Aziyade

Very compelling fruity-spicy oriental. Many do it but few so well. It's in the repertoire of a few Lutens and Tauer but in a very refined and complete way, classic for Corticchiato. The blending lands in a very fizzy soft drink category, but the cumin sticking out really does bring the oriental market vibe out in a way that I enjoy. Good stuff.

Very disapointing, im a huge fan of parfum d'empire the brand prolly in my top 3 all time favorite, seems like aziyadé has been created by a complete different brand, on notes or on my skin i can only smell a cola candy bottle from the beginning till the end . No evolution, no spices, no fruits . Thats not unwearable at all. Just borin and synthetic

Reminds me of Teriaq Intense

When perfume people say that a perfume is transportive, this is exactly what we’re talking about. This is top shelf stuff. Yes, Aziyade smells like an idealized vision of a middle eastern bazaar, it’s spices, dried fruits, pomegranates incense and hot desert air in 8k resolution. The spices have grit, texture, freshness, there’s a flash of a sweaty, human component from a well judged dose of cumin in the opening, not enough to be mistaken for actual body odor but more than enough to make your heart skip a beat. The gourmand, ambery components come across as sticky, hearty and decadent, and the contrasting spices act as an effective counterweight and draw enough attention away from all that heft so it never becomes nauseating (although it’s still a touch too sweet for me on a personal level). It’s big, voluminous and long lasting, but in a way that doesn’t come across as crude, synthetic, or loud for the sake of being loud. Corticchiato simply doesn’t miss.

Summer evening in Bari. Orange blossoms turn into sticky dates and plums, stepped on by hundreds of tourists. A Sun-kissed sweaty man, spilled Pepsi a nectar on his skin. Weirdly addictive, you can't keep your nose away. Forbidden love, you long to smell it and lick it - sex on a warm Summer night on the rooftops.

Aziyade is a novel by Pierre Loti from 1879 that is semi-autobiographical nature, telling the story of Loti himself, supposedly, falling madly in love with a sex worker whom Loti gave the nickname Aziyade, a Circassian woman from the area that is now, roughly, Southwestern Russia, north of current-day Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Circassia was conquered by Russia in a war lasting from ~1763-1864 during which time the Russians exiled or killed nearly all of the Circassian people in one of the longest and most genocidal wars in human history. The novel describes "Loti's" love affair with Aziyade, and his love of the Turkish/Ottoman culture, the customs, the food, the dress, etc. The Turkish/Ottoman empire were where the majority of the small number of surviving Circassians, including Aziyade, were diaspora. However, "Loti" also describes a relationship with a male Spanish servant, named Samuel, that is never quite clear if it is plutonic or romantic at its core. The novel's blending of the fictional and non-fictional has led many experts to believe that the story is about Loti's forbidden relationship with a man, and that Aziyade and Samuel might be personifications of the same lover, an attempt by Loti to conceal his homosexual relationship. In fact, most expert summarizations do not even mention Samuel since the subtext seems overt. It is a very compelling story, and Marc-Antoine Corticchiato's composition beautifully represents a lot of these themes. Although, I must admit, when I first smelled Aziyade, I thought of an amazing tagine I ate some years back - not Loti's novel. I can be such a dullard sometimes. The tagine was one of the most fragrant culinary profusions I have ever smelled. The lid was lifted and I was bathed in the aromas of lamb, Medjool dates, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, paprika, and olive oil - and probably many other things I was unable to fully identify. Ugh, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. The first few minutes of Aziyade is that experience in spades for me. Deep red fruity aromas that are almost wine-like from pomegranates and dates, and citrusy and juicy oranges, are juxtaposed to striking notes of cinnamon and cardamom. The spices are photorealistic to an absurd degree with the cinnamon presenting baking spice and dark aromatic wood notes, and cardamom its cool, green herbal, beige wood warmth and sweetness. It takes seconds for my skin heat to release the cumin note, and once it joins the fruits and spices cue my mouthwatering. It is a true funky, woody, spicy, body-odor cumin note - so beware, if that is not a note that you care for. Its vocal volume is dialed in perfectly with the others. The cumin is the last to leave as the dry down begins, and hangs-on for quite a while as cocoa powder and frankincense notes join the stage. The cumin loses some of its sharpness in this stage, but still presents some of its brighter, aromatic woody facets that work superbly well with the sweet and earthy cocoa and the beautifully rounded frankincense smoke that smells mildly bright and citrusy, smoky, warm and balsamic. It's an inspired combination. Wonderful stuff. Further evolution of the perfume continues with the exotic cocoa theme via a dark and sweet patchouli, vanillic and floral resins, and a big heaping dose of animalic musks. The musks strike me as the same ones that would make an appearance some years later in Musc Tonkin. This dry down is indulgent, luxurious, sexual, yet full of devotion and caring. Call it a Valentine's Day dry down. There's likely going to be an epic meal involved, exchanging of fine chocolates, and, hopefully, some skin-on-skin raunch that... well... Aziyade has quite a bit of all that. Aziyade is a stunner, and it's going to stun you and people around you, maybe for better or for worse. It's loud and tenacious. For the experienced perfume wearer this might signal concerns since loud and tenacious gourmands are typically quite lumpen, suffocating, and rough for the wearer and the observer, but not Aziyade. It is sweet, yes, but never too sweet; it is not shy with the body-odors of cumin and musk, but not to the point where there will be questions if you forgot to shower this morning, nor are they so rough and sharp that they will scratch their way up your palate; the overlap of the revered incense with the woody cumin, decadent cocoa, and vanilla sounds like it shouldn't work, but they are lockstep with each other. All of this means that I find Aziyade to be very easy to wear, like a transparent cloud of the aromas of tagines cooking-away in a Turkish bazaar shifting to a privately decadent, sexual, and weightless second skin. Another excellent piece of work from MAC.

