Thanks so much! And yay for Moth. It makes me swoon all the time. :)

I agree Daniela-- this is one of the best fragrance-related channels out there. Fantastic.

I buy Shoyeido incense each time I visit Japan, it's just so elegantly balance and burns beautifully and it makes a terrific gift to bring back for loved ones. The incense of my teen years bears no resemblance to high-quality Japanese incense so I always encourage people to start with Japanese incense, not any other kind and certainly not the revolting fruit scented stuff sold in markets next to bongs and tie-dyed t-shirts. I've never tried Interlude Black Iris, so I will look out for it now. Thanks Tommy :)

I see your point which is why I would never say this fragrance is “oriental” and leave it at that. Oriental refers to the overall style of the perfume like chypre, or fougere, it’s much more complex than that. I can see it’s a blanket term though, and I view it directly as a fragrance term. Maybe I should look deeper. 👍 I don’t think fragrances in this style can be called “amber” because again it’s much more complex than that. I certainly don’t wish to start any wars or offend people. :)

​@@ouch110 I appreciate your response, Thomas. I've been watching your reviews for quite some time and I definitely don't think you're the type of person who'd want to offend others. I think it is possible to have a healthy discussion about the word oriental. I know some are worried about not being able to use a word anymore. But what I think is more important than just stopping the use of a word is to learn about the historical context of it. (A good place to start is Edward Said's book Orientalism.) Just blindly deciding to stop using the word without self-educating is also problematic and can come off as performative. I'd have to agree with you on the word "amber", as it doesn't seem to capture the complexity of many fragrances. I think there are some perfumers like Yosh Han and reviewers who are trying to come up with alternatives.

@@yvespiderssmells9956 definitely about educating yourself I agree! As someone who has had the word queer to describe me in a negative way lots of times only to have to deal with it now being used as a blanket term and “the norm” by the younger generation as a positive I totally get it. I know it’s not exactly the same but I hope you know what I mean. That term is derogatory and has been very painful for a lot of people, now it’s used in a different way by people who didn’t go through that struggle. I will deffo do some research and get to grips! 😁

I appreciate your perspective. I’ve been self conscious of the term for several years now but was not sure what else to call the family of fragrance.

Yeah, what "amber family" does even mean? Absolutely nothing. Absolutely not descriptive. While "oriental" scent actually makes all the sense to us who are into perfume. People have stopped making any sense with their pc attempts years ago, and it's been getting soooo much worse recently. Absolutely disgusting.

Funny story, I used to work in a shop that sold 500 perfumes and we also sold Mendittorosa, ya know Osang was my least favourite perfume in the whole shop lmao!!! True. I can’t get past that fenugreek note :(

I think you definitely have a point there. Maybe people who would be affected by the oriental stereotype might still detect a harmful connection when it's used for fragrance though. I heard somewhere that in France you would just refer to the fragrance family as "Amber Fragrances", which feels more accurate.

You are so welcome!

🤦‍♂️

Perfect!

Hellooo! Ahh I haven't tried that one but I like the name! I like chaotic perfumes.

Deffo try scherezade by black Phoenix it’s so so good! There’s also another one called gothic bluebell bu union which dries exactly like a joss stick! It’s hard to find though which Is why I don’t have it argh!

I would like to know as well! I joke and say “by hour 20 it’s gorgeous!” But seriously, the dry down is something very special.

@@tara5742 LOL! Yeah right?!?! I oversprayed once wore it all day and when I laundered my dress - I could STILL smell it on it! Crazy...

There must be something, plenty of fragrances reveal beautiful things but really? None that I can think of right now, and Bee? Well..that one is enough for me! hehe. So gooooooood!

Oh! Lol I just thought of another one. Dame Perfumery’s Monsoon. It starts out like your walking on the Earth and then plunging into the water! It’s not a “blue” scent, it literally smells like wet…wetness? Wow, I’m not great at describing things. Haha. It’s complex, in the dry down, but also really different from t he first spray. Yet, wearable. It’s labeled as an animalic Amber, but I don’t think that fits. Dame Perfumery has everything blending like a high end niche. There isn’t a blast of anything. Yet, it’s really affordable prices. Ironically, I think that’s why he never became main stream. He prices things so low, I feel some might be turned off thinking it must not be well done or good quality. A must try! www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Dame-Perfumery/Monsoon-45406.html

Don’t let the PC, word police get to you. If it’s not in reference to a person, or people group, but to a region of the world, or things, it’s not offensive. We live in a time in which ppl look for things to be offended about...and quite frankly, that offends me😂 There comes a time when we have to stop changing the language and definitions based on some nonsense.

