childlike & tender, to green with a hint of the dew still on its rosy petals, to the nectarous and honeyed roses, passionate and full, all the way to dark, angular and gothic with thorns still attached. So when Smelly Blog suggested I select my rose favorites I knew this would be a rewarding exercise!

Therefore, here you can find a selection of what I consider some of the top rose fragrances for women & for men and a guide to some other rose-scented delights which are precious to me, including rose petal jam, rosy skincare and scented tea.
I classify them through idiosyncratic categories which are more mood & character driven than according to notes. And remember, if you're offering actual roses this Valentine's Day, all roses are beautiful, but not all are equally fragrant.

The ancient Greeks believed that the first rose was created when Chloris, the goddess of flowers, came upon a dying wood nymph and transformed her into a flower. Then the goddess of love, Aphrodite, gave the flower its beauty and the god of wine, Dionysus, contributed an intoxicating fragrance. 'Beauty~love~intoxication and death all in one package; add thorns for a hint of sorrow and danger, and you have the perfect symbol of the human condition'...

Real Rose, All the Time
Creed's Fleurs de Thé Rose Bulgare is that rare thing; a true rose fragrance, composed of the choicest rose essences of tea rose, fresh but never sour, and as beautiful as the dawn of your wedding day to the partner you've loved all your life. The fact that the scent has been discontinued in its older guise is criminal (I hear the newer one just isn't the same).

Bulgarian rose otto is a treasure in its wooden amphora with the pyrocaustic motifs. I first got some as a child when a relative travelled to Bulgaria. I didn't understand then why it smelled so much like pear liqueur and why it was so heady, when real roses in the vase were velvety soft and rather airy. It's a prime example of how essences do not smell exactly the same as the living thing.
But this thing is alive, oh yes, it's alive!

via arsaromatica.blogspot.com

Roses, Roses in the Woods: Gothic & Thorny
The dark green foliage, the mossy earthiness, the exacerbation of scents when the air is pregnant with the promise of rain render the rose sweet and nectarous, like sweet preserve. Some of these roses are in the chypre mold, others in the woody floral, others yet have oriental elements, but they all display their thorns with pride and defiance. My favorite category!

L'Artisan Parfumeur Voleur de Roses: the perfect marriage of rose & patchouli (with a hint of plum), making the rose unfurl to infinity. Perfect in rainy weather and delicious when shared by lovers. Juliette Has a Gun Lady Vengeance is its little sister, a thorny gothic woody rose fit for modern heroines.
Aromatics Elixir (Clinique) hides a candied rose in the heart like the great big woods boasts a Red Riding Hood alongside the Big Bad Wolf and all the other enchanted creatures. Full of starlit mossy notes and patchouli and starched, dry elements that perform amazingly well from a little distance.
Tauer Perfumes Une Rose Chyprée: a delicious oriental rose on a chypre base, like the name suggests, long lasting and rich with chocolate-y patchouli and "rutting animal" labdanum resin, a bit retro and yet totally modern.
Serge Lutens Rose de Nuit: Although Sa Majesté la Rose is more of a stand-alone rose in the Lutens line, it's rather too literally green rosy and fruity-like for me (with lychee, chamomille, honey). I prefer this other, nocturnal version with Turkish rose, yellow jasmine, apricot, amber, musk, sandalwood and beeswax, which softly shimmers like opal earrings in the dusk. If you like this, also try the discontinued L'Arte di Gucci. 

