WHAT I SMELL: Garanat opens with a hint of spiced cinnamon that very quickly turns to the rose. The perfume is soft and creamy, yet at the same time it grabs the wearer because it demands attention as it grows in volume and its middle eastern gravitas. There’s not a lot at play with Garanat, the perfume is a straight shot of incense infused deeply intoxicating beefish oriental rose. As such, it doesn’t change much except for the incense becoming a bit more pronounced along with a woody timbre. But from the beginning to the end, Garanat is masculine and incredibly sexy all while being a perfect gentleman. Who knew rose and incense could be so incredible? It’s a simple as that.
Inspired by the deep Red Garnet from Bosphorus, the fragrance conveys masculine strength and forerightness. The crimson gemstone shines in the darkness, bringing its wearer the impassioned courage and vision of Suleyman the Magnificent, the most seducing Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
A dense, spellbinding swirl of an ardent and masculine rose entwined with noble smoked incense for a mesmerizing fragrance of supreme virile force.
Notes: Cinnamon Essence, Rose Absolute, Smoked Incense
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Middle Eastern sexiness; Egyptian actor Yasser Galal.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE GARANAT: bold, manly, refined
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GARANAT: No reviews found.
BOTTOM LINE: Garanat is not a perfume full of twists and turns. Once it goes on, you get rose and incense and that’s where it stays for hours. Garanat is a simply elegant, long lasting masculine beauty.
Have you ever become obsessed about a perfume you wish you owned? Well, for me that perfume was Bvlgari’s Noorah. A few years back while wandering through Duty Free at the Bangkok airport, I came across a display for the Bvlgari La Gemme collection which I had heard of, but hadn’t experienced. Many of the perfumes in the collection were incredible, but Noorah stood out and was love at first spritz. But always cost conscious I found the price was just too high so I walked away from a purchase; that is, after I drenched myself in the perfume. Sitting atop my cloud of perfume on the plane was pure delight and thus began my obsession.
Of course, after spending a great deal of money on vacation, I put perfume purchases out of my mind. I then found out a couple of years ago, that the perfume had been discontinued and that piqued my interest in Noorah once again. I saw that there were some decent prices on eBay, but being in Mexico, shipping is impossible. But luckily a year ago, I found the perfume on Amazon Mexico for a decent price. I was thrilled that I had finally found my holy grail until I received the perfume and it was clear that it was a fake. Thanks to Amazon, I got an immediate refund without any questions.
Then recently, I found Noorah on a fragrance website that actually ships to Mexico…and at a great price! So one month later (yes, it takes that long for shipments to arrive in Mexico) I finally was re-introduced to my obsession. Does it live up to my memories?
WHAT I SMELL: Noorah has a strange opening that’s mildly chewy and a little waxy with what seems to be chocolate and sometimes leather combined with a Playdoh iris. I have to say that this weird opening is not my favorite primarily because the chocolate note has a soured edge that is a bit off-putting. But given all that, the initial wear is rather quiet and subdued. As the perfume continues to develop, a light cardamom and pepper with just a hint of honey is added which gives an extra light bite. However, overall the perfume remains soft and lightly creamy as the waxy wanes to just plain smooth. After some time, Noorah begins to come out from under her creamy veil with a light powdery sweetened iris with hints of pepper. It’s baby soft, lightly projected and incredibly pretty with the perfect mix of lightly sweet and lightly powdered. As the perfume continues to develop, a lightly warmed wood slides in below the powdered haze. In the end, Noorah leaves the wearer cocooned in a powdered iris cloud. Heavenly.
Additional note: Noorah’s DNA seems to change a great deal with the weather. Warm and humid, the perfume has great projection and the woody note at the end is more prominent. Cool and dry weather keeps the the perfume very powdery with light projection that’s close to the skin. Either way, the perfume is fantastic.
From Nishapur, the long journey from Orient to Occident. Turquoise takes us on a journey along the Silk and Spice Routes of yore. The most beautiful specimens come from the region of Nishapur, an exceedingly ancient city in Central Asia, and one of the crossroads of the mythical Silk Route. Caravans belonging to Turkish traders brought the turquoise to Europe, giving the gemstone its name. A stone of the bright blue sky, a nomad gem recalling open spaces. Noorah, an evocative name embodying the exuberance of the infinite heavens. Its rich, mysterious and sensual fragrance captures the magnificence of the Silk and Spice Routes. Narguile Vapors – Candied Dates – Laotian Benzoin.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Hues of pink and violet, scarves, makeup and powder…and oh so much glamour.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE NOORAH: soft, elegant, powdery
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NOORAH: No reviews found.
BOTTOM LINE: So is Noorah the perfume that I remember? Yes, it is. I was a bit worried when I first sprayed it on my skin, but after a short time, the beauty of the perfume and my memories of that first plane ride wearing it came rushing back. In other words, I have no regrets with my purchase. Mission accomplished…off to my next perfume obsession!
WHAT I SMELL: Mon Jasmine Noir L’Eau Exquise opens with a tangy sparkling grapefruit and citrus. It’s fresh and soon turns lemony and then quickly following comes a lush and radiant jasmine. It’s really pretty, very feminine, somewhat sweet and oh so heavenly. The fragrance just radiates off of my skin like a layer of sunshine. It’s very heady and if not careful, I could see how this could overwhelm. But after around 15 minutes the radiance tempers itself and the fragrance is met with a tea accord which pulls me away from my “love” of the fragrance to a “like.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s just that tea notes are not generally to my liking. I actually find that the tea takes the fragrance into the “bathtastic” mode and makes it feel like it’s turning into bath oil beads. In the end you’re left with a slightly sweet white tea and floral fragrance that is clean and pretty.
Mon Jasmin Noir L’Eau Exquise Notes from the Bvlgari website:
Top Notes: Pink Pomelo, Fresh Green Almond Heart: Grandiflorum Jasmine, Sambac Jasmine White Tea Base: White Musks, Delightful Woods
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A grand sun filled conservatory.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE MON JASMINE NOIR L’EAU EXQUISE: rapturous, voluminous, fulfilling
BOTTOM LINE: The opening of this fragrance was incredible and I was in love. The dyrdown not so much. It’s nice and all, but it could have been so much more.
WHAT I SMELL: Garanat opens with a hint of spiced cinnamon that very quickly turns to the rose. The perfume is soft and creamy, yet at the same time it grabs the wearer because it demands attention as it grows in volume and its middle eastern gravitas. There’s not a lot at play with Garanat, the perfume is a straight shot of incense infused deeply intoxicating beefish oriental rose. As such, it doesn’t change much except for the incense becoming a bit more pronounced along with a woody timbre. But from the beginning to the end, Garanat is masculine and incredibly sexy all while being a perfect gentleman. Who knew rose and incense could be so incredible? It’s a simple as that.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Middle Eastern sexiness; Egyptian actor Yasser Galal.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Hues of pink and violet, scarves, makeup and powder…and oh so much glamour.
The Scented Hound 