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!

Lima

Lima is a Northern girl who chose life. Fashion and Makeup to her are just a little bit of fun, because life is already way too serious as it is. She's all about colour, because colour breaks down barriers, opens up the mind to new possibilities and makes everything feel a bit brighter.

2 comments

The Dainty Dolls House3 November 2024 at 18:29
Happy to see you post again and about one of my favourite things - perfume!! I love this because I don't know really anything about Arab or Khaleeji fragrances, so I really enjoyed this post and look forward to any others you might do. I haven't blogged in over a year, so this is the first post I've read. I love floral perfumes but, not sickly sweet ones because real flowers that I love aren't sickly sweet, they're more heady and strong. So, I understand you on that. I've only tried an oud fragrance once here and I wasn't sure but, I'm definitely interested in learning more from what you know and trying again. Great post!!
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