I've always loved ancient Egyptian art and history, the complex religious practices of Egyptians and the depictions of their gods (including such "gods" as the female pharaoh Hatshepsut). Call me macabre, but I enjoy reading about ancient Egyptian mummification practices and the fragrant oils used to preserve and scent important corpses big (rulers) and small (cats); I've written here at Now Smell This (10 years ago!) about kyphi incense. Like everyone else, I'm sometimes susceptible to advertising, so any time a perfume house releases a scent that references Egypt, I sample it in hopes it will be glorious. (Why didn't Serge Lutens ever "go there"...with a rich, "profound" Egypt-inspired fragrance?)
Charenton Macerations Eye, Hatshepsut (which was, according to ad copy, researched at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo) goes on smelling medicinal, or "medicinal" as interpreted by a contemporary perfumer — in this instance, Cecile Hua. As you sniff the perfume, your eyes won't water, your stomach won't churn, your skin won't get goosebumps and you certainly won't think an unguent from ancient Egypt has survived and arrived in your midst.
Eye, Hatshepsut's notes sound sublime: papyrus, blue lotus, smoke, burnt tallow, kohl, cinnamon, honeyed wine, orris butter, spiced patchouli, incense, labdanum and Egyptian musk. The start and heart of Eye, Hatshepsut are most pronounced: it opens with dry, papery (thin) papyrus (that on some wearings seems to possess a hint of mint) and develops quickly to showcase a "dirty" musk ("dirty" is not a bad word for ME when it comes to musk, but if you don't like "ancient"-type musks — civet/animalic and the like — its musk may prevent you from enjoying Eye, Hatshepsut).
What else does Eye, Hatshepsut provide a careful sniffer? Blurred/super-blended notes: a fleeting watery floral note here, some cinnamon there, a faint, but pleasant, earthy patchouli to end the proceedings. Weirdly, Eye, Hatshepsut wears down to a sheer, contemporary-smelling accord you might encounter at a mall, be that mall in Cairo, Egypt, or Cairo, Georgia.
Eye, Hatshepsut is an ephemeral fragrance: it has mild sillage and disappears on my skin within a few hours. I like it, but realize my dream "ancient Egyptian" perfume is probably pure fantasy; perhaps ancient Egyptians smelled rather simple and relied more on incense to fragrance their environments. (It's back to my kyphi incense for now.)
Charenton Macerations Eye, Hatshepsut Eau de Parfum is $100 for 30 ml.
Thanks for reviewing this one, Kevin. I, too, have a passion for much of Ancient Egypt, and of course couldn’t help but do the happybounce when first reading about it, if not a full-on happydance. It looks nice enough, especially the dirty musk bit, but not intriguing enough for me to drop everything and grab a sample right this moment.
I remember DSH Perfumes did an Egyptian series a few years ago though I never tried those, either. I wonder if they were more true to the spirit and history of this time period? And I’ll keep holding out hope someone will give it all the smoky, spicy and heavy treatment it deserves in the future. Agreed Serge Lutens could likely do a bang-up job with this theme.
AbScent: I gave up trying to keep up with DSH ages ago! Let’s keep hope alive for a great ‘mummy’ scent! HA!
Have you tried Nocturne Alchemy? They do a lot of Egypt themed fragrances
clarissa: Thanks, I just looked and my mind froze…too many choices! I’m becoming a lazy perfumista…it happens.
Yeah they have been prolific:)
I tried two or three of the DHS Egyptian perfumes and think they were likely closer to the inspiration, although I did not love them.
I do love the clear, pure incense burnt in Cairo to this day. If you are in the Khan il Khalili on Friday morning, you may see a man passing around to the shops with a censer and trading purifying swooshes of fragrant smoke for a few coins. I believe it’s the same frankincense or myrrh that the Pharaohs puffed skyward to the Gods.
noz: my neighbors across the street are from North Africa and burn the best incense in early evening…scents the whole street and nice to smell, even on scorching days.
