Attar/Mukhallat of the Day

i'll tell you what, I have been smelling so fine these days. A testament to some crazy materials that I have recently received or uncovered from my own archives. In this case it's a personal blend of these for vintage patchouly oils - two 35 year old sticky tar-like oils "watered down" in some equally old lighter more fluid patchouli. This is the opposite end of the patchouly spectrum from the smooth patcholol or modern high PA oils. Wild spicy leafy peppery earthy mossy wine like. Every bit as precious as oud to me.

[Ouddict.com] Attar/Mukhallat of the Day
 
Ahmaoud said:
So I actually found a way to fix the composition (mentioned in my post after that earlier one), and it's still within the 10 day window but smelling it today, it's keeping it's new identity instead of letting the older trample all over it.

I think of patchouli oils more as absolute, when compared to rose oils. For that reason I want to acquire some rose and lavender absolutes because the oils of these are very sharp, energetic and to a major extent, lack sweetness. The composition was already about 30 percent sandalwood, an NTT sandalwood to be specific, mesOud's third batch. I'll have to play around with sandalwood and patchouli, I just feel like the latter really destroyed any nuance the sandalwood had. That being said, patch oil on a nice sandalwood incense stick, is truly something otherworldly, have to thank Mr. P for recommending that once! Patch, rose and sandalwood would definitely be next on my list of blends to try but again, with the absolute, these high pitched essential oils are robbing the mid of my blends, something rose absolute might be able to bring forth. Sweet basil I'll have to acquire some soon!

I'm also not able to wear rose oil on my skin anymore it seems, so I either apply it with thick swipes of oud or ruh khus or simply apply it to my clothes.
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I’ve been thinking about rose absolutes again for those mid range and low notes, AND the longevity. I’ve only experienced a couple so I’m curious to hear what you find. I remember liking Eden Botanicals Rose Trilogy both for the price and how it ticks the boxes for different rose notes from its three region blend. Absolute is the only way I enjoy lavender and theirs is actually the only one I’ve owned and it’s the one lavender material I can occasionally wear on its own except for the Seville lavender they sometimes have which is such a weird wildcard of an oil.
 
Shiningrobes said:
I’ve been thinking about rose absolutes again for those mid range and low notes, AND the longevity. I’ve only experienced a couple so I’m curious to hear what you find. I remember liking Eden Botanicals Rose Trilogy both for the price and how it ticks the boxes for different rose notes from its three region blend. Absolute is the only way I enjoy lavender and theirs is actually the only one I’ve owned and it’s the one lavender material I can occasionally wear on its own except for the Seville lavender they sometimes have which is such a weird wildcard of an oil.
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Thanks for reminding me about that Rose Trilogy, I just looked it up, seems like just what I've been looking for! I have a very small sample of Rosa Damascena Absolute from Turkey I got from mesOud ages ago, that's what I've based my entire experience upon. There's a beautiful opening to it, but somewhere in the mid it starts to smell quite yeasty, almost bread dough like, it's something I find quite off putting. I've also found it in Areej le Dore's Ottoman Empire IV, which is a scent I adore to no end, puts a smile on my face every time I sniff or wear it, but on clothes that yeasty facet comes out, leaving me with mixed feelings.

Lavender EO especially it seems from some regions is quite potent and pungent. Not in a stinky but in a, "immediately opens up the sinuses" sort of way. In blends where it's used, and according to Eden Botanical's reference of Arctander, Steffen, it has to be used in high percentages, I've found "less is more" when applying those oil blends. For Lavender Absolutes I was looking a bit more at Fraterworks. I do wonder if they can be used to give a bloom to oud oils without much of a top, in the same way the EO can used.
 
Ahmaoud said:
AlMokhlif Oud - Inherited Cambodi (mixed with two drops of ASO's Zummrud and two drops of MaysamCo's Luxurious Winter Blend)

Sokkat AlTeeb - Tarkeeb Sduw - Trat Hattab (Firewood Distillation) blended with Lavender and Cardamom co-distillated essential oil

Maysam Co's Luxurious Winter Blend - way too many things in this one to describe

Sokkat AlTeeb - Oud Bronze - An aged blend of Nagaland, Cambodi and Indonesian (I think Maroke specifically) oils

So I started off with trying to give some top notes to #1, it's an aged oil with a wonderful mid and base, but lacking a top, hence the other things I mixed into it, but today I wanted more. So I went for the overly spice-y and cool, yet hot Tarkeeb Sduw, and immediately it was a perfect match. Three fat dots of #1 with some delicate dots of #2.

But then I wanted something more, so I added a couple of dots of #3 to the mix and suddenly floral notes from #1 were suddenly brought into the spotlight, or the floral lavender from #2.

