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Longevity Question for AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo Offerings

post #1 of 14
2/15/10 at 1:08pm
Thread Starter 
I recently received a sample of Mecca Balsam and completely fell in love with it. It conjures up a horse stable that's buried deep inside a pine forest with a loft stacked with curing tobacco leaves. Its sourness brings to mind Ambre Sultan and Chergui.
Id like to buy a bottle, but after an extremely vivid opening, it settles down rather quickly. I do have longevity issues with these exciting notes. I find that it kind of skips over the heart note section. The drydown, while very natural, is rather unexciting. Is this the result of the natural materials used?
What about their Tabac, does the top and heart stay vivid with it?
Thanks for any and all responses.
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post #2 of 14
2/15/10 at 1:22pm
I've only tested Grezzo and Gringo. They are both very nice, but don't last all that long and quickly become subtle skin scents.

I do think it's hard (impossible?) to make natural perfumes with plenty of sillage and longevity.
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post #3 of 14
2/15/10 at 1:32pm
Most of his fragrances are rather short-lived. I just apply more later in the day, if needed. They're so good that the price is justified. I'm not going to skip them just because they don't have excellent longevity.
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post #4 of 14
2/15/10 at 1:48pm
I've got Tabac and Morning Blossom. Morning Blossom is quite short-lived, but I find Tabac has good sillage and longevity - similar to a non-all-natural.
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post #5 of 14
2/15/10 at 2:03pm
I have tried Balsamo della Mecca, Rose du Bois (sp?) and Bazaar. Both had average longevity on me, but I really had to douse myself in them (more than 8 sprays).
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post #6 of 14
2/15/10 at 2:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tott View Post

I've only tested Grezzo and Gringo. They are both very nice, but don't last all that long and quickly become subtle skin scents.

I do think it's hard (impossible?) to make natural perfumes with plenty of sillage and longevity.

I've tested a dozen or so profumo.it offerings. He has a good nose and is an extremely talented perfumer, but I haven't found a one with enough longevity to want to purchase a bottle.

I use to think it was impossible for naturals to have any lasting power. Liz Zorn from Soivohle has recently convinced me otherwise, because I get excellent longevity from her Oudh Lacquer and Underworld parfums. I believe the secret is her wonderful tinctures. Her Oudh Lacquer is absolutely stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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post #7 of 14
2/15/10 at 2:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

Liz Zorn from Soivohle has recently convinced me otherwise, because I get excellent longevity from her Oudh Lacquer and Underworld parfums. I believe the secret is her wonderful tinctures. Her Oudh Lacquer is absolutely stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just looked up the web site, and they sound wonderful!
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post #8 of 14
2/15/10 at 2:42pm
Rose de Bois had good longevity on my skin, all the others were on the short-lived side, and all are soft in the drydown.

It seems me many of these beautiful natural fragrances, whether by Profumo or others, are rather underpowered by modern standards, especially when they're not orientals.
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post #9 of 14
2/15/10 at 2:48pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

I use to think it was impossible for naturals to have any lasting power. Liz Zorn from Soivohle has recently convinced me otherwise, because I get excellent longevity from her Oudh Lacquer and Underworld parfums. I believe the secret is her wonderful tinctures. Her Oudh Lacquer is absolutely stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the tip, I just ordered samples of them both. They sound very seductive! Oudh from Cincinnati, who would ever have guessed?
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post #10 of 14
2/15/10 at 2:51pm
My two favorites are Tabac and Grezzo. I get decent longevity from both, subtle but present in a very distinguished manner. However, they are not evolutionary in terms of a very distinctive top-heart-base sequence. As hirch put it, there is more of a synchronic, holographic effect to them.
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post #11 of 14
2/15/10 at 3:38pm
Ruggles and MikePerez, how prominent is the tuberose in Balsamo della Mecca ?? That is one note that I can either love or hate depending on intensity.

I would suspect that most completely natural fragrances would dissapate rather quickly without a strong fixative, which would of course be mostly animal-based and hence too prohibitivly expensive to use in proper amounts these days. Although, in the case of the Oudh Laquer that thebeck mentioned: oud is so damn tenacious, that's one all-natural perfume that I would expect to last and last.
Underworld sounds interesting -a new search begins! [checking my wallet...]
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post #12 of 14
2/15/10 at 4:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Manuel View Post

Ruggles and MikePerez, how prominent is the tuberose in Balsamo della Mecca ?? That is one note that I can either love or hate depending on intensity.

I can not pick out a distinct tuberose note. It probably serves to soften the pine/tobacco note and make it more honey like. This is possibly the Chergui connection that I get from MB, as I believe Lutens' fragrances also often juxtapose sour wooden notes with sweet florals to create those unique olfactory chords.
To me Mecca Balsam has the characteristics of an opaque fougere transformed into an oriental. It's quite easy to like.
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post #13 of 14
2/15/10 at 9:19pm
Manuel, I agree with Ruggles that the tuberose is subdued. In fact, the floral notes are very well blended to the point that they are difficult to discern.

Ruggles, I sprayed a coffee filter with Mecca Balsam and it still has scent more than 2 weeks later. The longevity is definitely not an issue. However, it does wear very close to the skin for most of the development.

When you have a chance, can you post your thoughts on the fragrance in the dedicated thread here?

http://www.basenotes.net/threads/245...ht=abdessalaam
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post #14 of 14
2/15/10 at 11:45pm
I have a few La Via del Profumos, either in the form of small bottles or samples. Although they all wear fairly "close to the skin", I think they vary somewhat in the sillage / longevity department. Holy Water / Acqua Santa, for example, seems (to me) to have better projection. Tabac, Chillum, Cuba Express and the two Aalachos (all great scents IMO) seem to settle down rather quickly and stay fairly close to the skin. They're all of high quality and very pleasant for the wearer - but I can understand how the wearer would want better projection. As mentioned above, it is possible to re-apply during the day.
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