The Dark Side

Description: Oriental, woody, spicy, powdery, incense
Mood: mysterious, warm-dark, addictive, seductive

Unforgettable and distinctive: The Dark Side is a unique, multi-faceted oriental perfume inspired by the Moroccan city of Marrakech and the rich and mesmerizing aura of its markets and streets.

A secret about The Dark Side:

I love warm, woody, sweet, and woody oriental aromas, and this fragrance is my foray into that direction. Its formula is very complex and consists of many components that I tried to combine as gently as possible. So many ingredients that, if you ask me, I'd have to look up the formula, since the pyramid is just a synthesis.

The funny thing is, I've worked so hard on balancing so many ingredients that I've forgotten how it all began. It all began in Marrakesh, one of my favorite cities, which I visited when I was 28 and then 39, returning time and time again with a slew of fake oils, scent stones, resins for burning, rugs, swords, and other useless but vital items. Last time, I returned with many smelly bottles, including a delicious fake oud oil. I was never a fan of those—since they've been so fashionable lately, and I hate trends—but this one is different. So, at home, I tried to develop my own base, inspired by that Moroccan oud fake, and created a sticky-sweet, woody-smoky, oriental stuff I called 'My Oud.'

Some time later, I began my project "Dark Side" (then called "Into Darkness") and integrated this foundation into the project. I added all the components of 'My Oud' in the correct proportions to the larger formula of 'Dark Side'. In the following months, I made so many more variations in search of additional balance that I simply forgot that the soul of 'My Oud' was within it.

It wasn't until a fragrance lover's review—who wondered if oud, which of course didn't appear in the pyramid, could be included—that I remembered my sweetly scented memory of Marrakech. So, if you really want to keep a secret, you just have to forget it, as I did with the base of 'My Oud'.