Attar/Mukhallat of the Day

[Mousse de Chene]

Mostly because I'm working off a publicly available recipe, very little inspiration has gone into this. These blends are like playing with fire, they'll change weeks down the line and you'll have no idea what went wrong, that's why I normally refrain from compositions of my own. Though the major ingredients here will work well together, even if the additional items get overshadowed by them. I only made a quarter tola, and have much more of all the ingredients I used, limiting the risk of ruining something very precious! Apparently diluting different floral "Ruhs" in sandalwood oil is a common practice to make them wearable.

That's exactly how I got my bottle! The scent was so strong it was coming out of the box, and I couldn't agree more, it's as refreshing as an oil can be without being aggressive. Each sniff is like a jolt of wakefulness. I think it would work really well with Taif Rose, though it's not something I'll be trying. Taif has enough strength that I'm trying to bring it down a peg, rather than make it stronger. How did it end up turning out?

I didn’t realise you were creating from a formula, however you are making custom modifications in regard to different Oud oils, florals & Khus though?…

The Hojari-Taif Rose blend smells really nice, a very simple accord but effective. I only made 1g.
0.8g Hojari + 0.2g Taif Rose, basic ratios but it was just an experiment to see how both materials interacted as I had an inkling there would be a nice synergy. As you can imagine, it’s very rosy but the Hojari adds a very pleasant dimension, almost like an icy cold aldehydic effect.

 

[Mr.P]

Thanks for sharing your experience Mr. P
The sampler I sent you was without musk and ambergris
I was yet to add them when i sent you

Well once again I fail to accurately figure out what is in these mukhs! I have no idea how you got that smooth musky cologne like background without musk and ambergris! Amazing. There was something suave that clung to my left arm where I applied it all day that I also got in the original - I just assumed this was musk-amber magic.

Edit: given the absence of musk and ambergris I found myself digging through my oud stash to try to find something that could account for that suave long lasting dry down as I was reminded of an oud oil @Al-Hind Oud sent me a sample of a while back called "Sheikh ul Oud". I just applied a swipe of this and it has a kind of "smooth suave" dry down that has something in common with the GBH.

 

[Mr.P]

Swiped "Naseen" from @mesOUD. As far as I know this is the only oil I've ever smelled that has distilled castoreum and animal ingredients so it's an especially interesting one to be on that level.

Naseen has very interesting phenolic and medicinal facets which I am guessing come from the codistillation of oud and castoreum. I'm not confident at teasing out the different ingredients as but I feel like I can smell cedar for sure, and all kinds of subtle notes intermingling deep inside of the cedar-oud-castoreum. Birch tar soap has some shared qualities.

Overall this is leathery, woody, animalic, phenolic, naturalistic.

This is one of a small handful of mukhallats that I enjoy wearing - I generally lean towards single ingredients or simple pairings when I'm not testing my own fragrances just to give my nose a break.

 

[Mousse de Chene]

Well once again I fail to accurately figure out what is in these mukhs! I have no idea how you got that smooth musky cologne like background without musk and ambergris! Amazing. There was something suave that clung to my left arm where I applied it all day that I also got in the original - I just assumed this was musk-amber magic.

Edit: given the absence of musk and ambergris I found myself digging through my oud stash to try to find something that could account for that suave long lasting dry down as I was reminded of an oud oil @Al-Hind Oud sent me a sample of a while back called "Sheikh ul Oud". I just applied a swipe of this and it has a kind of "smooth suave" dry down that has something in common with the GBH.

The version of GBH you received must’ve had a very convincing Musk-Ambergris effect to trick your experienced nose, Mr P. Mohammed is a very talented perfumer, a true prodigy as far as I’m concerned.

You mentioned v2 had more of a Oudy bite, particular Oud oils can definitely exhibit a Musky tonality. As you mentioned, an oil such as ‘Sheikh ul Oud’ was most likely contributing to the animalic fixative properties you perceived.

One thing that would’ve struck me as strange if I received that version of GBH, is the absence of Musk grains. There is no way Mohammed would release version 2 without including fat dose of grains, it goes without saying this is a vital aspect of recreating GBH, it simply wouldn’t be satisfactory without them! Although you can strain them out after maceration, this would be sad as applying a swipe of an attar full of grains & rubbing it into one’s beard for example, is a true indulgence.

Considering your glowing review, I can only imagine how good it’s going to smell with the addition of real Musk & Ambergris! Even though I have v1, I’ll definitely be purchasing v2 once it’s officially released.

