Aziyade (2008)
by Parfum d'Empire

Whenever I wear this fragrance I feel like a giant… candy for adults! There are some fruits, fresh (citrus and pomegranate) and dried (plump, fleshy,voluptuous dates), some liquorous essence, some spices (cinnamon and a piercing cumin being the most prominent and detectable ones) enveloping a heart of sweet resins, vanilla and a bitter touch of incense.
The beginning is far more interesting than the development, with the line signature citrus-resins-spices notes declined “oriental”, but I find the fragrance warm, sensual and very enjoyable in the whole.

30th November, 2011.

Parfums d'Empire AZIYADE is a woody oriental which opens slightly sour but soon thereafter smooths out into a rather spicy, slightly sweet composition suitable for lads and lasses alike. The wood notes are dark and seductive, and there is much less “pulverized incense effect” than in WAZAMBA. Actually, the wood seems more like oil-burnished mahogany or cherry or teak than carbonized incense. There is a bit too much cumin (and carob?) for my taste, but I'm sure that many oriental lovers will appreciate this creation.

2nd July, 2011. (Last Edited: 11th July, 2011.)

Carob is by far the dominant note here, and it's not one for the faint-hearted.

Not necessarily my scene but I appreciate its rather distinctive and powerful character.

17th June, 2011.

Aziyadé is a rather rich formulation with pomegranade and lemon in the top-note, giving way to very spicy chords of cardamon and caraway after a few seconds. The base consists of the oriental classics: amber, patchouli, vanilla. It's a scent which gives me the impression of a smooth, velvety piece of cloth. When the darker, earthier notes prevail in the end, they arrange themselves in a lush and seductive way. Nevertheless, I don't find this scent extraordinary. It is too similar to many other "niche-perfumes" in the "Amber-Oriental-fashion". If you're not into niche, think Fendi's defunct Theorema or a diluted version of Jungle Elephant by Kenzo. The creation has a weird touch of oriental flamboyance, but is lacking in originality.

7th March, 2010.

This is what PidgeonMurderer said in his review:

"Comparing to Arabie this has a much more pronounced cumin/cardamom tone [in] it and I am sure this a bit sweaty like tone will cause a big problems for many.
Aziyade is a full-bodied, crisply sweet, and absolutely delicious. I am sure if it were any stronger or longer lasting it would be illegal."

He's Right! On me Aziyade is Rochas' Femme with some candied fruits and a big "sweaty armpit" note right out in front...sounds funny, but it's a GOOD thing. Problem is, like others have mentioned, the sillage is not great and after the initial wild blast that borders on indecency, it settles down very fast into a softly sweet and warm skinscent with a bit of cumin wafting faintly in and out. Too bad, because sometimes being "illegal" is exactly what I'm after in a scent. I like it though and I think it would be the perfect thing if you had seduction in mind with a willing victim and the two of you were sitting someplace veeerrry close.

16th January, 2010.

Aziyadé’s spiced citrus opening is so very lovely that a lasting composition based solely upon it would be worth the price of a bottle. Alas, the initial gesture is short-lived, and a boozy, syrupy dried fruit accord is quick to join the citrus and spices. Its weight sends Aziyadé plummeting down to earth and aligns it closely with Feminité du Bois, Donna Karan’s Chaos, and several entries in the Serge Lutens line, though Aziyadé does remain a brighter and more transparent composition than any of these predecessors. The abundance of fruit and spices leaves Aziyadé smelling quite “foody” to me, despite a subtle frankincense note that flits in and out of the background.

Prominent vanilla base notes add to the comestible impression, and Aziyadé spends several hours in familiar oriental spiced Christmas pudding territory. The drydown is a vanillic sweet amber with a generous dose of animalic labdanum, which while pleasant and natural smelling, is also fairly flat and ordinary. I want to like Aziyadé better than I do, but ironically enough the beauty of its top notes works against it, making the remainder of the scent seem impoverished in its mere adequacy.

11th December, 2009.