From a fragrance perspective Middle Eastern aesthetics have slowly been creeping into Western consciousness. The Internet has opened up the availability of the classic Arabian Attars. Besides perfumer's Salaam Attar's authentic natural fragrances for his line Profumu.it , and the luxury fragrance company  Amouage (which is taking these influences and adding a decidedly French twist to them) there have been few other Houses which have attempted that leap.

No. 77

In 2007 Designer Shaik, a Bahrain-based Internet seller of luxury items, released two fragrances in 2007 and followed up with two more in 2008. Until recently, (they are now available on http://first-infragrance.com) you could only buy these fragrances from the Designer Shaik website and were unable to sample them. Based on the note lists I was interested, but thought I was only going to get a chance to try these if I made a trip to the Middle East on vacation. Now they are available at First-in-Fragrance and I was able to obtain samples and try all four of these fragrances.

The common thread in all of these Designer Shaik fragrances is they have a huge projection to them, there is nothing quiet about any of them. They don’t reach the level of projection as the most powerful Amouage fragrances, like Gold, but these are not demure fragrances by anyone’s estimation. The older line is called Opulent Shaik and  is comprised of No. 33 for Women and No. 77 for Men.

Opulent Shaik No. 33 is an interesting mix of floral notes before turning very creamy and woody on the drydown. It opens with a razor sharp mix of angelica and coriander. The mix of herbal and floral is right up to the edge of uncomfortable and my guess is it will cross that line for some.

Those who wait it out will be rewarded with an orris and rose heart that lives up to the opulence promised on the label as both of these notes feel like they come from the highest quality orris butter and rose oil. It is concentrated and deeply floral. Over a long time, a deep sandalwood takes over and by the closing of No. 33 it has become a soft creamy woody fragrance sweetened by a bit of vanilla.

Opulent Shaik No. 77 is my favorite of the four Shaik fragrances. As with No. 33 the opening uses an interesting herbal note as contrast and  in the case of No. 77 it is basil paired with lavender and lemon. This mix is refreshing and delightful and a great opening for the rest of what is to come.

The heart is the “green rose” note of Geranium mixed with another couple of strong spice notes, clove and cinnamon. Along for the ride is a green apple note that comes off almost like a spiced Granny Smith on my skin. This interesting heart lasts for a long time and I was sorry to see it go as the base is a simple combo of cedar, oakmoss, and patchouli over some musk.

The two fragrances released in 2008 were called Chic Shaik and they shared the first digit of their predecessors as No. 30 is for women and No. 70 is for men.

Chic Shaik No. 30 is my second favorite of the Shaik fragrances because it ends on a gorgeous amber base. Before getting to that amber base No. 30 starts with a fresh cardamom paired with a lush passion fruit.

 

The heart is full indolic jasmine combined with a similar rose note found in No. 33. The base is all about the amber, rich but not overpowering. It is supported by a judicious use of patchouli and tonka but No. 30 is all about the amber.

Chic Shaik No. 70 was the least interesting of the four fragrances and based on the note list I expected differently. As in the previously discussed fragrances a spice note is listed at the top, namely clary sage. What is surprising is the sage never seems to appear on my skin and instead No. 70 opens with a pedestrian citrus mélange of orange, lemon, and bergamot. The heart is more interesting as muguet and jasmine reach for a deep floral accord, and succeeds, before allowing vetiver, patchouli and a mix of woods to bring No. 70 to a close.  

No. 33

All of the Designer Shaik collection have excellent longevity and sillage to spare. These are definitely fragrances to be applied with a light finger on the atomizer. Too much of any of these would be overwhelming.

While Designer Shaik has a ways to go to catch Amouage in the fusion of Middle Eastern-Western fragrance composition these are good first steps. There is much to admire in these fragrances and they are harbingers of better things to come…

Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by First-in-Fragrance.com.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor