Amber Ash-Sheikh

How strong this is? Let me see... I applied a drop once and for the first time in my life (and I hope for the last!) my wife made me sleep on the couch! This is not some sweet ambery fragrance you may think of. From top to bottom - strong labdanum. I could better describe the scent as the smell of a tincutre. My mother used to prepare tinctures from propolis and green walnuts and Amber Ash-Sheikh has the same bitter in-your-face smell. Don't worry in the dry down (say after 10 hours :D ) this beast starts to tame down to a bit of the sweet amber we are used to. One thing is for sure this scent is arousing! I don't know why, but even it is not sexy this attar wakes you up instantly and makes your heart beat faster. I do like this alpha male scent, but I won't urge you to use this on a date night or as an office fragrance. Should you want to get noticed or say you have to evacuate the building and release the hostages this attar should do the job :D!

I bought this from the AKAF’s store in Birmingham. Amber Ash-Sheikh gives a perfect balance between sweet and spicy amber. Long lasting and powerful projection. In my opinion, maybe the best amber perfume ever. The amber note is backed up by Sweet honey, saffron, cinnamon and nobel woods. A hint of a light smokey oud and animalic musc appears after a while like a deep and mysterious cape.

I'm insanely in love with this scent and what it does on my skin. Rich brown in color and thick like molasses, a little dab goes a long way but I go for it. It's one of the richest scents I own and I can only go heavy in the winter. In the summer I don't use it. The dirt note is not unpleasant to me and is in the background. Masculine floral amber is the foreground.

Just want to start by saying this is very strong and overpowering when smelt up close. To my nose it is very spicy and has a dryness to it. It reminds me of amouage interlude man, it is like a much more spicy less sweet version of interlude man in my opinion.

Amber Ash - Sheikh a treat for masculine attar lovers, every time i wear it, it takes me to the royal mughal darbar, a unique fragrance, but don't put too much it'll give headache to yourself and your office fellows.. I love this

The Terminator! How it smells: when I first smelled this from the bottle I wasn't keen, but I was intrigued. So I bought a sample. At first, on my skin, this had a dark, mysterious, strong, earthy and animalic and musky smell. The initial projection was very large and it lasted all day long! Later it became more of a strong amber and ash-like spicy smell. If I could paint a picture of this smell I would draw Arnold from the Terminator. When I wear this I feel as if I have engine oil and fresh tarmac steam coming off my upper body, real bad-ass like. It's very strong and I'd recommend a small amount on the first try. I wouldn't say this smell like Black Afgano, but I'd put them in the same group. Where I would wear it: Personally, I Love wearing this in the gym, after building up a sweat you really get to appreciate some of the notes in this oil. And, It makes me feel very powerful (like Arny). I'd also think it goes nicely in the winter months or colder evenings. I think it's a little overpowering for a hot summer day unless it's applied in small amounts. I also think this is suitable for an experienced nose and to be worn around people who appreciate niche fragrances. You will stand out, but need to be confident to pull it off and own it. Conclusion: Top Marks for being unique and mysterious. I ended up buying a full bottle because it was worth adding to my inventory. Mi esposa, she loves it on my skin after a few hours, it's very much an aphrodisiac. I don't wear it all the time, but when I do, it's always a nice experience.

An imposing beast! Amber Ash-Sheikh is strange - dark peat-like notes mix with dirty motor oil, camphor and an almost overpowering level of oud. But it also has a hint of spices and perhaps a little sweet black liquorice as well. The opening is, well... As "Kumba" put it - The Terminator! Very strong oud, a lot of angry white pepper, peat and smoke. A few minutes later I get a sharp medicinal camphor note that'll really clear up your sinuses. Also the smell of an old auto-shop with some used motor oil and a few tires burning in the corner. In the drydown this settles into an earthy oud-peat combination with some mint and spices sprinkled on top. This is my favorite phase. It really mellows down nicely, but remember - it moves from a homicidal creation out to kill you, into a slightly less homicidal creature that'll probably get you killed just the same. Masculine. I mean this is so masculine it's impressive! I'll wear it, but only occasionally and not in public, it's just too much for me. Strong sillage, this projects 1m (3feet) for hours on me. The longevity is equally impressive, easily +12h. I can still smell it on the scarf I wore yesterday and I only applied the oil on my wrists! Amber Ash-Sheikh is the first attar from Al Faransi that I merely like. It is good, I really enjoy these smoky peat like scents - but this dirty oud-beast is not for me. I guess the Terminator reference works here too: Is it a well made film? Yes. Is it a classic? Yes. Will I watch it again? Sure, but not any time soon.

