Al-Shairan

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

The enemy of God, also named Iblis, He Who Despaired of the Mercy of God. Al-Shairan is the leader of the Jinn, a tempter who whispers false suggestions to men enticing them into evil and perfidious acts, and is the sworn enemy of all of Adam’s children. His scent is fiery, bright and thick with sweet sinfulness: clove, peach and orange with cinnamon, patchouli and dark incense notes.

It feels odd to me to be reviewing the enemy of god on Yule ( ), but the notes sound so...festive! Like a Victorian Christmas, with oranges in your stocking and spices in the air! On me, Al starts with cinnamon and clove--I can def. see the Bengal similarity--and dries quite pleasantly into something more earthy; more like cinnamon *bark*. I don't really get the orange and peach, which is a shame, as they sound so nice together. Ah well. I like it but don't madly love it.

[oh_the_horror]

I don't know what to say except that this smells like cinnamon potpourri on me. Not a keeper.

[The Perfumed Ferret]

This is good stuff.

 

Cloves, cassia, dusty spices, a hint of dried orange (reminds me of bengal), sadly no peach. Very warm and familiar.

 

A nice scent none-the-less. It's something I would wear while rifling though old books.

[doctorblue]

This smelled of cinnamon to me. Very basic scent. I might keep it for a room scent, or swap it off, haven't decided yet.

[Trish]

In the imp: Orange, cloves and something far darker. Patchouli I think because I don't really like it.

 

Wet: Orange, clove and cinnamon. Sweet, but with a bitter edge.

 

Drydown: The bitterness fades as it dries thankfully, and the softer sweeter peach appears. Then the cloves really warm up, and combine with the orange and peach to make a sweet and spicy scent that's soft rather than sharp. Funnily I am getting very little cinnamon at all from this. There is a muted darkness underneath also which I quite like.

 

Dry: The cloves fade away somewhat and mingle with the cinnamon that appears, producing a soft spice. The peach and orange are also mingling nicely, the former sweetening the orange without overpowering it. A rather soft and pretty spicy fruit scent.

 

 

This was nothing like I expected, especially after sniffing the imp! I got no incense and although there was an underlaying darkness it was very muted. On the positive side the orange did not go sour on me as citrus often does. I'll keep the imp but it won't be a bottle as it's not really me.

[euterpe414]

On me this is cinnamon, pathcouli, peach and orange. I'm not getting more of the dark inense or clove notes- actually this is more of a spcy, sparkly fragrance. Unfortunately, something about this reminds me of the dreaded yankee candle store or craft store smell (I like it, but not as personal fragrance). I think this is much better suited or me as a room scent than as a perfume. I also agree- this is very suitable for the holidays.

[mspixieears]

Spicy, woodsy, a touch of cinnamon (again, that must be the clove - I seem to get the two confused often enough!). The clove does grow more prominent and takes on a yummy foody turn! Upon drydown, it stays woodsy and fresh in that unisex, uplifting way. I like the way the clove softens it (oddly enough!) and that it could be suitable on either gender. The patchouli and incense notes are very reminiscent of sandalwood to my nose. I thought I could live without this in my collection but I'm definitely holding onto the imp after a re-test! Really lovely.

[sd357]

This goes on cinnamon and incense. The clove starts to come out on drydown. It's too strong at first, but once it dries down, the clove and cinnamon are nicely balanced. I really like this one.

[naeelah]

Wet, it smells mostly like red cinnamon candies and it's way strong. On the initial dry down , the patchouli comes way out (amped as usual) and the cinnamon softens more to the background. There's also a rich smoky haze around the patchouli, which must be the incense. It's definitely fiery and strong, but it's dissipating quickly. I don't get any of the orange. Dry, it smells very similar. I wouldn't call it bright or fiery, but it's thick and powerful. It's a rich incense-y blend. The throw is moderate. Longevity is average, it seems. It's getting a little lighter every hour (the spice is the first to go), so I'd expect to reapply it a couple times a day, which seems to be par for the course with me and most bpal. I was hoping that the fruit would come out as it dried, but unfortunately I never get any peach or orange.

 

I just tried the Dodo yesterday, and this reminds me very much of the Dodo. For me personally, I have to say I prefer this scent, and I think it's due to the incense. With the Dodo, it was all cinnamon and wood, which isn't me, but the incense in this blend makes it more interesting to my nose. I probably won't keep this imp, because of how I amp the patchouli, but it's very nice. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes scents that have a moderate cinnamon candy spiciness, but don't want cinnamon as the primary note. On me, at least, the cinnamon here is well blended.

