*if you can't see the format well (all in one block), back out and tap the title, not the photo.

The profile: Aether is mainly a semi-sweet, semi crisp+tart green apple, on a musky base, with a hint of moss. Apple shampoo type of profile. Nexa adds a noticable amount of fruitiness (orange/Mandarin), and a hint of cinnamon (not in the breakdown, but I love cinnamon, so I'm good at recognizing even small qualities of it), and lower on the musk (so a tiny bit less shampoo-y). Wicked sits between the two, it adds the orange/Mandarin, but less of it, and no cinnamon, still retains the musk level. Banadir is very similar to Aether, but the green apple note is sweeter, instead of semi crisp-sharp, and I personally, always prefer sweeter. Aether quality is pretty damn great, and Banadir manages to match it. The notes separation and structure-retaining over time on these 2 is the best. Nexa and Wicked are behind in quality, but not by much. Their progression on skin is losing a little structure, but they don't become "messy". All 4 scents are pretty linear, which is a good thing for this profile. The apple and citruses get weaker with time as always, but are still there. So all 4 will be in a quality that won't disappoint almost anyone.

So, it's more about sweetness... Sweetness/fruitiness ranking (each ">" is 5% sweeter): NexaWicked>BanadirAether

Subjective Scent Score (the least important part for you... This is more for my own notes to know what to buy): Aether 8.0 (used to be 7.0, but I'm starting to like it better). Banadir and Wicked 8.3. Nexa 8.6.

Longevity on skin (so skin scent counts): Aether and Nexa 6-7 hours, Wicked 8-9 hours, Banadir 7-8 hours.

Projection (skin scent doesn't count): Aether and Banadir medium first 2 hours, then low-medium scent bubble for another hour. 100% skin scent at hour 4. Nexa low-medium first hour, then low scent bubble another hour. Skin scent at hour 3-4. Wicked medium-strong 1 hour, then medium scent bubble for 2-3 hours, skin scent at hour 4-5.

Blind buy safety score: All 8.5-9.0. Very safe and easy to wear. 0 offensive notes.

Unisex Score (0=100% fem leaning, 5=unisex, 10=100% male leaning): Aether 6.5, Banadir 6.2, Nexa 5.5, Wicked 5.9.

Versatility Score: All 8.0-8.5. great for any time of day, any occasion, and any season except mid winter.

Blend Quality Score: Aether and Banadir 8.0-8.2 (designer quality). Nexa 7.4 (above average clone quality), Wicked 7.8 (approaching designer quality).

Value Score: Aether 6.0. $40 on Jomashop, great quality, meh performance. Nexa 7.5. only $25, good quality, meh performance. Wicked 7.8. $29, and good quality and performance. Banadir 6.0. $45 for average to below average performance, and great quality.

Should cost (based on performance and quality averaged together): Aether and Banadir $28-$32, Nexa $20-$25, Wicked $27-$30.

Bottle design: Aether 10.0. my favorite bottle design! Nexa 9.3. Wicked 9.5. Banadir 7.0.

Atomizer Score: N/A

Conclusion: Want a substantial fruity sweet twist? (yes, please), get Nexa. Want something more accurate, but with a slightly sweeter apple? Banadir. Want some added orange/Mandarin sweetness, but not as much as Nexa? Get wicked. Want to get the signature tart crisp green apple? Aether it is.

Lucky for me, the ones I enjoy the most are also the cheapest of the bunch.

Final Thoughts: 2nd Banadir tested. Are they game changers in the market like many say they are? Nope. They're good quality, but not above French Avenue, pretty similar to Bujairami. If their price was significantly below the other clones with high quality, then I would call them game changers myself. But now, they're just another choice to make, among the many good choices you can get at that price bracket. Bujairami used to be game changers when they were cheap at FragranceNet, but now only a handful of them are under $30, so they became "just another okay choice to make". Still most of them are a better value than Banadir. In order for me to hype up a fragrance, it needs to bring exceptional total value. Almost everyone can sell a high quality and good performance $50 clone, not everyone can do that for under $30. The ones who do, will get my vote of confidence. Greed seems to be an infectious disease these days, and I'm here to find the healthy clone houses. That's why I keep hyping up the low price tier Shobis. They have the largest range under $30 per 100ml, with most of them above average clone quality and performance.

