Reem Acra

Hey! HEY, you!
Me (looking around suspiciously): Who, me?
Yes, you! I’m talking to you, lady!
Me (upon seeing where the voice was coming from): Well, hello, Gorgeous!
It was almost as if the Reem Acra bottle tried to pick ME up. Sitting on a crowded counter at Saks it practically jumped up from the display tray, calling out to me from the chaos of bottles like a siren song with its bold, yet classy stylings.

Kind of a square, blocky number, almost handsome, but prettied up with sleek gold trim, a saucy band of red around its collar, and across the front, a swirl of birds in a classical-leaning floral wreath motif that I love. I’ve read that it’s the signature of bridal gown designer Reem Acra. It looks simply elegant to me, but I’m crazy about classical motifs (Greek key, urns, Roman laurel wreath, fleur de lys, you name it). If they made a mini in this scent, I would be turning somersaults for one, yes, indeedy.

But you don’t just buy the bottle, do you? Or do you? So I start thinking, “Oh, great, probably another case of bottle lust: beautiful packaging likely filled with more of the same-old, same-old celeb-u-scent.” (That I’ll wish I could just pour out, fill the bottle with amber-colored water and put it on display.) But hope springs eternal. And as luck would have it, I have a blank wrist, so I’ve got nothing to lose. So I’ll take one for the team, because I love that bottle so.

One gentle spritz and here we go. So far, so good. The juice, while not earth-shattering, is actually quite nice. One aspect of it reminds me a bit of something else, but I can’t quite put my finger on what.
What Reem Acra is not, however, is your typical loud, bright, in-your-face fruity thing. This is softer, warmer, almost velvet-y, a burnished patina of scent, if you will.

The visual equivalent of this could be a mellow compote, or fruit gently poached in wine or perhaps cognac or something. Cedar, amber, ginger, musk and patchouli are the heating elements here and they ease the composition out of sweeter territory into a warm, slightly woody glow with moderate sillage and good lasting power. It hummed along softly on my wrist for 6 hours-plus.

Its early fruit and jasmine leanings might be a bit off-putting to some, but it does settle down fairly quickly.

This would be a great scent to wear in autumn and winter, easygoing and not trying too hard, but still a bit elegant. Sometimes, that’s a pretty nice thing to have in your perfume arsenal. And that bottle — well, that would be pretty nice sitting on my dresser.

I’ve read that this fragrance also comes in a 30 ml size, so if there’s one to be found out there, it will be mine!

What about you? Have any non-niche releases grabbed you lately?

Notes: bergamot, peach, orange blossom, ginger, jasmine, LOV, peony, amber, cedar, patchouli, musk.

Reem Acra is available at Saks Fifth Avenue, $125 for a 3-ounce spray (no smaller sizes were available on the Saks site at press time but may be available in stores).