Arabesque Orientalized Roses
Guerlain Rose Necrée du Désert: in the new line Les Déserts d'Orient, this is a prime example of how Arabian tradition has metamorphosed rose into a creature of a 1000 Nights. Oud and rose, eager bedfellows, revel in mystery and languor.
Caron Parfum Sacré: a spicy rose steeped into mace and cardamom, folded into resinous, bittersweet myrrh, seeimingly as old as the world itself and as promising as a kiss on the eye lids. Real love!
Ormonde Jayne Ta'if: Named after the locale of some of the most gorgeous roses in the world, this fragrance (which can be worn by men as well as women) pairs the rose with dates, resulting in an orientalized take that is succulent and rich, yet not wildly calorific.
L'Artisan Parfumeur Traversée du Bosphore: Saffron and golden spices, almond and pistachio rose loukhoums, softest suede, an Istanbul sensual panorama, this is beyond just a rose fragrance; among the loveliest things to try if you like your roses not immediately identified and plenty nuanced.

via www.fond-ecran-image.com

Feminine Roses, as Soft as Goose Down
Yves Saint Laurent Paris: an ebullient rose, sweetened with tender violet and sparkling from all angles like a precious gem, Saint Laurent's tribute to the city he loved and one of perfumer Sophia Grosjman's greatest hits for a reason.
L'Artisan Parfumeur Drôle de Rose: candied rose with a violet, cosmetics-reminiscent retro facet, lighter and less waxy than F.Malle's similar Lipstick Rose; playful and teasing like a pink baby doll. Notes of rose, aniseed, orange blossom, white iris, violet, almond, honey, rose powder, a hint of leather.

Fruity, Jammy Roses
Liaisons Dangeureuses (By Kilian): Surely there is no more beautiful fruity liqueur-like rose fragrance, this side of Guerlain's Nahéma (which can feel a bit much sometimes). Not a femme fatale rose or evil, gothic rose, but instead an erotic one, lush, succulent, almost gourmand. With plum, prune, peach, cinnamon, coconut, moss and vanilla.

Roses for Men Who Aren't Shy
Rose d' Homme (Les Parfums de Rosine): a woody rose which can be worn by men or women, somber, stable, and very fetching.
Hammam Bouquet (Penhaligon's): musty, musky roses never smelled so good. Spicy and warm yet totally Victorian in character (powdery, heavily floral). I can see how this is an acquired taste, but one worth exploring all the same.
Amouage Lyric Man: Spicy, oriental, lush, very complex, sensual, intimate. Superb! With orange blossom, angelica, nutmeg, saffron, ginger, sandalwood, incense and musk.

Lastly, a word of advice: Rose lovers will find a lot to recommend them in the Les Parfums de Rosine range of perfumes. The brand is focused on rose interpretations with intriguing twists.

via eastmediterranean.e-lasithi.gr

Edible Rose
If you have never taste rose petal jam/preserve or rose petals spoon sweet (a local Greek delicacy) you are missing out. Making it is even more delicious as the whole kitchen fills with the aroma of ripe roses kneaded into sugar paste, so I'm going to actually encourage you to make some if you have access to non-pesticide-sprayed roses. You can check out this recipe, it's really not hard to make. (You can thank me later). And if you have a Greek or Arab ethnic deli around you can buy it ready made. Delicious by itself, spooned over Greek yoghurt, on cheesecake, on mastic-flavored ice-cream...
Trying a rose-scented tisane is also a richly rewarding experience. Here are a few options.

via escentual.com

Rose-scented Skincare
Annick Goutal Creme Spendide is a rose lover's dream come true. Applying this rich yet non greasy cream onto my face is an aromatherapeutic experience if there ever was one and it only takes one step to finish the routine; it's supposed to be anti-ageing, hydrating and soothing at the same time. The delicate, fresh yet true scent doesn't irritate my sensitive skin and lulls me to sleep in no time. The box is a cutie too!

Korres Wild Rose is my other beloved rose-scented face cream and one I have been faithful to ever since Korres hadn't launched beyond the confines of its apothecary in old Athens. This one smells musky rosy, as it's based on the variant rosa moschata (a rich variety which doesn't yield enough for perfumery, but is often used in skincare instead) and is a dream to apply for any normal to sensitive skin like mine. Decleor's Aroma Night is another option, its scent a bit more orientalized rosy and the texture thicker, more balm-like.

