Shaal Nur (Etro)

By Thomas

A pianist happened upon Sergei Rachmaninoff practicing the C major chord over and over and over again. Each time it sounded slightly different, as Rachmaninoff was varying the pressure between his fingers in an effort to find the perfect balance between notes. It should be said that at this time Rach was already considered among the finest pianists of his era – but still he sweated the details in order to get the big picture just right.

Balance between notes is such a tricky thing, but Shaal Nur manages it effortlessly. From the first spray to the lingering drydown, it seems so effortlessly nimble and balanced that I marvel at the work that must have went on behind the scenes to make this scent. Shaal Nur is an incense scent, but unlike other scents, it takes a lighter and warmer approach to the smelly smoke.

The opening smiles with incense, vanilla, lime, and some easygoing herbs and spices – lemongrass and thyme for sure, maybe some cinnamon and/or coriander. Dry and well-balanced, and a little reminiscent of John Varvatos with the barbershop opening. Actually, if you take John Varvatos and add some CDG2Man to it, this would come pretty close – ignoring the whole balance issue. Stray notes don’t so much as peek out for a long, long time with this one.

Development is rather subtle here, a few notes fade in to replace others…Rosemary and anise turn up but don’t really change the ship’s course here, just add a bit of depth as the lemony brightness recedes. Not much throw or longevity on this one, which is a shame – it beams good humor and ought to stay around a lot longer than it does.

Whether you go for sunny, happy incense compositions is your call (I love it, if you hadn’t already guessed), but this is a very well-composed, light and airy scent. Now if they would only do something about the longevity – I don’t run into many people this well-balanced and affable during the ordinary work-day!

Year: 1997
Perfumer: Jacques Flori
Notes: Lemon, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Brazilian Rosewood, Coriander, Rosemary, Tarragon, Rose, Pomegranate, Tea, Incense, Styrax, Myrrhe, Opoponax, Cedar, Vetiver, Patchouli, Vanilla, Musk, Amber

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