Tasnim / Tasneem
AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo

Tasneem is one of my favorite ylang compositions of all time. Its buttery, creamy banana custard is touched here and there by rubber, and given a gentle, steadying backbone of dusty woods and resins. It smells – for lack of a better word – dreamy. Like custard clouds whipped up by Botticelli angels. In the late drydown, there is a wonderful texturization akin to almonds or hazelnuts pounded down to a fine paste with cinnamon and clove. Although it ultimately winds up in the same vanilla-banana-lotion area as Micallef’s Ylang in Gold, it remains resinous and nutty rather than fruity. Think of it as a higher IQ version.

By the way, the attar (or more accurately, mukhallat) version of Tasnim is similar to the original eau de parfum, but because it stresses different facets of the ylang and for longer, it smells quite different for the first two to three hours. Specifically, the slightly pungent rubber and fuel-like tones of the ylang are brought out more clearly, complete with the melted plastics undertone inherent to pure ylang oil. The opening is not unpleasant, but it might be a little odd for people unused to the super potent (and not terribly floral) nuances of raw ylang. In terms of complexity, I prefer the opening of the eau de parfum because it is both softer and more traditionally ‘perfumey’, whereas the opening of the attar smells more like ylang essential oil.

The attar stays in this fruity banana-petrol custard track for much longer than the eau de parfum, affecting both the texture and the ‘feel’ of the scent. Namely, the eau de parfum possesses an innocent, fluffy softness that I visualize in pastel yellow, while the attar is a bright, oily concentrate – a Pop Art yellow smear of gouache.

The drydown is where the attar truly shows its mettle. In fact, the ever-evolving complexity of the drydown is a good example of where the attar format often trumps an alcohol-based one. In oil format, the naturals continue to unfold and retract in somewhat unpredictable ways, while the development of the alcohol-based format evolves to a point and then stops. So, while the eau de parfum displays a beautiful, nutty ‘feuilletine’ finish folded into gentle puffs of woodsmoke, the attar just gets spicier, lusher, and more bodaciously sensual.

Tasnim attar is also less sweet than the eau de parfum, a pattern I notice in all direct comparisons of the attar versus the eaux de parfum for this house. (This feature might make the attars more attractive to men). The attar eventually dries down into a rich, leathery ylang-resin affair, with the same dusty-creamy texture as the eau de parfum (think crème brulée with a handful of grit stirred through). It is more animalic than the eau de parfum, with a sort of stale, animal-ish costus note appearing in the latter hours.

Both the eau de parfum and the attar of Tasnim are beautiful. I have a slight preference overall for the eau de parfum, especially in its measured collapse from feathery custard clouds into richly nutty feuilletine. But in terms of longevity and richness, I give it to the attar, which only gets deeper and lusher the longer it is on the skin, shedding its rather simplistic ylang oil topnotes to become a floral with an animal growl. The attar is as powerful, rubied, and pungent as a high grade ylang essential oil, while the eau de parfum is softer, milkier, and sweeter.

Tasnim is a soft semi-oriental with an exotic twist. The latter is provided by a well appointed combination of almond and spicy ylang-ylang. This accord is slightly soapy/ resinous and breezy, almost ethereal. There is the usual olibanum Dubrana's whiff but in here it is really really minimal and elusive. I find in the mix several aromatic patterns providing that sort of "breeziness" which is really appreciable and turning on. The dry down is balmy vanillic, musky and almondy with subtle floral sophisticated patterns (jasmine) a la Acampora and a well rounding tobacco caress. Nothing to reprove about this aroma, just I find it too "pale" and slightly untemperamental. Extremely natural of course as usual for the Dubrana's creations.

What stood out in this light floral is the predominant ylang ylang note, which forms and informs the entire fragrance. Pure Ylang is an amazing fragrance - very blowsy, bold, tropical and large, a caricature of a cheap tropical floral fragrance in one authentic essential oil. Subtle is not part of its repertoire.
So it is with this fragrance. The Ylang is modified by Jasmine, Tonka and Vanilla, which plays to the best of Ylang's qualities and tones it, but it is still obviously a Ylang fragrance. That's my problem with this fragrance - I like Ylang as a modifier but not showcased.
This fragrance isn't bad and is inoffensive and wearable, but you have to like Ylang to wear it. This one doesn't feel polished or even complete. Ylang has a distinct note and character, but not enough complexity to underpin a fragrance, and in spite of the fact it also has jasmine, feels like a forgettable casual beach frag. It might be nice if it had less Ylang and a touch more Jasmine and Tonka or a buttery note. The upside is that it smells natural and non-synthetic. No scary hairspray, ozone or sugar. It becomes a skin scent fairly quickly.
I dabble in making essential oil perfumes from time to time. I once made an accidental creation involving Ylang I've never been able to recreate (didn't take notes :( ), that was sensual and amazing, possibly my best. The Ylang, coupled with copious amounts of vanilla, jasmine, rose, benzoin, violet, and a kitchen sink load of other essential oils and fake animalics, turned skanky, and Ylang was a major player in this slut vibe. I realized then Ylang's true forte. But it isn't this - a thin, mannered, pale floral single-note presentation. At least for me.

Yilang yilang of jasmine indolic quality mixed with vanilla, reminded me of beautiful Vanilia by L artisan, but this one here is more delicate composition, less plasticky:-)

This floral scent is gentle feminine and calming, i do believe in its therapeutics qualities because i am just weak on natural stuff

It did smell little pale ordinary at my first quick testing, but this is because our noses are much used to strong chemical stuff, when i tried it later it struck me by its beautifully light composition i could bathe in!!!

I wish the staying power and projection are of Tabac:-)

Yilang yilang smells of white flower here and not of bananas, i think this one could be great for the summer

Yesterday I wore Tasnim (which is spelled Tasneem on the website) and enjoyed it right through the evening when it spoke softly of sweet amber (tonka and vanilla, according to the notes). When I first applied it, I was reminded of one of the Neil Morris frags (sorry, can't remember which one). Tasnim struck me as a semi-sweet woody, and it felt languid and tawny. According to the Profumo website notes, a second distillation of ylang-ylang produces an almond quality. A very comfortable and comforting fragrance, if not a little ambiguous and forgettable.