Dubai is a city for the sophisticated.
It is a haven for those with a sophisticated palate, a sophisticated mind and a sophisticated aesthetic. It is a crucible of beauty in all its forms.
As I sit here resting my weary legs with the scent of a lily bouquet floating through my room, I hardly know where to begin with my stories of Dubai. But like a true connoisseur, I shall attempt to create each one with care so that you can see them for the individual jewels they are.
It seems the Dubai Tourism team were able to discern my style quite quickly. Before I arrived here I was selected to stay at The Address Downtown, a stunning hotel right next door to The Dubai Mall. From the moment I checked in, there have been so many little notions that this is just the place for me here, and this afternoon I experienced another.
After a morning of touring many wonderful offerings, I took a little time to myself to explore a place that had captured my imagination from the very first image I’d ever seen of it. The Souk, attached to the mall, is utterly entrancing. The lusty scent of incense trails through the amber lit alleyways, diamonds call to you from every store window and your inner Princess finds her head.
With deep brown twinkling eyes, a fragrance salesman beckoned me over to sample his wears and my Princess agreed. Perched up on a soft leather stool, I sat and chatted about the passion the Arabic people have for fragrance. Golden flasks each stood ready to woo me, but I already knew I wanted only one.
“Would Madam like to try this beautiful Rose perfume?” he asked. This Madame smiled and said, “Actually, I’d much prefer something smoky and dark. A rich tobacco.” It was as though I’d said a magic word, his eyes lit up and a single flask instantly selected. With a flourish he indicated towards my arm, “please may I? All perfume must sing with the skin to be true.” Perhaps this was a part of his usual sales manner, but in my current poetic surroundings it carried the perfect trace of fantasy.
There is a truth that appears in someone’s eyes when they truly love something, and that is what happened next. I was enveloped in a heady cloud of warmth and velvet, a scent you could almost stroke. As it rose from my skin I wanted to close my eyes and fall back into a deep leather sofa. I could not resist myself. He smiled at me, the crocked smile of a co-conspirator, “see?” he said. “On you, this sings.”
I have searched for many years to find my signature fragrance. I knew just how I wanted it to smell. I had come close before, but not close enough. The mass produced synthetic perfumes of the big brands have left me cold with their soulless offerings. But here in Dubai, amongst the alleys of the Souk, I have found my fragrance. And even more exciting to me, is that my fragrance has a story.