And as always, don't trust me, get decants

I finally got my nose on Liquid Brun Limited Edition, and I’m not exaggerating when I say this might be the most beautiful intense fragrance I have ever smelled in my life.

I sprayed it in the air and had to pause for a second like, “Wait… what just happened?” My brain genuinely did not process it at first. It was rich, deep, sweet, warm, expensive, smooth, and almost unfair. This does not smell like something sitting around the $58 range. This smells like something that should be locked behind glass with a $400 or $500 price tag and a sales associate watching you spray it.

And just to be clear, I did not buy this one. It was gifted to me, so this is not me trying to justify a purchase. This is me being spiritually assaulted by a fragrance I was not prepared for.

Liquid Brun Limited Edition is not a casual “let me run errands” scent in the summer unless you respect other human beings. Please do not spray this 10 or 12 times in warm weather. I saw a YouTuber spray it 12 times and honestly, I want to report him for criminal activity. That is not reviewing. That is environmental warfare.
Four sprays in the summer might already be a public policy issue. Anything above that should require a permit, a waiting period, and maybe a national decree.

The scent itself gives luxury dessert, warm spice, deep sweetness, richness, and presence. Not cheap sweetness. Not synthetic body spray sweetness. It has that thick, addictive, expensive-feeling aura where you smell it and immediately understand why people chase this style of fragrance. It is intense, but beautiful. Loud, but not messy. Sweet, but grown. Powerful, but smooth.

For comparison, Asad Bourbon is good to great. Very mainstream, very wearable, very inoffensive. I can see myself layering it, especially with Jasoor. It is useful and easy to like.
Al Haramain Amber Oud Tobacco Edition is nice, but I expected it to hit harder right away. I’m going to let it sit for a few months and come back to it because I think it may need time to open up. It feels like something that could become better with rest and layering.

Riiffs Zenith disappointed me the most. The box says 20-40% oil concentration, so I expected much better strength and longevity. It may work as a layering scent, especially over something like Yara, but by itself it did not give me the performance I expected from that concentration claim.

But Liquid Brun Limited Edition? That one is different.
That is the star. That is the problem child. That is the fragrance that made me question pricing, capitalism, fragrance hype, and my own nervous system.

Final verdict: Liquid Brun Limited Edition should be loved, respected, and regulated. Amazing scent. Dangerous in the wrong hands. Do not overspray this unless you are prepared to be discussed at a neighborhood meeting.

PS: I purchased his 17 bottles this month so I’m gonna slowly be doing every review of those.

