Fashionicide // Fashion, Makeup and Beauty

Sunday, November 03, 2024

My Personal Fragrance Journey

Wow, it has been such a long time since I last posted. If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you may have noticed that over the past few years I’ve started talking a lot more about fragrances, particularly Arab or Khaleeji fragrances.

How it began

During lockdown, when many of us had so much extra time on our hands (goodbye commuting), I got to thinking about how much stuff I’d accumulated over the years, stuff that barely ever got used. One such thing I’d accumulated a lot of, and never used much of, was fragrances. I had a few in my collection that I’d ‘saved’ for special occasions, but the reality is, how often would I even go to a special occasion, a wedding, a special night out etc - and are these ‘special’ enough? I’d need to be going to a special occasion every week for the rest of my life to use these fragrances up, so they were just sitting there collecting dust, a colossal waste of money.

So I did something different, and just started to use them all. Even the ‘special’ ones. And a funny thing happened: I loved it, I started to really appreciate these fragrances, and they boosted my mood and confidence.

Over time, I found myself being able to detect the notes of the perfumes I was wearing without even referring to Fragrantica’s list of notes. I recall visiting Selfridges where one of the shop assistants challenged me to detect the notes in one of her fragrances. ‘Saffron’. She was stunned, nobody had been able to guess, and it left me wondering if I was developing a nose for this kind of thing, did I have a talent?

French perfumery VS Khaleeji perfumery

After all the lockdowns were behind us, and I’d been vaccinated, my first overseas trip was to Dubai (where else, really). Fragrances are a huge part of Arab/Khaleeji culture, and Dubai is probably the place to visit to evolve and expand your fragrance palate. But their fragrances are markedly different from what we’re used to in the West. Here, the focus is on the French - think Dior, Gucci, Maison Francis Kurkdjian etc.

Whilst French perfumes are sold and loved in Dubai, they also have their own style of fragrances - Khaleeji perfumes. These smell very Middle Eastern, ouds, woody, resinous, sweet, so intense you feel you could almost choke.

Of course the French houses have created their own Oud-based fragrances, but the majority of these are aimed at the Western palate, something much lighter. So light, that sometimes the oud can barely be detected at all. So you have to be cautious taking recommendations from someone who says they love Oud - do they love the Western ideal of oud, or do they love the raw, animalic, intense Ouds of the Arab world?

That’s not to say that all of the French takes on Oud are bad, they’re not. Some are huge hits in the Gulf region, such as Dior’s Oud Ispahan, Frederic Malle’s The Night. The latter is pretty oud heavy and quite animalic, hence its hefty price tag. Either way, there are different types of oud-based fragrances, and these all have a different appeal.

How I’ve been learning more about fragrances

I’ve been learning about fragrances through extensive research and through speaking with the locals on my visits to the likes of Oman and Dubai. Only through talking to the locals can you begin to understand the importance and significance of fragrance in their culture - for example, many Emiratis create their own signature fragrances for their homes, or the Omani taxi driver who gifted me some fragrance oils his mother made - the art had been passed down for generations in his family. These conversations really solidified the notion that fragrances are an integral part of Khaleeji culture.

I also found it fascinating that each Gulf nation has their own identity when it comes to fragrance styles and tastes. For example, Oman is famous for its frankincense (or Luban), and the locals live for it. Their love for luban is often acknowledged by fragrance brands - Saudi brand Ibrahim Al Qurashi, famous for their musk water perfumes, created a Luban Musk version exclusively for sale in Oman.

Also note that when I talk about learning, I’m not talking in the past tense here. I’m very much aware that I’ve barely even scratched the surface of the Khaleeji fragrance world, but I think I’ve learned enough to start sharing what I’ve picked up so far. I’m particularly aware that my stories on Arab perfumes pique a lot of interest, particularly from those who visit the Gulf and feel overwhelmed by the endless choice of fragrances. So I will use this space to share what I have learned so far, my personal experiences with fragrances, as well as my own recommendations.