Edited April 12, 2007 by naeelah

[sophrosyne]

In the vial: Sweet spices: cinnamon and clove, and something I can't quite identify.

 

Wet: Clove! And there's a faint trace of something else - not fruit, so perhaps the patchouli.

 

Dry: The clove dominates, and anything else is blended rather than detectable as distinct notes, which is fine with me! I love Al-Shairan. The sweetness and spice temper each other, it's beautifully balanced and warm. I think I need a bottle of it.

[tinyvulture]

From the description, I thought this might be a bold fruit and incense blend along the lines of my beloved Depraved. But it’s far more subtle and homey -- more like a dried fruit potpourri. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate it in its own way. The combination of peaches and orange with cinnamon and cloves is warm and comforting -- reminds me of the holidays. But I don’t smell any patchouli or incense -- the dark, sexy elements I was hoping for. I’ll probably use it as a room scent for my kitchen.

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: Mmmm, spicy patchouli.

 

Wet: Oh, wow, the cinnamon really pops.

 

Dry: Sadly this scent morphed from a spicy patchouli delight into craft store potpourri.

[ribcaged]

Wow, spice and fire! Red hot cinnamon! Hot tamales! And a tiny bit of orangey sweetness too.

I like this.

It's only just dried down on me and I put it over mata hari which I washed off in disgust earlier but it smells nice with it!

This is interesting, I think I am amping the spices and I'll wear this when I want to get noticed.

[GoldenRubee]

I bought this based on the notes alone, I love the spicy scents. When I first opened the bottle, I couldn't smell anything. I sniffed several times and then finally applied a little to the back of my hand. In the beginning, it was dark, thick and strong patchouli. After another few minutes, I brought my hand up to my nose to smell it again and I made the mistake of touching my hand to my lips. OUCH! I know there is cinnamon in there! Instant lip injection! This works not only as a great scent, but plumps the lips too!! The longer I wore it, the softer it became. I never did smell any orange but I do love this unusual scent!

[asciident]

Wet: Orange and cloves.

 

First on: Strong, medicinal orange. =\

 

Dry: Blech, this is just strong orange medicine and chapstick!

[readiness]

in bottle: peachy cinnamon

 

on: the PERFECT cinnamon. It's the spicy part of christmas!

 

 

Thank goodness the peach didn't come through on me!

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: Herbal and mediciney

 

On Skin: Herbal, mentholy and smoky. Fairly woodsy.

 

On Drydown: Smoky patchouli. I smell like a head shop.

 

Verdict: I smell like a hippie. The patchouli is very strong in this scent. Nuts.

[grifyn_whiffs]

In the imp: Hello, CLOVE! It jumps right out.

 

Wet: Clove, with cinnamon closing in.

 

This is very, very spicy, with the orange rounding it out. I'm waiting anxiously to see how the patchouli and "dark incense" is going to behave. Patchouli and I don't typically get along, but this is the fun of frimps/extras you wouldn't normally purchase.

 

The cinnamon is giving my skin a little sizzle of sting. Glad I only put on a little! Cinnamon notes usually don't have that effect on me.

 

I'm getting a hot spiced orange drink sort of smell, or Bakeneko without the tea. I don't really get the peach directly, but it's lending depth and sweetness to the orange. It looks like that might be the patchouli's job, too, since I can only whiff the patchouli and dark incense underneath if I try really hard. These notes are very subtle, thankfully.

 

There's a slightly irritated patch of skin where the perfume went on; that must be some potent cinnamon... NOT for the sensitive-skinned.

 

Drydown: This turns to sweet spicyness only. Nice, but a little TOO spicy for me, and not worth the potential skin irritation.

[Dymphna]

In the imp: Spicy, I can smell the clove, but it's mostly that clean, almost watery spiciness that I remember from Bengal. It's what kept me from really wearing Bengal, because it seemed so incongruous. I don't know how else to explain it other than to say that the spiciness was both hot and watery-cool. Sort of...thin? I'm hoping that once it's on I'll get an orange-clove scent. I normally can't stand the scent of clove, but I love it when combined with orange. Very happy memories.

 

Wet: Very much like Bengal, almost exactly, only this is much warmer once it's on my skin. The watery vibe is gone and it's got a nice hot spice, but the cinnamon isn't burning my skin (despite two swipes of the imp wand in the same spot). It smells like cinnamon, like Red Hots, but with something softly musky underneath, a kind of skin musk that's very sexy. I don't smell the orange at all, unfortunately.