Well - this is a find! The oil is black and thick and treacle-like, and absolutely a real treat for anyone who enjoys the tactile nature of rubbing the oil into the skin. This oil is so dense it's not so easy to spread it... so be warned! The initial blast is quite huge - Amber Ash-Sheikh leaves a nearly visible trail of fumes as you move around. But you don't need to see it to sense it. It is strong. So how can I describe that opening? Resinous and woody (and burnt wood too), and rubber - then dark woods and vegetal decay. After a few hours, the darkness has dissipated, and in its place, I get a slight salty liquorice smell. If anyone knows Salmiakki from Finland, they may recognise the ammonium chloride smell that gives liquorice in that country its unique taste and smell. It sits there, on top of a smooth woody note. Later still - 5 to 7 hours - there is a faint "hippy vibe" as the liquorice changes shape again. This perfume just keeps going. At first I was taken aback by the in-your-face hardness of this perfume. It is not easily approachable - and takes its time evolving through various stages. As it shifted, and flexed its muscles here and there, I felt rather like flotsam - I was being taken on a turbulent journey. I was troubled by it. But as it slowed down and became a denser more focused scent, I both wallowed in the calmer ride, yet regretted the loss of power. This perfume could be addictive.

I can only comment on the latest 2018 batch. This was my favourite from the ones that I tried including Sheikh al-Faransi. As an amber fragrance, it beats many others on the market that cost much more than it and it is a true representation of amber, the amber used is similar to LADDM and Au Coeur du Desert. It is a dark, earthy, and very masculine fragrance. The longevity and sillage are extremely good, only a few drops is needed for a full day or two's wearing. Fantastic value for money. If you are not accustomed to wearing attars, make sure you try before you buy.

Very strong smokey smell. Lots of ash, dirt smell. The underlying smell is amazing and I wish the ash vibe was toned done a bit. I always like this one, and sometimes love it! Depends on mood I guess.

This is an OK scent. Inoffensive enough. Nice if you like heavy, cloyingly sweet, hippie fragrances. Which I don't.

Very dirty, like actual soil. I get hints if amber and oriental notes and very earthy oud.

I just had a bunch of Abdul Karim Al Faransi's scents arrived in the mail so I have a lot to go through and much to learn about these scents. I have limited experience of frags in general, I suppose I got properly interested two years ago now and have a fair few bottles, mostly Amouage, which leads me along a natural progression to oils / attars. So here we are, the post arrived and I opened my large selection of samples to find some larger than ordered by way of gifts. I tried the first that came to hand - oud abiyad (not origins) and it was nice until I made me sneeze my head off! OMG now I understand a bit more about the IFRA that killed Epic and others and im thinking maybe for me its not so bad... So I scrubbed that one which was a shame as its nice soft scent very wearable. Next I put a spot of Amber Afghani on my daughter and thats very nice -review to follow- then I smelt the Oud Meghalaya and experienced first hand the barnyard smell everyone talks about! Thats to try another day. Next to hand was this Amber Ash Sheikh... WoW! This packs a kick. Slightly sour, very smoky warm freshly turned shovel of rich charred earth. I haven't had this much of a kick since I last wore Interlude Man which this reminds me of. Not saying its the same smell its no where near the same, its not sweet or creamy but it is relentlessy thick and smooth in the same way. I think im going to like this one a lot. Im about 20 minutes in and its starting to sweeten slightly...will try to update later!

This is a work of art, but don't get me wrong, this is one of the most challenging perfumes/ attars I've ever tried. Like @Desertmirage93 said, is dark, powerful, very and I mean very manly and smell wise almost like road tar indeed. Earth and ash, very unique and a totally new meaning in the term "beast mode", I usually do a first impression test on paper, months have passed and it still smells on paper and it stained it like ink, and on skin I don't even know how long it lasts, I know it takes more then one shower to completely remove the scent of your skin, and I mean a tiny tiny dab of the oil. I'm very happy to have a sample of this, I could never wear it because it doesn't fit my personality one bit, but artistic wise, I find it fascinating and so mysterious, quality top notch. Definitely try a sample if any of this made you curious.

The new formulation 2018 is softer. They cut off the wings of a masterpiece. In the new formulation they added; Floral notes, saffron and spices. You feel the original aroma, but diluted, with a very noticeable saffron at the start. Another thing that I do not like is that they amplified the fecal notes, before, they were very well integrated into the perfume, now the smell of stable is very much felt. After a few hours, we have our beloved Amber Ash-Sheikh again, although without the power and intensity of the previous version. The duration of the perfume is still very good, but the projection has dropped considerably. A pity what they have done to the magnificent Amber Ash-Sheikh.

this (new batch 2018) is holy-grail material for me: it is strong, dark, honeyed, leathery labdanum, spices and musk, with a subtle and VERY good oud-note joining in the drydown and weaving in and out of the ambery goodness. lasts a long time and is truly swoon-worthy -- as good today on your skin as it will be the next day on your clothes. in fact, i just got my bottle and am about to buy a (larger) back up -- i never want to be without this. if you like amber you *must* give this a try.