Sultan Pasha's Fragrances

[Dorje123]

Recently, I purchased a couple of Sultan Pasha's (SP) fragrances. He is a member of basenotes and many of you probably recognize the username sultanpasha. He also sells on ebay as "scents-rarity": http://www.ebay.com/usr/scents-rarity

He was nice enough to send me a large assortment of samples plus a free 3mL bottle with my order! I have tried a bunch of them so far and have been very impressed. They are in oil form, undiluted, so a drop or two is all you need. His fragrances are mostly natural with the restrained use of some synthetics to enhance performance. Many all natural fragrances don't last long or provide enough sillage and projection while SP's oils are all very good performers. Here are some impressions:

La Fougre: This was the free 3 mL bottle and has ended up being a favorite and one I will definitely wear. It's a complex blend using all the traditional fougere elements of bergamot, lavender, oak moss, tonka and patchouli. This one also has some nice warm spices as well as a soapy note that I assume is one of the few synthetics used in the blend. There may also be some resins lurking in there too, SP's use of resins in his fragrances are genius. This is a very satisfying fragrance and a great quality fougere. Fans of this genre should definitely try La Fougre!

Ambre du Soleil: This was one of the two 3mL bottles I ordered and has turned out to be one of the best fragrances I own, it's really amazing. If you like Frankincense this is a no-brainer. SP uses 3 kinds of Frankincense and the mixture covers the full spectrum of what frankincense has to offer, from lemony top notes to incensy resinous mid and basenotes. The frankincense is augmented with citrus oils and ambergris. Cedar and castoreum is also listed in the description but these blend in so well it's hard to tell they are used. This makes a great spring and summer fragrance, the citrus and lemon lasts forever as the lemon note is from the frankincense, and the overall scent has great longevity.


That's it for today but I have a bunch more of SP's fragrances I will write my impressions of in the coming days. If anyone has any questions or wants to post their own impressions go for it.

 

[Hix]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

Sultan's a wonderful resource on attar based fragrances. I have a sample package coming my way, I am very excited to see what real oud's, good and bad, smell like, as well as see what raw ingredients smell like, so I can train my nose better. I would highly suggest inquiring with him if anyone has interest in broadening their horizons beyond Western perfume archetypes.

I will update in time with my impressions, but I am excited to hear what others have to say as well!

 

[bigbloke]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

Top chap and very generous.

 

[faheem]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

I love his Inferno and Incense Royale plus he has sent so many samples that i still need to go through. A real artist and very humble guy.

 

[russian adam]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

Oh yes, Shadee and Incense Royale are right at the top of my oud blends list, even though Shadee has no oud in it =)))!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dorje123]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

I have tried just a tiny bit of Incense Royale and was very impressed, he does a great job with resins/incense.

faheem, feel free to add any comments or impressions you have.

 

[piscopo]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

Encense Royale, cuir au miel, Enigma Intense, Aurum d'Angkhor, cheval d'Arabie, Inferno ( great!!), caffe ambre noir and its variations, and many others are some of the magic blends of this - still relatively known - "MAESTRO", a profumorum magister! Absolutely to try and I apreciate that you are not bound to blind buy from him, he's always available to send tiny samples of his creation

 

[sultanpasha]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

I honestly couldn't believe my eyes yesterday when I saw this thread! Honestly never thought of the day a thread on Basenotes would be opened dedicated to my beloved blends.......I am sincerely humbled. This is truly wonderful.....God Bless you all for your kind comments and contributions.

