When Parfum d'Empire's Yuzu Fou and Aziyadé were released last year, I was excited. My excitement waned as soon as I wore the two perfumes. Yuzu Fou (with notes of yuzu, kumquat, orange/bigarade, mint, verbena, green bamboo, blond cedar, neroli, white musk) was my favorite — it provides a burst of bigarade (Seville orange) followed by a blast of cedar; all the ‘filigree’ I expected (mint, verbena, green bamboo) was missing in action. Yuzu Fou is pleasant but unthrilling (it reminds me of Frederic Malle Bigarade). Wearing Aziyadé, I felt as if my body had been dipped in milk and then dredged in cumin (I was ready for the frying pan). I felt attacked by, impregnated with CUMIN. Aziyadé’s cumin was downright hostile.
Parfum d’Empire’s latest release is Wazamba. I have no idea if a “wazamba” is a Bantu midwife, a Congo tribe, or, as Parfum d’Empire defines it: “a musical instrument often used in initiation ceremonies in Western Africa.” This being Parfum d’Empire, I’m just happy ‘Wazamba’ is not the name of a lost pirate empire whose members ate infants for breakfast and clubbed dodo birds into extinction.
Wazamba’s notes include aldehydes, incense, myrrh, sandalwood, opoponax, cypress, apple and fir balsam. Wazamba opens with sweet, fruity aldehydes, then releases a dry, “gray” smoke aroma. As the fragrance develops, I smell fir balsam and cypress (opoponax and myrrh don’t stand a chance between the extremes of smoke and resins). The scent of incense, at first “burning,” then powder-soft and ashy, runs through Wazamba, and it’s an interesting counterpoint to the fragrance’s rich, syrupy fruit note (smelling more like “quince” than “apple” on my skin).
If you’ve tried Wazamba by dabbing your wrist with the fragrance or spraying a card, Pshaw!, you have not experienced Wazamba; only when you ‘power-spray’ Wazamba does it come alive on skin (especially the smoky and “quince” notes). The tenacity and sillage of Wazamba are very good. This perfume does not provide delicate, mincing phases of development; Wazamba is like a chant comprised of just a few words (ALDE-QUIN-CENSE-FIR! ALDE-QUIN-CENSE-FIR!) and sung in a loud, forceful voice. Come to find out, Wazamba combines what I liked about Yuzu Fou and Aziyadé (resins, fruit and incense) into one bottle.
Parfum d'Empire Wazamba is available in 50 ($75) and 100 ($110) ml Eau de Parfum; for buying information, see the listing for Parfum d'Empire under Perfume Houses.
Note: top center image is African Mask by frankdouwes at flickr; some rights reserved; images of Boswellia scara Flueck, 1887, by Franz Eugen Köhler, in Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen via Wikimedia Commons.
I am so curious to try this.
And filles en aguilles, for what matters.
resins, fruit and incense…yummmy…
BTW, I detect some reserve in your review: am I wrong?
Zazie: looking forward to the SL too…and no, I’m thinking of buying a small bottle of Wazamba.
So once again Carlos does not heed the advice of his good friends at NST and buys this unsniffed. I THOUGHT I liked it the first day, and the next. Third day….you guessed it…did NOT like it after all. I’m glad you enjoyed it Kevin. 🙂
C: I can’t pity you…not after your 1000th brief love affair!
Are you calling me a perfume gigalo?
No, he’s calling you a perfume whore. 😉
Oh, wait, that’s the same thing, isn’t it? I like the word “whore” better, though. 🙂
Well if the shoe fits….HA! 🙂
Thanks, now I have David Lee Roth running through my head. ;p
well, that certainly calls for some anti-bacterial spray…
Or a trip to the free clinic.
Resins, fruit and incense… This sounds fantastic! Absolutely perfect for fall. And it can be had for under $100. Why, they’re practically giving it away. lol
Hey, according to yesterday’s review, it IS free! $100 is the new free, right?
A.S.: INDEED…and it’s great for chilly weather.
I’ll have to revisit this. I’ve tried it (but only dabbed on skin) and it seemed like a nice, greenish incense, but not different enough from so many others. I didn’t get as much smoke and ash as you seem to have gotten by spraying it.
When I read here that it was going to be released, the press materials described it as something like “a forest of aromatic pine,” and I was just happy it didn’t smell at all like a household cleaning product.
Janice: the fir is not overwhelming on me…when all the other notes “activate.”
Aaaaaaargh …. now I must try this. I thought that I’d talked myself out of it, too. I have a powerful urge to spritz it on and let the power of WAZAMBA permeate the air.
Now I just have to get my hands on some – hey, Carlos, looking to swap? or sell?
Cynthiaw: I do believe C is ALWAYS ready to swap and sell!
Didn’t sound like my sort of thing from the release notes, and still doesn’t. Smoke? Quince? Fir? (I’m still reeling from the Pine-Sol/shaving cream nightmare that was Passage d’Enfer on my skin). But thanks for the well-written review, Kevin. Pshaw! indeed.