What type of fragrances I’m enjoying at the moment

I still have a great deal of respect for French perfumery and the craftsmanship that goes into it, I think they’re great for those days where I don’t want something heavy. For example, Mizensir’s Perfect Oud is… perfect… for those kinds of days. It’s soft and powdery with a light sweetness to it and a nice gentle shade of oud. If you’re new to oud, this would be a much gentler introduction to it than something harsh, heavy and animalic.

But for those days where I’m craving the heavy, beast mode stuff, I’ll always go for the Khaleeji perfumes, and more often than not I’ll go all out on the layering - I’ll probably need a whole other post at some stage on layering scents. Something I’ve learned on my fragrance journey is that I lean heavily towards scents geared towards men. I just don’t like the sickeningly sweet, fruity, floral scents that women are supposed to like.

In Khaleeji culture, they do have scents geared towards men and women, but they don’t restrict themselves to ‘pour homme’ and ‘pour femme’ scents. That suits me down to the ground, as it’s how I approach my tastes and is the essence of who I am - no to standards imposed upon us by society, and yes to what I like.

Anything else?

A real bugbear of mine since the inception of this blog has been the lack of credit or acknowledgment for my research, knowledge and work. It’s happened so often over the years and it can get quite frustrating, as I’m not your standard influencer who just churns out meaningless, thoughtless content to earn a quick buck.

I invest a lot of my time into research, and put a lot of myself into everything that I do here. So on that note, if anything you read here has been useful, or has inspired you, don’t be shy - tag me, link me, tell me all about it.

Also, do I change from Fashionicide to Fragranticide? Answers on a postcard, and stay tuned!

Saturday, December 30, 2023

FRAGRANCE REVIEW // Anfasic Dokhoon - Shay Oud

Well guys, it's been a while. For the past couple of years, I've become a complete and utter fanatic for fragrances, mainly Middle Eastern scents. And I’m not talking about those Middle Eastern scents doing the rounds on TikTok, where Middle Eastern brands are duping popular French perfumes. I’m talking about genuine, original scents made by actual Middle Eastern fragrance houses.

Anfasic Dokhoon are one of those fragrance houses, created by entrepreneur Mohamed Hilal, who also happens to own the likes of Hind Al Oud and Khaltat, other powerhouses of perfume in the United Arab Emirates.

Shay Oud by Anfasic Dokhoon has easily been my most worn scent of 2023 and I’ve had countless people stop me to ask what the hell I’m wearing. Projection is *insert fire emojis* and will quite literally fill up a room as you walk through it.

As with most of the best things in life, finding Shay Oud was a happy accident. I purchased an unbranded perfume oil with the same name in Muscat back in March, thinking very little of it. However, I quickly fell in love with the scent so much, that I searched for it high and low but could not find anything remotely similar to it in spray format.

I could detect notes of Oud, along with frankincense and honey, so I searched online for fragrances with these notes, and came across Anfasic Dokhoon’s Shay Oud, which I purchased immediately whilst still in Muscat. Honestly, it smells nothing like the perfume oil that inspired my purchase, but my god, I love it.

The Scent

Official notes from Anfasic Dokhoon: Honey. Luban (frankincense). Agarwood.

Shay Oud is a beast. It's a smoky amber, incense-heavy perfume. Think 'walking through a medieval church, with smoke hanging in the air, amidst the burning of frankincense, on a bed of sultry oud' and you end up somewhere close.

I don’t detect any notes of honey specifically, but there is the faintest hint of something just a little sweet. I do get some leather - which I usually avoid - but it’s incredibly subtle and blended in well. It's not the kind of leather that has you choking and trying to escape the room to get away from it.

In my opinion, this scent is not for the faint hearted. She is the IT girl, she is classy as hell and embodies quiet but loud confidence (think Miranda Priestly), she is the moment, you will smell her coming and she will be known as soon as she walks into the room.

That being said, I think it can be worn by anyone who loves a heavy-hitting perfume, my husband wears it too.

