What we have over the last couple of days is a case of good, better, and best. It couldn't have worked out any better if I'd planned it this way. Lucky me!First, if I gave the impression that I don't like Arabie, I promise, nothing could be further from the truth. It simply reminds me of very fine home fragrance. Not just any home smells that good. Many homes smell of dog or cat or feet. Arabie has none of these notes. And Mandarine-Mandarin is so unusual, so sweet and dark (one reader basically called it "chewy"--I love that!), I can't help but be smitten. I think it's a must-have in some form (sample, decant, full bottle), something I never thought I'd say about a tea scent.
But Fumerie Turque! The list of notes reads like a line of Hollywood's finest gliding down the red carpet into the Oscars: currant, white honey, candied Turkish rose, Egyptian jasmine, smoked leather, beeswax, Balkan tobacco, Peru balsam, patchouli, tonka bean, styrax, juniper, and vanilla. All of them are dressed to the nines, and together they make the most gorgeous crowd. Candied Turkish rose and smoked leather are the stars for me, backed up by a knockout supporting cast. They are Bogie and Bacall, Grant and Hepburn...real stars, not just celebrities.
Fumerie Turque is a beautiful plush incense. And while it lasts all day, it's not at all overwhelming. While it's not as unusual as Mandarine-Mandarin, it's much more seamless in its composition, and I would guess has a more universal appeal.
I read in Tom's review earlier this month on Perfume-Smellin' Things that Fumerie Turque is available for a short time at Barney's and Aedes...If so, it's either not available online, or it's already gone. *Sigh* Another non-export!
Where's my passport?
*photo from salons-shiseido.com