I just totally fell in love with Passage d’Enfer–what is with me liking all the things normal people hate? Of course, I’m the one who likes things that smell like cleaning products (I like pine, anyway). I do want to try Wazamba. I’m with Cynthia–Carlos if you want to swap or share, let me know. 🙂
Sure…let’s talk. 🙂
I’m on MUA under the same name. But Cynthia was first, so talk to her first. 🙂 Maybe we could agree on a split or something.
I’m all up for a split with Miss Kitty if either one of us has something that you want to swap for – I’m a doofus and my gmail name has my full name in it, so I’d rather not post my info here. I’m historyguru on MUA, but my notepad isn’t up-to-date (I’ll try to take care of that), although you could still PM me through MUA or Daisy has my info, if either one of you is already swap buddies with her.
I thought *everyone* was already swap buddies with Daisy! 🙂
anyone who isn’t —should be!
Now Passage d’Enfer…I have and love!
Glad I’m not alone. That’s on my Have to Have list.
I have a serious love affair with Passage D’Enfer. It’s all incense and lilies on me…like what I would imagine a Catholic church would smell like around Easter. So beautiful. Usually you can find a decent deal on ebay- that’s where I got my 15 ml bottle.
And oh my gracious does this one sound good. Between this and the new L’Artisan. *sigh* I think I sense another sample order in the works.
Mals86…you’re welcome.
I have loved several Pd’Es, but all the recent offerings have seemed to be echos of other, better scents-from SL (Aziyade for El Attarine, Wazamba for Filles en Aiguilles).
I’ve only dabbed this one, but the apple note appealed initially, and the pine pleased me. But it all fell apart rather quickly, and I was left with a raspy drydown. Patch is not listed as a note, but the remains of Wazamba smelled a great deal like the rests of some patchy department store scents. Sad : (
Louise: sorry to hear it…but at least you have good replacements handy. (I love me some “rasp”, esp. if it’s caused by too much incense.)
Anyone knows who carries this line, Barneys, Saks? I’m interested in smelling this one. Thanks!!
I know Aedes does, and I think Luckyscent as well.
Lucky Scents carries this line.
I’m afraid this wasn’t for me at all. It was so smoky that my eyes were watering. I did dab, though, so I didn’t get your beloved quinceness. I’m glad you and other will surely enjoy it.
Lovethescents: wow…if it made your eyes sting with a dab…a spray-down might have killed you!
Another fine review Kevin!
You got the insistent chant correct: “ALDE-QUIN-CENSE-FIR! ALDE-QUIN-CENSE-FIR!” however, you neglected to mention the enormous knotted pine club it’s waving wildly over it’s head in preparation to knock me senseless…..and then I scrubbed it off….and then I scrubbed a little more (tenacity is directly proportional to one’s desire to remove the offending odor, this is common knowledge) I made it almost two hours.
Oh, DO try monsta’s poison ivy soap recommendation! Takes care of those scrubbers beautifully.
I need to get me some of that soap. I tried on Mechant Loup this morning and washing my hands, taking a shower, and then washing my hands twenty more times didn’t get it off. It’s not that I minded it (although it didn’t rock my world, either), I just didn’t want to smell like it all day.
Oh, Miss Kitty, that is sad … I think Mechant Loup is a great fragrance. Try it again in the dead of winter when you need a little warmth. I’m serious!
I really do need to get some of Monsta’s soap….only I don’t think about it until I’m scrubbing like mad and crying out in desperation: “why? OH WHY DOES THIS SMELL SO BAD? AHHGGGG.”
Well shoot, I’ll cut a piece off mine and send it along w/your package. 🙂
Um, and here I’ll add, it’s new and I haven’t used it yet. 😀
thank you dear, in my moment of desperation I ‘m sure I wouldn’t care if it was used!! It would still beat chewing my arm off at the shoulder.
D: I was in scrub mode today as well: KENZO UFO. AAAAHHHHH!
Oh no! UFO??! That’s too bad. Expensive scrubbing!
Joe: it doesn’t SMELL expensive…believe me.
money saved then, right? UFO’s just ridiculously spendy….I know the bottle is interesting but it’s not that interesting.
The juice had me curious as well though, but since there are only like 2000 bottles in existence, it’s not like I was going to sprint to hunt that one down. The river of perfume just flows past me…
…oohmmmmm….
A fragrance fanatic named Joe
Looked a-gape at the river of eau
For (alas!) he had spied
In the fast-moving tide
His wallet, with all of his dough
Sorry 😉
Yay! Now I don’t feel like I’m missing something by not getting to sniff the UFO,
Cute limerick, H… and very true!
cool, the poetry corner…..very nice H, it spoke to the souls of many here.
