Khashabi

This smells amazing to say the least. If you're like me and you're into your toned down oud perfumes then this is for you! I like oud but if it's too overpowering or heavy then I get put off but this one is the perfect balance of woodiness and sweetness. It's not too "in-your-face" like some ouds can be and it's a great way to get into the deeper warmer oud fragrances without being put off. 10/10.

As scardina36 described, the initial impression straight from the cap and immediately after spraying is overwhelmingly harsh — pure ethanol and cheap, stale, powdery cosmetics. Fortunately, this phase is brief. The sharp alcoholic blast fades quickly, melting into something much more wearable, revealing a classic Middle Eastern combination of rose-infused, low-quality woody oud with fresh nutmeg and cinnamon. Still, the opening sprays nearly burned my nose on contact. During the development, the balance gradually shifts towards woody-floral accords, with jasmine standing out in a strongly skanky, indolic manner. Despite the disastrous opening, the drydown is surprisingly smooth and enjoyable. If only the fragrance smelled like this from the start, it would rank several tiers higher. It eventually settles into a slightly gourmand, sweet, ambery musk. The fragrance pyramid and listed notes are very accurate — what you read is exactly what you get. If this appeals to you, there's a high chance you'll enjoy it. Projection is slight given the scent profile, and longevity is acceptable. The bottle deserves a special mention — particularly the atomizer — which is of embarrassingly poor quality. It produces uneven, tiny mist clouds and occasionally jams, failing to spray at all. I can't tell whether I went overboard with the application compared to my usual amount due to the atomizer being such a piece of shit — I had to keep pressing repeatedly to get a noticeable scent. As for similarities, I'm certain I've encountered an almost identical composition before — possibly one of the fragrances I returned or got rid of. I believe it was Lattafa Pure Oudi, which has an identical note pyramid. Reading reviews of Pure Oudi feels like reading reviews of Khashabi itself. I got this as part of a used fragrance deal for a very low price, but I wouldn't purchase it again. The synthetic quality issues and overall cheap scent are too prominent. This isn't just cheap — it smells like the promise of something better, sabotaged at the start. I think it will find occasional use during the colder months. If the entire fragrance smelled like the drydown, this would be a different conversation. It's a shame it only smells genuinely good past the final drydown phase. A fragrance that forces you to endure regret before offering relief — like realizing you overpaid for something that at least works in the end. Opening note: 2- Sillage/Projection: 4+ Drydown: 6 Longevity: 6+ Blend/Composition: 3+ Versatility: 4 Uniqueness: 8- Value for money: 4 Bottle design/Aesthetics: 2- Overall experience: 4 Blind-buy rating: 1+

Maybe I got a bad batch or I'm missing something, but this was terrible. Easily one of my worst blind buys ever. I got stale makeup, dry rose and alcohol. Awful.

Despite the notes being similar to Red Tobacco, this definitely isn't a clone of Red Tobacco nor is it similar. This isn't sweet or syrupy sweet like RT. Khashabi is a fresh, oudy, woody, musky, floral and unisex fragrance. Pleasant and unusual. Projection moderate to low, longevity moderate to good.