It was in my smelling stomping-ground of Harrods that I discovered this captivating gem. Thameen are put right by the drafty entrance of the perfumery. Hurried shoppers breeze past the blue glass bottles of Thameen's treasured collection, on their way to the marbled Egyptian escalators. I found these square, gin-like bottles alluring, like a blue genie could be inside. I smelt them all, and was completely amazed by Royal Sapphire, but my heart will always be a sucker for a brooding rose, so Noorolain Taif had me all of a flutter.

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'Noorolain' means 'light of the eye' is the name given to the 60 carat pink diamond mounted in the Noorolain Tiara, created for the Iranian royal wedding in 1958 and designed for Empress Farah Pahlavi. This inspired Thameen to aim to create the most beautiful scent to behold.

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It smells pink, but not girly or immature, this is the pink of a 60 carat pink diamond worn by an Empress. It's the deeply-sweet-richness of pink Taif rose petals, with hints of tea and soft powderiness. The Moroccan rose absolute boosts this rose heart to swoon-worthy proportions. The jasmine and orange isn't apparent, there is no white floral nor citrus here. The pink pepper gives a spicy attraction alongside the rose, and the cashmere woods and musk just anchor the scent to the skin with a meditative zen-like relaxation feel. It's very aromatic, both uplifting but equally moody. It's the same woody-wonder that gave Santal 33 its cult status which provokes that same grounded feel in Noorolain Taif. It smells like the warm, wooden slats in a Finnish sauna as they give off their dry, wooden, therapeutic heat, mixed with Taif rose absolute and a sprinkling of pink pepper. And it's it - it's simplistic but fantastic and fit for an Empress. So it's very linear and doesn't progress at all - but you know exactly what you're getting and it's just as wonderful from the start as it is at the dry-down. This is what the colour pink should smell like once she's grown-up and succeeds to elegantly command her adoring realm. 

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At £175 for only 50ml, these are (at least) in extract concentration. It clings to clothes much more than skin (lasting on the skin for a few hours before fading to a skin-scent). On my clothes it lasts until the next day but with the shortest sillage. After 20 sprays my colleagues still ask me if I'm wearing any scent today, which is frustrating. I can smell it, but after 1 hour, nobody else can. This came as close to my perfect scent as I've found so far - but I'm not sure if it packs the 1 spray punch I'm after.

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TOP - Orange, Coriander, Pink Pepper

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MIDDLE - Taif rose, Moroccan Rose Absolute, Jasmine Absolute

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BASE - Haitian Vetivert, Cashmere Wood, Musks