The confusing thing is that 'Asian' in Australia means 'Far East Asian' but if you use the word in the UK it normally means Indian, Bangladeshi or Pakistani. I think 'Far East Asian' is an awkward mouthful :D I wish I could settle on a word that is understood in both hemispheres! I could be wrong, but in Canada and the United States, Asian also means Far East Asian...wait, no...would 'Indian' be confusing also, considering American Indians are an established indigenous group. What do you call a 2nd generation Indian guy as he most likely doesn't casually refer to himself as 'American Indian'? How do Americans differentiate between American Indian and Continental Indian? What words are commonly used in conversation the The States? Argh. So many ways to put your foot in it these days, not due to lazy ignorance but because of how words have different connotations and even meanings in different countries. I try not to knee-jerk in response to people, y'know, generating synthetic outrage in such haste as well as being defensive on behalf of a group or stranger, and look at what TRULY offends or upsets me instead of anything that's part of an ideological dogma or new socio-political trend. All that would be due to the habit so many younger people have these days, which is to learn and then parrot received wisdom with a jarring kind of emotional intensity and incontinence. Also, motive, tone and intent counts for a great deal in these incendiary times. (I agree with the 'finger wagging people' observation you made. I just wouldn't have used 'cis-gendered white people' when making the point myself as it's not part of my personal vernacular but the sentiment of your comment I totally agree with. I'd be curious what you make of Zoologist once you finish your exploration of the house. Fort & Manle and Tauer are my love affair at the moment...olfactory polyamory. ;) A bouncy happy little dumpling of a phrase. :D

@@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293 In school in the '70s and '80s I still heard "Indian" to refer to "Native Americans" - which was the preferred term at the time I think? Now that people know more about their actual lineage, the more larger tribe is referred to (i.e. Navajo, Ottawa, Seminole, Sioux). I trip up now and then and say First Nations because I'm used to listening to Canadian podcasts (that term has always sounded most "natural" to me, but it is specific to Canada). I used to say "Asian Indian" to differentiate when I was growing up. It is all very clunky right now. But I am always willing to learn and correct myself. (I only used cis-gender white as an example of the more modern way of referring to oneself. I should have put it in quotes. I am still getting used to it all myself.) Again, where I am at, I am limited in my access to Zoologist fragrances so I'm still waiting to save up enough to order a sample set to try.

@@ableaktether I hope you'll pop back one day and let me know which Zoologist scent you fell in love with. I have a few of theirs as samples but I find them underwhelming on my skin, given the stunning packaging and brand concept. (note: the animal-Victoriana 'thing' was HUGE around the world about a decade ago, wasn't it? Shame Victor couldn't have beaten everybody and got there first with this striking visual, y'know, just made it a Zoologist thing.) Oh! A Fort & Manle discovery set would be an excellent gift idea to put on your own list for the holiday season. Gorgeous fragrances, so moreish. Hope you have a terrific weekend. :)

Oriental is not a slur. It just means of the East, or to the east, and Occidental just means of the west, to the west. Anyone who objects to those words is reading something into it that isn't there.

This was the original bottle on release before Prin changed prissana bottles to 30ml :)

@@ouch110 oh gosh... I have the 30 ml bottle which I go through every other month lol 😆 I love it.thank you

I love that, too

Also commenting before I watch even!

It’s £90 in the UK. I can’t speak for every country,

I don't have it in my collection. :)

You will love it, I think

I haven't!!! :(

Oooh I haven't tried any of those, I think they sell candles no??? Maybe I should check them out.

1. Moth 2.Camel 3. Nightingale 4. Bee 5. Sloth. yayyyy! Ahh the name isn't anything special it's just an old email I had and now I feel like it's too late to change haha.

@@ouch110 I see. Thanks. :)

Hello! Kenzo Elephant is more of a spicy perfume, not really an incense. It's beautiful though!

I still have them!! I have just reviewed all of them hehe. And I haven’t tried anything new from them for years. :( I stick to what I know. 👍

You’re welcome 😊

Oh no it was just a healthy discussion about an article. “The word oriental is outdated but is it offensive”? That was the title. I need to read more about it. But we will see!

Shalimar is an amber/vanilla/citrus. It’s not an incense to me 😛