Makeup

Why am I talking about makeup in a perfume review? Well, I’ve found myself wanting to do minimal makeup when I wear this scent - freshly moisturised skin, groomed brows and mascara but it needs a bold, red lip to match the attitude it brings. No blush nor eyeshadow is needed. The fragrance IS the makeup.

Projection and sillage

The projection on this is outrageous, which was truly unexpected. Two sprays, perhaps a maximum of three to four, is more than enough to project like no other scent I've ever come across. And yes, I include Dior's Oud Ispahan in this. It beats it hands down on projection.

In fact, I went for brunch with Sheenie a couple of weeks ago and a member of staff approached me to say “your perfume is too strong, I can smell it from the other side of the room!” He then went on to ask for the details of the perfume, of course.

I've had similar incidents at a work do, where I spritzed on three sprays in the morning. Yet somehow, in the evening I got comments “girrrl, you smell freaking incredible!” and “I could smell that perfume from across the room!”

So to summarise, the projection and sillage is fantastic and I’ve found that it will linger on your clothes for days and days, which is just fantastic for coats.

Uniqueness

It's fair to say that Shay Oud is unique, particularly over here in the west. I haven't came across anything remotely similar from the designer perfumery brands who are all flocking towards Oud and various other Middle Eastern fragrances, and charging ridiculous amounts for the privilege. Although, the sales rep at Anfasic Dokhoon did mention that many of their scents have been copied, or duped, by the likes of Dior. Think about that next time you take a pop at Aldi...

Something that I also look out for is high oil content within the perfumes - this tends to make them longer lasting, and a little more powerful. For Anfasic Dokhoon, their fragrances are in the 30% to 40% range, which again is something the designer brands like to charge extra for - but in the Middle East, this is just basic.

Anfasic Dokhoon Shay Oud is their number one selling scent in the UAE and I can see why. It is the Middle East in a bottle.

Cost and where to buy

Anfasic Dokhoon Shay Oud comes in a 75ml bottle and will set you back 415 DHS, which comes to roughly £88. It's widely available to purchase only in the Middle East, however there are Middle Eastern sellers who will ship it to the UK at a premium but please do your research to ensure its authenticity.

My only complaints are that I wish it came in a bigger size, and that it were slightly easier to get hold of. However, I am fairly certain that in the next year or two, we'll see a trend over here in the UK and the west, leaning towards Middle Eastern fragrance houses with original scents. We already have the likes of Amouage (from Oman) and Arabian Oud (from Saudi Arabia), so it's only a matter of time that the rest will begin to follow.

Friday, November 06, 2020

Skincare Reviews: A'pieu Madecassoside Lip Sleeping Mask

So there’s a bit of a story behind this product review.

I visited Seoul last year, back in the days when we could travel freely, armed with a big long list of things I wanted to buy. I tend to get a lot of my recommendations from the AsianBeauty forum on Reddit, which is packed full of people who basically live Asian Beauty, and have done for years. One of the product recommendations that kept coming up was A’pieu’s pastel blushers. I’d never heard of the brand at the time, so I just assumed they were a makeup brand. So imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon one of their stores on the Korean underground, started looking for the pastel blushers and saw shelves stacked with skincare. I was mind-blown, and a little overwhelmed too!

Sales assistants in Seoul tend to be incredibly helpful and attentive, and this one must have noticed the visible distress I was in, there was so much choice and I was totally unprepared! Anyway, she mentioned the Madecassoside line and talked about what each product does, so I picked up a few of them, including the lip sleeping mask, as well as a few other products from different lines.

I have scoured the internet and have been unable to find any reviews of the Madecassoside Lip Sleeping Mask, which is pretty surprising given that the Madecassoside line is incredibly popular amongst Koreans, but this is something I’ve learned about K-Beauty over the past year or so - brands like Cosrx, Innisfree, Belif and to a lesser extent Laneige, are all becoming more and more popular in the west, but in contrast, are not necessarily the be all and end all in South Korea we imagine them to be.