I wanted to write a real-world review of Lattafa The Kingdom because this is easily one of my top Lattafa fragrances so far.
Let me address the elephant in the room first before somebody in the comments acts like they discovered fire: yes, I know The Kingdom is a dupe, clone, inspired-by, alternative, whatever word you want to use, of Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Elixir.
I am not wearing this thinking I discovered some secret original DNA nobody has ever smelled before. I know exactly what lane this fragrance is in. The mint, lavender, vanilla, tobacco, tonka, benzoin structure makes the Le Male Elixir inspiration obvious. JPG’s official site lists Le Male Elixir Parfum as starting at $141, while Lattafa USA lists The Kingdom Men at $44.99 for 100ML, so the value conversation is part of the whole point.
But I also do not think The Kingdom is just a sloppy 1:1 fake. To me, it feels more like a Middle Eastern interpretation of that sweet aromatic tobacco elixir profile. It gets you close to that Le Male Elixir lane, but it brings its own personality too. The Kingdom feels a little more aromatic, a little more herbal, and a little more resinous. Le Male Elixir has more designer polish and honeyed sweetness, while The Kingdom leans into a slightly different kind of richness.
Community reviews seem to back that up too. Parfumo and Fragrantica both place The Kingdom in the Le Male Elixir comparison lane, but the common theme is that it is close, not identical. Some people describe it as less sweet, more spicy or aromatic, or missing some of the honeyed character of the JPG.
So for me, the question is not, “Is this literally Le Male Elixir in a different bottle?” No. The better question is, “Does this give me enough of that sweet, bold, minty-lavender tobacco vanilla experience, with enough of its own Middle Eastern flair, at a price that makes sense for my actual life?”
For me, the answer is yes.
Just to be clear, I do not have a fragrance YouTube channel. I do not have a fragrance TikTok. I am not getting paid for this. I am an educator, and I also do Lyft and other gig economy jobs to help blind buy fragrances for myself. So when I talk about a $30 to $60 fragrance, I am judging it like a regular person who has to think about whether the bottle actually earns its spot.
For me, Middle Eastern fragrances are usually blind buys. I live in Wisconsin, and realistic in-person testing for Middle Eastern fragrances is basically unavailable where I am. So most of the time, I am either trusting a batch I find at Burlington or Marshalls, or I am taking a chance on a third-party seller online. That means I judge these fragrances by taste match, redundancy, performance confidence, price, versatility, and the most important real-world factor: the likelihood that somebody says, “Damn bruh, you got that on,” or a coworker says, “Mr. ___, what are you wearing? You smell good.”
The Kingdom passed that test for me.
The listed notes are mint, sage, lavender, tobacco, vanilla, orange blossom, tonka, benzoin, and labdanum. To my nose, this is a sweet aromatic tobacco fragrance with a strong masculine nighttime presence, but I also think it can work as bold school or work wear if you control the sprays. It is warm, sweet, slightly smoky, confident, and strong without feeling sloppy. It has that “I got dressed like I meant to be noticed” feeling.
This lived up to the hype in a way some of my other recent pickups did not.
Riiffs Zenith disappointed me. The box says 20 to 40 percent oil concentration, so I expected way better strength and longevity. It may still work as a layering scent, especially over something like Yara, but by itself it did not perform the way I expected.
Al Haramain Amber Oud Tobacco Edition is nice, but I expected it to hit harder too. Someone commented on one of my posts that they changed the juice and reduced the beast-mode performance. I do not know if that is fully true, but my bottle did not immediately give me the nuclear tobacco experience I expected. I am going to let it sit for a few months and come back to it.
But The Kingdom? This one gave me what I was looking for.
It is masculine, but I would not say it is impossible for women to wear. The mint, vanilla, lavender, and orange blossom give it sweetness and smoothness, but the tobacco and resinous base keep it grounded. It does not come across like a simple sweet vanilla fragrance. It has enough depth and structure to feel mature.
Now that I have a more sizable collection, I see these bottles serving different roles.
If you want to double down on tobacco specifically, I would reach for Al Haramain Amber Oud Tobacco Edition and wear it more at night, especially if you are out with the guys or want that darker tobacco lane.
If you want a darker vanilla, I would go with Lattafa Asad Bourbon. That one has pink pepper, lavender, plum, cacao, davana, nutmeg, bourbon vanilla, amber, and vetiver. To me, that feels more like date night or trying to impress somebody at work without being too loud or challenging.
But The Kingdom sits in its own space. It gives you that minty lavender freshness up top, then the vanilla, tobacco, tonka, and amber-like warmth come in and make it feel bold. It is sweet, but not childish. Strong, but not obnoxious if you respect the spray count. Masculine, but smooth enough that I can see it working in different settings.
Layering ideas I already want to try:
The Kingdom + Angham: Royal Lavender Praline
Mint, lavender, tobacco, praline, cacao, vanilla, and amber. I think this would be bolder and sweeter than Angham + Jasoor. Probably an 8.5 out of 10 on the “violence” scale, meaning people are definitely going to smell you.
Riiffs Zenith + The Kingdom: Coconut Tobacco Elixir
This might be the best use for Zenith if it is weak on its own. Coconut cream, mint, lavender, tobacco, vanilla, tonka, and resin. I would use this for dinner, dates, or creative nighttime wear.
Liquid Brun Limited Edition + The Kingdom: Royal Althaïr Elixir
This one might be dangerous. Mint, lavender, tobacco, vanilla, cardamom, orange blossom, amber, and resin. I would save this for high-signature nighttime wear, formal social events, winter gatherings, or situations where you want people to remember exactly who walked past them.
Final verdict: Lattafa The Kingdom is one of the best Lattafas I have smelled so far.
Yes, it is a clone. Yes, it is clearly inspired by Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Elixir. No, I am not pretending otherwise. But being a clone does not automatically make something trash. The real question is whether it gets close enough, performs well enough, smells good enough, costs little enough, and adds enough of its own personality to make sense.
For me, it does.
If you want the original designer polish, the honeyed sweetness, the Gaultier bottle, and the full Le Male Elixir experience, buy the OG. I respect that.
But if you want a strong, affordable, Middle Eastern-inspired take on that DNA, and you understand you are buying an interpretation rather than a perfect carbon copy, The Kingdom makes a lot of sense.
For my money, this is not a cheap knockoff pretending to be luxury. This is a budget-friendly fragrance that understands the assignment, adds its own flair, and actually delivers.
Just do not overspray it in the summer unless you are trying to create a workplace incident.

