Khôl de Bahreïn

It smells like Johnson and Johnson. Like a baby powder for the goddess. Not for me. I'd say this is perfect for children you don't want to wash daily. Update: I like Clara Penhaligons more than this one. Both are beautiful, I've since experienced more Iris and powderiness. Orris, violet, etc.. can be hit or miss. I think the balsamic dry down of this reminded me of sweat. It could be a pheromone kind've thing.

GORGEOUS! SIMPLY like the sweetest Musk Candy stick - fresh not powdery as such because of the florals - very natural. High quality oriental, very feminine but very wearable for men. A novelty for me - sadly can't imagine wearing it for an occasion...

Wearing two sprays of this stuff, one on the wrist, one on the center of my neck, and it's almost too much. This is a powerhouse perfume, and a masterpiece at that. A little will do 'ya, there's no need to apply this like you would a designer department store "perfume". And I know, it's niche, and I know it's pricy but take a look at my wardrobe, I have perfumes that run along every price point of the spectrum. I've paid $300+ for perfumes, and I've paid $3.99. Trust me when I say this is worth every penny. I say it's a masterpiece because of the way it's beautifully blended. I get a strong iris note, or more of a root and earthy smell of the iris (is that what orris root is?) and then I also get the sweetness and balsamic resins. If "Amber" had a smell, I'd picture something just like this. There's something mineral, iridescent, translucent and yet deep. If you stare (or smell, in this sense) too long, you could get lost in it, in the best way possible. I feel the same way about Tom Ford's Rive d'Ambre, although these are absolutely not dupes of one another. Just similar in the way they use an imaginary accord like Amber and give it life. I'm not sure if it's just due to the quality ingredients used or the perfumer's themselves just really know what they're doing but these two Amber fragrances are like works of art to me. I used to think people who spoke about perfumes this way were just being pretentious. They either smell good or they don't, and that's all that mattered. I'm beginning to see how there's so much more, there's a deeper level to this hobby and even to enjoying the smells themselves. Maybe my nose is getting more sophisticated, maybe I'm just getting more pretentious, but either way I'm gonna put on my Khol de Bahrein and smell divine.

When I first heard the name 'Khol de Bahrein,' I must admit that I was expecting a darker, more mysterious scent with notes of smoke and resins. Even after I read the notes, I was anticipating a resinous amber with hints of sandalwood. Instead, this is an iris-violet powder bomb of epic proportions on my skin. It reminds me of a less candied Meteorites. Fans of makeup-scented perfumes will most likely love this fragrance, but as I am generally not a fan of powdery scents, this one is not for me.

A lovely and unique ambery orris root scent. Ionones and an orris accord blend with what smells like mixed resins and gums. It is sweetened with what feels like the burnt-caramel smell of ethyl maltol (used judiciously). It's preceded in the top notes with a shimmery, metallic, ozonic smell...like a really well-blended or lightly used bit of calone or something with a similar effect. The sweet caramel mixed with the ozonic top create a really interesting and well-measured contrast. Lasts and melds with the skin long into its drydown.