Then I sought for some bitterness, something official smelling, I had something sweet, resinous, floral and complex but I wanted something smoke-y, so I turned to touching the neck of #4 and added that to the mix, and finally I was satisfied. It's never an exact science and mostly a headache, between observations and mental comparison. I have a lot of #1 and I spend a fair bit trying to get it to have a "top" but adding things straight to it, is a double edged sword, and might ruin something already better than the original. #1 is a very nice Cambodi but I think I desire the more woody and leathery facets of this profile, rather than the more floral woody, which this has. It's not terrible by any means but I just have this strange belief that I can make it perfect.
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That's quite a mix!
 
It was an alright mixture, adding the bitter element was so crucial to helping it come together.

Last night I was wearing a arm blend of Ajmal Mukhallat Dahn al Oud Moattaq (wanted to capture the rose used here), with fat swipes of the Inherited Cambodi (has a very orange-y smell to it, or sweet citrus fruits), alongside Tarkeeb Sduw, two swipes because I wanted to lavender-cardamom-crassna to mute the rose a bit, but equally highlight the similar top in the Cambodi, and man was this were good! Actually felt like everything had a purpose and nothing was getting overshadowed by something else. The Ajmal can have a screechiness to it if you wear it neat, this helped mask that aspect but not to dim the overall composition. The rose and lavender worked exceptionally well together, paired with the cardamom and oud, a very classic yet unique smell was brought forth, dare I say, timeless.

Later on I added a couple of drops of Ajmal's Amiri, it was nice, didn't really work with the blend, and it was long enough that most of the earlier blend had vanished. It's a very strange Hindi, it starts off to my nose, fairly clean but a while after I'd applied it, I was getting a very musty, hay like leather note from it, just the positing in the overall scent pyramid was jarring. I feel like something's missing here, at least in my experience the progression of the Hindis I like is, animalic cooling incense to syrupy tree resin to woody sweet incense with touches of green cilantro. The dry down left me scratching my head a bit, it's not a bad dry down, but just feels like it's missing meaty that'll anchor the base.
 
Ahmaoud said:
It was an alright mixture, adding the bitter element was so crucial to helping it come together.

Last night I was wearing a arm blend of Ajmal Mukhallat Dahn al Oud Moattaq (wanted to capture the rose used here), with fat swipes of the Inherited Cambodi (has a very orange-y smell to it, or sweet citrus fruits), alongside Tarkeeb Sduw, two swipes because I wanted to lavender-cardamom-crassna to mute the rose a bit, but equally highlight the similar top in the Cambodi, and man was this were good! Actually felt like everything had a purpose and nothing was getting overshadowed by something else. The Ajmal can have a screechiness to it if you wear it neat, this helped mask that aspect but not to dim the overall composition. The rose and lavender worked exceptionally well together, paired with the cardamom and oud, a very classic yet unique smell was brought forth, dare I say, timeless.

Later on I added a couple of drops of Ajmal's Amiri, it was nice, didn't really work with the blend, and it was long enough that most of the earlier blend had vanished. It's a very strange Hindi, it starts off to my nose, fairly clean but a while after I'd applied it, I was getting a very musty, hay like leather note from it, just the positing in the overall scent pyramid was jarring. I feel like something's missing here, at least in my experience the progression of the Hindis I like is, animalic cooling incense to syrupy tree resin to woody sweet incense with touches of green cilantro. The dry down left me scratching my head a bit, it's not a bad dry down, but just feels like it's missing meaty that'll anchor the base.
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cilantro oil is a wild one - one of the few botanical oils that is very rich in natural aldehydes, which have held a unique fascination for perfumers since their synthesis / introduction.
 
Mr.P said:
cilantro oil is a wild one - one of the few botanical oils that is very rich in natural aldehydes, which have held a unique fascination for perfumers since their synthesis / introduction.
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I was shocked to find people actually extracted compounds from the leaves, which is indeed referred to as cilantro, whereas the seed extracts are referred to as coriander.

But it's quite uncanny how similar the scent is to certain Hindi's in their deep dry down, once I make the connection, and it wasn't mine originally but from Dr. Nikhil from Exotic Scents, I couldn't un-smell it.

Last night I wore some of An Najwa's Ruh Khus 2023 to bed, was a ritual of mine a while back, and I'd forgotten just how much I loved the stuff! There's something beyond descriptors in certain scents, they touch a part of you, deeply hidden behind all the recent memories, to far away past. As they drown out the moment, a calm is brought upon the wearer, emotions related to fragmented memories perhaps? I feel a deep sense of contentment wearing this, no desire to change anything, to add or subtract from the profile. It's bitter herbal green soapy, with hints of sweet fennel and water splashed earthenware vessels one second, and incense-y sweet, almost with a resinous quality a moment later. The scent isn't stationary either, it projects and smells different to how it smells up close. Moment by moment parts change, different emotions are engaged, but all of them of deep admiration of this aromatic compound!

