• Memo Shams EDP Perfume Review

    Date: 2012.02.28 | Category: fragrance | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,

    Memo Shams perfume

    This makes me sound like such a snob, but when I looked up the notes of the perfume, Memo Shams, I thought, “I’ve had enough of oud. Let’s move on.” Like many fragrance fanatics, I’m sick of oud. How could this one be any different than any of the other countless spicy ouds that have saturated the niche, luxury market within the past 2 years? Well, it is different. I’m so happy that dear friend, Ron of Notable Scents, made me wear this. Memo, a niche Parisian perfume house, created Shams, Arabic for “sun”. Shams is a modern, contemporary take of an oriental oud fragrance. And in my opinion, this is one of the easiest oud fragrances to wear. And you won’t be sacrificing interest for “wearability”.

    Shams is a sweet amber leather with a rich saffron spice over oud. In the opening, I get the radiance of spicy pepper and ginger smoothed by amber resins. the saffron adds a richness. The soft birch leather in this is what pulls me in. Most birch in fragrance is sharp and harsh. This birch is soft and supple, reminding me of a luxurious leather bag (this is the mix of tonka-birch). The leather mixes with a woody and mushroomy oud, salty vetiver, and sweet amber that almost reminds me of honey. The dry-down is a soft, sweet vanilla-amber oud. Memo Shams is an oud fragrance but isn’t all about the oud. The oud is blended perfectly into this warm, oriental fragrance. You know how most oud is aggressive and jumps out of the composition and slaps you in the face? The oud in Shams is halcyonic and mild mannered. It lets the other notes have some attention too. I think it’s all perfectly blended.

    This is the type of perfume that I find comforting and luxurious. When I wear it, I can’t stop sniffing myself. Shams is rich, warm, and dense but it does have a novel radiance that I don’t smell in other oud perfumes. Since the scent is incredibly long-wearing, it wears a bit linear. It does shift and change but this takes hours. It progresses slothfully.

    Grace Bradley

    Notes listed include pepper, ginger, saffron, vetiver, cypriol, tonka bean, birch, tolu, styrax, oud and labdanum.

    Give Memo Shams a try if you like amber-oud perfumes or sweet amber fragrances or perfumes like Tom Ford Private Blend Oud Wood, Tauer Lonestar Memories, By Kilian Pure Oud, Juliette Has a Gun Midnight Oud, Olivier Durbano Tourmaline, and/or By Kilian Amber Oud. I would never describe Memo Shams as a “Montale” oud. I don’t get that type of medicinal oud in Shams, like I said, Shams doesn’t slap you in the face. Shams is unisex and a must try for anyone looking for a sweeter oud fragrance.

    This scent has mega sillage (above average projection) and above average longevity. One spray is all you need.

    Memo Shams isn’t available in the U.S. but you can purchase decants at The Perfume Court. It’s also available at Harvey Nichols. And if you are in Europe, check it out.

    Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A spicy leather-oud over a sweet amber base; a modern, “ready-to-wear” oud. One of the easiest to wear ouds in my opinion. This is full-bottle worthy to me. Yes, even though I’m burnt out on oud, I love Shams.

    Want more reviews? Try…

    Fragrantica

    The Scented Salamander

    *Product pic from Fragrantica. Grace Bradley pic from www.fanpix.net. Small decant given to me by Ron.