Last but not least, I have long ago abandoned toners in favor of natural organic rosewater. I buy it by the half liter locally at the chemist's and use it on a cotton pad for refreshing the complexion in the morning. And of course to spray on my cookies too before I roll them in sugar. "Bad" habits are hard to break :-)



Please follow the links to the other participating blogs:
All I Am A Red Head
EauMG
Katie Puckrik Smells
The Non Blonde
Roxana Illuminated Perfume
Scent Hive
SmellyBlog 

Chloe L'Eau de Chloe: fragrance review

Cast your eye back to the days when you were a kid in a floral print sundress, pig-tails hanging down the sides of your face, flowers pinned carefully on the hair by an older sister or attentive mother, and selling lemonade off a kiosk outside your school or terraced porch to amass money for summer camp (or something along those lines). I hear this gets done a lot in America. I can only tell you that I hadn't had any of those experiences, but lemonade drinking I did as a kid. A lot. It was the official drink of summer (along with sour cherry juice which is just as delicious, if not more) and gulping it down, all thirsty after a run in the fields cutting off wild roses & poppies or a swim in the sea, was one of the major joys of careless late spring and summer days. Perhaps there's something of that ~childhood-reminiscent, innocent and eager about it all~ that is so very refreshing and uplifting when we encounter a citrusy smell. Perhaps that's also why perfume companies are sure to bring forth a slew of citrusy colognes and fragrances into the market with the regularity of a Swiss clock, each spring as soon as the caterpillars turn into butterflies. There's just something optimistic, open and joyous about them, isn't there. Which is where L’Eau de Chloé comes in; from its frozen lemonade top note into its rosewater heart and down to its cooling, mossy base, it's an improvement on the previous Chloe edition* and a scent which instantly puts a smile on my face, even if it doesn't really mesh with my style, having no dark nor serious intentions.

Nikiforos Lytras, The Kiss

The recent "madness" for Eaux
Perfumer Michel Almairac was commissioned with a citrusy built on "clean" rose with a dewy character. Eaux are big as a variant in existing fragrance lines lately, rather than just a rehash of the citrus-herbal Eau de Cologne recipe, with predictably good results; especially at Dior (who had it all with their classic Eau Fraîche) with their Miss Dior Chérie L'Eau and J'Adore L'Eau Florale. Other contestants in this revamped "eau" game include Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte, Chanel Chance Eau Tendre and Chance Eau Fraîche, the three Ô de Lancôme, Eau de Shalimar by Guerlain (a different attitude as this is a complex citrusy oriental rather than just a citrusy, fresh, uncomplicated splash on), Hermes Eau de Gentiane Blanche and Eau de Pamplemousse Rose, even Serge Lutens with his L'Eau Froide and the previous L'Eau de Serge Lutens. It's a good alternative for warm weather wearing when you live in a hot climate.

Perfume impressions and formula structuring
Almairac used the transparent, luminous and at the same time lightly sweet and delectable natural note of rosewater (a distillate from rose petals) in L’Eau de Chloé to counterpoint and at the same time accent, via the common elements, the tart lemonade opening and the lemony magnolia blossom in the core. What was less easy to accomplish was how to stabilize it into a formula that would retain structure. The perfumer opted thus for a mossy-musky base accord which simmers with the angular, lightly bitter beauty of chypre via patchouli and woody ambers (ambrox). The fragrance belongs in the genre of Versace Versence or a modernised/watered down Coriandre by Jean Couturier.
The effect is that of a fizzy, sparkling, tingling the nose grapefruit and citron opening, vivid, spicy and refreshing at the same time with the gusto of carbonated fizz drinks bursting on your face which is prolonged into the proceedings. The peppery, crisp freshness evolves into the bold rosy heart of L’Eau de Chloé, balanced between powdery-minty and retro; non obtrusive for casual day wear, but with enough presence to uphold itself throughout a romantic afternoon. It's because of this that the fragrance projects more as a feminine than a citrusy unisex, which might create its own little problems (i.e. usually unisex citruses are the best). The mossy, patchouli-trailing with a warm, inviting "clean musk" vibe about it is discreet and rather short-lived (as is natural for the genre) and I would definitely prefer it to be darker and more sinister, but the fragrance overall serves as a reminder that small miracles are what we're  thankful for these days.

