Review by Hannah JV in Canada.

Over the past week, we have experienced the grace and charm of The 7 Virtues and reviewed each scent from the Custom Blend Box – a collector’s edition that will be released on September 21st, in honour of the United Nations International Day of Peace.

The final piece to this puzzle is Middle East Peace, the newest scent in the range. It is also the big brother of the Custom Blend set due to its blending qualities – like Afghanistan Orange Blossom, Noble Rose of Afghanistan and Vetiver of Haiti, Middle East Peace can be worn alone or blended with the others to create a custom scent. Middle East Peace complements each of the 15ml fragrances in the blend box and comes in a 30ml bottle.

When creating this fragrance, Barb Stegmann and the team at The 7 Virtues was inspired by the citizens of Israel and Iran. Israeli-Iranian relations have been strained for many years, but the team at The 7 Virtues says the inspiration for the fragrance came from the mutual respect citizens of both nations have for one another.

Barb Stegemann and business partner Brett Wilson (right) present Middle East Peace

Deciding on the scent of Middle East Peace was somewhat of a democratic process, with partners, fragrance writers and bloggers associated with The 7 Virtues meeting up at the  John Lennon & Yoko Ono suite at the Fairmont in Montreal to decide on how it would smell. So how does it smell?

In the fragrance, sweetie grapefruit oil from Israel is blended with lime oil and basil oil from Iran to create the fragrance, leaving a burst of citrus in the air after being freshly sprayed. In time, delicate woody notes with a smattering of green tea are present, before drying down into a soft cedar and bamboo blend. I’m so happy that this comes in the larger 30ml size – the subtle way this fragrance rests on the skin has made this a hit on my perfume shelf this autumn.

There is a certain delicate nature to Middle East Peace that makes it an excellent choice for blending with the full bouquets found in the Noble Rose and Afghanistan Orange Blossom scents. But to hear more about how these stories weave together in fragrance, you will have to wait the big reveal on the 21st.

Jane Daly of Daly Beauty says a must-try for those that like their scents quiet and sensual, and who love the clean scent of tart fruits.

Further reading:
A Week of Virtues – The 7 Virtues – Afghanistan Orange Blossom
The 7 Virtues: Noble Rose of Afghanistan
The 7 Virtues: Vetiver of Haiti
The 7 Virtues Middle East Peace & Vetiver of Haiti Perfumes