Great value. Same ballpark as Grand Soir but really not the same thing. Like everything Lattafa, this has been way overhyped by influencers. For $30 or so, you can’t go wrong, but don’t expect Grand Soir out of this.
The Rose opens with a blast of Rich and jammy Bulgarian rose, a fruity sweetness, and that near chemically opening note of some ouds.
although not listed, this is very much a rose oud fragrance. It’s rich, indulgent, and smells as expensive as the price point. It does have some lifting freshness after the first few minutes once things start to settle.
its lovely, but it’s nothing new.
The oud note does settle after an hour into a fragrant wood and doesn’t dominate. There is a gentle green spicy from patchouli.
If you’re looking for a rose frag, definitely try this, but if you have a few you may struggle to justify it.
Black Ambergris is a bold and daring fragrance, one which I will not soon forget experiencing. It’s a dark and brooding scent which conveys feelings of melancholy, mystery and desire all in one. I’m finding it hard to decide whether I like it or not, but I’m definitely captivated. Despite the name, a wonderful note of dark chocolate takes the stage here - it smells to me as though this accord has been made up of natural tobacco and patchouli mainly, giving the scent a profoundly damp and earthy texture. Soft, burning incense in the background makes this warm and fuzzy, with just a touch of that iconic salty ambergris. The name is funny because to me, the ambergris is the most passive note in here - it’s really not that noticeable at all. But as chocolate fragrances go, this is definitely up there with the best of them. This is not your average gourmand.
Royal Tobacco is a tobacco scent like no other, it’s unique and memorable in its character but not as challenging or polarising as other fragrances in this line such as Silver Oud or King Blue. Whilst I’m not the biggest fan of tobacco, I can really appreciate what a lovely creation this is. The tobacco here is very dry, but smooth, complemented tastefully by an array of gentle resins and balsams giving the scent a slightly smoky, leathery edge. There’s this dry spicy facet coming most noticeably from the gentle whisper of liquorice, which thankfully isn’t overdosed, alongside the warmth of cardamom among other spices. It smells lovely - very smooth, dry and warming with little to no filth or stink about it. It’s not something I love or would rush to buy, as I said I’m not a big fan of tobacco in general, but for those that are I think this is definitely worth checking out.
Tonka Sarrapia is huge, an unforgiving beast penetrating with overpowering sweetness the nostrils of anybody nearby. Sarrapia is a tree which produces tonka beans, and unlike Vanille Planifolia, this Extrait 75 really celebrates the beauty of its star note in all it wonderful facets. As for the scent, imagine Feve Delicieuse minus the cherry, chocolate and caramel - the tonka used here is virtually identical to my nose. It’s obviously outrageously sweet, enough to almost give you toothache, but has this gorgeously dry and nutty bitter almond note which pairs beautifully with the tonka. I must admit I love this. Not enough to justify the absurd price tag but if I managed to find it for half the RRP I would definitely pick it up. Tonka is a magical note and it is done to perfection here, the projection is enormous too!
Vanille Planifolia is a species of vanilla orchid native to South America, and the star of the show in this Guerlain Extrait 21. I’ve always been a big lover of vanilla, and so I had high hopes for this one especially considering the price, but unfortunately I cannot say these expectations were met. Don’t get me wrong it smells great, it’s a lovely creamy vanilla which, as you would expect, is rather sweet and seductive. However I find it actually doesn’t delve into all the facets vanilla can have quite enough, instead trying to contrast its beauty with sharp spices and resins. In the end I find it quite boring actually. I wanted to love this so badly, and I don’t dislike it in any sense, it just has no justification for costing £500/50ml. Overall this was quite a major let down for me, for a fragrance which could have been so great.
It was love at first sniff. I don’t know what people think about it, but it just just boost my confidence more when I wear it.
Hype beast for a reason. I get the appeal. Edible, sweet and spicy vanilla. Got rid of my bottle because I feel I’m a bit too old for it now, but I can’t knock it.
A aquatic magnolia vanilla. Not my favorite.
Too sweet for me, but I agree that it's better than tobacco honey, as this one is more consistent, while it lacks the dazzling opening. I can't take the sweetness, otherwise I'd be able to take it more seriously.
Similar performance with Terre de Hermes by spending less.
This is almost 1 to 1 with Aventus Absolu. Nice citrus, woody, ambroxan, and once it dries down leather fragrance. Bottle is nice for a Middle eastern fragrance. If you are looking for a more affordable alternate for aventus absolu this is it. 55ml is an odd size but for the price it great. 8hr longevity. Must buy.
I have a sample of L'IMMENSITE and they smell very similar, though Immortal lasted more on my skin. I have received compliments wearing this. A friend of mine said this "bro I don't know what you're doing with that cologne, but I like it!" and I had a woman told me that I smelled "delicious." I love what Maison Alhambra did with this one because I enjoy wearing it so much that I have four back ups.
The earthy orange is addicting to me. I think this fragrance is a classy one for a confident man. It is not everyone's cup of it, but if you can pull it off, you will get unsolicited compliments. I mostly wear in spring ,summer, and fall.
It is not something that I personally like, but I can see why it is so popular. I gave my bottle away to a friend because it was just collecting dust on my shelf. It smells good on other people, but it is something that I would not wear.
perfect winter fragrance. end of story.
beastly performance. strong vanilla but in a unisex/masculine leaning way.
I love it as a guy, but I've also heard it smells like a pampers diaper and I can see it. very powdery but a good scent in my humble opinion
very basic scent. bodywash/old person kinda smell. I've had it for ages
Axe Phoenix in EDP form
Picked this up for $40 when they were going out of business, so it was an absolute steal. It smells just like Layton, but unfortunately, the performance is terrible. Great for fall and winter.
I will never not love this.
A delicate woody floral supporting a blast of warm amber, salty ambergris, with metallic notes coming from saffron and Iso E Super.
It's sweet, warm, salty, and metallic.
I want this in my collection forever.
Now THIS is a creation I can get behind, Paradise Soil is an absolute beauty, oozing with delicious elegance and character. This chocolatey-floral delight is like nothing I’ve ever smelled before, really pushing the boundary of what niche perfume can be - I love it. The cacao is actually the most prominent note to my nose, its beautifully sweet and creamy chocolatey facets tempered by the dark and inviting earthiness it also holds. Beautifully thick, indolic white florals and tuberose and Jasmine dance alongside the sharp, urinous allure of natural deer musk and oud. Before it becomes too skanky however, copious amounts of sandalwood lend to the soft creamy nature. I think this is absolutely brilliant, it’s been a long time since something has wowed me like this. It definitely won’t be for everyone, but that’s the nature of a house such as Areej Le Doré. This is a truly unique and innovative creation which really deserves so much more attention.
Manly is a brutishly strong tobacco fragrance, which really pushes the boundaries of those who claim to love tobacco. For me, I find it too much, but that doesn’t make it a bad fragrance. As for those whose taste it fits, I imagine would be a glorious wearing. The tobacco isn’t smoky or ashy, but dry, earthy and almost damp - like a collection of tobacco leaf which has been left out in the rain to mingle with mud, moss and dead leaves alike. This is furthered by the patchouli, oakmoss and leather, with that dark and musky facet coming from the oud. It’s an impressive creation, but I find it far too damp and earthy for my tastes. It reminds me a lot of Tabac Dore by Bortnikoff, of which I had a very similar experience with. I’ve come to accept I simply don’t like tobacco in its natural form.
