Royal Equestrian

This is... uncomfortable. I have a review below, but I need to update it: I love Layton, I do. I even have a backup bottle, I like it that much. When I first got RE, I wasn't satisfied with it, it smelled to synthetic to really enjoy it. I regretted spending money in a copy instead of the original. Later I bought a backup bottle of Layton when I had the chance due to reformulations panic. Now to RE: I had this little guy inside a box macerating, forgotten for 3 years and today I tried it again. It blew my brains. In the opening, this one feels more fresh and a little bit more synthetic, but it lasts less than 20 minutes. Next, the only difference I can tell is that Layton is a little bit more floral, however this is really good as well. If I fanned the tester strip in front of my nose (outdoors), both smelled not only similar but pretty much the same! After 2 hours, there was no difference, I had to really try to get any and... It didn't justify the price difference. Next I tried them one on each arm. RE is sweeter, that may or not be your cup of tea, but after an hour, that's the only difference I can tell, one sweeter than the other, however it's not cloying or annoying, it's... good. That sweetness lives all the 8 hours that it lasts. It lasts just a little bit less than Layton but... who cares? I am writing this in the hopes that if you have a RE bottle and are not satisfied with it, send it to dagestan... I mean your closet for a year and forget about it. Let it go into secluded training and it will come back much better, let it macerate for 3 years and you pretty much have Layton's drydown which is I would say the longest lasting and most memorable part. Did I mention that it's a fraction of the price? Absolutely amazing. My rating: 9/10. I would still prefer Layton over this as it's more balanced and complete in the opening, but after an hour or two, I would need to try to delude myself to justify buying Layton again. And... If I consider that I have the backup bottle and 50 ml of RE. I doubt I will buy Layton ever again. This fragrance biggest strength or weakness is that it can get crazily close to Layton but, big but, it needs time. Mine needed 3 years.

Knowing the popularity of Layton, I bought this. I really enjoyed this scent, so I recently bought a 2nd one. I just got a sample of Layton, I tried it out having found mixed outcomes with clones. Layton is smooth, projects slightly less than RE, but in the final dry down RE comes out on top in my opinion. I get a powdery Amber and Vanilla, along with some spices. Now, price wise, if you only own a couple of fragrances than perhaps the real deal is the right way to go. If you find that you have MANY fragrances and want the Layton vibe along with a truly great scent on its own than RE is for you. It performs well, lasts a very long time, and Is not as “oily” as some of these fragrances can be. Price here is a bit of an issue, because per volume it is not a huge savings, you have smaller size options, and possibly require less sprays due to the performance, but if your heart is set on the real item and you know what your getting than spend the money there, it is just a slightly more expensive commitment at the end of the day. About clones...I believe they have a place in the fragrance community. We all can’t afford every item released, and so many fragrances borrow from other DNA that you will often get that “familiar” feeling clone house or not. They also offer up versions of scents no longer in circulation, and even release some original articles. I say it is viable while it exists in this very competitive market.

I use this to save a little bit of the OG juice when I’m at home but won’t be getting another bottle. Things you need to know: This is not Layton. Every fragrance tells you a story, transports you to different places at its different stages. Layton is an amazing feat, I don’t have a trained nose and don’t love challenging fragrances, however, I can tell it’s high quality, it is beautiful from its opening and changes so smoothly. RE is... alike but different. Yeah you can get an inspiration and say: it’s like layton, but... you won’t get the same performance, projection or the same beauty as with the OG. If you buy fragrances to pretend, yeah... this will give the mirage of Layton and you may be able to fool people. However... at what cost? You’ll need to overspray, reapply and at the end of the day you’ll end up spending almost the same as if you had bought the 125 ml bottle. Have I said you won’t be getting that initial kick on the opening? Don’t misunderstand, this is good but won’t get you layton for less nor the creamy spicy vanilla on the dry down. You’ll get something similar but less quality and you’ll notice it. As a layton clone: 8/10 As a fragrance itself: 7/10 You’ll do whatever you want with your gold but my advice is: sample Layton and if you like it, save your money and get the real thing. I’ll let it macerate for longer and update if needed.

There’s a refreshing citrus apple opening followed by a warm, sweet and spicy dry down, with good longevity. Royal Equestrian does nothing groundbreaking nor employ any unusual perfume notes, yet the end result is an exquisite fragrance; opulent, sophisticated and oozing sensual allure. I have never sampled Layton, so am unable to make a comparison, but I do think Royal Equestrian manages to smell expensive & very high end! Perhaps this is testament to the blending skills of Haney Hafez, the nose behind Alexandria Fragrances, or down to the use of high quality perfume notes. Or maybe this is a very good clone of a very good fragrance! Either way, I love Royal Equestrian, which is sadly no longer available on the UK website of Alexandria Fragrances. Update: After trying out a few small samples from EBay, I have grown to absolutely adore this fragrance. Was very happy to discover it for sale on the US website of Alexandria Fragrances. Update: I can now confirm it is a 99% accurate copy of PDM Layton and IMHO AF’s finest offering.

Wow!!! So I called myself playing it safe by only purchasing a travel size bottle just to see how close it is to Layton without grabbing a full bottle and being underwhelmed...And to my surprise this stuff actually smells better than Layton! Sheesh!! Tbh sometimes I have this thing about clones(inspired scents) that I can’t take them seriously, bcuz they lack originality, but when it comes to this scent right here forget all of that lol. RE is a hit!! It’s super close to Layton of course, but to my nose it’s a bit more smoother and pleasant than the original. I feel crazy for saying this but yes I actually prefer this over Layton, and I mean come on the price point adds even more to its appeal. Lasts a bit longer on my skin and projection is slightly better. Right after the holiday season I’m definitely gonna grab a full bottle of this juice. I’ve found my new signature scent folks. Well done Alexandria.