Al Sheikha Fatima Blend
Abdul Samad Al Qurashi

The first thing that comes to mind is Amouage's Al Andalus, which is based on the period when the Moors ruled Spain long ago and incorporates notes typical of the region - like a lot of green, herbal, citrus notes. ASFB is less green and a little muskier but identical in the general effect. It's supposed to be an aged oud, musk, rose, and bergamot blend but it's pretty much dominated by the striking citrus and musk base. There's a period where I get a bit of the oud weaving in and out early on but settles into a low-key back-note giving just a touch of woodiness in the drydown. And the rose was fairly undetectable except that I did discern an unrecognizable "floral" note that, like the oud, was sitting quietly in the background. Like Al Andalus, Sheikh Fatima maintains a designer-like mainline in a vibrantly neon tone that is almost freakishly surreal, perhaps self-consciously so - and in a way I love it and dislike it at the same time. There is a time and a place for it and what would seem like an office-safe scent is perhaps just a little too strong. I wore Al Andalus while at the beach this past summer and loved it - my hair was matted up by salt and sand in Billy Idol fashion, my skin tight and brown. Dressed in an oversized polo shirt over salt-stained surf trunks and a pair of flippities, it made me feel rather suave despite my outward beach-bum fashion. Sheikh Fatima provides the same discordant comfort zone but with a touch of musk in the drydown giving a slight nod to some "long walks on the beach." And for that reason, for me at least, it edges out Al Andalus by just a little bit. Giving this a neutral rating simply because I couldn't wear this all the time but this is without a doubt an interesting and at times perfect fragrance to wear.

Well, Fatima is an interesting one. You read the notes list - the usual woods, amber, flowers, musk - and it doesn't tell you anything, really. It's like with all Arabian oils and attars, in that the published notes list isn't always the most helpful or, possibly, accurate. Often, the notes differ from Fragrantica to Basenotes, and from seller to seller, so you really only have your own nose to tell you what's going on. These firms are very secretive about what actually goes into these perfumes (and who composes them).

With regards to Fatima Blend, the list of notes is pretty generic - that same mixture of notes (musk, flowers, woods) is something I've seen listed now on most, if not all of the oils I've tried, and not only from this house either. Still, this particular blend is pretty interesting. It's unexpected, because it smells like a fresh, modern, European men's fragrance that is designed to evoke feelings of being beside the sea. I do not mean calone, or anything as hideous. I mean that there is a note in here that smells like salt air, and it diffuses an enticing freshness over the entire fragrance, from top to toe. It smells like a salty vetiver, or a mineral, grey oakmoss. Woods form the backbone to the scent, but they are overlaid with this salty material, as well as a fresh herb like mint (although not smelling exactly like mint, but something equally fresh). I know that the published notes don't suggest anything of the sort, but Fatima strikes me as something that fans of Guerlain's Eau de Guerlain, Herba Fresca, Sel de Vetiver by Miller Harris, or Sel Marin by James Heeley would really love. It's comfortably unisex, but with it's mossy, herbal, ozonic feel, I think that this would be great on a man's skin in particular. Anyone who would like a summertime European cologne type scent but with far greater longevity would do well to check this out.

I have to add that the first time I applied this, I applied far too much, and I got an almost uncomfortably animalic feel from the musk in this, reminiscent of the unwashed scalp accord that turns me off in Miller Harris' filthy L'Air de Rien. However, this was not present in my second application, so it obviously makes sense to apply this in judicious amounts. The musk, while not a clean, white musk, is not a truly dirty musk, but it adds a sort of barbershop animalism to the scent, taking it quite close to those classic babershop fougeres and colognes. Overall, two thumbs up for a scent that is quite unusual for an Arabian house. Keep in mind that my experience with Fatima doesn't seem to be reflected in any of the notes lists published anywhere on the Internet, so your experience with it may differ. I can only report what I perceive.