Attar/Mukhallat of the Day

[mobyus]

Sulaym - HM Royal Jardin (sample)

This is one of the most beautiful blends I have ever smelled. It’s clean, sharp, with a well-rounded rosiness, and I can pick up the beauty of the slightly smoky Maroke in here. It’s piercingly amazing! Very regal scent. This is major bulldozer stuff. Wish it was still in stock. I keep coming back to my hand this stuff is unreal.

 

[p$yl35h]

Agar Aura - Kinam Attar. Unique AA dna - thin, clean smelling without off notes. Camphoric cloves with a gentle woody oudy notes as it settles.

 

[mobyus]

Scent Talk - Sultan Abdulhamid II

Ah this one’s a beauty. It opens with the grassiness of the green and Madagascan vetiver. Then there’s the woodiness of the guaiac wood. Then the heavy florals of the Jasmine Sambac, Dafodil, Lily, and Blue Lotus provide a lush, romantic, and deeply expressive feel. The grapefruit provides a bitter-crisp lift to the composition .The Mysore, Oud, musk, and Orris butter are gentle and anchor the whole mix. Amazing blend. One of my favorites from the Doc.

 

[Saudalhajri]

A cologne I just blended a few hours ago
Lots of bergamot, lemon, lime, rosemary, sweet orange, lavender, pine, neroli, petitgrain, civet tincture.
Smell is excellent classic cologne but the longevity is meh, around a couple hours

 

[Shiningrobes]

A cologne I just blended a few hours ago
Lots of bergamot, lemon, lime, rosemary, sweet orange, lavender, pine, neroli, petitgrain, civet tincture.
Smell is excellent classic cologne but the longevity is meh, around a couple hours

I have a denh al oud/gardenia enfleurage blend that does the same thing. The opening is unreal and I can’t believe I made it, but then it eventually falls apart. The middle is just a hollow and kind of sour burlap smell. The dry down is okay, a faint Hindi Oud and musk trail into rich sandalwood. But it’s disappointing after that stellar opening. I need to find another Indian oil to work with because I think that classic style of distillation with gardenia is magic.

 

[Saudalhajri]

I have a denh al oud/gardenia enfleurage blend that does the same thing. The opening is unreal and I can’t believe I made it, but then it eventually falls apart. The middle is just a hollow and kind of sour burlap smell. The dry down is okay, a faint Hindi Oud and musk trail into rich sandalwood. But it’s disappointing after that stellar opening. I need to find another Indian oil to work with because I think that classic style of distillation with gardenia is magic.

I mean mine is a cologne, almost the whole recipe is very volatile stuff. So it’s expected to be short lived. I might add some ruh khus and musk to give it some complexity.

 

[abeerbalbeera]

A cologne I just blended a few hours ago
Lots of bergamot, lemon, lime, rosemary, sweet orange, lavender, pine, neroli, petitgrain, civet tincture.
Smell is excellent classic cologne but the longevity is meh, around a couple hours

Couple hours for an old school cologne is decent, I think sometimes people tend to run towards stuff like longevity and projection so much that the actual nuances of the fragrance can be lost.
That said, maybe a touch of vanillic castoreum (if you have enough cologne to experiment with) could do wonders in trace, or sandalwood/cedarwood depending on what you're aiming for

 

[Mr.P]

Couple hours for an old school cologne is decent, I think sometimes people tend to run towards stuff like longevity and projection so much that the actual nuances of the fragrance can be lost.
That said, maybe a touch of vanillic castoreum (if you have enough cologne to experiment with) could do wonders in trace, or sandalwood/cedarwood depending on what you're aiming for

This is a critical point - it is not in the nature of a traditional Cologne to endure beyond a somewhat long lasting mild orange flower skin scent. Even more so for the old style distilled colognes i have been because you're distilling things at low temperature (over alcohol so around 79C) and everything is very ephemeral

 

[Saudalhajri]

Couple hours for an old school cologne is decent, I think sometimes people tend to run towards stuff like longevity and projection so much that the actual nuances of the fragrance can be lost.
That said, maybe a touch of vanillic castoreum (if you have enough cologne to experiment with) could do wonders in trace, or sandalwood/cedarwood depending on what you're aiming for

Yeah a couple hours isnt bad i agree, but it still isnt complex enough for my nose, it might be because i literally just blended it. ill let it rest a little and see. I have a bad experience with citrus + castoreum so i'll skip that. Cedarwood or sandal might be best, to dilute it a little as well. by weight its almost 50% bergamot lol. Perhaps a combo of cedarwood or sandal, oakmoss abs, and perhaps a touch of chinese rose oil? or turkish maybe.

This is a critical point - it is not in the nature of a traditional Cologne to endure beyond a somewhat long lasting mild orange flower skin scent. Even more so for the old style distilled colognes i have been because you're distilling things at low temperature (over alcohol so around 79C) and everything is very ephemeral

I agree completely, i didnt expect it to last long, but it still surprised me. I can still feel the very slight orange scent and civet warmth. My main concern is its not complex enough. I'll let time do its thing then see.

