Best Shade by Lush Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

A celebration of sensual sandalwood. It's the central note, like a golden thread seamlessly interwovenwith the exotic allure of cardamom, creating a lightly spiced composition that whispers luxury. The heart of the fragrance continues with supple cashmere woods lending a soft, velvety quality, while violet and orris underscore the powdery edge of sandalwood. As the fragrance blooms on the skin, olibanum and vanilla produces a subtle warmth, a serene endnote to a fragrance that is both tranquil and tantalizing.

Against the backdrop of a mountainous terrain, two communities share a peaceful coexistence. Yet despite their proximity, the societies are distinctly unique. Macaques cavort among the trees, grasping with delight at nature’s bountiful pleasures. From the quiet solemnity of a nearby temple, their human neighbours regard them, coveting the monkeys’ playful abandon. The macaques are all but oblivious, sparing only the briefest of curious glances at the pensive faces below before surrendering once again to their carefree revels.

Sweet notes of Fuji apple dance through a pine forest, welcoming you to Zoologist Macaque. Incense adds gravity with aromas of Hinoki woods and myrrh. The delicate balance between heavy and light results in an austere woody scent with mild hints of creamy sandalwood. Macaque is exuberance tempered by calm, sublimity buoyed by joy, a happy harmony of meditative bliss.

This perfume is a new interpretation by perfumer Mackenzie Reilly. The original version, designed by Sarah McCartney, is discontinued and no longer available.

Perfumer: Mackenzie Reilly

January 1618 A Japanese Galleon, the Pacific Ocean

Following a diplomatic mission to the West, a galleon carrying a delegation of samurai charges through dark ocean currents. Loaded with a rare and precious cargo, the ship’s hull is redolent of sweet-smelling tropical woods, heady Spanish leather, frankincense, fine black pepper and other exotic ground spices—the intoxicating spirit of a singular, extraordinary voyage of discovery.

A good perfume to visit if your are in a search for perfect true sandalwood,  smoky and a touch dirty. Arquiste carefully selected the companions for its sandal in this formula: tea and osmanthus, coffee, myrrh and stryrax and others to give it a dark, sensual depth.

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GQ US on Nanban:

"This is my signature scent. I wear it all the time. And let me tell you: I’ve never worn something that has gotten so many compliments—no sunglasses, no sneakers, no full-body rubber suit. People actually turn their heads and ask me what I'm wearing. And then they jot down the product name. Arquiste’s masterpiece introduces itself with Malabar black pepper and Persian saffron, gives way to coffee, sandalwood, myrrh, and Spanish leather, and embraces you all day with a blanket of frankincense, balsam, and cade juniper."

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Financial Times' resident perfume writer Victoria Frolova on Nanban:

"... approach coffee notes creatively. Instead of mimicking nature, a perfumer instead might fashion a blend that hints at coffee’s pleasing bitterness and heady richness. Such is Arquiste’s Nanban (£160 for 100ml EDP). The composition uses a plush backdrop of woods to frame the smoky, spicy notes of myrrh and incense, with an accent of coffee to lend the composition a dark, delicious twist. It teases with its smoky, nutty warmth, but keeps its presence mellow behind layers of sandalwood and leather."

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Messengers of spring arrive, bearing gifts that bring smiles to faces dulled by winter’s chill. The joyous song of the nightingale accompanies vibrant fuchsia-colored aromas of Japanese plum blossoms as they spread, infusing the tepid air. It marks a fleeting moment of emotional awaking: to some a time for celebration and fresh starts; to others, a countdown to a departure for unknown horizons.

Zoologist captures the onset of the Japanese spring through Nightingale, a pink floral chypre that will melt your heart. It opens with rich scents of saffron and rosy, powdery, tart Japanese plum blossoms, enveloping the core of the perfume like a luxurious silk kimono. Deep, warm aromas of oud, patchouli, moss, incense and ambergris seek to escape, seeping from the ruddy petals, to create a composition that’s complex and at the same time, simply desirable.

Perfumer: 稲葉 智夫 (Tomoo Inaba)

‘All the soarings of my mind begin in my blood’

Rainer Maria Rilke

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A perfumed celebration of saints and superstitions, centred around a fierce fenugreek absolute note lavished with singed pyrazines, sacrificial myrrh and mournful molten honey poured over everything like amber rain.  Meadow blooms, sticky dark resins, pungent balms and ashen clouds of iris swirl like dramatic weather.

Parfum 1 is where Fugazzi began, inspired by founder Bram Niessink’s trip to Egypt and the discovery of ancient perfume oils. Parfum 1 is a bold blend of bright and dark fruits, made mysterious by patchouli and cedarwood. The fresh top notes of citrus and blackcurrant are insinuating, gracefully riding a woody wave of sandalwood and musk. The effect is leathery, with a faint kiss of apple pie.

BAROSSA VALLEY

LUTHERAN SETTLERS
Stone Steeples, Sacred Oils

PEWS OF GUILT
Tolling Bells, Thou Shalt Not

ANCIENT VINES
Swirling Incense, Whispered Confessions

FORGIVENESS MINE
Bread, Wine

Scent: Ancient, Spiritual, Woody(rich), Fresh, Balsamic

Santal takes its inspiration from a Sandalwood fragrance originally created in the 1800s which has then been given a distinctive contemporary edge.

A celebration of great British eccentricity and all-round mischievous behaviour. This unique fragrance is an ode to the Mad Squire, his legacy of a life lived knowing no bounds and his fiendish love for outlandish stunts. This composition contains broad lashings of velvety woody opulence, finished with the earthy undertones of society’s eventual condemnation.

Squire Jack is an aromatic, oriental and woody perfume created for the rule breaker; this is a scent above all that captivates that free spirit of those that can’t just help but dare.

A bold, exotic scent that begins with a deep narcotic hit of Nagarmotha Root and dark aromatic Patchouli Leaf, the sharp freshness of Makrut Lime Leaf and the earthy elegance of Vetyver Root from Java, all supported by a luxurious modern Somali Frankincense Resin and warm sweet Moroccan Atlas Cedarwood foundation. Sensual and earthy, with a surprising freshness.

This is a 100% botanical perfume made using only sustainable rare plant ingredients grown for us around the world. It was handcrafted at our Atelier in Berlin.