Scented Snippets New Fragrances Review: Aisha Perfumes by Neide Albano

by: Ida Meister

Neide Albano is likely not a name with which most folks would be familiar—although she is a presence on social media.

A native Brazilian, Neide is most certainly a polymath: she wrote a dictionary of essential oils for her PhD thesis, and another dictionary of natural perfumery terminology for her post-doc thesis [written in Portuguese with English, French, and Spanish translations].

She is a linguist, professor, and translator. An aromatherapist and natural perfumer (Aisha Perfumes) for the last ten years, Neide is yet again known as a Natural Antiquarian perfumer.

All of these qualifications place her [sight unseen] firmly in the camp of People I Would Love To Feed and Drink Wine With For Hours On End.

She's a devoted mother and a grandmother, possessed of a warm and open intelligent countenance—and once again, I was backlogged to the point that I've clung to my samples an unusually lengthy timespan :-(

My apologies, Neide and all.

[Sadly, in the packaging and sending from Washington State (where Neide was recently visiting her daughter and brand-new grandchild!), there broke a vial of something I wanted very much to sniff: Cocoa Tuberose. :-(  I'll do my best to try to suss it out from the little pieces of glass. These things happen ...]

OUD OSMANTHUS Top: ginger lily, cedar leaf, galangal, bitter orange, green mandarin Heart: tuberose attar, jasmine absolute Base: Siam wood [Pemou], tolu balsam, osmanthus, oud

[Organic grape alcohol is the chosen carrier for these fragrances]

Neide's Oud Osmanthus bears little resemblance to that of Mona Di Orio [I'm always aware that some may take note of other perfumers' compositions bearing the same name]. The marvelous citrus notes of green mandarin and bitter orange are native, and  produced nearby. I find the galangal to be fleeting, and wish it would linger awhile longer: it is well-known to those who adore Thai food, especially in the coconut-chicken broth soup Tom Kha Gai. Ginger lily is expansive, paving the way for very beautiful florals in the heart of the matter.

The base is creamy and longlastingly woody; what surprises me is how osmanthus comes through and is sustained throughout the development of the perfume. [It is easy to overwhelm osmanthus in compositions, and it is plenty costly enough that that would be folly!]

The end result is a lovely, satiny floral woody fragrance with subtle tones of fruit and implied suede, courtesy of osmanthus. Those who anticipate a strong oud presence won't find it here: it is one of several woody components comprising a beautifully-blended whole.

ALHAMBRA Top: Italian bergamot, Sicilian lemon, bitter orange Heart: Lebanese cedarwood, Brazilian rosewood, ylang-ylang complete, Egyptian geranium, Tibetan zanthoxylum [a form of Sichuan pepper] Base: Patchouli, Mysore sandalwood, vanilla absolute

***The carrier alcohol has been infused with saffron, to mimic the warm hues of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain; the rosewood is from a sustainable Amazonian rainforest farm***

Neide's goal was to suffuse this perfume with all the mystery of starry nights on the Iberian peninsula: in my opinion, she has succeeded, most lovingly.

Alhambra is warm and spicy, voluptuously unselfconscious in its allure. You may bed down alone or in company wearing it, with no wearer's remorse, it is so satisfying. I may end up purchasing a bottle for just such a purpose; my dreams would prove gentle and sensual.
 

HANAMI GUEIXA Top: bitter orange, absinthe accord, Italian bergamot Heart: Jasmine sambac absolute, bois de rose, neroli absolute, Tibetan zanthoxylum, Paraguayan guaiac oil [palo santo] Base: cuir accord, green oakmoss, benzoin, frankincense

[Gueixa is "Geisha" in Portuguese.]

A celebration of the time-honored Japanese Cherry Blossom observance. Neide's inspiration was the annual Washington, D.C. parade and week-long tours of its famed profusion of blooming cherry trees.

Hanami Guexia is unlike most evocations of cherry blossom time: it seeks to express a verdantly floral spirituality and sense of ritual rather than a purely lilting floral theme. Its delicacy may be viewed as geisha-like in character, with wisps of wood and incense unfurling around jasmine and neroli. The top is beautifully vital and green, with an easy herbal quality; pepper and rosewood marry well with the florals. The base boasts a
leather accord which I perceive as very light-handed; oakmoss enlivens the greenness and adds depth along with feathery incense notes which extend the general longevity of the fragrance.

This is a delightfully complex meditative perfume, subtle and intriguing. A must-try.
 

COCOA TUBEROSE Top: Italian bergamot, pink grapefruit Heart: bois de rose, Egyptian geranium, Damask rose, ginger CO2, Indian tuberose attar Base: vanilla, benzoin, Sri Lankan vetiver, Brazilian chocolate, tonka bean absolute

[My one broken vial! :-(]

I am clinging to the shards and the 'bedding', so I cannot truly speak for what I smell or taste.

YES, TASTE.

Neide created a chocolate alcohol foundation for this perfume!!!

You can only imagine my despair.

From what my nose can glean from huffing the wood-like strands used for packaging [and even chewing on them, too!], this is a very earthy fragrance: I smell more of the sweet balsamic vetiver and the tuberose than the chocolate, alas. I can taste the geranium and rose, and the ginger. Those materials with a lower molecular weight, such as the citruses, don't stand about for very long; I couldn't taste them properly.

Yes, this is the first review I've ever attempted to write by tasting the packaging. I have NO fear. And it's all for science and art, anyway!

I have no doubt that Cocoa Tuberose is a beauty—and I look forward to trying it in the future.

ALQUIMIA Top: Paraguayan petitgrain, Italian bergamot Heart: Paraguayan guaiac oil, Russian clary sage, zanthoxylium,Brazilian rosewood, fir, Brazilian pink peppercorn Base: Mysore sandalwood, myrrh, vetiver, cypress, Nepalese nardostachys jatamansi [spikenard], cassie absolute

Alquimia is "Alchemy" in Portuguese. Neide feels strongly that natural perfumers follow the adage of the alchemists of old: Solve et Coagula—"dissolve and combine."

What she has created is a botanical joy of profusion.

If ever there was a cornucopia of sacred materials, these certain qualify. Herein lie holy woods—those of Paraguay [palo santo], of the rainforests, and protected regions of India. Substances much loved in the Old Testament and Ayurveda alike: spikenard, myrrh, cassie [the Ark was to be made of acacia wood, by holy stipulation]. The ancients also prized clary sage for its digestive, antispasmodic, antidepressant, antibacterial, anticonvulsive and dermatologically beneficial effects.

Alquimia is grassy, rhizomal, herbal in its appeal—it feels and smells as one might wish "good medicine" to smell. I've always protested that "good perfume is good medicine;" if that's true, then this falls into that category which includes the herbal liqueurs and eaux-de-vie created in monasteries all over the world.

There's a certain rightness to that.

I look forward to future opportunities to sniff out more of Neide Albano's work.

Thank you, my dear.

I'm sorry for the wait.

All images: Aisha Perfumes by Neide Albano