Ishq

“I cannot describe the moment your name is mentioned and I cannot express my love for you. You are me, I move with you”. Red ISHQ is perfumer Asim Al Qassim’s vision of the yin and yang of true love, the bittersweet sacrifice of submission balanced against the enveloping warmth of unconditional love. Accordingly, the initial burst of leathery saffron – dry, slightly bitter – is softened by a luscious raspberry and a cloud of rosy talc. Think Tuscan Leather’s buttery suede jacket dusted with fuchsia-colored powder.

Oakmoss takes the reins in the drydown, its distinctive aroma of dried sea lichen, marine ink, and sea grass giving the scent an interesting salty dryness that nevertheless stays firmly rooted in the leather genre rather than chypre. The drydown of Red ISHQ features a smoky ashy fir balsam note that paints a parallel between the balsamic freshness of Encens Flamboyant (Annick Goutal) and the abstract, crushed-ruby balminess of Baccarat Rouge (Maison Francis Kurkdijan). Despite the pert raspberry note up front, Red ISHQ is completely unisex – a uniquely fresh-but-rich saffron suede with a unami-ish bite that will make your mouth water.