 

Dry: Wow. Drying down, the musk intensifies and the patchouli and incense come out and this takes a turn for the unbelievably sexy. Something about this reminds me very strongly of Snake Oil. I think this may be what Snake Oil would have smelled like on me if it hadn't had that red (or Siberian or whatever) musk that makes me so queasy. This smells incredible. No orange or peach in sight (well, sniff), but the rest of the notes are doing a mating dance on my skin and I smell like a sex goddess. Amazing. After about a half hour or so, the orange and peach are faintly detectable, but they're very far in the background. After about an hour, it's still richly spicy but softer, still sexy but now also comforting. I can't believe I waited so long to try this (and it was a frimp, it wasn't even on my radar) because of the dreaded clove and scary cinnamon. I really love this scent!

 

My only regret is that I have no idea how old this imp is because it was a frimp that's been sitting in my imp box for a month or two and it wasn't new to begin with. I wonder if aging would make a difference with this scent, like maybe the orange and peach were more prominent and the spices sharper when it was Lab-fresh. But if I wear this as often as I think I will once the weather is cooler, it's going on my Big Bottle list and I'll just wait for it to age if I have to.

[spicyelenore]

I was in such a hurry to try this that i forgot to sniff it in the bottle.

 

Excellent. Smells like a clove cigarette with orange. Little bursts of cinnamon.

 

Drydown: the cinnamon is totally amping on me. Mmm. Mm. Underneath the peach and orange are all swirling around. The clove falls back a bit.

Wow, now the peach is peeking out...this scent is a shifter!

 

Dry: a dusty, spicy warm cinnamon/clove. Must keep. Mmmm.

[WidgetAlley]

In the Imp: So they really need to make clove cigarettes with peach flavoring, because I would totally smoke them continuously. Cloves and cinnamon and peach and orange and everything I love, love, love.

 

Wet: Peaches and oranges, and backings of spicy patchouli and everything else previously mentioned. Oh Gods. I want to eat my arm SO HARDCORE. For the enemy of God, it sure does smell a lot like baking in autumn. For some reason I have this sneaking suspicion that men would follow me around like puppies if I wore this. What is it that they say about guys and food? The most attractive smell is cinnamon rolls or some such?

 

Dry: I smell like a sexy cooking goddess. Or maybe a cooking sex goddess. I don't know and I don't care. Al-Shairan reminds me of Imp, rather a lot: it's not a scent that has a lot to say for itself-- not complex and story-like and deep and unexpected-- but who gives two tenths of a flying [censored] when I smell like PEACH PIE AND HAPPY THINGS? I ask you.

Edited July 28, 2007 by WidgetAlley

[ClareN]

I wanted to like this a lot more. I love spicy incensy scents, but Al-Shairan isn't doing it for me. It's like an inferior version of Bakeneko (that citrus and soft cinnamon combination) combined with Bengal (mixed Indian spices). I like Bengal but I find it a little one-dimensional (like it's not complete without being layered with something) and Al-Shairan has the same problem, to me. There's also a weird dirty or dusty note in Al-Shairan which I'm not sure I like. I think it may be the peach note going weird on me. I get very little incense unfortunately. It is not terribly long-lasting on my skin.

 

And I'm another one who was burned by the cinnamon in this. If I were to keep the imp, it would be scent locket only. But I think I'll pass it on.

[CrazyPretzel]

A bit cinnamon'd out from Tanin'iver and still getting over the horrible rash that one gave me, but I'm feeling brave so I'll give this guy a go!

 

In the imp: Sweet orange and peach with strong cinnamon and a bit of clove.

 

Wet on me: A fairly basic orange-cinnamon scent, rather enjoyable. It does remind me of The Dodo and Bengal, for sure. A dark base of patchouli is beginning to take over the fruitiness.

 

After five minutes: Pretty much just strong clove, a spiciness that's not as searing as cinnamon. I get the occasional whiff of orange too but it's not a major feature.

 

Drydown: Sweet cinnamon and clove. The fruits keep the spices from being too sharp, I think. Not the sort of thing I would typically wear, but this does smell rather pleasant -- I'd like to be in a house that smelled like this.

 

This scent doesn't seem very complex to me, but I do like it better than Bengal -- the fruit adds something to it. I think I'll hang on to this one for the winter months; it'll make a nice holiday scent.

[aquazoo]

Oooh, insence scent! Spicy, orangy. Wow! Keep.

[daiconharuko]

When I grabbed the imp to sniff, I instantly pulled it away. The cinnamon is STRONG. I love cinnamon flavored candies, but as a scent? Too spicy.

 

It's too bad, on dry down it smells very sweet (the peach?) and almost floral. The first smell really turned me off. Oh well, it's off to my mommy!