 

[Shiningrobes]

Yeah a couple hours isnt bad i agree, but it still isnt complex enough for my nose, it might be because i literally just blended it. ill let it rest a little and see. I have a bad experience with citrus + castoreum so i'll skip that. Cedarwood or sandal might be best, to dilute it a little as well. by weight its almost 50% bergamot lol. Perhaps a combo of cedarwood or sandal, oakmoss abs, and perhaps a touch of chinese rose oil? or turkish maybe.

I agree completely, i didnt expect it to last long, but it still surprised me. I can still feel the very slight orange scent and civet warmth. My main concern is its not complex enough. I'll let time do its thing then see.

And time for sure. It always surprises me what a little patience can do.

 

[Mr.P]

Yeah a couple hours isnt bad i agree, but it still isnt complex enough for my nose, it might be because i literally just blended it. ill let it rest a little and see. I have a bad experience with citrus + castoreum so i'll skip that. Cedarwood or sandal might be best, to dilute it a little as well. by weight its almost 50% bergamot lol. Perhaps a combo of cedarwood or sandal, oakmoss abs, and perhaps a touch of chinese rose oil? or turkish maybe.

I agree completely, i didnt expect it to last long, but it still surprised me. I can still feel the very slight orange scent and civet warmth. My main concern is its not complex enough. I'll let time do its thing then see.

The question of which fixatives work nicely with these citrus blends is an interesting one. On the one hand you could try to find something that didn't alter the impression so much but on the other you could try for some really interesting fixative combinations that bring in novel notes and I imagine come up with some unique types of fragrances. Sandalwood and cedar (atlas or juniper) seem like good choices. I smelled a nice variation from Annick Goutal that seemed to have a fair amount of helichrysum absolute as fixative (this one you have to use in very very tiny quantities, it blooms overtime and it's very difficult not to overdose I think).

It's actually a question I'm also grappling with right now as well as I recently distilled about 500 mL of citrusy cologne co-distillate, and I have yet to add any the neroli, petitgrain or any fixatives (which I read are typically added post distillation). This one is a little bit different than the previous ones that I've made so I've been wearing just that ephemeral low temperature distilled fraction for a couple of weeks to try to figure out what would go best with it... it's been an interesting thing to smell (but very quick to evaporate).

There's actually something wonderful about a complex natural fragrance that's bright and refreshing and intense but then subsides pretty quickly. Something you could really enjoy full strength in the morning but then not smother your coworkers when you got to the office for example. Also the kind of thing you can wear on a day when you have to test other fragrances because it makes room for them

 

[Shiningrobes]

The question of which fixatives work nicely with these citrus blends is an interesting one. On the one hand you could try to find something that didn't alter the impression so much but on the other you could try for some really interesting fixative combinations that bring in novel notes and I imagine come up with some unique types of fragrances. Sandalwood and cedar (atlas or juniper) seem like good choices. I smelled a nice variation from Annick Goutal that seemed to have a fair amount of helichrysum absolute as fixative (this one you have to use in very very tiny quantities, it blooms overtime and it's very difficult not to overdose I think).

It's actually a question I'm also grappling with right now as well as I recently distilled about 500 mL of citrusy cologne co-distillate, and I have yet to add any the neroli, petitgrain or any fixatives (which I read are typically added post distillation). This one is a little bit different than the previous ones that I've made so I've been wearing just that ephemeral low temperature distilled fraction for a couple of weeks to try to figure out what would go best with it... it's been an interesting thing to smell (but very quick to evaporate).

There's actually something wonderful about a complex natural fragrance that's bright and refreshing and intense but then subsides pretty quickly. Something you could really enjoy full strength in the morning but then not smother your coworkers when you got to the office for example. Also the kind of thing you can wear on a day when you have to test other fragrances because it makes room for them

Citrus and patchouli always feels like classic cologne to me.

Immortelle and patchouli makes an insane fixative and a good musk analogue.. And like you said in small amounts. (Although I do love to modify immortelle with patchouli, rather than the other way around).

A dot of lavender absolute?

 

[Saudalhajri]

A cologne I just blended a few hours ago
Lots of bergamot, lemon, lime, rosemary, sweet orange, lavender, pine, neroli, petitgrain, civet tincture.
Smell is excellent classic cologne but the longevity is meh, around a couple hours

Added Jasmine grandiflorum, Rosa rugosa, ruh khus, root only sandalwood, geranium.
The geranium really tied everything together, and now there’s actually a mid note 😂. The handover isn’t very smooth but I’ll let it age and see what happens.