Advertising images
L’Eau de Chloé utilizes the familiar girl in a field of grass imagery in its advertising, first used by Balmain's classic Vent Vert (which did have something very meadow-like about it!) and perpetuated into recent releases; I'm reminding of Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs for instance. The young sprite is mythologically loaded, reminiscent of nubile teenagers in Greek classical myth deflowered by philandering gods, and it remains a feminist concern thanks to its sheer helplessness (who will hear your cries in the distance?). But perhaps we're injecting too much into it. Perhaps just rolling on a field on a warm, sunny day is a joy into itself and in this land of perfume fantasy all the big bad wolves are programmatically kept at bay or exitinguished with a squirt of a well chosen perfume sprayer. It's a thought...

Notes for L'Eau de Chloé: lemon, peach, violet, natural rosewater, patchouli, cedar.
Available from major department stores.

*NB: I'm hereby referring to the screechy laundry-detergent like Chloé Eau de Parfum by Chloé (2008) and not the excellent, violet-tinged nostalgic powdery fragrance Love, Chloé.

Model: Camille Rowe-Pourcheresse. Shot by Mario Sorenti, Music: Lissy Trullie / Ready for the floor.
More at www.chloe.com/eau

Painting by Greek painter Nikiforos Lytras, The Kiss.

L'Artisan Parfumeur Traversee du Bosphore: fragrance review & draw

Wheelbarrow, lay off the whip and don't rush the horses,
you don't need to hurry when you've got your love so close by.
When he smiles, the world smiles at me,
so let the wheel run where it might,
and wherever it goes, it's fine by me.

~from the song "Wheelbarrow" by Manos Hadjidakis from the 1963 Greek film Χτυποκάρδια στα θρανία/
(hence the top clip)

Any mention of Bosphorus, the strait between East and West, uniting and at the same time dividing Constantinople (Istanbul), which lays on both its banks, never fails to ignite a very palpable nostalgia laced with a smattering of pain for any Greek. We're automatically thinking of the failing grandeur of the Paleologi dynasty and lamenting for the times when Greeks and Turks co-existed in peace for centuries in this most cosmopolitan of Eastern cities. Traversée du Bosphore (Crossing the Bosphorus) by L'Artisan Parfumeur, like its namesake strait, was the straw that broke the ~proverbial~ camel's back, as anything referencing the city of Constantine will make me reminiscence yet again of my forebearers and the sweet camaraderie they had to abandond due to political turmoil. But The City, Istanbul, is in reality neither Greek, nor Turkish. It's neither christian nor muslim. It's a cultural border, a place where everything meets and unites, a cauldron of cultures and men; the place which millions of different people, of different nationalities and religions, loved madly through the centuries. A city so beautiful that there was no other way to call it than The City, η Πόλη!

Traversée du Bosphore comes now from Bertrand Duchaufour and L'Artisan Parfumeur as the symbolic strait between modern French perfumery and its oriental heritage. The unisex fragrance was fittingly inspired by a journey to Istanbul, when at the crack of dawn the cobblestone streets still retain their sleepy languor, like heavy-boned odalisques stealing gazes through the lacework wooden panel of the musharabieh, and when the many fishermen set out to catch their day's worth, packing nets, salty sardines and pita bread. You can easily lose yourself promenading unhurriedly through the small alleys towards the seraglio and Kahrié djami with its blue-peacock mosaics, gazing at the narthex's domes for hours or the many fountains where pilgrims ritualistically wash their head and hands before proceeding. It's a slow world, filled with beautiful wistfulness.



The strange thing about Traversée du Bosphore, part of the Travel series in the niche brand's subplot, is how a -by now- cliché concept (i.e.eastern exoticism) that should be a foregone conclusion (loukhoum, tanneries, saffron, milky salep drink, tobacco in hookahs, opulent roses, strange white flowers......hasn't Lutens exhausted that genre?) smells interesting and contemporary; nothing like a heavy odalisque looking through the parapets or Alladin rolled into plies and plies of plush carpets. Instead it's a gouache of a scent: a transparent suede floriental with soft musky notes, a marriage of rosewater and suede.

