This week I am taking my first steps into Arabic / Oriental scents with Kajal Perfumes Paris.
The Arabic world has fascinated me since my early days because it is so different from everything in the mainland Europe. Sand storms, intense heat, camels…where do I even begin?
When I was roaming around the stands at the Esxence Perfume show earlier this year, absorbing all the mood and emotions, at one point my eyes got fixed on the Kajal stand. A beautiful lady came over to talk to me about their brand. I remember that we hid it off very well and I was fascinated about their perfume bottle shapes – all the caps had the shape of an eight-point star. ❤
Upon my leaving I was very generously gifted a discovery set from The Fiddah Collection. It is a selection of five men’s fragrances and all of them, in my opinion, can easily be unisex. I am going to share my impressions on each scent with you now.
Meet Sawlaj – The Big Boss, as the brand presents it, portrays character and authority. The powerful presence of this perfume is perfect on this chilly winter day. Sweet spices, mixed together with a generous bouquet of carnations and roses surround me like a warm blanket. It was so intoxicating at first that my head started spinning! Balsamic, warm, and deliciously spicy! After an hour or so, the carnation is even more distinguished, together with patchouli and leather they prepare the bed for oakmoss, vetyver, and vanilla. Projection and longevity are very good, so a spritz or two come a long way.
Alujain – is created for the joyous and festive person, and represents a celebration of ambers. According to the brand’s description, the fragrance can either be worn on its own, or layered with other scents. The instant I sprayed it on my wrist, I was met with a sharp musky – oudy scent, which turned even more animalic along the way… Maybe 30 minutes in, I started distinguishing the rose and other slightly sweet herbal notes. But, mainly due to my skin’s chemistry, I could not really enjoy it…. The perfume has a fantastic longevity, some good 24 hrs!.. The next morning I woke up with a lovely sweet / floral / vanilla skin scent which had nothing in common to the yesterday’s experience… It is very unfortunate that for me personally this scent projects with a lot of acidic oud and musks, which, even with the help of rose notes, I did not enjoy.. It might be very different on someone else’s skin, so don’t cross this off your list just yet…Give it a try 🙂
The next Kajal fragrance I tried was Warek, and I liked it instantly! To me, this perfume smells like fruity oud with a touch of incense. Top note of this scent is saffron, and rose – patchouli – amber combination joins in later on, in an hour or so… The perfume is very pleasant, slightly sweet, and fresh. As the notes continue to change, I get whiffs of gentle leather mixed with oud. Love this combo! It must be my adoration for rose-patchouli 🙂 According to the brand’s description, Warek is created to impose an addictive and hypnotic allure.
Fiddah is for the warm and sensual romantic, according to Kajal. This is a beautiful combination opening with a bouquet of tropical fruits then with cinnamon and star anise joining in and crowning it all with a touch of tobacco and leather! And all in the first 5-10 minutes! I am not always keen on tobacco note in perfume… Sometimes it smells just like an unlit cigarette, and I really resent this… In Fiddah, however, this note is very well combined with leather, sweet fruits and gentle spices. Tobacco here only adds a little different dimension to the whole scent (nearly like a far-away chill from vetyver…). I find Fiddah a youthful fragrance, very pleasant and lovable 🙂
And finally, Sareef – sparkling and full of life and with an air of charisma – is everyone’s best friend according to Kajal. And I agree! With the first few whiffs of Sareef I was blown away by a herbal / animalic kick which later, in 30minutes or so, eased off into a very lovable fresh, sparkly, herbal patchouli / leather / vetyver /… / amber.. /patchouli… scent… I love it! 🙂 It is so different from everything else in this collection! Fantastic combination of notes! Brilliant work by the perfumer… Longevity is quite moderate in this scent, decent 6+ hrs, but I actually prefer it this way.. 🙂
Now, all five scents definitely have their own character and style – they are all different! The quality of the Kajal perfumes is exquisite. They all carry that sophisticated aura of luxury scents with them. Very exclusive, very different… and very indulging…. If I was to pick my favourites, I think I would go for Sareef and Warek 🙂 probably because the patchouli note is the most prominent in these fragrances. And I do love a good patchouli – rose combo… 🙂 Also, all five of them are real beasts on my skin in terms of longevity and strength. Some would last for up to 24hrs and more.. So, in my opinion, a decent 100ml bottle for a niche price would last a life time. 🙂
In 2018 Kajal Perfumes Paris are releasing Warde Collection – the fragrance collection for women. It would be very interesting to try it. 🙂 Of course, along with other two perfumes for women – Dahab and Kajal. Maybe one day I will succeed… 🙂
The nose behind all Kajal perfumes is the genius perfumer Christian Carbonnel. Under his sleeve Mr.Carbonnel already has many scents for perfume houses Xerjoff and Sospiro, also such creations as Panda (Zoologist), Mandala (Masque Milano), and Camel – my favourite from the perfume house Zoologist. He is also known as Chris Maurice.
I really enjoyed reading an interview with him in Zoologist blog, and I think you will find it interesting, too, as Mr.Carbonnel talks about his way of creating scents.
Have you tried Kajal perfumes yet? If so, which ones are your favourite? Please, let me know in the comments bellow.
As Kajal Perfumes Paris are sold at various locations and boutiques across the globe, the nearest to Ireland is in Amsterdam, Parfumaria. They offer sample and full bottle shipping worldwide. A full 100 ml bottle of Kajal ranges from €185 – €259, depending on the perfume.
Also, you may find the Kajal online store useful to browse, as they offer a discovery perfume set, too.
And, Zhor Parfums is another well known stockist of Kajal perfumes. They are based in Milan.
I would like to thank Kajal Perfumes Paris for giving me this opportunity to take my first proper steps into their luxurious Oriental fragrances. I really enjoyed every single moment with The Fiddah Collection! Thank you ! ❤
Bonjour Perfume 