Sheiduna. Sheitan’s bride? A she-dune? Seduction? Is that how they named you, I asked the perfume. Why?
It is all of this and more, yet with utmost elegance.
Here it was, right under my nose, the new perfume Sheiduna by Puredistance – Master Perfumes. An intriguing one, packed in an elegant bottle, smooth and heavy in my hand, with wow-baam! perfume percentage – where will it take me, I wondered. The niche house of Puredistance always seemed promising to me (feel free to click and learn more).
Press materials provided by Puredistance describe this novelty (created by CécileZarokian, ISIPCA graduate, she was trained for four years in Robertet, at first in Grasse, then in Paris. She was still a trainee when she created her first fragrance, Amouage Epic Woman. The name – Sheiduna, doesn’t it sound melodic? – is invented by Jan Ewoud Vos, Puredistance founder), like this:
“SHEIDUNA is a rich and intense Perfume inspired by the panoramic views and feel of golden dunes in the desert during sunset – soft, female curves changing from deep gold to warm, orangey-red – embodying a promise of sensual comfort and silent seduction. Wearing SHEIDUNA, one waft’s sensuality and intense color waves of Persian rugs touch the senses. The perfect marriage between Sensuality and Style.
Notes: lemon, tangerine, blackcurrant, aldehydes, Bulgarian rose essence, geranium, clove, vetiver, patchouli, amber woody, incense, benzoin, myrrh, tonka bean, vanilla pods, and musks.”
There you are, notes and all: yet, beware. Sheiduna doesn’t have the classical pyramid structure, nor will you be able to sum it up at once. You might love it or hate it, or hate it at first and then realize a couple of hours later that you want it as your signature perfume. It’s tricky, it’s strong and it’s pricey.
You’ve got to meet her in silence. She might seem orientally mystic but cold and distant, yet you can sense there is so much more under that self-contained first impression. When I took the second breath images and scents swirled around my head, extracting bits and pieces connected to my olfactory memories…desert!
I wondered which one was it…was it Israel? No. Sahara? Not this time, but close enough. Suddenly I was again in the dusty bus, on my way to the Valley of Kings, taking a right turn, passing the path made of ancient stones, and climbing the stairs of the magnificent temple of Hatshepsut.
My first impression of Sheiduna was oops, there we go powerful oriental again. Nah. But then came tangerines (I must have summoned them in the previous post “Tangerine Trees and Marmelade Skies) and lemon, gently unveiling Bulgarian rose. Subtle, seductive rose. It lasts and it lasts, leaving me with soft amber, near-skin seductive fragrance.
Soft as desert sands in the late afternoon, where all the scents of this world are gone and you can smell the sunbathed sand, the rocks, the sky, the Sun, your skin, and the wind. I don’t know why but I thought this is how she might have smelled, the woman who became the King.
The story about Hatshepsut is fascinating. What is also fascinating is that the ancient Egyptians were adept at chemistry, their formulas are the basis for the production of modern perfumes and cosmetics.
Experts from L’Oreal and the Center for Research of the Museums of France tested materials from ancient perfume bottles and jars kept in the Louvre: the percentages of ingredients used are roughly the same used in eye makeup today. And perfumes? They were masters of the art.
Born in the 15th century BC, Hatshepsut, daughter of Tuthmose I and Aahmes, was the favorite of their three children. When her two brothers died, she was in a unique position to gain the throne upon the death of her father.
To have a female pharaoh was unprecedented, and probably most unheard of as well. She did not become a queen. She was crowned the King of all Egypt, pharaoh, wore male clothes and a beard, and accomplished what no woman had before her.
She ruled the most powerful, advanced civilization in the world for twenty years. Bringing peace and prosperity, trading with, among other things – myrrh…which you can find in this perfume. When she died, her successors tried to eradicate every trace of her, including the most sacred form of her very presence on this world and the one to come – her name carved into stones of temples, amid names of other pharaohs.
Her temple stands up to this day, she looks upon you as you enter it, and she lives. Her name is not forgotten.
I can imagine her watching down those stairs of Djeser-Djeseru, wearing her perfume-scented robes, waiting for the sun to set behind the orange-colored horizon. Eager to retreat to her chambers, to be – just a woman.
A seductive, noble, and classy queen, sophisticated and elegant – hot and cold, sensual and down to earth – you might love her or hate her but she rules her world. Thanks, Sheiduna. Where will it take you?
Notes: Lemon, tangerine, blackcurrant, aldehydes, Bulgarian rose essence, geranium, clove, vetiver, patchouly, amber woody, incense, benzoin, myrrh, tonka bean, vanilla pods, and musks. Perfume Extrait: 27% perfume oil. Available at Puredistance.
The Plum Girl
Elena Cvjetkovic
Photo: The Plum Girl, Puredistance Masterperfumes
Sample of Sheiduna provided by: Parfumerija Lana, opinions of my own.
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