As a child, I had an incredible sweet-tooth and it would appear now as an adult, very little has changed. But there are only a handful of sugary treats that I am seldom able to stomach. One is liquorice, and the other; Turkish delight.
From its beginnings in Persia as ahbisa, and then Turkey as rahat loukhoum, this jelly-like confection scented with rosewater and dusted in sugar has survived the centuries. But I was never a big fan of its sticky texture and inordinate sweetness.
So it was with some trepidation that I recently sampled Keiko Mecheri's Loukhoum... I was fearful that perhaps I would be exposed to the olfactory equivalent of the saccharine taste of loukhoum, as opposed to its exquisite perfume. But my concerns were unfounded. What I experienced when applying this to my skin was a beautifully radiant rose (which I had expected), but also the wonderful snowy powder of dry dusting sugar. A puff of silken florals emerged over a swirl of soft vanilla and fragrant candied almonds. After some time, I detected a comforting 'milkiness' which was both 'opaque' and 'white' in nature. Loukhoum has been well devised so that it imbues the air around you with an aromatic aura. It is not outlandishly cloying, but it does have incredible sillage and persistence.
I am pleased to have tried this eau de parfum, because it given me a new appreciation of the confectionary. And though I doubt any time soon I will be scoffing boxes of turkish delight like young Edmund in Narnia, I do like the idea that I can enjoy the best part of what this sweet has to offer - without the cavities, of course.
4 comments:
Nice review and lovely picture. You made me curious to try and I sampled it. My olfactory description is very close to your description.
What I found in this one is that the rose here is rather a fresh one that nicely contrasts with the sweetness of sugar and doesn't make one sticky sweet mass.
Another one is I think that I smell some oakmoss next to vanilla in the base. What do you think? Just curious.
Thank you Aromax,
I will have to give this another test and let you know what I detect in there... its not something I'd say stood out the first time around though.
Watch this space :)
I had recently written a review of Keiko Mecheri's Loukhoum and now I've just realized you did, as well (and before mine). I totally agree with you, KM's Loukhoum is quite nice, and this is from someone who is picky about gourmand scents. In my review I said KM's was better than SL's Rahat Loukhoum (the blasphemy!)
There's a new KM Loukhoum that's just come out (she has a trio of Loukhoums now) that contains a more pronounced rose note with a bit less candy-sweetness.
I need to try some Loukhoum, the dessert, as I've never tasted it.
Aromax, Im not sure if I do smell the oakmoss in the drydown... if its there, its a fleeting suggestion of it.
Is this on par with your observation?
Abigail - I just read your Loukhoum review... its very well written and right on the mark. :) Ive not tried the Lutens offering, but I have sniffed Montale's Sweet Oriental Dream... another loukhoum interpretation. Of the two, the Mecheri is by far my preferred version. I'm very excited to hear about the loukhoum trio... I will be sure to look out for them all! Thanks for the tip :)
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