I’m feeling a compulsion to snap my fingers and buy a beret…:)
LOL H, LOVE it! 😀
I would still try this for the name alone! Great review, Kevin, as always. Ha, I remember Ayizade making me hungry for some Indian food! This one sounds considerably less entree-like. 😉
Ojeda: this one won’t make you hungry…unless a wood fire makes you think: BBQ soon!
Kevin – your reviews always crack me up. I was right there with you until you mentioned smoke…. gak. Too bad. I love love love fruits and opopnax and myrrh…. Power spray? I love it. It sounds like a rather ambitious tactic to purposefully clear a room, a crowd, etc. Standing room only? No problems with the Wazamba Power Spray!
Ann: as far as I’m concerned, ALMOST anything requires a “power spray” to get — as Kevin would say — the FULL EFFECT. I have weird, perfume-eating skin, but I also feel that the concentration of a lot of newer creations is noticably weak. Those in my sillage radius may feel differently. 😀
What is your skin snacking on today, lol?
Indeed, some fragrances need to be diffused by a good spray. I am generally oblivious to whether or not a fragrance has too much sillage, though I always try and apply my fav orientals with a light hand! I like em big, so perhaps my nose has grown similarly accustomed.
Snacking today on JM Lotus Blossom & Water Lily and I finally agree with March that it has nuclear tenacity for being sort of sheer and aquatic. Big orientals can require a hazmat cleanup, so I’m sure you’re plenty cautious in your application. Speaking of big orientals, I finally got a sample of Opium edp and OMG I can’t imagine women drenching themselves in that. One drop was choking me after awhile.
Oh, but they did… to my horror! Opium ruined several movies and a memorable symphony concert for me. Which was bad enough, but when you consider I had saved my babysitting money to be able to go to the concert, it’s a real tragedy.
Anns: I power-spray at 4:30 a.m.; only my cat is up and about then and he runs when I reach the “anointment” time….
Hi Kevin: I’ve been only slightly curious about this one and may yet try it, but it’s not particularly calling me. I can have some problems with fir and balsam (and pine) — thus neither this or Aiguilles seems so appealing. That fruity-incense combo is right up my alley though, so I could feasibly love it (Carlos, how about making a decant before you sell it to one of the ladies above? HA!).
I’m not saying it is similar in any way, but Timbuktu has ruined me for all other sweetish-incense scents. Fun review.
Joe: I was thinking today that Wazamba and Timbuktu make a great “pair” of incense “ceremony” scents…though not to wear together!
I have some of this for you, and a ton of other stuff!
And I meant to add I love this!
But yow! Not a lot of love on the interwebs…
I love this stuff! Of course I loved Aziyade too (Yuzu Fou wasn’t so much my thing). And I love Fille en Aiguilles. It is mighty potent, the first time I wore it I nearly knocked myself out. But I’m glad I invested in the big bottle, this is getting a lot of wear.
Cazaubon: STILL have not tried the Serge FA…can’t wait.
I feel so churlish for bitching about this one (I won a free sample, after all, so gift horses and all that), but hoo boy did this one turn bad on me after about half an hour. I swear it’s an evil sludge brewed up by some tribal witch doctor — either that or a batch of mostarda di cremona (those weird Italian mustardy candied fruits) gone horribly wrong. As for spray vs. dab, I don’t even remember what kind of vial my sample came in, and I’m too traumatized by the whole experience to even look at it again!
Lilydale: your poisons sound like my delights! HA!
oh well, I’m going to have to try this now after reading Lilydales comment. I love the name, too. Sounds mysterious…
Woah! Quince and incence?!?!? Two of my favourite smells ever!!! Gotta try this one……….
My first thought on spraying Wazamba was: Yatagan. A slightly tamed-down version of Yatagan — but still. I’m not a fan of Yatagan so — major let-down 🙁 I’ll give it few more tries though, maybe it will grow on me….
Anyone get a resemblance to Chypre Rouge from Wazamba? (Admittedly, it’s been forever since I tried CR because Boy Did I Hate It.) In my memory, they both have that chewy-sweet heart hidden beneath pine & smoke.
Great review, came around over the SL Fille en aguille. I would love to try this now, as I love Eau Suave. I did not know there is 50ml bottles, that’s lovely!
I got a sample of Wazamba from EBay, and I wore it today. The first thing I thought of when I smelled it in the vial was Aftelier Amber (which I really like, btw). The fruity note at the top of Wazamba reads very similarly to the mandarin in Amber to me. On my skin, the apple note was there but I didn’t really read it as apple specifically.. more just a general, sweet fruitiness over all the resin and wood. It went very smoky and ashy, like I had gotten a direct nosefull of fir and sandlewood incense smoke. I like wood, smoke, and incense in my scents, but this almost pushed the dusty, ashy quality a bit too far.. I found myself wanting to sniff my wrist a lot, but if I got too close it tickled my nose, not quite to the point of sneezing, but just enough to make me pull back a bit to a more comfortable distance.