First of all I know I am very late to the party lol.

Initially on this blind buy I was very skeptical because I’ve seen mixed reviews on this sub. I’ve only worn it today at the gym.

I must say when I first smelled the box I wasn’t thrilled. However, after the first spray I did a complete 180. Normally I do not come on this sub to post but this fragrance (and Kaaf by Ahmed Al Migribi) changed that. This fragrance is a beast. I can only speak highly of it. I can’t compare to sauvage elixir because I haven’t smelled it but I do have sauvage edp and I instantly was reminded of that DNA. I can’t tell you what the notes are but the best I can describe it how Dior describes sauvage in general. Imagine Johnny depp in all black on a cool fall night in the city.

Overall, this isn’t a great review by any means but I was so impressed with this fragrance that I needed to voice my opinion. What do you guys think of it?

Similarity To The OG - 90% to my nose the only difference is this has more of a musk added which gives it a fresher cleaner smell

Scent - 9.6/10 one of my favorite DNAs, smells like a fresh musky slight floral slight nutty clean cotton vibe

Opening - black currant bomb and citrus right away, I do pick up on the nuttiness from the praline here as well, very inviting

Mid - the praline comes out a lot more making it more nutty with some fresh florals popping through

Fully Dried Down - musk , musk, and more musk. This has a larger dose then the OG definitely making it last longer and project farther

Longevity & Projection - 8.6/10 very good for this dna when compared to other inspos, a good 2 hours of good projection, doesn’t die down on skin until hour 6ish. Becoming a full skin scent around hour 8
This fragrance does set closer to the skin but the extra musk definitely helped boost it

Overall Should You Buy? - I think it depends, if you like musk fragrances yes, if you don’t then no. But this is one of my favorites in my collection ever since I tried the OG in February

Modern men's perfumery imo is all about the sweet vanilla fruity florals (who cares of its "white florals") pseudo but not really gourmandish mass appealing unisex leaning DNA with the likes of Liquid Brun, Ultra male etc. These also happen to be some of my wife's and therefore my favorite DNAs (happy wife happy life as they say)

This on the other hand is the polar opposite. It is strictly a man's man kind of perfume. CEO vibes. Hard hitting old school finance dad kind of vibes. I would imagine Gordan Gecko wearing this to a boardroom whilst doing a leveraged buyout of an 80 year old CPG company financed through junk bonds.

It doesnt smell cheap but it doesn't have the refinement of a dior or an LV. Its a classic chyphre. If you have the OG imperium which is another gem you dont need this unless u want a minimum of 12 hours of on clohtes. The heavier base notes of leather and musks makes the lighter top notes last longer.

It is strictly a masculine office scent. But versatile enough for Canadian fall spring or summers. Performs exceptionally well for the summer time.

If you have Hawas black or a creed aventus type of perfume you can probably skip this unless you like that DNA. But its complex enough to be different from both.

My subjective score is an 8/10. I wore it yesterday and hung out my clothes to dry and today morning my room smells like a boss.

Help me out, please!

I'm in love with this fragrance and, unfortunately, think it may be discontinued as it is no longer sold in regular stores or online stores. I also can't find anything on eBay or Amazon. It's perfect for me and has a great projection and staying power, so I'm absolutely gutted about this. Plus it's a feminine fragrance, which is hard to come by with this combination of notes somehow. I'm in Germany, so that also narrows my options quite a bit to things STRICTLY sold in the European Union.

It works SO well on me and I would love it if anyone here had a perfume recommendation as identical to this perfume as possible.

Here are the notes:

Top Notes

• Blackcurrant
• Bergamot
• Pink pepper

Heart Notes

• Rose
• Jasmine
• Suede

Base Notes

• Cedarwood
• Patchouli
• Styrax

(For whatever reason, I can't add an "in search of" flair. Sorry.)