 

[Dorje123]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

I'm wearing Incense Royale today... this stuff is very strong, only a drop needed! This is a frankincense and myrrh fragrance with lots going on. There is some resemblance to Amouage Interlude Man but without the weird oregano note. On opening there are fresh, warm spicy, sweet and balsamic/resin notes. In particular I can smell some citrus and sweet orange, vetiver, vanilla, camphor, oud, benzoin, frankincense, myrrh. SP said there are about 30 types of resins and two oud oils in the blend. The oud isn't prominent but adds depth, the resins and warm spices are most prominent with the vanilla sweetening things up. I'm trying to put my finger on the fresh notes but failing, there is something in there that has this fresh "blue/purple" scent... maybe lavender? The composition is well balanced and well blended, the overall impression is warm sweet incense but it's not too "churchy", like Amouage's Interlude the prominent incense is modified enough by other notes that it doesn't come off that way. The drydown is long and lingering and smells mostly of sweet resins with the other notes more subdued. If you're a fan of incense fragrances this is an exceptionally good one.

 

[sultanpasha]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

Wow Dorje123! That's a really in depth review of Incense Royale! :-D thank you so much for the kind compliments! Incense Royale is very close to my heart as was my very fist composition.
The fresh citric notes is emanating from the mixture of Peruvian Black copal, Philipino Elemi and Omani Royal grade green Hojari Frankincense. The blue-purple floral notes is coming from the aged Cambodi which smells very much like dried fruits on initial application but as a result of the three above creates almost a purple floral accord. Would you believe absolutely no florals or citrus oils were used to compose IR :-D

 

[du57in]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

Sounds like I have some new fragrances to sample. All of them sound really nice, especially Incense Royale. Thanks for the descriptions!

 

[Dorje123]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

Wow Dorje123! That's a really in depth review of Incense Royale! :-D thank you so much for the kind compliments! Incense Royale is very close to my heart as was my very fist composition.
The fresh citric notes is emanating from the mixture of Peruvian Black copal, Philipino Elemi and Omani Royal grade green Hojari Frankincense. The blue-purple floral notes is coming from the aged Cambodi which smells very much like dried fruits on initial application but as a result of the three above creates almost a purple floral accord. Would you believe absolutely no florals or citrus oils were used to compose IR :-D

As a perfumer it must be interesting to hear people try to analyze your creations. Now that you mention it I can recognize the Cambodi oud, I have a little bit of Crassna oud oil that fits that description. I was thinking lavender was making a sort of fresh fougere accord but it didn't quite fit... interesting that kind of an accord can be made with resins and oud! The cool thing is it lasts the life of the fragrance unlike most short lived fresh topnotes. Same with Ambre du Soleil, the lemon from the frankincense lasts forever.



The oils I've wrote about so far are relatively affordable, actually a great deal if you catch one you're interested in on ebay... SP has a few pricey, exotic blends I'll write about soon...

 

[Orgoglio italianO]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

Anything upcoming in the works Akhi?

 

[Orgoglio italianO]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

Incense Royale amongst others of Sultans are wonderfully blended. It's hard to pick a favorite as all are great to me. Incense Royale is a great oil with high quality ingredients. I have not tried an oil that was low quality or that I did not like! So far 5 thumbs up! Aurum D'Angkhor is the latest one I've tried,man... Good stuff I highly recommend everyone try this oil! Bravo,Sultan

 

[NSR]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

I've bought quite a few of SP's blends over the past 6 months; 3ml each of Jardin de Minuit, Enigma Intense, Cuir au Miel, Incense Royale, Ocean of Flowers and Ambre du Soliel and 12ml of Sambac Regale - it is that good! I've also received a lot of samples too that were shipped with these blends. All are very diverse and I've been very satisfied with them all.

One of my favourite scents at the moment is Jardin de Minuit (JdM), which is very airy yet dark fragrance. For a unisex fragrance, I was originally concerned that this fragrance was maybe a little too feminine - I had originally bought this for my wife. However, I find that this scent very addictive and have worn this myself and received positive comments. The way the rose and tuberose interects with the jasmine, cedarwood and oakmoss is intoxicating. The different stages that eminates from this wonderful fragrance begins with the spicey enticement on the outskirts of a forest which draws you in. Then begins a journey, deeper and deeper into an enchanted forest, racing to the centre before the dawn. Amazing.

