Purplebird turned me on to Madini Olis. Some others will be adding their reviews as they receive the samples. Here are my impressions:
Azahar- The prominint orange flower note is fresh. It is pleasant but reminds me so much of suntan oil, I found it distracting. It seemed like a male oriented scent.
Chypre- A haunting scent...what does it remind me of? Finally I figured it out. A replica of Houbigant's 'Chantilly'. Very nicely done. Lemon, bergamot, & neroli top notes, mid notes; jasmine, rose, carnation, ylang ylang, misc. spices, base notes;Indian Sandalwood, moss, vanilla, musk, leather,tonka, & benzoin
Soulimane- A strong sandalwood accented with green notes (maybe bergamot?) it is definitely male with wood in the base. Just not my thing.
Maderas D'Orient- With Atlas Cedar and Moroccan Rose, I think there's carnation too and rare woods (listed but not identified), this is a gorgeous scent. Woody and spicey-floral with beautiful sillage and yummy drydown that makes me think of rich fruit and spices in a desert garden oasis.
Salma- Sweet and spicey,I'm not sure of the notes, I'm guessing ylang ylang, neroli, galbanum I know there is amber. It's a very charming citrusy amber.
Hanane- This has an accord that is very like a Caron, deep amber with a slightly powdery drydown. En Avigon, Normandie and Nuit Noire come to mind. It calms quickly and becomes a quite lady-like, deep, sexy floral.It's described by Madini as a balsamic with a galbaum base. It has rose, jasmine, clove, patchouli, tuberose, amber & musk.
Henna- Top notes are dry and lightly tobacco-like and I thought it was going to be like Gres 'Cabochard'. The dry-down changes and becomes more green and lightly floral. Vetiver, jasmine, rose, galbanum, bergamot kick in and it becomes an almost exact match for Guerlain's 'Chamade'. A charming fresh approach as it lacks the harshness of the aldehydes in the EDP. The oil is softer and yet rich and strong. Superior, in my opinion, and very appropriate for spring.
Mochalate Malaki- This has a fresh light leather quality reminiscent of 'Miss Jolie.'
Autumn- This reminds me of 'Angel'. I get white chocolate, patchouli, vanilla, bergamot, and it ends with a fizzy fruit that makes me think of dewberry...although I don't know why. Maybe I had a drink called that once. It's nice though kind of sweet.
Santal Blanc- Another masculine scent. It's somewhat linear, basically dry and woody sandalwood and something that reminds me of mesquite.
Alma Di Alma- A Strong green chypre like a Dioressence revival. It comes close to Miss Dior but deeper and with more patchouli. This was one of my favorites.
Olive Flowers- Now this is Miss Dior's roots as far as I can tell. According to the website, it is Madini's answer to 'Shalimar'. I think it is far greener and less vanillic. See what you think. If you like chypres, this is for you. Sharper than Alma Di Alma.
Sahara- This was my favorite male scent. I've never tried 'Eau Savage' but if it is anything like I imagine with massive vetiver and a sexy woody base, it must be close.
I had fun trying these and plan to try some more. There are 100 different oils to try. Google 'Madini' for a cheap thrill.
Azahar- The prominint orange flower note is fresh. It is pleasant but reminds me so much of suntan oil, I found it distracting. It seemed like a male oriented scent.
Chypre- A haunting scent...what does it remind me of? Finally I figured it out. A replica of Houbigant's 'Chantilly'. Very nicely done. Lemon, bergamot, & neroli top notes, mid notes; jasmine, rose, carnation, ylang ylang, misc. spices, base notes;Indian Sandalwood, moss, vanilla, musk, leather,tonka, & benzoin
Soulimane- A strong sandalwood accented with green notes (maybe bergamot?) it is definitely male with wood in the base. Just not my thing.
Maderas D'Orient- With Atlas Cedar and Moroccan Rose, I think there's carnation too and rare woods (listed but not identified), this is a gorgeous scent. Woody and spicey-floral with beautiful sillage and yummy drydown that makes me think of rich fruit and spices in a desert garden oasis.
Salma- Sweet and spicey,I'm not sure of the notes, I'm guessing ylang ylang, neroli, galbanum I know there is amber. It's a very charming citrusy amber.
Hanane- This has an accord that is very like a Caron, deep amber with a slightly powdery drydown. En Avigon, Normandie and Nuit Noire come to mind. It calms quickly and becomes a quite lady-like, deep, sexy floral.It's described by Madini as a balsamic with a galbaum base. It has rose, jasmine, clove, patchouli, tuberose, amber & musk.
Henna- Top notes are dry and lightly tobacco-like and I thought it was going to be like Gres 'Cabochard'. The dry-down changes and becomes more green and lightly floral. Vetiver, jasmine, rose, galbanum, bergamot kick in and it becomes an almost exact match for Guerlain's 'Chamade'. A charming fresh approach as it lacks the harshness of the aldehydes in the EDP. The oil is softer and yet rich and strong. Superior, in my opinion, and very appropriate for spring.
Mochalate Malaki- This has a fresh light leather quality reminiscent of 'Miss Jolie.'
Autumn- This reminds me of 'Angel'. I get white chocolate, patchouli, vanilla, bergamot, and it ends with a fizzy fruit that makes me think of dewberry...although I don't know why. Maybe I had a drink called that once. It's nice though kind of sweet.
Santal Blanc- Another masculine scent. It's somewhat linear, basically dry and woody sandalwood and something that reminds me of mesquite.
Alma Di Alma- A Strong green chypre like a Dioressence revival. It comes close to Miss Dior but deeper and with more patchouli. This was one of my favorites.
Olive Flowers- Now this is Miss Dior's roots as far as I can tell. According to the website, it is Madini's answer to 'Shalimar'. I think it is far greener and less vanillic. See what you think. If you like chypres, this is for you. Sharper than Alma Di Alma.
Sahara- This was my favorite male scent. I've never tried 'Eau Savage' but if it is anything like I imagine with massive vetiver and a sexy woody base, it must be close.
I had fun trying these and plan to try some more. There are 100 different oils to try. Google 'Madini' for a cheap thrill.
Just ordered Henna and Alma di Alma. They have so much to choose from; so it is very helpful to read reviews like this.