Tell you folks the truly terrifying thought I had last night, for a moment I genuinely wondered whether I needed any of my ouds if I had this. Not to say it smells like oud, but ... just the enjoyment I find in this, I almost have to pull myself away from wearing just this once I've started!
 
Ahmaoud said:
I was shocked to find people actually extracted compounds from the leaves, which is indeed referred to as cilantro, whereas the seed extracts are referred to as coriander.

But it's quite uncanny how similar the scent is to certain Hindi's in their deep dry down, once I make the connection, and it wasn't mine originally but from Dr. Nikhil from Exotic Scents, I couldn't un-smell it.

Last night I wore some of An Najwa's Ruh Khus 2023 to bed, was a ritual of mine a while back, and I'd forgotten just how much I loved the stuff! There's something beyond descriptors in certain scents, they touch a part of you, deeply hidden behind all the recent memories, to far away past. As they drown out the moment, a calm is brought upon the wearer, emotions related to fragmented memories perhaps? I feel a deep sense of contentment wearing this, no desire to change anything, to add or subtract from the profile. It's bitter herbal green soapy, with hints of sweet fennel and water splashed earthenware vessels one second, and incense-y sweet, almost with a resinous quality a moment later. The scent isn't stationary either, it projects and smells different to how it smells up close. Moment by moment parts change, different emotions are engaged, but all of them of deep admiration of this aromatic compound!

Tell you folks the truly terrifying thought I had last night, for a moment I genuinely wondered whether I needed any of my ouds if I had this. Not to say it smells like oud, but ... just the enjoyment I find in this, I almost have to pull myself away from wearing just this once I've started!
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I'll tell you some of the khus I have smelled from @An Najwa changed my mind about it. My previous specimens, not from anybody who sells here actually - they are "pre-ouddict", were all metallic in a way i had a hard time with. Like lots of iron. Quite the contrast from the clean, earthy, grassy and rooty stuff AN carries. I've never really gotten carried away with vetiver probably because I was put off by those early specimens and just need to really spend some time studying it. I have read enough people here whose opinions I respect describing their deep affiliation with this oil, so I know it is worth the effort. I feel that way about patchouli sometimes - like it carries that same weight and complexity and dignity. Although patchouli is never really quite dignified
 
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I got a new batch of Jasmine grandiflorum absolute. This is the "extra" grade from Payan Bertrand.

This batch is very different from the previous, and aligns much more closely with one type of more common Egyptian absolute I have spelled in the past. Typically in my experience Jasmine grandiflorum Egypt falls into two categories: one has a slight green stem violet leaf facet that is a signature. I find it impossible to miss. Others have this kind of ethereal tea-like fruity quality. Yet a third seems to defy the regional stereotype, and has a smooth sultry quality similar to some indian absolutes, but with lilac-like facets that become evident in the dry-down. This latter type has been extremely rare, and I have only smelled 2 specimens of it, both from Payan Bertrand.

This newest batch has the ethereal tea like quality, and once again the benefits of the "extra" grade really shine. I've smelled dozens of this type of Jasmine, and as with oud each is unique and each is flawed in some way. What's nice about these select oils is that someone who knows their QC picks through all of the available batches and set aside some really fine ones.

Such a delight, absolute olfactory paradise for me. I've smelled so many of these etheral tea type Egyptian grands - almost always a kind of paler and more orange colored oil than other absolutes. The aroma is usually a little underwhelming - too fruity for some, a bit overripe for others. Some seemed thin, and too focused on this peculiar tea note. When I first realized this new batch of this category I was disappointed, but I have seen the light. that's merely because all the previous specimens I have smelled must have been the rejects that didn't make the "select" or "extra" cut. I'm excited to try this out in the some blends and just wear it as perfume.
 
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SULAYM - HM Khus - I wasn't the biggest fan of this when I got it, and today I've come to eat those words. It's a rougher Khus in the top, more brown and earthy than green, but from the mid onwards, you'll be graced with one of the most serene Khus signatures out there. Really quite sweet in the dry down as well, has all the cooling properties you've come to expect from Khus, and if you could blend this with a note to smooth out the top, one that didn't last past the mid, I think you'd have a wonderful blend.

As with most Khus(es?) its nuclear, aging has given it an even more pronounced lasting on skin, the tiniest amount will keep you company throughout the day. Aging has given it a dimension not seen in younger Khus(es), off the cap I'm getting earthy digestive biscuits, if that makes sense, so you can imagine its quite pleasant! I want to say chocolately but that wouldn't be quite accurate, but the sweet depth cacao notes can have, imagine aromatic dirt if you will, is present in the top here. After that though you'll be greeted with a refined green Khus note which won't leave. If young Khus(es) are grassy and energetic, this one highlights a green shrubbery note.
 
Al Hind Oud - Vintage Khus!!