I'll try and put into words my impressions of others as and when I can find the time to put them together. Having started with JdM, this should hopefully motivate him into making some more as he's not had any more on sale for quite some time now .... I guess he's ran out.

 

[Orgoglio italianO]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

Ocean of flowers also I enjoyed. It's floral obviously lol but I still wear it I think it's unisex. One of my wife's favorites and she doesn't like much. But she does love most of sultans oils,which is good for me

 

[NSR]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

Cuir au Miel (CaM) starts out in honey and leather heaven, which is strongly emphasised by the blossom top notes. The way the honey interacts with the osmanthus and the oud is mouth watering. About four hours in, the patchouli starts to surface, where the scent begins to transcend into a fresh outdoors type smell. Thinking of the smell of motorbike leathers that have previously been waxed and then taken for a long bike ride - the type of outdoor smell that clings. This is a really nice dimensional addition and an extra special touch to an already very special scent. There are times when I thought that I could really eat this.

 

[cytherian]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

I unknowingly made a purchase from Sultan on eBay and upon revealing my Basenotes identity to him, he generously sent along some samples plus a free 3ml decant of Shamamah. Terrific guy, wonderful to converse with.

My sample of La Fougre had leaked into the paraffin wrapping (the only leaked vial), so I naturally made this my first choice of application. Really terrific fougere! I'm fully in agreement with Dorje123's assessment. This is a real niche contender, and frankly I think could be easily produced for retail and receive accolades from top perfume reviewers. The spearmint note is wonderful. It gives a minty impression with slight methol freshness, but avoids anything cloying or synthetic smelling. And a wonderful bounty of oakmoss to boot.

The Shamamah (65% natural grade) is so strong a rendition of Indian paan for me, the fresh hand made kind rolled in the tobacco leaf. Also reminiscent of natural spice mixes often found in Indian homes and restaurants. That semi sweet rose essence that seems to garnish everything. I'm now very curious to see how the 99% natural version performs.

 

[NSR]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

Another fragrance that I had bought for my wife is the Ocean of Flowers (OoF). The rose and jasmine combo intertwined with the tuberose is expertly crafted. Initially, I was worried that this was going to be something that like a cheap fragranced soap - so overpowering that it's usually placed in a public lavatory. How pleasantly wrong I was. On the contrary, the jasmine is top notch and really projects very well. After a few hours, the patchouli brings a very pleasant dimension, like the CaM. From the entrance of the first notes of a spring dawn, the crescendo to a full noon bloom, to the diminuendo of a late summer evening, this fragrance has it all.

 

[Dorje123]

Re: Sultan Pasha's Frangrances

Yesterday I wore Aurum d'Angkhor. This seems to be an old Arabic fragrance that shares a lot of the elements I've noticed in a few others of the galiyah genre but is a bit brighter and more floral with less ambergris and more oud. Aurum is primarily oud, saffron, rose, musk and ambergris to my nose. The oud is Ensar's Ensense d'Angkhor, the florals are bright and juicy with an indolic edge, and the musk is sweet and pervasive, boosting the potency of the fragrance along with the ambergris. It also smells entirely natural, which it is not, but this attar really has no hint of anything synthetic at all. For what it is, it is very approachable, but this is not anywhere close to a common fragrance in most of the world. It's made with some of the most costly and hard to obtain ingredients and is something to cherish. I didn't get a price but I'd bet the tiny sample I got was worth $10.

I asked SP about this blend and he was kind enough to give me the breakdown:

Top: Saffron Oil, Jasmine, Persian Rose Otto

Middle: Bulgarian Damascena Absolute, Honey Absolute, Henna,

Base: Ensar Encens D'Angkhor, Beeswax, Hand Macerated Ambergris, Hand Made Shamama(aged sandalwood, 30yr old patchouli, henna, labdanum, Siamese benzoin, musk) raw Persian and Spanish Saffron Strands