Indeed, the list of official notes for Traversée du Bosphore reads like a shopping list of things to find in a Turkish souk or at the very least smells encountered around a Turkish souk. The apple-laced çay (tea) is very popular and no one makes it more delicious than Piyer Loti Kahvesi at Eyup (the European side of the city), a stone's throw away from Sultan Ahmet Mosque and the Byzantine apotheosis that is the temple of Aghia Sophia. Loti is the writer of Aziyadé (see the perfume inspired by it) and knew a thing or two about sensual abandon...Tobacco is still smoked in hookahs; not only by old men in derelict coffee-shops, heavy in political talk, but from younger ones as well, when they finally sit down to have an aimless break. Men and women alike buy fresh phyllo pastry, almonds and pistachios to make baklava, and Turkish delight by the pound to bring back at home. The market is filled with golden and red heaps of spices, precious saffron and dried Turkish roses for using as pot-pourri. Tanneries do work merrily (Turkish leathers have competitive prices), although the effluvium isn't anything one would associate with perfume.

But the summation of the notes or the panoramic vol plané shot does not really tell the whole tale: Duchaufour was no stranger to Byzantine formulae, including everything but the kitchen sink before, and the results are diverse: from the baroque patina gold of Jubilation XXV for Amouage to the carnal tryst of Amaranthine for Penhaligon's, all the way to the deceptively diaphanous muddy-incense of Timbuktu for L'Artisan. His compositions include many pathways that lead to a gauze of orientalia.
For Traversée du Bosphore Duchaufour eschewed clichés to come up with a composition that marries on the one hand Anatolian leather (you will only smell grey suede, really, not harsh quinolines; it's comparable to the note in Sonia Rykiel Woman-Not for Men! and Barbara Bui Le Parfum) and on the other hand Turkish Delight (loukhoum), into a unique interpretation of the leather genre; velvety and whispery soft, opening upside down: After the brief apple çay top (blink and you'll miss it!), you sense the suede and only later the powdery loukhoum accord.
The strangely greyish powderiness of iris dusts the notes like white copra dust enrobes the small rose-laced loukhoum cubes, while saffron with its leathery bitterish facets reinforces the impression and balances the sweeter notes, much like it kept vanilla in check in Saffran Troublant. The iris-leather accord in Traversée du Bosphore weaves a whispery path together with a hint of almond giving a light gourmand nod. The whole smells like rosewater sweets wrapped in a suede pouch, never surupy and very skin-scent like (incorporating that Havana Vanille base), although a tad more flowery feminine than most men would feel comfortable with. It's a fragrance which smells nice and simple like a nostalgic song from an old movie which dies down to a murmur, and might demand your attention to catch the smaller nuances.

As for me I know well that the past is inextricably tied to the future, and revel in thinking of Istanbul as the pathway where cultures and people will eternally meet...and part.

For our readers a draw: one sample to a lucky commenter. Draw is now closed, thank you!
Tell us where you would envision the next travel series by L'Artisan should take us.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Traversée du Bosphore is available in 50 ($115) and 100 ml ($155) of Eau de Parfum wherever L'Artisan is sold (voutiques, Perfume Shoppe, Luckyscent, Aedes, First in Fragrance etc).

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Travel memoirs Instanbul part 1, part 2, part 3,Leather scents



The bottom music clip and the film stills come from the Greek 2003 film Πολίτικη Κουζίνα/A Touch of Spice by Tasos Boulmetis, starring George Corraface and exploring the culinary philosophy that maps the course of modern Istanbul and the fateful, doomed romance between a Greek boy and a Turkish girl before the deportation of Greeks in 1964. It's uploaded in its entirety with English subtitles on Youtube: the first part is on this link and you can take it from there. Happy watching!