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: 
WHAT I SMELL: Oh my; Hera opens up with a sweet orange blossom that quickly moves to a warmed jasmine and ylang, ylang. It’s thick, rich, intoxicating and absolutely breathtaking. From the beginning, Hera is beautifully all woman and has a persona that feels all-knowing with its golden glowing countenance. As the perfume develops, the florals become more creamy as the Rose de Mai begins to bloom from the center. The rose is rapturous without dominating and it helps to create a dream like aura in its wake. After some more time, a hint of incense whispers in, but I am guessing its the narcissus that I am smelling vs. incense, but in any case it adds a dimension of mystery to this rapturous beauty. In slow and graceful development, Hera begins to powder and dry and a wonderful oakmoss note appears. And a bit later, the perfume once again becomes a bit more creamy with what seems to be a hint of violet. Here, the perfume is so soft and enticing and lyrical in nature. It’s strange, because Hera seems to quietly move, meld and morph at every slow turn so it’s quite hard to pinpoint any development in a chronological order. And as a result, every time it’s worn it feels completely different, but no less beautiful. Hera is a gift from the gods of which this mere mortal is not giving it justice in my description, because it’s just to hard to put rapturous beauty into adequate words.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Perfectly named, Hera is indeed “Queen of the Gods.”
The Scented Hound 