Sheikh Al Faransi

I have been testing this one out for past month or so and took my time to review it because this is something that needed time and patience to write about. Still, words fail me to explain how good this fragrance is. If, an auspicious occasion or something of that magnitude can be bottled as scent then this is it. This not only is my favorite "attar" but surely is one of my most favorite fragrance ever. Sheikh al Faransi is a mysterious scent having multiple dimensions embedded in it. Each dimension takes wearer into an olfactory journey which not only is pleasant but also obscure. This magical blend starts of with amber akin to most middle eastern fragrances but layered or i would say dipped in high quality honey. Sweetness of honey remains through out its lasting period welcoming notes like a host. I detect a hint of patchouli with slight bit of saltines which might be due to Oceanic Ambergris note. As the dance of notes continues, sandalwood joins the concoction which serves as final guest of the party. There is a certain balsmic nature to this blend, which gives it a sophisticated as well as mature vibe. Sheikh al Faransi has a pretty decent longevity lasting anywhere between 5 to 6 hours with pretty moderate projection. To be honest you don't need heavy projection as this scent may serve a olfactory gift to those who are close to you. This is a special occasion scent which can be worn in any season. Recommendation: This is a must have in your collection whether you are fan of oils or not. I doubt anyone will dislike it.

MINDBLOWING masterpiece. This is my current favourite from the ones that I have tried. It just keeps changing throughout. What an experience. Starts of with like a sweet ambery woody warm spicy type of scent. Reminds one of a spice market somewhere in the East. you can smell like a mix of spices. Then, later on, it evolves into something very similar to Issy Miyaki's l'ou de ISSY without the sour lemon note. You get some tea/green type of smell with a floral powdery type of background. Further on it dries down to a pine wood+ pencil shaving type smell. It's just mindblowing. For me the sillage/projection on this hasn't been amazing but its certainly long lasting and is one of the most unoffensive perfume oils that you can enjoy at home or work sniffing throughout the day. Especially if you love scents that keep changing.

Oh God why did I have to get mixed up with middle eastern perfumery...? As if the kids in my neighborhood weren't edgy enough, I go to someone else's neighborhood and get involved with all the even worse "bad influences". ...Hello my name is SearchingScent and I'm addicted to Oud, spices, *ahem* kush *ahem*, frankincense, myrrh, roses, and saffron... okay enough with the jokes... This ones' a stream of dark molasses-y wild forest honey with bits of sweet soil trapped inside. Or if that's too difficult or nasty to visualize here... This one's a cold dark chocolate bar with sweet clover honey drizzled on top. Lasts forever projects at most a foot or less wafts only when moving the area applied Smells like a jet!!!! Done. C'est Genial Monsieur Karim Marmin! 9.5/10

I've been looking for an Oud ambergris perfume for so long, something that doesn't make me gag because of heavy synthetic amber, and I think I found it. I love Oud based perfumes, and I have few. I also had a chance to sniff so many natural Oud oils and I'm always looking to test more of it. Let me tell you, this is amazing. It does have an eastern vibe of course, but not too much incense or synthetic amber that are usually found elsewhere. The Oud is not funky or faecal, so I'm assuming it's Cambodian Oud. It's not burnt so it must be good quality. Finally real ambergris is something that needs to experienced to appreciate. One of the best from AKAF.

Addictive, and alluring, has depth to it. The amber is very dense and slightly incensey, the sweetness is a tad bit jammy and fresh in a way, due to the ambergris, the oud is tamed, there's some black musk vibe with sandalwood too, strangely gives off patchouli-chocolatey whiffs too in between. Overall, the scent is very regal. It reminds me of the Indian "Paan" Desert ever so slightly. But still packs a lot of strength, character, and composure. The best release from this house, without a doubt. It's an absolute delight to wear this gem. 10/10