WHAT I SMELL: Royal Sapphire opens with an invitingly sweet combination of bergamot and mandarin that quickly begins to warm and infuse itself with the biggest, most full bodied jasmine. It’s heady, it’s intoxicating and it’s almost bubblegum sweet. I might be turned off by that, but the finish of the mandarin and orange blossom seems to hold back the surprising boldness of it all. Now all I have to do is to wait and see if it begins to retreat…and after some time it begins to. After a short while, the jasmine begins to even out and a very subtle, flattened grey amber begins to lift towards the florals from below. As such, the sweetened boldness turns more towards the cashmere. At this point the perfume begins to soften and become a bit fuzzy with just a hint of powder. And ever so quietly, the perfume begins its journey to the pretty as some patchouli brings a lightly sweetened finish to the now muted jasmine and the dried and powdery woods. Don’t get me wrong, Royal Sapphire never really quiets to a point that it becomes mild and meek, instead it remains quite bold throughout it’s life. Royal Sapphire cannot be called a shrinking violet.
From the Thameen London website:
The bright blue sapphires of the Crown Jewels are treasured by the British Royal Family and form the inspiration for this enchanting new fragrance. With the delicate combination of bergamot, mandarin and amber, Royal Sapphire fragrance recreates the desired depth and dazzling brilliance of the crown jewels. This fragrance is Thameen’s Jewel in the Crown.
Top Notes: Bergamot, mandarin
Heart Notes: Orange blossom, jasmine
Base Notes: Grey amber, patchouli, moss, amber, dry wood
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Royal Sapphire is less like sapphire jewelry and more like a cozy and comfortable sapphire colored throw.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ROYAL SAPPHIRE: pronounced, comfortable, different
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ROYAL SAPPHIRE: CaFleureBon, British Beauty Blogger
BOTTOM LINE: A member of the Sovereign collection, Royal Sapphire is my first foray into the Thameen line of perfumes. I like it…but can’t say I love it. Overall it’s a nice perfume that could be worn on any occasion especially if you want to be noticed.
- Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Amber Woody
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $285 for 50ml parfum extrait
* Sample provided by Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary.
WHAT I SMELL: Santal Blond opens with a warmed cardamom infused bergamot that quickly moves to a putty like chewy jasmine with a deep undertow of sandalwood. The chewiness seems to last but for a minute as it moves more to a puffy cotton ball cloud of a dream. Mixed within the cloud is just a hint of bourbon which has a lightly caramel sugared feel to it. Overall, the perfume is full of projection but in a very soft and light manner as if it’s drifting off the air in the breeze. As the perfume continues to develop it really begins to move to the woody and become linear in the most wonderful of ways. What I mean is that it seems to lessen in it’s complexity to create this very intimate sheen of warm and soft sandalwood without any harsh edges. 
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Moonlit woods.
WHAT I SMELL: Ébène Fumé opens with a soft woody smokiness tinged with labdanum and leather. It’s calming, serene and wonderfully subtle. As the perfume develops, the incense loses a bit of its sharpness and a smooth and slightly creamy cistus enters. At this point, the perfume feels like a sheath of light leather is embracing your skin. Hints of florals help to make the creation more rounded which helps to keep it from becoming too smoky. Beyond that, the perfume doesn’t develop much except for the addition of a lightly sweetened guaiac woody note. Ébène Fumé isn’t a game changing perfume, but it’s perfect for those times when you are looking for quiet reflection.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Old leather bound books which have been stored in a church rectory for hundreds of years.
The Scented Hound 