Key of Life

I do not own Roja's United Arab Emirates, but I do own several Roja frags. I also own multiple Alexandria inspirations. I like this fragrance, performs as advertised, an excellent scent. Citrus hits me strong off the atomizer, and the rose jumps in very quickly, along with some spice. The other notes, floral and heavier blend well and sit nicely in the dry down. It transitions smoothly, but not quite as smoothly as the Roja's that I own which is kind of a hallmark of his work. That is NOT a complaint, it's just what I have found with Roja scents that take you on an interesting and enjoyable path to what is typically a very complex and well blended base. From my experience with six other Alexandria bottles, they make a very high quality product and a great value for the $. I find this to be a very unisex scent. Florals are strong up front, but not overpowering for a (confident) guy. My lady likes this on me and she can easily swing it as well. For me it fits well within a mix of very different types of scents in rotation.

Truthfully this reminds me of going to church. I can see how people would consider this a grandma scent, however I find this to be absolutely gorgeous. This is a THICK rose scent in the truest sense. Lasts for days on clothing and will likely stay on clothes after being washed. NOT recommend for young women. VERY mature and this scent profile is heavily associated a grandmas, but wear what you want. My 23 year old girlfriend loves this one and wears it proudly.

Just got in Key of Life to do a side by side comparison to UAE. Not bad! Key of Life doesn't start out as bright as UAE. However the biggest difference to me is the rose in the dryown. Key of Life is missing the powderiness of the Taif Rose used in UAE. The rose in Key of Life is a spicier one, not unlike the rose used in Ex Idolo 33. The oud is also not as strong in the drydown in Key of Life. UAE is ultra dense and opulent the entire time, making it feel like an extrait, whereas Key of Life feels like an EDT. Good news for those who find UAE to be too potent to wear. Is Key of Life similar enough to wear in lieu of UAE? I think so. I don't think the general public can tell much of a difference, especially a $500+ difference. Do I still want to buy UAE? Sure do, but I would also enjoy wearing Key of Life until that day comes. UPDATE: The base of Key of Life is a synthetic mess. I'll be saving up for the real thing.

I passed on my UAE sample last year, it was too strong for me on the drydown. I can't remember enough to make that comparison, but this Key of Life is really wonderful, definitely unisex. If you are a woman who enjoys wearing spiced oud or woody men's fragrances, this will really make you happy. It has a softness around the edges from the rose. It may come across as a very rose floral to a guy, but it skews very appealingly masculine woody to my nose. If I smelled this on a man, I'd want to get in closer, it is very warm and sexy. I really really like it. A very pleasant surprise on a blind buy. Update: this skews around between spicy oriental, floral, and woody. You get a bit of everything here, the accords come up almost like a spiral, they come and go.

An extremely potent floral juice that to my nose leans feminine in the start and more unisex in the dry down. This stuff is wicked strong. Lots a floral notes from the start... Rose, Jasmine, Geranium and Artemisia. I get some clove and ylang ylang in the mid... the dry down is a floral musk that is excellent. I don't know if this compares to UAE by Roja Dove... All I know is this stuff is awesome. Enjoy!