Jazmin Sarai is an indie perfume house that focuses on “immersive experiences”. So, it’s a brand that likes to connect scent to visual and auditory arts. Years ago, I had tried the brand when it was launched and I was impressed. Since then the brand has launched some more perfumes and I’m finally trying them. Solar’1 is a perfume inspired by D’Angelo’s Africa (2000).
Solar’1 is spicy. It opens with fire. It’s like dried hot spices like allspice, cinnamon, turmeric and ginger. It’s really like Chinese five-spice powder in perfume form. The note list of this fragrance reads as foody. I mean, I just described it as food, but there’s some interesting olfactory tricks happening in Solar’1. Instead of being a peachy floral, the osmanthus adds a leatheriness. The cocoa accents the leatheriness with a bitter earthiness. Somehow the addition of actual gourmand notes kept this perfume from being a delicious spice rub or a shot of Fireball. The dry-down is a warm, cozy amber. Overall, the perfume has a naturalistic, realistic feel.
Notes listed include ginger, osmanthus, cocoa, labdanum, and musk. Launched in 2015. PERFUMER – Dana El Masri
Give Solar’1 a try if you like spicy perfumes. Or perfumes like The Merchant of Venice Sultan Leather, DSH Perfumes Fire Opal, DSH Perfumes Epices d’Hiver, L’Artisan Fou d’Absinthe, Floris 1962 and/or MariaLux Mogadess.
Projection is below average. Longevity is above average. The notes of this fragrance should be “thick and dense”…and they are. Yet, there’s a sheerness to them that makes this cozy, spicy scent wear more like thin layer of cashmere/silk than a thick wool coat.
Solar’1 comes in a few sizes with the 1.7 oz retailing for $95 at Jazmin Sarai and Perfumarie.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Chinese five-spice. It’s spicy but it’s also soft. I imagine this will be just the sort of thing I will feel like wearing when the weather gets cooler.
*Disclaimer – Sample provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Product pic from the brand. Yasmeen Ghauri eating Chinese food. It’s from fanpix.net but I’ve forgotten where this editorial was initially published.