 

[Castingshadows]

Starting the year off right with Tabac Grande.

There will never be another tobacco attar that can take this from the top spot in my heart. Vanilla Paradise comes close but Tabac Grande is a masterpiece of artisanal perfumery. Truly remarkable work of art.

What I love about this attar is the absolute mastery of blending. There is never a moment where notes are competing for others. No one particular material stands out against the rest. It’s perfect harmony one stage after the next. The development has an intentionality to it that you can tell right away is a result of meticulous accords carefully blended. The results are a timeless attar that stands as a true testament to Sultan Pasha’s skills.

For those that haven’t smelled this beauty imagine rich, deeply resinous dried fruits and tobacco with an indolic white floral chord that anchors the base to the top. This floral accord is what bridges the fruity resinous opening with the dark, brooding ambergris and Oud in the base. The tobacco here is the most realistic accord I’ve ever smelled. Performance is uncanny. Easily lasts over 12-18 hours on skin.

 

[SophMarie]

@Mr.P @Mousse de Chene @Imran297 Alright you three, are we going to have to play 20 questions? You're killing me here 😂 Ghaliya Banu Hashim by @An Najwa is one of the most amazing attars ever, and aside from musk and ambergris, you aren't going to say a single word about what's in it? Spill, gentlemen, please 🙏

 

[Ahmaoud]

@Mr.P @Mousse de Chene @Imran297 Alright you three, are we going to have to play 20 questions? You're killing me here 😂 Ghaliya Banu Hashim by @An Najwa is one of the most amazing attars ever, and aside from musk and ambergris, you aren't going to say a single word about what's in it? Spill, gentlemen, please 🙏

Here's a good highlight of the notes.

 

[Mr.P]

@Mr.P @Mousse de Chene @Imran297 Alright you three, are we going to have to play 20 questions? You're killing me here 😂 Ghaliya Banu Hashim by @An Najwa is one of the most amazing attars ever, and aside from musk and ambergris, you aren't going to say a single word about what's in it? Spill, gentlemen, please 🙏

@Mr.P @Mousse de Chene @Imran297 Alright you three, are we going to have to play 20 questions? You're killing me here 😂 Ghaliya Banu Hashim by @An Najwa is one of the most amazing attars ever, and aside from musk and ambergris, you aren't going to say a single word about what's in it? Spill, gentlemen, please 🙏

I'm not the best at evocative scent note descriptions, and I think I struggle to tease apart oud based mukhs at times. I just applied a swipe and I get three main facets:

1. a very smooth blend of scintillating woody ouds of the agallocha kind, creating a musky fuzzy powdery creamy woody backdrop

2. camphor just at a level where it can be recognized

3. A somewhat fruity smelling rose, I get a hint of osmanthus that I often get in an najwa attars.

Then there's the interplay of all of these which creates this second layer of accords. Woody, creamy, rosey, fruity, camphor-ish things interacting with one another. I've got to do a side-by-side with the original to try to better tune into the part of the musk in the ambergris.

 

[SophMarie]

Here's a good highlight of the notes.

Thank you, friend. It does sound beautiful.

When I saw your link, I prayed it wasn't recent. That would have been embarrassing ☺️ Thankfully it was from 10 months before I joined Ouddict. I plead ignorance!

 

[SophMarie]

I'm not the best at evocative scent note descriptions, and I think I struggle to tease apart oud based mukhs at times. I just applied a swipe and I get three main facets:

1. a very smooth blend of scintillating woody ouds of the agallocha kind, creating a musky fuzzy powdery creamy woody backdrop

2. camphor just at a level where it can be recognized

3. A somewhat fruity smelling rose, I get a hint of osmanthus that I often get in an najwa attars.

Then there's the interplay of all of these which creates this second layer of accords. Woody, creamy, rosey, fruity, camphor-ish things interacting with one another. I've got to do a side-by-side with the original to try to better tune into the part of the musk in the ambergris.

That sounds lovely, Mr. P, thank you 🙂

 

[SophMarie]

Starting the year off right with Tabac Grande.

There will never be another tobacco attar that can take this from the top spot in my heart. Vanilla Paradise comes close but Tabac Grande is a masterpiece of artisanal perfumery. Truly remarkable work of art.

What I love about this attar is the absolute mastery of blending. There is never a moment where notes are competing for others. No one particular material stands out against the rest. It’s perfect harmony one stage after the next. The development has an intentionality to it that you can tell right away is a result of meticulous accords carefully blended. The results are a timeless attar that stands as a true testament to Sultan Pasha’s skills.

