The Cora: The Tenderness of a Midwest Small Town Mother

The Cora by Thameen
Amber Floral

The Cora is a burst of flowers. Maybe even too strong and sharp in the opening. It has an unusual smell due to a wisteria floral. Later on, the fragrance sets in and gets warmed up which results in a gorgeous timeless amber floral. Not exactly sweet, not exactly fresh. A nice bunch of flowers accompanied by benzoin, amber and musk.

It is a floral but due to amber not really a girly floral. It is a motherly floral. And I mean this in a nice way. No cloying grandma floral at all. It has this aura of a loving and unconditionally giving family figure. Spring time, kids playing outside, a lovely middle aged couple looking happy … like Jessica Chastain and Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life movie … until something goes wrong.

Luckily, nothing goes wrong with The Cora and we can fully absorb the familiar scent of peace and motherly love till the end.

If you are turning forty, it is handy to own a decent floral perfume. The Cora is a classic you cannot go wrong with. The same way you cannot make a mistake with Honour Woman by Amouage for instance. I have my iconic floral Pure Poison, so I am fine The Cora-less for now though. But who knows what happens next.

Carved Oud: A Journey into Subtle Oriental Elegance

Carved Oud by Thameen
Amber Woody

Carved Oud is Thameen’s bestseller and the truth is it is a mesmerizing extrait. It is a clean oud and cedar scent with warm spicy nuances of cardamom and pink pepper. The base is warmed up by amber and vanilla; however, the juice is not sweet whatsoever.

It is a very elegant aroma on a man and an attractive trail on a woman. It flows in the same direction as Gris Charnel Extrait by BDK. If you are afraid of strong oriental ouds, relax, the oud here is subdued, user friendly. With that being said, it is still a fragrance for colder months and preferably afternoons and nights. If you wear Carved Oud the first thing in the morning, you are probably living in an Arabic country.

I do not have many oud fragrances in my collection. Actually, do I have any oud in my wardrobe at all? Not an oud-centric bottle for sure. MFK’s ouds did not sit well with me. I found them heavy and masculine. Carved Oud would be a perfect oud pioneer.

Peacock Throne: The Secret of Attraction

Peacock Throne Thameen
Amber Floral

The composition of Peacock Throne is situated around taif rose which is profound and has a lemon and leather character. The base is deep and earthy with patchouli and vetiver. The fragrance is not sweet but is sultry in its own mysterious way. It is dark, sensual and vampy.

I wore it to do movies and it was not right time and place. It did not come across disturbing or anything like that but I felt going to the movies requires something friendlier and cozier. Peacock Throne smells niche, sexy and grown-up. It does not smell like Black Orchid by Tom Ford in my opinion but I see a connection between the two brands.

Peacock Throne is a beautiful fragrance but in order to get some use out of it, one needs to preserve a certain lifestyle, which I do not. Peacock Throne and me did not exactly click; therefore, it is not my place to add this unique rose perfume to my collection.

The Hope by Thameen: Puts You at Ease

The Hope by Thameen
Amber Woody

I will tell you one thing. The Hope smells like Christmas to me. Beautiful alluring rich Christmas. It has a spicy yet mild opening of cinnamon, cloves and myrrh. I love all of these so it cannot get better than that. There is cedar, immortelle and oud in the heart. Do not be afraid of the oud note. I would never tell it is an oud fragrance. The base is resinous and ambery.

For me, The Hope is all about the Xmas spices. It has these heavy hitter notes but in fact, it is effervescent and soft. If you know Noel Au Balcon by ELDO, The Hope smells similar. And better! It is sweeter and the spices are more pronounced. It would also be a good scent for layering. If you love the “so this is Christmas” perfume DNA, The Hope by Thameen is a serious contender to consider.

Royal Sapphire: Is a Diamond among Stones

Royal Sapphire by Thameen
Amber Floral

Thameen is a British perfume brand, relatively new, born in 2013. It opens the British culture to the world which is ironic due to Brexit in 2020. Anyway, it has been a while I have heart about Thameen, especially in relation to Peregrina and Blue Heart. When I saw their discovery kit at Muscat’s airport I could not resist.

I will simply kick off my Thameen review series with the best and it is undoubtedly Royal Sapphire. Guys, Royal Sapphire is such a gorgeous fragrance. It is unisex, very spring-like. It smells like the perfect cologne. It has a sparkling top with mandarin and bergamot, a floral heart – orange blossom and jasmine, and it as all balanced out with oakmoss, patchouli, wood and amber.

What I find typical about Thameen perfumes is that they are all quite ambery. But Royal Sapphire shines. It is bright but nicely grounded with earthy notes. It feels vibrant and aromatic at the same time. It is a combination of Levant by Ormonde Jayne and Aqua Universalis by MFK. It is juicy and fun yet serious and calming. An amazing everyday workday scent. If I were to buy one Thameen’s full size bottle, I would buy Royal Sapphire. That says it all.