Basala / Basara (1993)
by Shiseido

am i the only one that thinks it smells like joseph abboud (the first formulation in the brown bottle) and (especially) gucci nobile? same linear composition, quite severe but also warm, extreme longevitiy and sillage, one spray max two and it is quite heady, i definitely wouldn't recommend it for summer.

16th November, 2011.

The way as Basala secretly breaks down  after the citrusy, earthy initial fist and the spicy, dusty chaos is holy and surely one of most intriguing of the world of parfumery with its mystic quietude and bliss. It's like the soul of the fragrance would initially wish to strain the smeller and discourage him of going on towards the fields of the sacredness and silence whether not ready to catch the secret of the development of the juice or not farsighted to forsee it. Basala is a bliss for my soul and is one of the scents i use to wear just for myself. A tornado of citrusy, green lavender with rosemary, spices, fir, herbs and roots welcomes the visitor in order to scare  him with the hope he escapes. Basala is like an old man of the forest who hates to be disturbed and in this fase is still dusty, green and balsamic. A certain time later the evolution starts and, while the citrus lavander holds its influence throughout the scent, the herbaceous, spicy dust fades and the scent slides, through a flowery alley, in to an ambery, woody, rooty, musky base. Some hours later the base notes become softer and milder due some addition of balsams and the insertion of milky coconut. This is an eccellent concoction (one of the best ever) with a strong sillage on my skin.

24th January, 2011. (Last Edited: 27th August, 2011.)

It's a pity the opening of Basala is so cheap. After some dreadful minutes it becomes precious, woody and soft. Will everybody have the patience to wait? I don't think so.

19th February, 2010.

Potent without a doubt, and bone dry as well. Basala jumps out of the bottle like it means business, with whole lots of cedar, lavender, and dry herbs. The opening is so stark it's almost frightening, and when I first applied it I thought "Oh *@#%!" and then "What have I done?"

Basala calmed down after a few minutes, and so did I. The very realistic lavender emerges even more strongly as the scent ages, eventually taking center stage, with notes of cedar and sandalwood, cinnamon, and maybe even nutmeg in the background. It would all be way too much if the accords were sweet, but like Caron's Yatagan, Etro's Palais Jamais, or Malle's French Lover, there's not a speck of sugar in this fragrance.

The result is stoic, bracing, and a bit austere, but also hypnotic and more than a bit exotic. The cedar and sandalwood persist into the drydown, along with the barest hint of powdery musk to meld it with the skin. An excellent scent. Too bad it's become so hard to find.

17th December, 2009.

Shiseido Basala

Shiseido is, of course, the corporate influence behind Serge Lutens but they do put out scents on their own. Sad to say many of these scents are for the asian market only and they are difficult to find. Basala was created in 1993 by Dominique Preyssas who is better known for D'Orsay's Le Dandy. In Basala she has created what feels to me like a very asian feeling scent. Almost scent Haiku if you will as each transition is mostly made up of two notes which lead to the next. The top is a bright mix of citrus and lavender. The lavender is really in near-perfect balance with the citrus to create a dry astringent beginning. The heart is spice and woods which is very similar to the middle of Obsession for Men to my nose but somehow a little more reserved and a little better composed. The base is a classic pairing of sandalwood and vetiver and with the herbal feel of the vetiver to provide contrast to the creaminess of the sandalwood you bring to a close a well-constructed chypre. This is clean, austere perfume construction which shows, like haiku, even the simplest of themes can lead to beautiful artistry.

28th February, 2009.

I was expecting smoke and spice and all the other excellent comparisons the reviewers in this forum mentioned. Unfortunately on me I couldn't escape the thought that I smelled like an expensive tea bag.

12nd February, 2009.