 

[Saudalhajri]

The question of which fixatives work nicely with these citrus blends is an interesting one. On the one hand you could try to find something that didn't alter the impression so much but on the other you could try for some really interesting fixative combinations that bring in novel notes and I imagine come up with some unique types of fragrances. Sandalwood and cedar (atlas or juniper) seem like good choices. I smelled a nice variation from Annick Goutal that seemed to have a fair amount of helichrysum absolute as fixative (this one you have to use in very very tiny quantities, it blooms overtime and it's very difficult not to overdose I think).

It's actually a question I'm also grappling with right now as well as I recently distilled about 500 mL of citrusy cologne co-distillate, and I have yet to add any the neroli, petitgrain or any fixatives (which I read are typically added post distillation). This one is a little bit different than the previous ones that I've made so I've been wearing just that ephemeral low temperature distilled fraction for a couple of weeks to try to figure out what would go best with it... it's been an interesting thing to smell (but very quick to evaporate).

There's actually something wonderful about a complex natural fragrance that's bright and refreshing and intense but then subsides pretty quickly. Something you could really enjoy full strength in the morning but then not smother your coworkers when you got to the office for example. Also the kind of thing you can wear on a day when you have to test other fragrances because it makes room for them

I’ve added a root only Javan sandalwood , it kind of reminds me of Virginia cedarwood

 

[mobyus]

Bourhan Oud - Mirage

This blends contains Henry Jacques 1995, Old Cambodi oud 2016, Kalimantan Oud, and “General” blend. This is their best one yet! I’m getting the top of 1995 before getting the magic that is the Cambodi and Kalimantan. So it starts off sweet with notes of wood, bergamot, and lavender, then a beautiful muddy scent but without the sharpness of dirt ensues. And the amber from the General blend shines through. It’s incredible how these seemingly opposite sides of the same coin mingle and play off each other’s scents. I thought these guys were nuts when I saw them doing this blending. “How could you ruin the oud like this?” Or “how could you waste the Henry Jacques like that?” came to mind. It just works. I’m a convert so to speak. I’ve applied this twice it’s so good. Not one mistake. As expected, as time wears on, the Henry Jacques scent becomes more prominent and dominating. This is so beautiful.

 

[Mr.P]

Added Jasmine grandiflorum, Rosa rugosa, ruh khus, root only sandalwood, geranium.
The geranium really tied everything together, and now there’s actually a mid note 😂. The handover isn’t very smooth but I’ll let it age and see what happens.

Orange blossom absolute and petitgrain absolute are materials that would tie down the lighter distilled oils of those materials perhaps. I've barely experimented with petitgrain absolute (i've used it in a couple of colognes but that's it and I'm still getting to know the material) but orange blossom absolute is quite dense and heavy and much slower to dissipate than neroli. Of course it smells quite different from neroli but it's obvious they're from the same flower. You probably already have experience with this but I just mentioned it for anyone else interested. Orris resinoid or orris butter is another good fixative. I was also thinking maybe CO2 extracts of frankincense would go well with the citrus, I have not experimented with adding frankincense into cologne style citrus blends but I'll bet it might smell good.

 

[Saudalhajri]

Orange blossom absolute and petitgrain absolute are materials that would tie down the lighter distilled oils of those materials perhaps. I've barely experimented with petitgrain absolute (i've used it in a couple of colognes but that's it and I'm still getting to know the material) but orange blossom absolute is quite dense and heavy and much slower to dissipate than neroli. Of course it smells quite different from neroli but it's obvious they're from the same flower. You probably already have experience with this but I just mentioned it for anyone else interested. Orris resinoid or orris butter is another good fixative. I was also thinking maybe CO2 extracts of frankincense would go well with the citrus, I have not experimented with adding frankincense into cologne style citrus blends but I'll bet it might smell good.

Orris and frankincense CO2 are already on my mind. I just received a bright green Hojari CO2 from @Oudique but it smells more like the actual resin, just clearer. I have another CO2 that smells like orange juice, lemon peel. Maybe a combo of the two could work

 

[aoudgauze]

SQ Multazam. Such an interesting scent. It smells oddly familiar, perhaps because of the extremely mellow rose. I get a kind of green patchouli hue with white musk. There's nothing bright, sparkling, sharp, nor fierce but underneath I'm getting some dirty animalics. My mind smells ambergris but nose gets some civet/stinky standing water. Overall, I'm reminded of Habzoud's Mamluk...could it be damp cotton candy?

 

[mobyus]

Homemade - Cuvée Royale d’Oud

Well it’s not really “Homemade” first of all. It’s a blend of blends from Bourhan Oud. I blended AlQawiyya (too sweet) with Mukhallat AlDeera (too bitter) to create this new blend that is just perfectly balanced. AlQawiyya was Henry Jacques heavy whilst AlDeera used chunks of sandalwood, Ruh Khus, Prachin Oud, and other bitter elements in its making. The result is something that smells infinitely fantastic and beautiful.

 

[rudymeister]

body Oudh