Asja (1992)
by Fendi

Asja smells about ten years AFTER its time.
Originally, I bought some because it was a discontinued, well-reviewed, early-nineties Oriental...by Fendi!
Of course, I expected something like Boucheron: heady, indulgent, and loud.

But was I surprised. In a GOOD way.
Asja could be a Lutens or some other well-done,understated niche fragrance from recent years. It is slightly "weak", but in a polite rather than washed-out way.
All of the spices in Asja smell very naturally-occurring, and I can pull each one out of the mixture. Clearly, seamless-blending eighties-style was shirked by Asja's maverick perfumer! Still, the overall impression is one of great skill.

Asja is a very simple, honest Oriental. A perfume for spice-lovers with sophisticated reserve and a crisp, modern personal aesthetic. Very chic. Never too much. Highly recommended.

Much talk about the bottle. I, personally, find it masquerade-esque and embarrassing. I hide my Asja.

27th February, 2010.

A great spicy oriental which deserves to be more well known. Reminiscent of both Poison and Opium, Asja is much softer and easier to wear. Previous reviewers have described it very well, so I won't repeat, but I am definitely a fan. The bottle reflects the perfume's character perfectly, and it also allows you to display the scent without exposing it to light - a big plus. Asja is a must try for fans of classic, spicy orientals. It's getting harder to find online, but can still be had for a very low price.

30th January, 2010.

Very Oriental – nearly exotically so – Asja is a spicy, sweet ambery / wood Oriental built on a platform of blended florals. It’s edgy and it has a modern texture to its Oriental lushness. The opening is fruity in a way that doesn’t scream “fruit” to me – it is more like a full, round “sweet.” I lose track of the fruit accord relatively quickly because the spices and to a lesser extent, the florals take over. The prominent spice to my nose is cinnamon and it retains its presence well into the basenotes until the clove takes over. The base provides an amber / honey affair that shows a surprisingly strong (for an Oriental) patchouli character. It is the character of the patchouli that impresses me most about the base.

I’ve not been much of a fan of Fendi fragrances, but recently I have tested Asja, Theorama and Theorama Uomo, and I have come to be quite impressed by how good they are.

4th December, 2009.

1st try not sure, nice but a little clovey.. cloves seem to make scents too serious/somber to me. 2nd try smells sweeter, nice. 3rd try compared w/ Coco, has perfumy metallic offputting element, & too much clove. I like the packaging tho, quirky, goes with the foodiness of the spice blend, & protected from light.

28th October, 2008.

Incense spilled on an old, alcohol-stained Indian rug. I really feel they went wrong with this one, but, as always, perfume is so subjective.

3rd August, 2008.

The name "Asja" announces the presence of an Oriental like a banner waving. Fortunately, it lives up to the big expectations of its name. Here is a spicy Oriental that manages to smell expensive and restrained, different from so many others, even while sharing notes with them. Cinnamon (along with vanilla) give it immediate likeability. There must be more spices than this, perhaps clove (one of my favorites) but far less heavy-handed than the dose in Coco (which I love.)
The fruit is divine: raspberry, apricot, peach, and bergamot. What a successful combination of aromas. All of it is accomplished without ending up smelling like a fruit salad. Asja is classy, like a glass of wine cordial, or a fruit liquor, with an "aged," blended, "fermented" characteristic that makes it simultaneously strong and mellow.
This fruity, spicy Oriental shows great restraint in terms of sweetness. Maybe that is what makes it unique. The bottle is gorgeous, a work of art, like black and gold laquored rice bowls.

1st April, 2007.