For those that haven’t smelled this beauty imagine rich, deeply resinous dried fruits and tobacco with an indolic white floral chord that anchors the base to the top. This floral accord is what bridges the fruity resinous opening with the dark, brooding ambergris and Oud in the base. The tobacco here is the most realistic accord I’ve ever smelled. Performance is uncanny. Easily lasts over 12-18 hours on skin.

Lovely description!!! Now I'm dying to try it. Until a month ago I hated tobacco scents. Then something clicked with one of Teone Reinthal's perfumes. Now I love them. It's strange because cigarettes nauseate me.

I ordered five samples from Sultan Pasha last month. Especially eager to get them now. If I like them, I may have to order Tabac Grande 🙂

 

[Zubayr]

Now I love them. It's strange because cigarettes nauseate me.

Can't say I'm nauseated by cigarettes, but they stink for sure. Actual tobacco smells really nice compared to cigarettes

 

[Castingshadows]

Lovely description!!! Now I'm dying to try it. Until a month ago I hated tobacco scents. Then something clicked with one of Teone Reinthal's perfumes. Now I love them. It's strange because cigarettes nauseate me.

I ordered five samples from Sultan Pasha last month. Especially eager to get them now. If I like them, I may have to order Tabac Grande 🙂

Keep in mind Sultan takes his sweet, sweet time shipping stuff but it’s so so worth it. You might enjoy Tabac Grande because it really does fall on the sweeter balsamic side of perfumery. It doesn’t contain alcohol and it’s really, really beautiful. This smells more like fruity hookah smoke with raw tobacco sprinkled in the mix.

 

[Mr.P]

Dab of the OG Ghaliya Banu Hashim from @An Najwa today. Delicious.

Trying to educate my nose - having this old batch with the musk and ambergris to compare to the new batch without them is a learning opportunity

 

[Imran297]

@Mr.P @Mousse de Chene @Imran297 Alright you three, are we going to have to play 20 questions? You're killing me here 😂 Ghaliya Banu Hashim by @An Najwa is one of the most amazing attars ever, and aside from musk and ambergris, you aren't going to say a single word about what's in it? Spill, gentlemen, please 🙏

TBH, everything is so wel synchronized that I can’t even really decipher the (separate) notes properly with my untrained nose. Only ones I pick up are: hindi oudh, musk, ambergris and damask rose.

I was just thinking about it like 15min ago, open ouddict and saw that you mentioned it🤣. I’m really looking forward to the second batch

 

[Imran297]

Dab of the OG Ghaliya Banu Hashim from @An Najwa today. Delicious.

Trying to educate my nose - having this old batch with the musk and ambergris to compare to the new batch without them is a learning opportunity

How do they compare?

 

[Mr.P]

How do they compare?

I really struggle to tease apart these base / oud heavy mukhs. additionally because I am making and testing fragrance every day I have not really had the opportunity to give these the extended side-by-side they deserve.

New batch is a little creamier, old batch a little fruitier. New batch maybe has more obvious camphor and frank than first batch. I get a more pronounced floral Jasmine adjacent note in batch one.

 

[Mr.P]

@mesOUD qirose smelling delicious. Oud-rose candy!

 

[Mr.P]

For any of you guys experimenting, I have found tonka to be the most amazing material. It easily gets out of hand and when it does it is still interesting. I could go on and on… Starting to develop blends with it has subtly changed the way my house smells amazingly enough and it's very pleasant. Anyway I've tried two different tonka extracts one is a solid granular crystalline material that I got from perfumers supply house. The other is a syrup like liquid which came from fraterworks and is their signature tonka. I've made identical blends using both.

There's something in the Fraterworks extract which seems kind of like an accessory note - and I find it distracting in the blends where I've wanted to have a strong impact of tonka. The material from perfume supply house smells much more like actual Tonka beans, and seems to be a little bit more true true nature extraction. It may be that there's something very desirable about the more expensive fraterworks product but this is one that for me seems a bit off… The accessory notes are kind of toasty and sweet, sort of like caramelized sugar but also odd in some unique way that I can't connect to another scent - like some kind of cooked down syrup. These notes are pleasant but they seem like something that isn't in the tonka beans themselves (at least the ones that I've seen).

Tldr: tonka absolute is wonderful; i prefer PSH to FW for this one

 

[Mr.P]

Still smelling residue from the swipe of Ghaliya Banu Hashim from yesterday! That oud accord is tenacious 🙂 I don't know if this is the V1 or the V2 residue that I am smelling since I swiped both.