Nejma Three by Pascal Morabito

Arabic Rose, Bulgarian Rose, Hibiscus Blossom, Oud, Sandalwood, Ylang-Ylang.

Nejma Three by Pascal Morabito arrived in the mail yesterday. I had to contain myself with just a test spray as I planned to wear it TODAY. I wore Nejma Two yesterday and I didn't even wait to get home from the post office. I ripped the box open and whacked it on. Yes, HIGH EXCITEMENT, but I digress.........

Nejma Three starts life high on Roses straight out of the bottle. By all accounts, there are 3 types of rose present. Bulgarian, Arabian and Damask and can only assume that the Arabian must be Taifi ( aka Rose Damascena Trigintipetela ).

It's uncertain how the 30 petal damask rose initially came to Taif, a town located high in the Sarawat mountains of western Saudi Arabia. It's virtually identical to the famous Bulgarian kazanlik variety. Taif's roses may have been imported by Ottoman Turks from the Balkans, who occupied the area from the mid 14th century. However, the kazanlik rose also has roots in the Persian rose plantations around Shiraz and Kashan and these supplied fields in Syria. One legend says the rose originally came from India. It's actually quite confusing because these three roses seem to be the same thing.

Growing in different parts of the world imbues them with different characteristics. I can attest to the pristine and radiant beauty in this fragrance. The rose is simply phenomenal. "Pink Ice" would be a good way to describe their scent with its bright and crystalline aroma.

The oud is soft and sensual, complimented by creamy sandalwood and sans the "medicinal" edge. I don't get any Hibiscus apart from a welcoming "greenness" and Ylang seems more of a fixative than an actual contributor, yet there's an undeniable, tropical aspect during extended drydown. I would hesitate to state that Nejma Three is overly feminine, but that all depends on a mans fondness for roses. I find this scent triumphant and a beautiful example of the genre. I recommend this to anyone looking to experience the traditional, Arab-Rose-Oud combination.

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