As I get to the last couple weeks of July the amount of new perfumes I receive slows to a trickle. The deluge of new fall perfumes is just around the corner but I always have a couple weeks which allow me to go back and write about perfumes that keep getting bumped down the priority list. One of those brands is called Rania J.
Rania J.is unsurprisingly the name of the owner and perfumer Rania Jouaneh. She released her first three perfumes in 2012 and has followed up with three other releases. I received all six samples back in the spring. I liked most of them and they have been on “to review” list since then. Now that I have finally had some time there is one which really rose to the top, Ambre Loup.
Rania Jouaneh
Mme Jouaneh grew up in the Middle East and Africa. She mentions on her website that the aromas of “the spice markets, souks and African bazaars’ made up the scent track of her childhood. Amber Loup is the perfume in the collection which comes closest to that. I am one who likes those fragrances which try to capture this milieu. Mme Jouaneh does a great job at re-creating the smells of her youth in Ambre Loup.
If you’ve ever been to a spice market there is a heady smell where you experience all of the spices in the most wondrous mélange ever. Mme Jouaneh recreates that with the top notes of Ambre Loup. She creates a veritable cloud of spices focused mainly on clove. I feel like I detect traces of at least fivev or six others over the first hour of wearing this. She captures the warmth under the canopies with a heart trio of labdanum, peru balsam, and vanilla. The spices persist into the heart so the picture becomes a little more claustrophobic as there are a lot of powerful notes vying for my attention. Mme Jouaneh keeps the fractious bunch under control creating a really complex accord in the heart. The base almost seems disappointingly straightforward as cedar, guaiac, and a pinch of oud frame this with strong woods.
Ambre Loup has 16-18 hour longevity and above average sillage.
I think Mme Jouaneh has gotten off to a positive start with all of her initial releases. I would encourage readers to sample the line I think she has shown the ability over all six to create the specific mood she was going for. For Ambre Loup that is a day in the spice market.
Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by Rania J.
–Mark Behnke
