NISHANE
FAVONIUS
2021
PERFUMER
Julia Rodriguez Pastor
bergamot
pink pepper
incense
geranium
cypriol
rose
armoise
clary sage
oud
cedarwood
patchouli
sandalwood
Favonius was released as a Harrods exclusive upon release. It’s been made widely available later.
‘The God FAVONIUS (one of the Roman wind gods and generally equated with the Greek god Zephyrus) loved Flora, the Goddess of Flowers, so much that he changed himself into a rose because the Goddess had no interest other than flowers. When Flora saw the rose, she kissed it and thus fulfilled Favonius’ wish. And it is said that the very word “rose” originated when Flora, in pain upon being struck by Cupid’s arrow, was unable to properly pronounce the word Eros but made it sound like “ros”. From this the word “rose” becomes a synonym for Eros; both in Rome and in Greece it is the symbol of youth, of vitality, love, beauty and the fruitfulness of nature. FAVONIUS was a Roman nomen, meaning “favorable”. It applied to a number of Roman mythological and historical figures. The gentlest of the winds, FAVONIUS is known as the fructifying wind, the messenger of spring. He held dominion over plants and flowers. The Roman poet Horace writes: quid fles, Asterie, quem tibi candidi primo restituent vere Favonii? Why do you weep, Asterie, for the man whom the bright west winds will restore to you at the beginning of spring? In this “rose & oud” dominant perfume exclusively created for HARRODS by NISHANE, the rose and the incense notes complement each other with a very balanced touch of oud. The effect of the opening comes from an incense note which goes with flow and pleasures the continuity.’ – Nishane
Favonius used to be a Harrods exclusive, that at some point became more widely available. I finally had a chance to try to wear it and I have to say, Favonius opens as one of my favorite Nishane’s ever, but it loses points as it dries down. Still, not too shabby.
The quality is there and it’s a rich, resinous composition that exudes luxury for as long as it’s reined in.
Favonius is essentially a sweet woody rose, that not only comes across as a highly resinous amber to my nose, but it has a strong earthy patchouli and cypriol undercutting it all and it makes the first 1-2 hours a more mature mix. While it is sweet and almost syrupy, it places you in a forest setting with the earthiness and slight aromatic touches.
The florals stand out more, the more I smell it up close. I don’t think it’s a generic rose-oud, but you do get that typical sweet rose in here.
In my experience, the first hour or two of Favonius gives a rather similar wearing experience to a much more floral Amouage Jubilation 40 and I loved it. After that, the sweetness completely dominates and it becomes a safer scent.
Favonius truly is surprisingly sweet, with a candy-like edge. There is even a hint of bubblegum (incense?) and I do agree with some of the reviews that refered to ‘jellybeans’. You get mostly this unrestricted sweetness with the rose and opposite to what you may expect, the darker tones, the earthiness and more high quality smelling woods eventually completely disappear along the ride.
I’d say about a 8-9 out of 10 for the opening hour for me, but an average to above average drydown.