Year: 2008
Notes: Italian bergamot, Israeli grapefruit, blackcurrant, peach, Tunisian neroli, Egyptian violet, Bulgarian rose, daffodil, Indian jasmine, patchouli, amber, oud, Bourbon vetiver, sandalwood
With a pungent and tart fruity-floral assault, Nejma Five doesn't take any prisoners. The citrus provides a zesty sweetness, the peach is inviting, and the blackcurrant is lush and succulent. There's also a distinctive creamy and powdery gourmand accord lurking in the background, which becomes even more compelling once the violet note emerges. Once again, the florals are well-blended and very difficult to distinguish.
With regards to the oud, unlike earlier Nejma releases, it's fairly restrained and not particularly intrusive. In fact, most of the woody notes perform in very much the same way, allowing the amber to unreservedly dominate the composition while mingling with the fruity-gourmand remnants. The eventual drydown consists of a lovely dusty amber and sandalwood drydown, which serves as the main highlight of its entire development.
Unfortunately, with repeated wearings, it gradually becomes clear that it's incapable of remaining well-behaved on the skin – sometimes it smells cheap while, on other occasions, it's somewhat crude. The only stage where it systematically delivers is, strangely enough, its seductive amber and sandalwood base.
With average longevity and moderate sillage, the drydown simply isn't worth the wildly temperamental nature of its earlier stages on one's skin.
With regards to the oud, unlike earlier Nejma releases, it's fairly restrained and not particularly intrusive. In fact, most of the woody notes perform in very much the same way, allowing the amber to unreservedly dominate the composition while mingling with the fruity-gourmand remnants. The eventual drydown consists of a lovely dusty amber and sandalwood drydown, which serves as the main highlight of its entire development.
Unfortunately, with repeated wearings, it gradually becomes clear that it's incapable of remaining well-behaved on the skin – sometimes it smells cheap while, on other occasions, it's somewhat crude. The only stage where it systematically delivers is, strangely enough, its seductive amber and sandalwood base.
With average longevity and moderate sillage, the drydown simply isn't worth the wildly temperamental nature of its earlier stages on one's skin.
