Ani

Nishane Ani is honestly a masterpiece to me. It almost feels like watching a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat and just sitting there wondering how that even happened. When I first spray it, the resinous and slightly gingery feeling reminds me of smelling a really beautiful, high quality wooden box. It makes me think of walking through a forest in cool autumn weather, surrounded by trees that smell slightly resinous, with something warm to drink in my hand. The opening is definitely masculine, serious and a little bit manly. Not in a bad way at all. It actually smells very refined and high quality. But if I had judged it only by the first few minutes, I probably would have said, “This smells beautiful, but it is too masculine for me, I could never wear it.” But the real beauty and magic of Ani comes out when you give it some time. That resinous, gingery and masculine feeling suddenly starts to fade, and underneath it this incredibly creamy lemon cheesecake smell appears. I genuinely did not expect such a huge transformation between the opening and the drydown. After about an hour, it becomes much more unisex, soft, creamy and smooth. Even though I compare it to lemon cheesecake, it never smells overly gourmand, too sweet or literally edible to me. The sweetness is very balanced. The lemony, creamy and vanilla part still smells like perfume rather than dessert. It does not have that cheap or artificial gourmand feeling either. Quite the opposite, everything feels very polished and controlled. Everyone around me who smelled this transformation was genuinely shocked and ended up complimenting the fragrance a lot. To me, this is exactly the kind of perfume that deserves to be called niche. From beginning to end, it proves itself through the way it develops, the beauty of the scent and the overall quality. It really feels like a complete composition rather than something that is just trying to be different.

Nishane Ani by the spectacular Perfumer Cécile Zarokian has become quite a notable fragrance. To my nose, on my skin, Ani is a bright citrus and warm-spiced vanilla fragrance. It might be the fact that I've worn Ingenious Ginger from Goldfield & Banks a number of times before I had the opportunity to wear Ani, I couldn’t help from drawing comparisons. Ani was released prior to Ingenious Ginger, so it would seem Goldfield & Banks may have wanted to cash in on something with a similar scent profile due to the massive success of Ani. Ingenious Ginger lends itself well to the warmer seasons, where Ani is well suited for the colder months with it's spicy and woodier characteristics. Numbers don't lie and Nishane Ani has certainly proved itself to be an iconic fragrance. Cécile Zarokian is one of my favorite Perfumers and I feel she is truly groundbreaking in her fragrance formulation. This is certainly not the most complex fragrance in her portfolio but it will remain a timeless classic from Zarokian.

My most worn fragrance recently and I keep reaching for it! The most beautiful, warm, dark, spicy vanilla i’ve ever smelled! Very well blended notes! Perfect for the cold months. I think this is totally unisex, me and my husband also like to wear! This fragrance is iconic for a reason! My other favourite vannilla is Note Vanille Nectar by M. Micallef, but they are two different parties! This one is dark, femme fatale feeling. So addictive! Brutally long lasting and projects all day long! I can capture all the notes and their changing from top to heart to base! Truly a masterpiece!

Mmmmm smells exactly like the entire process of making lemon/ginger drizzle cake, right down to the extra sweet but not too sweet drizzle over the top (with a little bit of random delicate powdered sugar). The sweetness of the cake as it bakes, the remainders of the peel on the chopping board, the so uniquely fluffy vanilla that you can’t help thinking of the anticipating soft sponge cake. Utterly addictive. The bergamot, benzoin and cardamon and provide a lot of body and depth but this is so well blended it’s quite difficult to pick them out.

Definitely a complex, niche, gourmand fragrance. The quality is exceptionally high; the vanilla emerges from the background, and the ginger note feels very fresh and authentic. It’s a mature scent,decidedly unisex and while its broad appeal is debatable, it’s certainly well-suited for those who enjoy sweet, sugary perfumes. Both projection and longevity are near the top tier. Personally, it’s not among my favorite fragrances in terms of the scent profile itself, but in terms of sheer quality, it is one of the finest I have ever encountered.