Jul et Mad
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The davana blooms immediately, almost jammy and tropical against bright bergamot, whilst rose liqueur cuts through with syrupy, boozy warmth. There's an immediate richness here—fruit, spice, and floral sweetness colliding before anything settles.
Turkish and Egyptian rose absolutes meld into a honeyed, creamy floral core, patchouli adding earthy shadows and a subtle leather-like quality. Frankincense emerges, bringing a cool, almost smoky clarity that prevents the composition from becoming cloying, whilst vanilla begins its soft work underneath.
Vanilla, sandalwood, and cedarwood form a warm, slightly spiced woody base as the florals recede into memory, with oud providing subtle animalic depth. What remains is predominantly amber and vanilla-forward, with persistent incense notes and a faint leathery dryness that prevents sweetness from ever fully dominating.
Nin-Shar is a fragrance that refuses to whisper. From Jul et Mad's 2015 collection, Sidonie Lancesseur has crafted something deliberately opulent—a rose-centric composition that pivots sharply away from delicate floristry into something altogether more sensual and resinous. The opening presents a liquefied rose, not the dewy, watery kind but rather one steeped in spiced fruit and citrus brightness courtesy of bergamot and davana, which lends an almost fermented, apricot-jam quality to the florals. As this settles, Turkish rose absolute and Egyptian jasmine emerge as a honeyed, almost creamy duet, supported by patchouli that grounds the composition with earthy, slightly leathery depth rather than hippie indulgence.
What makes Nin-Shar compelling is its amber-woody architecture. Bourbon vanilla doesn't cloy here; instead, it acts as a binding agent, softening the considerable presence of frankincense absolute and oud whilst allowing sandalwood and Virginia cedar to create an almost architectural dryness. Benzoin adds a touch of vanillic spice—think more cinnamon-dusted than confectionery. This is a fragrance for those drawn to modern orientals with genuine complexity: people who appreciate rose compositions that don't shy away from animalic undertones, who want their sweetness tempered by smoke and incense, who smell like they've just stepped out of a perfumer's atelier rather than a department store. Wear it when you want presence, when formality demands something that announces intention, when you're in the mood to inhabit a scent rather than merely spritz it on.
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3.5/5 (109)