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*this post is sponsored by Moresque Parfum
If you’ve been following me and have never heard of Moresque before, you probably haven’t been paying attention!
Last year I was introduced to the parfum brand and included one of their fragrances in my Eid blog post here where I talked about the history of Oud and why it’s so popular particular in the Middle East.
For those of you who haven’t heard of Moresque, it is a fairly new fragrance house (est. 2015) that fuses art, history and Middle Eastern tradition and its bottles are crafted in Italy.
Up until now the fragrance collections I’ve seen from Moresque have been housed in very distinctive thick, rounded bottles, which are each hand crafted and uniquely designed in Italy and range from £215-£310, only available at Harrods.
The new Secret Collection is being launched exclusively at Fenwick, at a much more affordable price point and I worked with Moresque for the launch event this week to pick a few girls I thought would best appreciate and fit this collection launch (saved on my instagram highlights), which I was thrilled to have the opportunity to do (thank you KGA!).
Read on to see which fragrance is my favourite and which you may like the sound of best…
Now that Moresque is internationally renowned, they decided to create The Secret Collection to represent the brand’s beginnings story/roots and serves as a prologue to the collections’ stories they’ve already released. It’s also a tribute to the story of Moresque but at the same time a good introduction to anyone who is first discovering the brand.
The five fragrances in this collection have the same heavy, embossed golden caps as the rest of the Moresque collections, but the bottles of the Secret Collection are rectangular (and less heavy!) and I’m obsessed with the graphic details on the bottles and in the cardboard sleeves, which are inspired by mashrabiyya patterns – usually found in traditional Moorish/Arabic architecture of palaces and homes.
As with all Moresque fragrances, they are not gender specific, however I found some more “feminine” or “masculine” than others.
When I first saw the collection, I of course looked for the scents with vanilla in them and was happy to find 3 of the 5 had vanilla in their base notes – Seta, Jasminisha and Soul Batik.
The fragrances in the Secret Collection retrace the ancient perfume trade routes and each fragrance narrates a story tied to the place where it’s dedicated to; let me know which story (or fragrance notes) you like most:
SETA
SETA
Seta is a fragrance takes us to Venice in 1500.
“Among precious fabrics merchants from all over the world. There, a wealthy businessman from the Middle East is coming to meet the most famous silk salesman as he is obsessed with the smell of silk as it reminds him of a woman he lost.”
Although the story suggests the fragrance is for women, I find this fragrance to be the most unisex of all 5, the fragrance notes are:
TOP NOTES:
Bergamot, Lemon, Saffron
HEART NOTES:
Ylang-Ylang, Myrrh
BASE NOTES:
Vanilla, Benzoin, Amber, Sandalwood
JASMINISHA
Jasminisha is a fragrance set in Indian autumn time.
“The lotus flowers bloom and the wind carries the scent of Jasmine. Nisha rehearses her dance before performing in the rich courts of the Maharaja, her elegant gestures narrating an impossible love story.”
This fragrance is my favourite of the five, probably because it’s the sweetest and most feminine and at the pre-Eid afternoon tea event this week for the fragrance launch many of the girls invited preferred this scent most too (Liza, Fatimah and Humaira particularly!)
It’s not as strong as the others and wears much lighter/for less time but I feel like the the mix of ingredients compliment my skin best:
TOP NOTES:
Fresh Ginger, Mandarin
HEART NOTES:
Ginger Flower, Orange Blossom, Jasmine
BASE NOTES:
Candied Ginger, Vanilla, Woody notes, White Musk, Amber
SOUL BATIK
Soul Batik is a fragrance set in Java (Indonesia).
“In a village in the heart of Java, a woman of humble origins works at night, in the moonlight, on a Batik of exceptional value. She expertly applies a hot wax on the fabric, following the beautiful geometric lines: they tell the tale of her family through a scene of everyday life. Soul Batik represents this story with a composition as rich and descriptive as the famous Indonesian fabrics.”
I personally find this fragrance very strong and masculine despite also containing vanilla as a basenote; the peppery notes come through stronger for me and incense.
At the event this week Liza said it reminded her of her uncle and I have to admit it smells a bit like the itr/attar my uncles wear before they go to the masjid, so this would definitely be a gift option for any special dads/uncles!
TOP NOTES:
Bergamot, Cardamom
HEART NOTES:
Geranium, Pink pepper, Incense
BASE NOTES:
Vanilla, Patchouli, Amber
ALMA PURE
Alma Pure is a fragrance set in Grasse (France) in Spring time.
“Legend has it that every rose keeps a secret inside its petals; a secret that will only reveal itself to a pure soul who will have picked the newly blossomed flower. It’s springtime in Grasse, and while the eldest flower pickers put roses in large jute bags, a young woman stops to smell the most beautiful rose in the field. The rose speaks to her and spreads its seductive spell which will change her into the most charming lady.”
When I first smelled Alma Pure I thought it was very feminine and was definitely transported back to Dubai; I thought it either smelled of the malls or the Arab ladies in the malls.
Shamzy on instagram agreed it smelled rich so it’s her favourite from this collection and I can definitely smell the rose and white musk notes:
TOP NOTES:
Cassis, Blackberry
HEART NOTES:
Linden, May Rose, Champagne accord
BASE NOTES:
Birch, Amber, Patchouli, White Musk
UBAR 1992
This fragrance is set in Ubar (south-east of the Arabian Peninsula) – also known as “Atlantis of the sands“.
“It tells the story of “Ubar”, a lost city where the ancient incense trade routes converged from the East to the Mediterranean regions.
For centuries, Ubar was said to be the land destroyed by God/Allah as a punishment for worshipping false gods, yet the city collapsed to re-emerge over a huge limestone cave. It was found in 1992, after being buried in the sands for almost 1500 years.”
I have to say I hadn’t heard of this story until now, so again I’m learning something new in this fragrance post but as for the actual fragrance, it again smells very masculine but to me more of a younger masculine smell, probably because of the leather and black pepper notes:
TOP NOTES:
Bergamot, Cypress
HEART NOTES:
Black Pepper, Clary Sage, Incense
BASE NOTES:
Labdanum, Leather, Patchouli, Vetiver
The collection is available exclusively to Fenwick and each 75ml Eau De Parfum bottle retails for £115.
Now that I have shared this Secret Collection with you, which do you think you would like best, or which would you gift to someone as a special present?
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