Areej Le Doré Civet de Nuit via Areej Le Doré
The lover’s house improves with fire.
From now on I will make burning my aim,
From now on I will make burning my aim,
for I am like the candle: burning only makes me brighter.
Abandon sleep tonight; traverse from one night
the region of the sleepless. ~ Rumi
Russian Adam via the perfumer
When Russian Adam (of Areej Le Doré) and Sultan Pasha (of Sultan Pasha Attars) met by chance in London’s Regent Park Mosque ten years ago, it marked the beginning of a beautiful blossoming friendship. Adam was (and continues to be) fascinated by all the vagaries of oud and animalics, while Sultan was busy immersing himself in the study of the art of perfumery and just starting to explore the potential of oud. They spent countless Friday and Saturday evenings in heated discussion, arguing the merits of the materials which crossed their path: were they authentic? Eventually, Adam traveled East (Far East!) and Sultan remained in the West – but before parting, they pledged to collaborate one day and compose beautiful fragrances together. That day has come: this March Adam and Sultan released Civet de Nuit under the Areej Le Doré label. I waited nearly two months for my sample, and it was well worth it: Areej Le Doré Civet de Nuit will rank among 2022’s finest perfumes beyond a doubt.
Sultan Pasha Via the Perfumer
Sultan and I discussed his inspirations: Caron’s Tabac Blond and Pois de Senteur. He wanted to incorporate elements of each. The alluring smokiness in the former correlates to Civet de Nuit’s inclusion of ambergris, labdanum, ylang-ylang, musk and civet (some sources insist upon oakmoss as well). Pois de Senteur sports jasmine and De Laire’s famous Mousse de Saxe base – dulcetly floral with a lovely musty drydown over time. Strictly speaking, the similarity is apparent quite late in its development, because more indolent blooms (rose, hyacinth, cyclamen and muguet) populate Pois de Senteur’s heart and it takes awhile before you can perceive a kinship. Out of prurient curiosity, I ferreted out a well-preserved and very old flacon of Bal à Versailles parfum by Jean Desprez (1962) and discovered a distinct lineage once the magnificent citric top notes calmed down. After rose de Mai, lily of the valley, lilac and orris softened, the indolic wicked jasmine and sultry ylang-ylang stood steadfast; sandalwood and benzoin (and a soft cedar tone which is not present in Civet de Nuit) exuded a familiar spicy/woody aura. With various body parts wafting all four perfumes in toto, I felt a wave of nirvana wash over me.
Kay Nielsen A Thousand and One Arabian Nights illustration
From my description above, you might understandably – and mistakenly – arrive at the conclusion that Civet de Nuit is a derivative perfume, which it is not. Areej Le Doré Civet de Nuit is an original from the outset, the Night of a Thousand Pleasures. It should be noted that my husband (upon wearing it himself) protested vigorously: “Only ONE night? It should be a fortnight at least!” – which further illustrates just how delightfully seductive this potion really is. Civet de Nuit is nothing if not rivetingly complex, mysterious and utterly compelling. It takes one prisoner, and a willing one at that.
“Mysteries are not to be solved: The eye goes blind
when it only wants to see why.” ~ Rumi
via Areej le Dore website
Areej Le Doré Civet de Nuit is all about passion – not reason. Reason has no place in the dominion of desire, that torrid domain of entangled nerve endings, ecstatic turmoil and tossing caution to the four winds. Many of our clandestine cravings seethe within the underbelly of our subconscious – and Civet de Nuit effortlessly taps into them all. It initially woos you with the lure of an ineffable gentility comprised of heliotrope and aldehydes, but do not be deceived: you are soon lured into a nocturnal mindset which strays off the beaten path into an erotic underworld. Jasmine and ylang-ylang’s indolic murmurings inflame the senses: so round, so sumptuously voluptuous and shameless. They are the preface to darker longings, which manifest themselves in a shadowy charismatic palette – the earthy and envoûtant. Night’s cloak is fashioned from dusky materials: inky oakmoss, animalics ranging from a venerable antique civet tincture (swoon-worthy!) to castoreum, precious white ambergris, leathery labdanum and a proprietary musk accord. The tobacco in Civet de Nuit is one of the most beautiful I have smelt in recent years; it melds seamlessly with an incomparable Mysore sandalwood (my Gold Standard) and the ageless appeal of resin, personified by benzoin, styrax and olibanum. Break open the handsome vial or flacon, and savor the Night.
“I caught the darkness
It was drinking from your cup
I caught the darkness
Drinking from your cup
I said, “Is this contagious?”
You said, “Just drink it up.” ~ Leonard Cohen, Darkness
Notes: heliotrope accord, aldehydes, antique civet tincture, night blooming jasmine, ylang ylang, oakmoss, benzoin, olibanum, tobacco, white ambergris, castoreum, sandalwood Mysore, styrax, labdanum, musk accord
Sample vial generously provided by Russian Adam of Areej Le Doré – many thanks! I’m mad for it! My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor
Civet de Nuit 10 ml photo Areej Le Dore website
Thanks to the generosity of Russian Adam of Areej Le Doré, we are able to offer a 10 ml parfum of Areej Le Doré Civet de Nuit for one registered reader in the USA, RU or UK. You must register if you have not done so here. To be eligible, please tell us what appealed to you most in Ida’s review of Civet de Nuit, and where you live. Draw closes 3/31/2022
(P.S. – Areej means fragrant; Le Doré means “the golden”.)
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