Cumin and dried plums in a hookah lounge! The rest is just tiny nuances. A weird scent, but so addictive despite strong associations with male BO. Dina_France (YouTube perfume reviews)

Daaaamn shawty, the way you bellydance around me you wanna be a baby mama for real?? You fyne sweet thang lil shawty. Damn….

The cumin ruined this for me it smells like B.O

The more I wear it, the more I love it. It opens as a "Malabar" chewing-gun and a coca-cola bottle candy, which I don't mind. It gets even better with a mix of spices, candied fruits, dates, and pomegranate syrup. It is very yummy, warm and sexy! It is sweet but not too sweet. The drydown is gorgeous and lasts for days on clothes.

Nice sweet scent but not many occasions to wear (use case issue) ^Free Palestine^

If you are sensitive to cumin PLEASE DON'T BLIND BUY IT! Too bad that I cannot handle it, I get whiffs of sweaty old man. Beside of the cumin overdose, It smells very very good...

È wazamba senza cipresso. Solita base appiccicosa, resinosa e fruttata ma senza il cipresso e un po meno incenso. Forse era piu marcata la versione precedente col tappo dorato a forma appuntito.

AZIYADE', 2008 by parfumdempire AZIYADE', 1879 by Pierre Loti a novel It is 2008 when Monsieur Corticchiato celebrates the fifth anniversary since the foundation of his company realising a perfume: an exotic, erotic, and magical perfume called Aziyadè. It is 1879 when Pierre Loti published anonimously his first novel. The protagonist, called Loti, is a French Naval officer stationed in Greece and Constantinople (now Istanbul) in the fall and winter of 1876. The story is about Loti's illicit love affair with an 18-year-old "Circassian" harem girl named Aziyadé. (I will not spoil the coup de théâtre about Aziyadè real identity). So, both the novel and the perfume tells us a story of seduction. What is interesting about Aziyadé (from now on I mean the perfume) is the anthropological, philological, and historical research Corticchiato performed. He studied all the extracts from plants used in rituals of seduction. What we have is a conconction with many spices: cardamom that was used as aphrodisiac in ancient Egypt; cinnanmon from Ceylon used in love rituals in the Roman Empire; ginger used in Vhina to -let us say - "excite the mucous menbranes"; and cumin used everywhere from Persia to ancient Hellenic cities and Egypt during the "hyeros gamos" rituals, i.e., sacred prostitution. After the spices, other erotic ingredients are the pomegrate in the opening, mythologically believed to be born from Dyonisus's blood (again a ritual bounded to sacred prostitution), and, in the base, the smoke that stems from the patchouli used in India to help attaining sexual pleasure, the blonde vanilla from Madagascar used by the Aztechs, and the larmes of incense employed by the Arabs. The idea is ingenous and consistent with Parfume d'Empire as a perfume house: we have all the herbs and materials used in rituals of seduction within the various empires worldwide and we have a name taht resonates with a book that only apparently epitomizes "orientalism". In reality, Loti is conquered and subverted by Oriental seductive figure of Aziyadé. And while he is conquered, he can truly express his desires and becomes himself. Consider following me on IG @alexolympia6

Very medicinal to me. Originally I thought this only smelled weird because I had a cold, but after testing it again it still smells odd somehow. Medicinal and old.