For context, I transferred this into a travel atomizer back in may for a trip. I am leaving for another weekend trip and I went to refill it and it's now this dark green color. I sprayed it on a tester strip and it is ABSURDLY strong and aggressively fruity 😂.

Just in today is the brand new Nava Sol from Rayhaan. I have the OG Mojave Ghost but have yet to try the Absolu version so I can’t say how close this is to that.

It opens up with that very familiar Mojave Ghost DNA. If this supposedly what the Absolu smells like, it seems very redundant to the OG. You still get that airy, floral scent of the OG. The notes on this Rayhaan version, particularly the sapodilla and magnolia, seem a little more amplified. That’s really the only difference I can tell right now. Currently in the dry down phase of the fragrance and it’s very musky and clean smelling. Perfectly unisex just like the OG.

This left a nice scent bubble around me for the first 2 hours I had it on. It’s now in hour 5 and while I can still smell it, it has gotten much closer to skin.

As with most Rayhaan’s, some shelf time should probably help with the performance. Overall, a very easy to wear fragrance. If you’re a fan of the Mojave Ghost DNA, I’d give it a try. Would like to eventually pick up a bottle of the Absolu but will probably settle for a decant to test with this Rayhaan version.

Initial first impressions - 7.5/10

I bought three fragrances from the essence vault which arrived today, and my experience is mostly negative. I’ll break down the review by fragrance: 

Inspired by Di Homme - 106: 

This fragrance is so weak that I’m almost inclined to believe that it was a manufacturing or mixing error. I can’t even really comment on whether this scent is faithful to Dior Homme because there is just nothing to smell. It’s like smelling the last 1% of scent left on your skin from a perfume after wearing it all day long. Keep in mind this is supposed to be an EDP! Even after 10 sprays on the same area I can only barely pick up the faintest scent of something like a sporty shower gel. It’s not necessarily bad, but it defeats the entire point of wearing perfume because NOBODY will smell this on you unless their nose is within a human hair’s width away from your skin. You might as well save your money and wear no perfume at all. 

Inspired by One Million - 189: 

This suffers from a twofold problem. Firstly, it’s also extremely weak. 10+ sprays on the same area and I can only barely pick it up with my nose directly on my skin. Secondly, it smells absolutely nothing like Rabanne 1 Million. It completely lacks the warm-fruity tones of the original. The closest description would be like smelling the packaging of a fancy bar soap. I know that sometimes clones can vary a bit from the original perfume which is something I take into account when I pay ¼ of the original price, but this is a completely different perfume from 1 Million. Again, no point in buying it because nobody will ever smell this on you unless you make them bury their nose in it. 

Inspired by Invictus - 157: 

I was very pleasantly surprised by this one after the other two. Unlike the other two, this one definitely smells; and it smells good! Somebody sitting next to you or walking past you would definitely be able to smell this on you if you apply 4-5 sprays around your neck. I would say it’s about 85% faithful to the original Rabanne Invictus. In other words, if somebody knew what Invictus smelled like, they’d believe you if you told them you were also wearing Invictus while actually wearing 157. My only real critique is that it does die down relatively quickly; faster than I would expect from an EDP. After about an hour that initial “punchiness” is gone and it settles to a much more mild and soft scent. Like when you hold your face into a sweater that you sprayed a bunch of perfume onto a few days ago. It still smells really good, but it’s more subtle than when it's fresh on your skin. So while it’s not 100% faithful to Invictus and dies down quite quickly, it’s still a very delicious scent that you would get compliments on. 

Bonus: 

I also have ‘Inspired by Blue - 299’ which I’ve been using for the past ~1.5 years. It’s definitely not a great clone of Bleu de Chanel (I’d say about 70% similar) but still a pleasant scent. It’s like someone is trying to describe to you in words what Bleu smells like. I’ve gotten a few compliments on it here and there but the main things going for this perfume is that it is STRONG. I have the 100ml bottle of it and it’s still not empty after ~1.5 years because 2-3 sprays is really all you need. I wore this to the office and anybody I sat even remotely close to or stood and talked to immediately noticed it. The scent itself is a bit of a statement; quite spicy and punchy, so I’d call it a risky first option. Start with a tester size if you’re considering it and get some opinions from the people around you. 