When I need to realize that dream, I spray Giacobetti’s Eau Egyptienne. It does not seem it maps to what you are looking for, but I enjoy its quiet powers.
schaf: I’m VERY sorry to say I never got the chance to try that one!
Would love to try this! As a child, I was always going through one phase or another where I was fascinated by a certain culture, and my “Egyptian phase” my first. The only other Egyptian-themed fragrance that I’m aware of was Djedi by Guerlain, inspired by a famous ancient Egyptian magician of the same name. I am currently down to the last little drop of my sample from The Perfumed Court…and said sample, by the way, cost as much as I’m usually willing to spend on a full bottle. Full bottles sometimes pop up on Ebay, with a price tag that’s more than my monthly rent…so I guess I’m going to have to save that last little bit of my sample for a really, really special occasion!
kiki: but USE it!
Kevin have you tried Papillon Artisan Perfumes’ Anubis?
sugarvenom: yes, tried an entire sample vial but can’t remember a thing about it! It didn’t strike a chord, apparently.
I was going to suggest Anubis as well, Sugarvenom. I have no idea what ancient Egyptian unguents really smelled like but Anubis speaks to my *idea* of what they should have been like, plus it’s a gorgeous Winter scent. :^)
I also have a sample of Olympic Orchids “Kyphi” and even unopened it has a rich, evocative scent. It is waiting patiently for Winter (or at least, I hope it is, and not evaporating sneakily while I’m not watching).
I love the name of Soivohle’s “Amun Re: the tears of Ra” but from descriptions it is going for a very different angle.
Koenigsberg: ah…thanks for mentioning the Olympic Orchids Kyphi!
So glad to see this review and hear your impressions! I tried it twice at Twisted Lily and both times had to “squint” to really smell it and get an idwa of it character. The most prominent smell to me was the burnt tallow/dirty musk but overall, it struck me as timid. It reminded me of a drier, meeker version of Jardain d’Ecrivains Orlando which I found very medicinal and waxy.
Elisa: agree…the Jardins d’Ecrivains are much more edgy
Kevin, have you already tried any of Olympic Orchid perfumes? From what you described, Perfumer Ellen Covey does the stuff of your dreams. I can see you loving her creations.
rick: it’s so dumb of me…Olympic Orchids scents are based right here in Seattle under my nose and it took a trip to San Francisco to sample many of her perfumes. I literally NEVER see them on display in the Northwest! What I’ve smelled so far, I really like.
Well, what she does seems to be a little bit underground so it’s not a surprise that they are not easily displayed. But it’s really worthy sampling. I remember that she had one which was very dark and animalic at first – i think it’s tropic of capricorn. I was surprised by her Salamanca too – rubbery leather like they use to made in the past.
Cairo Ga was my high school’s biggest rival lol. No mall in Cairo though that’s for sure!! another lovely review, Kevin!
Chandler…I was wondering about Cairo…the population is small! Ha!
First – you may have switched rulers and cats in your big and small example – just sayin’ 😉
Second: I will give this a passing sniff the next time I’m at Twisted Lily.
Hajusuuri…touché!!!!
I think the key here is “careful sniffer”, which frankly isn’t me. I do believe my sniffer is becoming more nuanced but all I get when sniffing this one is papyrus and a little musk, that’s it. After applying almost all my sample vial it still faded away after 30 minutes, tops.
Appreciate the review because now I have a better understanding of what papyrus and dirty musk smell like, but not much else.
I too am fascinated by ancient Egypt, king tut and all that. Quite another world.
floralgal: I often think of perfumes as “mini-lessons” that can teach us all what a note smells like, etc. What goes for papyrus will certainly be apparent in the opening of Eye, Hatshepsut. But E,H is very subdued and fleeting as you say.
Kevin, thanks for preventing me from buying this unsniffed!
I’m wearing SMN’s surprisingly strange Pot Pourri cologne tonight and thinking it’s more in the direction of embalming resins than Eye is.
Noz: I agree!