Aziyade begins with a surprisingly harsh, sharp opening—a stark astringency I didn't expect. After the initial flash of orange mixed with plum, dates, and pomegranate, the spicy heart emerges, but in a way that is unfortunately synthetic, like a spray cleaner. The base notes promised in the description completely failed to appear. This is essentially a skin scent with zero staying power, as it vanished from my wrist in under 60 minutes. It was a total letdown.

Bottle Caps Candy (the cola flavored one) + resinous incense in the opening, which is much more appealing than it sounds- a fun and bright intro! At this stage it's much more sugary than I would prefer for a long wear, but the sweetness eases off nicely and it becomes more earthy and human with the cumin warming up. The deep plummy/date richness also becomes more apparent as the sugar wears off, and the spices come forward as the cola subsides. Resinous incense humming along in the background all the while. Really interesting ride, and enjoyable at every stage for me. Love.

A rich, smoky and spicy amber fragrance, sweetened by dried fruits. Unfortunately, I also detect ambergris — a note I tend to avoid in perfumes. It has a distinctly Middle Eastern character, making it especially fitting for colder seasons.

Was terrified of this on paper bc it’s just sweet and nasty. I have the entire sample set of Parfum D’empire and just avoided this one. But I sprayed it on skin today and again got scared bc the opening is really candied but it settles and becomes really beautiful. I don’t need it because I have interlude woman which doesn’t smell identical but occupies the same niche. Arabian dried fruits and spicy nutty smokiness. No one is gonna really smell like you and this is pretty cheap I might have gotten this instead of interlude if I tried this first bc I’d save money lol. But yeah if u hate sweet stuff I wouldn’t be tooooo avoidant of this like I was.

Before ever looking at the listed notes, I was happily blown away by Aziyadé's sugar rush opening of cinnamon-spiced cola and juicy fruit gum. It also has some compexity (or imperfections) as there is a sense of both waxiness and nuttiness that I might reduce, if I could. Still overall, the top and middle notes are a celebration of individualistic sweetness. Later, looking at the listed notes explains much. There is indeed a plethora of spices and fruit accords. There is also the joyous occurrence of discovering an unwanted listed note (caraway) to be entirely missing (but hardly missed). Trust me, if I was smellng a caraway-forward perfume right now, this would be a very different review. Edit: Judging from other remarks, this may be a mislabeling of cumin for caraway, but even so, I can't say I find Aziyadé particularly strong in cumin either, ...though cumin would more likely blend in among the fruit and patchouli notes. That candle-like sense of waxiness is also persistent, though I'm not sure what might be simulating/stimulating that effect; perhaps the tobacco accord, patchouli, or something else not even listed. Overall, Aziyadé is an eccentrically wonderous scent well worth sampling at least once, ...though it doesn't necessarily follow that this fragrance needs to be worn or smelled often.

Absolutely incredible. The opening is stunning. I immediately get a burst of cola gummies, the tangy, acidic kind. Then another facet emerges: a subtle animalic nuance, armpit-like, brought forward by cumin. Altogether, this fragrance is a true niche creation, evoking raw sensuality and eroticism. It’s layered with aphrodisiac spices cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and cumin woven into a bold, intoxicating blend.

Parfum d'Empire is very less spoken brand, Truly underrated and under the radar. This brand uses most natural elements in their blend making. I own 6 till now, want to add few more. Below are my favorite list in order. 1. Cuir Ottoman - Slightly powdery Iris, resinous cozy suede amber with new leather 2. Azemour Les Orangers - lighter version of Les Indemodables Chypre Azural. But I enjoy both. 3. Aziyade - unique date syrupy vibe 4. Ambre Russe - Spicy, warm, slightly boozy, at times slightly gourmand and very elegant [ At time this becomes Top 1 and sometimes down to 4 - Its been like aa shuffle game] 5. Immortelle Corse - Initially, I felt what is this non-liner profile. But after let it settle down for 4-5 months. Now it is unfolds its honeyed, spicy, and slightly saline nuances, evoking sun-heated herbs, dry earth with slight sea breezes. 6. Fougere Bengale - Yet I need to understand it. For now, it is darker spices + syrupy sweet. Prominent Papery Tea and mint, Ginger and Patchouli play a hide and seek. Better to sample before buying full bottle. Awaiting to hands-on un bel amour d'été.