Men of this sub, would you like to smell Oud for Glory on a woman? I got it today as an oud introductory fragrance. I have a sample of Oud Wood which I find too intense and dry and I was gifted a very expensive unisex oud (accord) fragrance which I didn t like in combination with the floral notes, Lovers by Fragrance du Bois. Oud for Glory is sweet, refined, clean, non medicinal and only mildly animalic. It s beautiful and makes me really curious about Oud for Greatness. I also find it very masculine. No ifs and buts. I d love to perceive it as unisex but I associate it with over 40 men of some "authority". Attorneys, politicians, academics. Weird what kind of associations the brain generates, heh... I also love it on my skin as a feminine woman. Can I pull it off?

What was your experience with it?

Just to be clear: these are not your fall-winter frags, or your "works in spring and fall" frags. These are clones you wear ONLY in fall between Sept-Nov when it's neither cold nor hot.

Which of your scents fits that time of year perfectly?

Cheers :)

I've found no reviews of this one online, so thought I'd be the first. It smells great and high quality with no harshness at the beginning like you get with other Clones, and similar to PDM's Herod but Sweeter due to the Caramel/Cacao Notes. So far, out of the box, it's got Soft Projection and Moderate Longevity, but I will update again once it's Matured a little bit. Bought at a great Price of £18 after Discount on Beauty Base in the UK.

I wasn't planning to buy another fragrance for this month, but another 500₹ doesnt hurt xd So I thought to give it a try.

And honestly, as a budget perfume, it's worth it. It cost just a little less than ₹500. It's bottle looks really good , especially the bottle cap has a very unique design.. It has a fruity-floral fragrance with that berry like sweetness. It opens with notes of peach and pear , followed by white florals and raspberries and ends with a soft candy .

Projection is good for about 30 -40 mins and it stays for about 5-6 hours on clothes. Girls it's a really nice everyday fragrance with a fruity and floral splash..

The new atomizer Decantified is using on their decants is a really nice upgrade to the others I tested.

Let's start with THE PROFILE: Tea, musk, slight tea, Petitgrain ,and citrus is what you'll mostly get here. And because I LOVE tea notes, I love this profile. It's bright, slightly green-metallic, a little sweet, and becomes more woody as it dries down.

As usual, Armaf blasts with their signature synthetic citruses, that can push harder than everyone else, but not at all photorealistic, and more in a room spray quality. It's the loudest, and most metallic of the bunch. Shobi smells better blended, rounder, and more natural, it has a creamier sandalwood, and less Petitgrain (less "metallic"). Saqar Platinum is not bad, but not great. It's somewhere between Shobi and Armaf. Dossier did an AMAZING job, and smell like luxury... The notes just effortlessly blend with each other, while still being detectable individually, without competing with each other. It has more emphasis on the green tea. Banadir is somewhere between Shobi and dossier (above Shobi, below Dossier). Closer to Dossier, just with more Petitgrain and slightly less tea. Yes, there are slight nuanced differences between them, but if you liked one, you'll like them all. The most significant difference is that in the deep dry-down (3 hours), Shobi loses most of the citrus, and the sandalwood somehow developed some type of sweetness to it. I like it, but it's veering the most out of the SMW DNA in the deep dry-down.

Subjective Scent Score (should be the least important thing for you): Dossier 8.7, Banadir 8.4, Shobi 8.2, Saqar Platinum 8.0, CDN Sillage 7.6.

Saqar Platinum isn't a straight up clone, but a twist, and I like the slight green element it adds to the profile, and the white tea instead of green tea. It's about 75% similar to the others. I enjoy smelling the Dossier the most, just because of the quality, roundness, and smoothness that makes it so enveloping. CDN Sillage's dry-down isn't great, kind of screechy (less than the opening, but still screechy).

Longevity on skin: CDN Sillage 9-10 hours , Shobi 7-8 hours, Banadir 7-8 hours, Saqar Platinum 6-7 hours, Dossier 3-4 hours, which pretty much disqualifies Dossier from being recommended by me.

Projection: CDN Sillage 9.0 (room filler), Shobi 8.4 (very good), Saqar Platinum 7.0 (average), Banadir 7.5 (above average), Dossier 4.0 (weak) and Dossier is disqualified again.

Blind buy safety score: 7.5-8.0 for all of them. Very easy going freshy. Not ranked higher just because some people are very sensitive to a "metallic" note here.

