The Italian design house Etro released Shaal Nur in 1997. It is said to be named after an Indian princess, and there is also an Etro scarf design by the same name. The fragrance has notes of citrus, rose, narcissus, karo karoundé, jonquil, incense, vanilla, and spices.

Shaal Nur starts with a burst of bright lemon and dry incense. The floral notes, with the rose most prominent, come on shortly thereafter but remain in the background; the incense is the star of the show here. It is lightly spicy, and said to have both coriander and rosemary. The vanilla is very muted but does provide a touch of sweetness to counterbalance the otherwise dusty incense and spice notes.

I adore incense fragrances, and Shaal Nur is one of my favorites. It is unusually light and airy (and cheerful) for an incense scent, and very different in character from Etro’s other incense fragrance, Messe de Minuit. Of the two, I would say Shaal Nur is the more easily wearable. Messe de Minuit is a more gothic, moody scent, and perhaps makes more of a statement, but I have to be in a particular frame of mind or I find it overly oppressive and melancholy.

Shaal Nur is classified as a unisex scent, and can be worn in any season. It is only available as an Eau de Toilette, so as expected the lasting power is less than fabulous. I must add that I love the old-fashioned Etro bottles and labels, and if you can snag a bottle at perfumebay, the price is not too bad.

For buying information, see the listing for Etro under Perfume Houses.