Unlisted Brand • Madini Alma de Alma • Fragrances

*TOP REVIEWER* tessture on 11/18/2012 2:52:00 PM more reviews by tessture

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I wanted to love this. I've been looking to sample it for easily five years and when I finally negotiated a swap with a kind swapper, I was soooo excited. Naturally with a start like this it was bound to be a failure, and oh, my was it ever. It started okay, going on mostly soft citrus with wood and possibly a vanilla base, very mild, but there was a bug spray edge which soon developed into full blown acid citrus detergent/bug spray. Horrible horrible. I couldn't get it to scrub off, either, no matter how much I washed, so I had to nuke it with deodorant. A very sad ending to a long search. It obviously works better for others, but do sample it before buying and sample with caution.

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Fantomia on 12/22/2010 8:49:00 PM more reviews by Fantomia

Age: 44-55   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

I'm a big Madini fan - not that I love everything they make, but some things they make I love so madly. Alma de Alma is one of my very favorites - it's sooo rich and smooth, and fresh and refined at the same time. It's definitely a resinous / balsamic scent - and ambers is not my favorite category of scents, but my interest for these kind of scents has grown after getting to know the Madini; I detect more real & natural stuff in them than we're normally exposed to.
I'm not good at picking out the ingredients in ambery scents - but here the other day I put on a sample of Les Nereide's Opoponax and I thought of Alma the Alma right away; There is something in them that is almost identical, so I guess AdA must have opoponax. AdA is fresher than Les Nereide's, it has this fresh greenish top note that reminds me of a flower I smelled in my grandmothers garden when I was a little girl (ok Madini says a blend of musk, amber and citron, but it's greener than lemons..) I don't know if this flower really exist, but if it does, it is a flower with long and thick juicy stems, that cracks easily and would be beautiful and crispy in salads if they where edible.
And it's just as smooth and vanillic as Les Nereide's. No similarity to Ava Luxe Opoponax Intense though (these are the only two opopanax scents i know) - that one is much more powdery and dryer (dry like in non-wet, not non-sweet) - Les Nereides Opapanax and Alma de Alma is both much juicier. I prefer Alma de Alma because of this unique green add, also it sits better than Les Nereides - it lasts and radiances - the silage and strength of (most of) the Madnis is fantastic - a touch with the tip is enough for a full day wearing (and more - and that's why 26 $ / 6 ml is cheap :-)).
I get nothing overly spicy or animalic - it's just the smoothest & freshest (and at the same time deepest as this is a scent I can burry my nose in without getting a synthetic saccarin-shock) recinious scent I ever smelled. Her beauty is relaxed & timeless & unique - she don't try to make herself intersting - she simply is.

Edit: Now I know what the green in AdA is - it's galbanum, I received my first EO of this lovely plant short time ago. It doesn't grow in Norway, and don't have any relatives here as far as I know, so it doesn't explain my association to my childhood memory completely, but it is such a rich, wet, smooth green scent, and Norway is very green, and where I live, very wet too. I love galbanum and I love Alma de Alma.

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*TOP REVIEWER* hadas on 11/28/2010 5:13:00 PM more reviews by hadas

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I'm not sure why the reviewer below me would say the Madini oils are dirt cheap: at $25 for 6ml they are not inexpensive. Luckily they have a nice sample program.



Alma de Alma is beautiful, perfect for winter. The initial accord of citron + green notes reminds me of the first stunning moments of Guerlain's Vol de Nuit, then it gradually gives way to a slightly animalic amber that's not unlike Obsession. Very pretty and the gorgeous green note makes it unique and compelling. This is my favorite Madini that I've tried, and I'm not normally a huge oriental fan.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Tovah on 8/18/2008 9:41:00 PM more reviews by Tovah

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Olive, Warm   Hair: Red, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

Alma de Alma is the consummate fragrance of seduction: deep amber, dry vanilla, warm musk, and resins. It's sensual, exotic, and evocative of a sultry desert evening. This perfume oil is very beautiful. Fans of Musc Ravageur may like this a lot. The base of Alma de Alma is similar in feel, but its topnotes have a citrus accord. I always have this nearby, because it adds instant elegance in any situation. Madini oils can't be beat for their lasting power, and they smell refined and expensive in spite of the fact that they're dirt cheap!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

vespertine33 on 9/26/2006 9:07:00 PM more reviews by vespertine33

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

The green note in this lasted all of sixty seconds and then this melted into the most spicy oriental I've ever sniffed; but there was something unpleasant developing too. It reminded me of marigold, cinnamon, spices and leathery musk. There is a strong animalic note in this one. It made me think of an Indian bride who is bathed in spices and petals with just a drop of vanilla- and then has to endure a fifteen hour camel ride to meet her betrothed. Alma is VERY strong with plenty of sillage, but the creamy, powdery note in this is just not impressive enough to overcome the leathery, gamey scent. It sure is interesting, though. Chemistry is everything, of course, and I'd like to try this out on a few friends. On the right person this is probably fantastic. On me it was a little like powdered road-kill.

5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* julieolivia on 12/22/2005 2:50:00 PM more reviews by julieolivia

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Madini scents continue to echo other more celebrated scents = or is it the other way around?
Alma always gets a compliment - always. It is mostly an amber accord, which ordinarily bothers me, but not this one, maybe because it is not partnered with vanilla or anything remotely foody or sweet. It is amber that is rich and slightly woody. The topnote is green, a rich green, slightly wet, not an herbal one, or thin, or sharp, but a very dense and fresh warm green smell. The greeniness never goes away and gives lovely counterpoint to the pervasiveness of the amber, so the amber doesnt get dull or repetitive. There is maybe a flower or two in there, and allegedly there is musk, but this is not to me a musky fragrance, but it is very sensual and feminine. I have to compare everything to everything, so, to me, Alma inhabits a happy place very very close to Musc Ravageur, Navy and Obsession. And I will probably want to correct myself later, but....I received a decant of a certain prohibitively expensive, exclusive fragrance, that had leaked en route so I could not put it on my skin, but could smell the packaging, as well as the empty canister, and got a good strong impression of this fragrance. A new one is coming, so I may reverse myself in shame when I actually smell it on my skin, but...to me....Alma di Alma smells, an awful lot, if not exactly like....Angelique Encens.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* blueelm on 1/17/2005 11:36:00 AM more reviews by blueelm

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I love translating these names. The soul of the soul. Somehow I doubt my soul smells like this. Alma de Alma is a very traditional (read: typical) oriental. Powdery and creamy, I can see how this would work for a lot of people. It smells nice, but doesn't sit well with me. Strangely enough, something in it reminds me of Givenchy Pi, the men's fragrance. I hate that scent. For a powdery fragrance I prefer Geisha Noir to this.

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