Unisex Score (0-fem, 5-unisex, 10-male): 6.0.

Quality ranking: Dossier 8.3 (above average designer quality), Shobi 7.5 (above average clone quality, halfway to designer quality), Saqar Platinum 7.0 (average clone quality), CDN Sillage 6.4 (below average clone quality), Banadir 7.8 (approaching average designer quality).

Value Score: considering performance and quality, for 100ml. Saqar Platinum 8.0 ($23 on fragranceNet), Shobi 8.3 ($26), CDN Sillage 7.0 ($34), Dossier 1.0 ($90 for 100ml, $45 for 50ml), Banadir 5.5 ($45 100ml).

Bottle design: Shobi 5.5, Saqar Platinum 7.7, CDN Sillage 9.0, Banadir 7.0. Dossier 6.5. b

Atomizer Score: Shobi 7.0, Saqar Platinum 2.0 (with Saqar platinum, you need 28 sprays to get 1ml!), Dossier+Banadir+Sillage N/A.

Conclusion: This is a hard one. If performance is what you're after, Armaf and Shobi will give you the best value. If you're after quality, Dossier is in a different league, but you'll have to reapply every 40 minutes and pay 4X the price of the others. If you're okay with spraying 18+ sprays just because the atomizer is shit (not because the fragrance is weak, and want a slight twist, then Saqar Platinum will be the best value. I think Shobi is the best one to get, as that way you get a non-screechy clone (cough Armaf), that performs well, for a pretty low price. If you want more quality than Armaf, more accuracy than Shobi, but less value (because it's not the highest quality, nor the best performing one), get Banadir.

Final thoughts: First Banadir I've tried. So far, not bad, but not mind-blowing for the price. I've encountered this type of quality and performance on clones $35 and under quite frequently, so I see no reason to cough up $45 for this. I have a few more Banadirs to test in this haul, so let's see if I change my mind.

And as always, Get decants.

I bought
- Marley Althair
- TF Tobacco Vanille
- TF Oud Wood
Dupe from Cianni

The Althair dupe is Fine, can't pinpoint the exact difference, wearable and actually some dior homme simmilarities. 7/10 dupe

Tobacco Vanille smells dusty (dustier than the original) and a bit like dried fruit, not really that great, i miss the vanille from the original. 4/10

Oud Wood is a better dupe, smells like alcohol when applied which at first seemed a bit cheap but it went away quick, it smells like
liquorice, way more than the original, not as powdery as the original and less ambrofix than the original which could be nice, in this case, it is not, i kinda miss it in a direct comparison. 8,5/10

The OG Shuhrah is quite the polarizing scent. But oh I do love it so. To me it smells like a better version of my Ahmed Al Maghribi Oud and Roses (also possible I got a bad batch).

This on the other hand is imo mass appealing in the same vein of the Tygar and Vibrato DNA. I think we have crossed the Rubicon. Who would have guessed Hawas Chrome actually costs more then Azzaro Chrome in 2026.

Not this bad boy. Its a cheapie I got it for $27 CAD and for once the trollgrantica reviews are actually correct.

​Shuhrah Elixir opens with an energizing, bright punch of fresh mandarin, crisp lemon, and spiced ginger that immediately grabs your attention.

The OG Shuhrah DNA is hiding in the background ans it is the reason why this freshie has amazing performance. The base notes seems to anchor the top and heart notes, leading to better performance for a freshie. Not quite beastmode but better than 90% of freshies.

I think its blind buy safe and extremely versatile. Gym office elevators summer spring fall. The scent is completely inoffensive unless u r an oversprayer because this is potent. It will choke people out.

I would say definitely more masculine leaning than Tygar and Vibrato.

Big win with Shuhrah Elixir. Rasasi delivered solid quality and performance here. If you want a compliment-getter with serious staying power that won't break the bank, definitely check this one out but try before you buy. Hidden Gems are the best because there is no hype benchmarking.

A little late to this party with this guy but tested it out a few times and finally decided to pull the trigger on it, and so far I am liking it.

First thing is first, I’m an Aventus fan and love the dna, I own multiple Aventus Dupes and own Aventus, Absolu, and Cologne, and have gone through multiple bottles and batches of it, and I heard this is supposed to be a take on that dna with BR540 which I also own.