These brands have launched in the likes of Sephora, and have targeted the west with their marketing, whereas A’pieu haven’t - all their socials are clearly targeted at the likes of Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand, and as a result, they are highly underrated in the west. Onto the review of A’pieu’s Madecassoside Lip Sleeping Mask!

Packaging

A'pieu madecassoside lip sleeping mask product shot

The product comes in a small turquoise-mint tub with a white lid, which has a kind of medical aesthetic to it. A lot of the lip sleeping masks I’ve tried in the past are presented in a little box, containing the product and a spatula, but this doesn’t come with a spatula at all. Obviously the spatulas are normally used to take out the product, but in this case you’ll have to make do with your fingers.

Texture

When you open up the lid, the product itself is a translucent white, with a similar appearance to vaseline. In fact, the similarity to vaseline continues upon application, as it feels just like it, although it doesn’t have quite the same thickness or stickiness that you might associate with vaseline. The texture melts down on the lips into a gorgeous shiny, glossy finish, which feels a bit like a lipgloss/lip balm hybrid.

Why is it so special?

Well the area I live in has been in lockdown of differing severity for the past 8 months now, and for most of that I’ve had to wear a facemask everywhere I go. To begin with, this wasn’t much of a problem, it started out in spring and went thorough a nice warm summer, but now we’re transitioning into autumn, or fall, it’s getting colder, wetter and bit more humid outside. Combined with having to wear a mask, this is causing me to get a runny nose, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. This means that my nose is red raw, I have flaky skin around it and even my lips have started to dry out, becoming very irritated and cracked in some places.

I was using my previous HG (holy grail) - Mamonde’s Aqua Peel Lip Sleeping Mask - to help soothe my suffering lips, but this just wasn’t doing the job, so I figured I’d give something else a try. I cracked open A’pieu’s Madecassoside Lip Sleeping Mask instead, and have not been able to put it down since. It really calmed the irritation, and after repeated use, the redness had completely gone and the cracking was beginning to heal. Incidentally, for my nose, I actually used A’pieu’s Madecassoside Cica balm, and this has helped cut down the irritation there too, and reduced the flakiness.

But back to the lip sleeping mask, and I have to say that it’s really calming and soothing on the lips, I can feel it going in to the cracks and crevices, working its magic to the point where I am now basically addicted, and will take it everywhere with me, because of that instant relief it gives. It is genuinely an incredible product, that has solved a really big problem for me, and saved my lips!

Ingredients

But why did it save my lips though? Well, it’s got a lot to do with the ingredients of course - four different types of Centella Asiatica: Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract and Centella Asiatica Leaf Water.

Centella Asiatica (or Cica) itself is repairing and an anti-oxidant, but it's most popular for being quite calming and very soothing. Products containing any form of Centella Asiatica tend be really popular in Korea, as it’s aimed at those with sensitive skin, or those with a compromised skin barrier. It also goes by the name ‘Tiger Grass’, as legend has it, that tigers roll around in the actual plants to soothe their wounds - not sure how true that is, but if that doesn't intrigue you, then nothing will.

Also, the product has Vitamin E, which is repairing, and an anti-oxidant. There’s glycerine in there too, which moisturises and is a humectant, locking that moisture in. And on top of all that, it has ceramides too! We already have ceramides in our skin, and they help to maintain a healthy skin barrier and keep the skin hydrated. So as you can see, the ingredient list is pretty impressive, and makes it a bit of an all-rounder, suitable for pretty much anyone.

It does also contain petroleum, which explains why the texture is so similar to vaseline, albeit far superior. What it doesn’t contain though is essential oils, or anything else knowingly irritating.

Anything else?

You get a very generous 20 grams worth of product. The cruelty-free and vegan status of the product is not entirely clear. On the vegan front, A’pieu released a dedicated vegan line last year, which suggest that this might not be, but I can’t confirm that anywhere. As for cruelty-free, according to kbeauty.co.uk, A’pieu are the ‘socially conscious’ sister brand of Missha, and do not test on animals.

