Shem - el- Nessim Grossmith for women

I haven't smell anything more beatiful than Shem el Nessim. It is soft, tender, special it seems composed by 2 or 3 different perfumes together: l'Heure Bleu, l'Origan and another old berfume that was my grandmother's favoutire but it's very good and not old lady's perfume. It's really beautyful but really expensive! For me it's a dream.

Simply a masterpiece and it's still a great lesson of high perfumery also, cleverly re-done by an expert such as Mr Roja Doves. The opening reminds me very clearly my beloved l'Heure Bleu, even though it is said that it takes also after to 'Coty's L'Origan (but I've never chanced to meet the latest, unfortunately!) which was of the same period. It has so many different evolutions that it would be really unwise trying to describe them all as I'm sure it reacts differently on each skin. I've always thought that these kind of phenomenons could only be re-discovered in Versailles's Osmoteque or lived in the memories of old ladies. It was love at first "sight".... a little "bit" expensive though I believe it worths every cent but....I'm sure the ingredients must be top quality, after all. Excellent persistence also! I've still mouillettes keeping the fragrance after one year or so.
This is my only doubt: when I start using it and consequently getting accustumed not say addicted to this wonder, how can I go back to my previous ones? as Sharm el Nessim has no rivals!
I wonder how brilliant and great must have been the original version! Sometimes I regret to be "young" as I wish I would have lived during the Belle Epoque only to know how exactly all those superb creations - released at that time- could smell .

What can i say about such a beauty...Grossmith is probably my favourite house right now, and i have sampled amouage, mcdi, serge lutens.... and this is by far the most beautiful well done fragrances i have ever tried, and i have the pleasure to own one and i can't wait to get the other 2 (betrothal is too pricey for me right now...so i didn't even try it).

It is rich (one of the richest i ever tried), deep, perfectly balanced, noticeable but not loud like black orchid or poison, it rather stays warmly close to the skin. About the scent itself...you can really tell these fragrances have a long story behind them and that they come from a different era. They are "haute société" lady scents and you can really tell. It's a bouquet of flowers, not a huge bouquet, just few of the best, most exquisite flowers of the garden specially and carefully chosen (after all these 3 fragrances of the line are inspired in gardens of the most exotic places of the world). It has a powdery quality, not exagerated like in YSL Paris or Caron's N'Aimez Que Moi, just a hint of powder embracing the natural not too sweet flowers, kind of remembering times when one wouldn't shower daily, and would use tons of powder instead. The flowers also have a creamy quality that makes them lay and melt int he skin softly. As it developes, the soft creamy base of vanilla starts to appear, as a delicate bed in which the powdery flowers lay. As said, this is a strong scent (i mean that it is not an eau de toilette..ore one of those that hardly have any silage) but not loud, so it lays softly in the skin. It does not have a crazy projection neither...this is soft and elegant, an intimate luxurious fragrance that talks and whispers in short distances..a jewel that waits elegantly there to be discovered by the others, like a pearl hidden inside the oyster. The longevity is amazing, and there you can really tell that this is HIGH quality. This fragrance stays until you take a shower int he skin...longevity is endless, and it doesn't need to be a super loud fragrance like poison to stay there for hours and hours..nah...we are talking about a masterpiece! it will stay calmly and softly developing it's aroma there until you wash it off. And this has only happened to m with this brand and amouage..the rest of fragrances that have such an amazing silage it is because they are extremly loud, like a lady that wears extremly make up and minidreses because she wants to be desperately noticed...no..here we are talking about royalty...Sem-el-Nessim would be that amazingly beautiful courtesan, pure elegance and grace, that sits quietly a bit apart form the crowd.

10/10..just perfection

Such a gorgeous classic!! I completely agree with fenlady here..an absolute perfume treasure..The likeliness to L'heure Bleue is what made me love Shem instantly:) It s thick, powdery, plush, voluminous, rosey. The sharpness in the beginning fades luckily away quite quickly so that s when the powdery earthy rooty iris kicks in, and such a lovely Iris this is..not the carotty one like Hiris or Iris Silver Mist, no a very attention demanding Iris root extract that reminds you of times that must have been there..but you never could travel back to..:) If I could I would take Shem with me in a time travel machine to go back to those french perfumey times where you took a bath in fragrances instead of washing with water:) Really if you re a fan of the "old" ladylike high attitude fragrances you should give Shem el Nessim a try..sounds ARabic to me but smells utterly french:) Not everybody could and should love such a gem, so ladys, let s keep it for ourselfes and admire it.

(Second review)
I"m coming back to this six months after my first review. It's often the case that I change my mind, and what was once good is now so-so; in other words, when it comes to perfume the novelty wears off quickly.

Not so with Shem. When I first sampled this I liked it, but now I love it. I'm not exactly sure what 'aired out', but I"m getting more of the spicy, herbaceous geranium, the crisp bergamot and a catchy, earthy floral.

This scent goes the distance. It keeps you on your toes, always suggesting it might go a different path. It's a very modern scent, even though the notes are old school. I think what i"m picking up more is the rose/sandalwood combo, which has risen in the past six months to be my signature combination. I will always notice this, and when it's done well, as it is here, I'm a school girl in love.

A classy fragrance to put on my wish list!

What a truly gorgeous perfume, definitely destined to become a classic! I have a sample of the EdP, and when funds permit would love to own an FB.
The opening is quite sharp and green, but the top notes soon give way to an enveloping, enchanting soft melange of florals and gentle woody notes.
Musk is there, and powdery iris cloaks the rose and jasmine whilst the cedar and patchouli create depth and intrigue.
In the drydown, this perfume is so similar to L'Heure Bleue that you could easily confuse the two. I'm wearing a sample of each one on either wrist, and if I didn't know which was which, I don't think I could distinguish them. Both are achingly lovely.
I think there's also much in common with Caron's beautiful N'Aimez Que Moi. Soft floral notes which never become too sweet dancing over a base of cedar and heaven-knows-what in the forest floor.
This is love at first sniff for me. I think it will prove eternal.