EXPLODES with a gigantic burst of cumin in the face. The first time trying, I couldn't take this scent at all, because it reminds me of BO. But now, after giving it a second chance, I have learnt to embrace the cumin scent for what it is. There is a very interesting cola scent underneath it, balancing the warm cumin with a fizzy, soft drink sweetness. On my skin, the cumin stays all the way to the drydown. I am not sure if I dare to wear this to the office, but I will definitely be spraying this while working from home. The cumin gives a strangely comforting feeling, a warm fuzzy blanket that gently surrounds you. Probably the same unexplainable reason why some people like the barnyardy oud scents. Not a safe blind buy!

Cumin BOMB in the opening im talking like spice market cumin blast - faint sweetness in the background. The drydown is much nicer but honestly the cumin opening is just a blast of body odor.. don't get me wrong though, fantastic quality, longetivity and all I appreciate it lots but the opening is a bit difficult for me to stomach.

There is the obvious, clear dates-cumin elements present here, but there is also this UBER-FRESH marine freshness that links both elements above -- the stank of the cumin, which is UNAPOLOGETICALLY brutal. But this brutality is tamed, domesticated and restrained by the fruits -- the sweet, dried fruits in this pair wonderfully with the cumin, which is odd, as I can't imagine a culinary situation when this would be the case! In addition, there is a dark, brooding element beneath, tobacco, immortelle and maybe even labdanum, and they all just work together -- they just seem to be all in sync with each other, no stark, jarring elements, nothing out of balance and NOTHING too powerful. Wearing this at work today -- no one is avoiding me (not any more than usual), no one complaining and NO ONE making THAT FACE people make when someone does not smell pleasant. Great success, I would say. I love this scent -- I have 2x travel packs, and I see myself getting more of this once it runs out. There is a loose connection to Arabie, but only in relation to the ingredients used and the kind of mood it evokes. I don't think anyone would mistake one for the other, though having said that, they do kind of remind me of one another, and not only because they smell the same... Big fan.

I was wrong to think of it as an autumn or winter perfume. Because of the spicy and amber character. But it is even more beautiful in warm and hot weather. In winter the contrast is almost too high, because it has a dryness from beginning to the end, while now in summer it just blends into the air like naturally belonging in the evening warmth, there where dates and spices naturally blend.

Constantinople, 1876. An illicit love affair between a French officer and an 18-year old harem girl that was revealed to be a boy. The heat of the city matching the heat of their passions. Forbidden, dangerous, exotic and sexual. This is the story of Pierre Loti's Aziyade - a XIXth-century French novel and of Mr. Corticchiato's Aziyade. This juice is really dangerous and sexual: my favourite by @parfumdempire It opens like a blast, a true explosion:zesty citrus, cumin, musk, and animalic, leathery labdanum over honey, dates, ginger, prunes and seemingly every single spice known to a Moroccan spice vendor. I am in love with how much depth the cumin gives to this composition (Monsieur Corticchiato, have you toned it down in most recent itrations?) because it exhalted the animalic, dark, almost masculine and very dirty labdanum. It soon softes down with honey, dried fruits and prune that counterbalance the acidity of the citruses. A strong vein of animalic musk runs underneath it all. The combination of the leathery labdanum, the musk, and the cumin create a very sexual undertone to the scent. All this conconction could have become extremely heavy, dense , and cloying. But Corticchiato made it somehow airy and sheer so nobody would be terrify by the animalic skank and the cumin. Seduction in a bottle: a cannot part from Aziyade.

This is super funky. Whatever is in this it almost smells like bad BO. The notes make this sound like it's going to be sweet and spicy, but not spice cabinet, more like cinnamon spice and sweetness. This is borderline horrible. I'll revisit.

This scent has huge wow factor right from the get-go - the opening is tooth-achingly sweet cherry cola gummies! Think Roja Enigma opening, but denser, intensified and without vintage soapiness. Fortunately, I get zero body odor associations. Scent is really intoxicating and I'm often reaching to my wrist to sniff it again. Another Parfum d'Empire stellar fragrance, this brand rocks.

This reminds me of walking into the hippie lady store that I loved as a kid in the 90's. The kind that sold Birkenstocks, gauzy scarves, beaded chokers and little animal carvings from Brazil. The spice, patchouli and incense still feels fresh and feminine. Really charming and nostalgic for me, but I don' think it is something I would want to wear.