There is one slight downside that I found to the product, and I do experience this with most lip sleeping masks, but when I actually use it as a lip sleeping mask, applying it at night just before bed, I always wake up to see that it’s disappeared, which is of course ironic.

Where can I buy it from?

A’pieu’s Madecassoside Lip Sleeping Mask is not quite so widely available in the UK, I’ve only been able to find it on Stylevana and eBay. The links below are affiliate links, and I will receive a small commission should you purchase through them - of course, if you do find somewhere else selling it in the UK, do let me know!

You can get it at Stylevana* for £8.59 (delivery is £3.99, or free if you spend £39 or more)

This eBay* listing is at £9.07 plus £3.50 postage, shipped directly from Korea.

And yes, I will absolutely be buying this again!

Monday, October 26, 2020

What is a Korean Italy Towel and Why Do You Need It In Your Life?

Green Exfoliating Korean Italy Towel Review

Not to be too hyperbolic here, but honestly, just round up all your coffee scrubs and all your salt scrubs and pretty much every other type of scrub you might have, before we get started here, and just bin them (ok please don't do that!). I have seen the light, and that light is... green and... fabricy.

Yes, the light I've seen is the Korean Italy Towel, and I implore you to read on and find out why you simply must have one.

What on earth is an Italy Towel?

Well, it's an exfoliating mitt, used in Korean spas and found in many households all across Korea. The name Italy Towel came about as the original mitts were created from a form of viscose imported from... Italy.

The mitt itself is an abrasive, exfoliating towel, which basically scrubs off the dead skin from your body. They remind me a little bit of the mitts you might find in a hammam, like the Rituals Kessa glove, but the fabric is a bit thinner, a bit lighter and isn't half as painful.

They come in a variety of colours, which denote a different level of abrasiveness. The green one I purchased is the most common, and can be used on most areas of the body. There's a yellow one, which is the most abrasive. The pink one is the least abrasive, and usually saved for the face.

So why do I need one?

Because they're really, really good! Ever since I've started using the towels, the skin on my body is almost unrecognisable in places. One area in particular, where the mitts have made a huge difference is my back. It's been a problem area for me since I was a teenager, constantly bumpy and seemingly nothing I could do to resolve it. Weekly scrubs would never make a long-term impact, I was continually chasing smooth skin, and it was always just beyond reach.

But after using the Italy Towel once, and I really do mean once, my back felt different. The bumps had gone, just like that, never to return (ok hyperbole again). In all seriousness though, my back has been completely transformed, to the point where it feels like it's someone else's back, so smooth, and when moisturised, my skin glistens!

And how do I use it?

For best results, soak your skin for at least 15 minutes in the bath or shower. Then you put on the mitt, and start scrubbing to your heart's content, either in circular or up-and-down motions. Just remember, it is abrasive, and if you start to feel any pain or discomfort, go a little easier on yourself or stop altogether.

The first time I used it, I felt that abrasive sensation, and debris started rolling off my skin - dead skin! So I continued, scrubbing all over my body, including my feet and hands. After scrubbing, just rinse yourself off. You can then apply toner, moisturiser or whatever your usual routine is.

Afterwards, I expected that my skin might feel dehydrated or taut, but it didn't - it felt silky and smooth, almost as glassy as the skin on my face! Also note, that the mitt starts to shrink as you use it for the first time, supposedly to fit nicely on your hand. It feels like mine may have shrunk a little too much, but you can stretch it out when wet.

Guidance I've found online varies as to how often you should use it, anywhere from weekly to monthly, but I've found the best approach is to listen to my skin, see how it's feeling and use when necessary. As I type this, I last used the towel two weeks ago and my skin feels in need of a bit of a scrub.

Where can I buy one?

The great thing about this is, it's so easy to get hold of. You can pick up a pack of 5 on Amazon* for £5.93. Yes, that's five pounds and ninety three pence for five!

*Note that this is an affiliate link, and I may receive commission on any purchases made. There are plenty of other places to buy online though, so always do your research :)

"An oasis of colour, in a sea of nudes."