MEMOIRS OF A PERFUME COLLECTOR
MIDNIGHT CITY SERIES – LONDON

2025

yellow orchid
taif rose
jasmine sambac

taif rose absolute
white peony
magnolia
red geranium
saffron
Coriander

marigold
black tea
sandalwood
royal sultan blend

Part of the 2025 M.O.A.P.C Midnight City Series: London, New York, Rio De Janeiro, Riyadh & Tokyo.

This was a really nice surprise. Memoirs Of A Perfume Collector’s first collection (A Night In Marrakesh, Lost In The Desert, Tales From Zanzibar) was the only one that I was familiar with. While solid, they seem to have an overly vibrant, in-your-face, modern and trendy vibe that I don’t usually love. A brand that I would’ve recommended if you care about (loud) performance and making an entrance with your fragrance. From the newer ones that I gave a quick sniff, London instantly made a different impression; one that spoke to me, so I put it to the test first (I will review more fragrances from this Midnight Series).

That initial response was: ‘This smells like a Roja rose accord’. The same citrussy/soapy rose with a warm side that is found in the Roja Aoud’s, most notably in my favorite, Taif Aoud. Surprising to me, given that it feels much more traditional and gives off a different aesthetic than what I was used to from my limited experience with Memoirs.

On skin, the first hours are not on par with a Taif Aoud or other Roja’s though. It’s closer to Roja’s lesser known Rose Parfum, but it’s even more rose-forward and brighter than that. It doesn’t open with the ambery base and spiciness. Instead, you get a very citrussy rose; which I personally love, but I can also see people saying it smells too sour or like a cleaning product. While not on the same level (exactly because of that cleaning product tinge, which is more like a lemon-scented product than the sharp, actual lemon), it reminded me of Krigler Manhattan Rose 44 and Henry Jacques Rose Snow as far as the scent profile in the first 1-2 hours and I knew this would be right up my alley.

I was going to write the comparisons to Taif Aoud or Amber Aoud off, or at least, tone them down, but after a couple of hours, the fragrance shifts and it does go in a very similar direction to Taif Aoud.

The best way I can try to describe is that in the Roja’s, you get a mix of everything from start to finish. In the Memoirs, you get a much brighter and more citrus-heavy opening with less depth, which then transitions into a spicier, ambery base. It moves from one facet to another, without having the full overlap that makes the Roja’s feel more complex and balanced. On the other hand, that means the Memoirs is less linear and I would say more easy-going and versatile. If you find the Roja’s to have an animalic edge, I think you won’t find it in London.

All that to say: I wouldn’t recommend London over any of the aforementioned fragrances, but it’s by a large margin my favorite experience with Memoirs Of A Perfume Collector so far. It scratches a similar itch as Taif Aoud would, which has been one of my absolute favorites in my collection, so there’s plenty to love here.