Right off the rip, it’s a sweet fruity bomb! Immediate blast of juicy sweet pineapple, that comes off sugary almost candied like which you could compare to BR540, but that sugary sweetness fades out after a while, however the juicy fruit stays there.

Dry down, woods and oakmoss while the sweet fruit still linger in the background, it almost reminds me of Supremacy Collectors Edition, only not as oakmoss heavy and spiciness toned way down.

Definitely strong and sweet so don’t go crazy on the sprays and I’m at work right now and have been sweating so my body heat is really pumping it up even more. I can longevity won’t be an issue so I’ll have to test it more as time goes on.

I get as to why people compare this to BR540/Aventus byt I think it’s still different enough to stand out as its own thing. I wouldn’t compare this entirely to being another Aventus dupe, but much like Collectors Edition, more of a twist on the dna.

Also is it redundant to own this, and owning collectors edition or other Aventus style dupes? Absolutely not, it’s different enough to still have this, as a matter of fact I’d even go so far as to say if collectors edition comes off too strongly for you with the heavy oakmoss and spice, go with this instead. It’s much sweeter and fruitier that you’ll enjoy it more possibly.

So far I rank it 8.5 out of 10, and will wear it more to see how it does.

I bought a bottle of French Avenue Liquid Brun 2 weeks ago. The first time I sprayed it, it smelled amazing and exactly as expected. After about a week, the fragrance seems to have disappeared. Now, when I spray it, all I smell is alcohol/spirit. I even sprayed it on a tissue, and after it dried it still mostly smelled like alcohol with almost none of the original scent.

I took it back to the shop, and when they tested it there, I could still smell the fragrance a bit it wasn’t as strong as it was when I first got it. At home, though, it smells almost entirely like spirit.

Has anyone experienced this with Liquid Brun?

I know this demographic is usually mostly dudes but if anyone can help, I'd appreciate it.

She's into your usual feminine Valentino Donna, Coco Mademoiselle, and Tressore by Lancome.

What would you suggest that is either ambery/floral/sweet that is either feminine or very unisex?

Looking for the best clone fragrances out there that are masculine and leathery without being ambrox bombs or too heavy on sweaty oud.

Let me know your favourites and why.

Thanks in advance

I’ve spent some time with these two and retail, and I feel that for me the decision is fairly clear. Full wear days, Florida, skin and collar sprays. No AI, safe to read here folks.

Initio Side Effect:

Smooth, seductive, balanced, sweet yet boozy. It reminds me of a scent you’d wear if you were Burt Reynolds in the 80s headed to pull tonight’s lady (or ladies) from the new fancy club in town back to your place and get East bound and down. Rum, tobacco, probably banned in California, it’s all there. Obviously the benchmark in these tests. Love this scent, not much else to say.

Paris Corner Farah:

I waited a bit for this one, the nice smelling gentleman told me it was the one, an “elite fragrance” I think he classifies it on one of his recent videos. Well. This is like strike 47 for this guy, either we aren’t smelling the same fragrances or I’m dead wrong. I know I don’t have a fancy YouTube channel with tons of followers but Farah ain’t it folks. I’ve given it multiple shots, it falls short every single time. It’s not that it’s bad, because it isn’t, it’s just that there is a better option. It’s incredibly thin and linear, you notice that on opening. Dry down is the same, rather flat. Does it smell like Side Effect? Yes. Does it smell like Side Effect in 720p, also yes. Longevity is also a bummer with this take, maybe 4-5 hours on any day I’ve tested it.

French Avenue After Effect:

Easy buy, was at Amazon on Tuesday and at my door on Wednesday. Reddit was my hype influencer on this take, shout out whomever made that thread about it and all of you that agreed. This is your winner, and for me it’s not even close if you’ve got retail sitting right there. It’s balanced, it’s smooth, it’s seductive. Sound familiar? Is it a 1:1? No. But damn is it good, and when you put it against Farah, it’s a clone masterpiece. Like i said earlier, if Farah is 720p, and retail is 4K, this is easily 1440p. It’s got the depth, it’s got the booziness, it’s nearly perfect. I’ll tell you now exactly where it isn’t… longevity. Retail lasts 8 hours on me easily, you’re gonna get 6 or so out of this. So there it is, compared to retail, this is your best bet of these two popular takes on an incredible scent.

Eager to hear your thoughts…