GREEN! SMOOTH!!
In color and bouquet. Actually the color is such a dark green that it’s almost black in the bottle. It has what I’ve come to expect from Ruh khus: Grassiness, terra cotta, and a bit of oniony armpit in the opener, but where that last particular note might hang around and get sour in newer oils this goes swiftly into an absolutely smooth lovely depth. You can smell the age. I’ve swiped this three times in the last five hours. It’s that smooth. Fresh pulled roots with damp sweet earth still clinging. It reminds me a bit of ginseng. Has a bit of leather and cedar that reminds me of gift shops in the American Southwest; suede moccasins and cedar and piñon incense.

Conventional vetiver seems to have an ascending note to it that is way too much for me. It just goes up and up and overwhelms my senses. This goes inward and down and takes me with it. There’s gravity here. All the familiar notes having the weight and depth of age. Like planets and stars pressing on the fabric of the universe. And an intrinsic mellow sweetness from the 25 years of aging.

I expected it to be a bit of a monster and really strong but it’s actually extremely subtle. It really plays a game of hide and seek, where it seems to have dissipated only to come creeping in from the side.
 
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Shiningrobes said:
Al Hind Oud - Vintage Khus!!

GREEN! SMOOTH!!
In color and bouquet. Actually the color is such a dark green that it’s almost black in the bottle. It has what I’ve come to expect from Ruh khus: Grassiness, terra cotta, and a bit of oniony armpit in the opener, but where that last particular note might hang around and get sour in newer oils this goes swiftly into an absolutely smooth lovely depth. You can smell the age. I’ve swiped this three times in the last five hours. It’s that smooth. Fresh pulled roots with damp sweet earth still clinging. It reminds me a bit of ginseng. Has a bit of leather and cedar that reminds me of gift shops in the American Southwest; suede moccasins and cedar and piñon incense.

Conventional vetiver seems to have an ascending note to it that is way too much for me. It just goes up and up and overwhelms my senses. This goes inward and down and takes me with it. There’s gravity here. All the familiar notes having the weight and depth of age. Like planets and stars pressing on the fabric of the universe. And an intrinsic mellow sweetness from the 25 years of aging.

I expected it to be a bit of a monster and really strong but it’s actually extremely subtle. It really plays a game of hide and seek, where it seems to have dissipated only to come creeping in from the side.
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This one is super smooth… I agree with your reaction quite different from the more starchy and almost "stiff" aroma of fresher Khus. Your comment about being able to apply multiple swipes without being overwhelmed resonates with my own experience. This has some of the clean candylike appeal I get in haitian vetiver, really wearable and appealing.
 
Seeing as we are talking about vetiver….
This week before work I have been co-swiping Habzoud’s Haitian vetiver and Yusa’s Şam Gülü.

I think it’s a good combination, but the vetiver can overwhelm the rose easily if I put on too much. This is a fresh, grassy and bone-dry vetiver that cries out for a sweet top note, and the Yusa rose provides that…if I can just get the balance right.
 
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Ahmaoud said:
SULAYM - HM Khus - I wasn't the biggest fan of this when I got it, and today I've come to eat those words. It's a rougher Khus in the top, more brown and earthy than green, but from the mid onwards, you'll be graced with one of the most serene Khus signatures out there. Really quite sweet in the dry down as well, has all the cooling properties you've come to expect from Khus, and if you could blend this with a note to smooth out the top, one that didn't last past the mid, I think you'd have a wonderful blend.

As with most Khus(es?) its nuclear, aging has given it an even more pronounced lasting on skin, the tiniest amount will keep you company throughout the day. Aging has given it a dimension not seen in younger Khus(es), off the cap I'm getting earthy digestive biscuits, if that makes sense, so you can imagine its quite pleasant! I want to say chocolately but that wouldn't be quite accurate, but the sweet depth cacao notes can have, imagine aromatic dirt if you will, is present in the top here. After that though you'll be greeted with a refined green Khus note which won't leave. If young Khus(es) are grassy and energetic, this one highlights a green shrubbery note.
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I’ve been thinking of your recent posts about Ruh khus the more I wear this one from Al Hind. Which a) you should check out if you don’t already have it; b) definitely swipe it with frangipani (!); and c) I remember you posting that you could almost go without oud if you had Ruh khus (almost). This one really has a passage that reminds me of some aged Meraukes I’ve smelled, how they gain these crazy deeeep notes that haunt the background. Petrol, leather, old charred wood.
 
Jade Blaze - @SULAYM

I absolutely love this attar. It’s at the number 1 spot with Elysium. I don’t know which I love more. Each time I apply one of these I think it takes the crown - momentarily - until the next swipe of the other one comes.

Delicious rose, herbaceous comfort, great Oud, and flower power is at the base of this attar and it’s created with a passion. I love it.

IMG_1226.jpeg
 
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