Balkis

I'm not sure what to make of this one either- it is an unusual perfume and the blending/balancing is so good that I'm having a hard time picking out notes- definitely there is more going on than the notes listed above... and more than I can try to state here. Very complex with a unique character! I get a sense of licorice (in agreement with patxaran below)- not directly, but more how it bends the fragrance- distinct from anise or fennel. Someone ahead of me also mentioned "pyrethrin" which is extracted from chrysanthemums. While I'm not getting chrysanthemum exactly, I AM sensing a flower in the compositae family- like davana flowers or yarrow. It is a floral that I am simply not used to smelling in perfumes, that has a "low" and slightly-powdery/dusty-herbaceous-yet-sweet scent. Very odd, and intriguing to me. This one note makes this fragrance stand apart from any others I've ever smelt. It's almost fig-like. I am sensing tuberose, jasmine, and ylang-ylang also- all in such delicate amounts that they merely accentuate the sweetness which contrasts an overall "dry-woody" fragrance. A wee bit of rose that I almost blinked and missed. A couple reviewers have mentioned a likeness to 'Poeme' and I must agree- especially after an hour into the drydown- though it is definitely "drier". I sense benzoin for sure, and maybe a smidge of labdanum and frankincense for an interesting amber accord. A little vetiver? Ebony or guaic wood? Balsam of tolu? Styrax? Lets' just say "dark woods". Definitely there is musk- a nice musk and a touch of vanilla (and not coumarin/tonka/woodruff) to add "roundness". And it is a "round" and sensuous fragrance overall- with that odd flower in sympathy with the woods. Definitely evening fare... and I'd say if you're someone who likes a deep, exotic, sweet/dry-floral-woody-spicy-musky-oriental (this hardly describes it), then you would probably like this one very much! Actually, I could say that if you like florientals like 'Poeme', 'Jasmin Noir', 'Crystal Noir', 'Cashmere Mist', and 'Bal a Versaille', this would be right up your alley. Maybe. Personally, I'm starting to love it! Sillage (& longevity): I thought it was moderate until my mother was kind enough to inform me otherwise: heavy-verging-on-enormous (~6-8') for about 5 hours, then it recedes to soft, exposing the caramel-y benzoin and musk base which lingers on past 12 hours. P.S. I am absolutely NOT sensing any oudh in here. That's a misconception to assume that all mid-eastern scents employ oudh.

Such a strange little creature this is! Often when I see oud, I shy away (though when it's done well, it's stunning). It's sometimes so sharp and harsh. But in this one the first thing I get is an explosion of what I feel to be dates or another fruit that grows in the arid climate. Then I get a bit of caramel and the creaminess others have mentioned. Shortly after that, there's a powder (as listed in the notes) along with almost a rubber note (probably from the oud). It's spicy and sweet and strange and it morphs so that just when you think you have it figured out, it gives you something else. Oh, and it smells different from a close sniff than from when it "wafts" to your nose too. Coming to my nose it's a powdery, creamy gourmand that confuses me when I look at the notes. I just don't get the florals all that much. But sniffing closely I tend to be able to separate the individual notes a bit more. A beauty. And I feel that it could layer well with a lot of woody and dry or even floral scents. EDIT: I couldn't figure out what this reminded me of. There comes a creamy orange note to it that just kept nagging at me. Then it hit me! I sprayed my Jil Sander Sun on another spot on my arm. Nope that's not it. But then the drydown. These aren't dupes, but it's that same beautiful, creamy, delicious, skin tone with just a hint of orange. I could almost interchange these when I want such a fragrance. But wait! The whole thing changes again, and the next thing it reminds me of is Nicole Miller Frenzy. It's a cool, almost citrus, woody amber. What a delight! One of the more complex of the Al-Rehabs I own. Takes quite a journey for me!

The first spritz was sweet, masculine, slightly woody, (possibly the Oud note). I couldn't really make up my mind whether I liked this or not so I spritzed this on my hubby as I felt that it was suited to a male wearer rather than a female. It disappeared from his skin very quickly and to be fair, he didn't seem terribly impressed with the smell anyway. As with all Al Rehab fragrances, the notes are not very apparent to me. I couldn't really smell Oud in this fragrance, but there was a vague forestry, woody note there. I decided to use it as a room spray and then forgot about it for an hour or so. What happened later was amazing as this rather strange perfume morphed into something so gorgeous that I was looking around to see where this amazing smell was coming from and then I realised that it was me!! So in conclusion, if you can get past the first half hour or so, then the drydown is well worth waiting for as it is seriously glorious and delightful, sweet, slightly gourmand, fruity and oh so pretty!! The down side is that the longevity is fair, this lasts for about 3/4 hours, but for £2.99 a bottle, a few extra spritzes a day won't hurt anyone, least of all the bank balance.

I got this through Amazon as the AlRehab best seller sampler set of 3 scents -- Balkis, Rose, and Soft. All three are excellent, and very different. The Rose is authentic rich rose; Soft is powdery, much like the old Heaven Scent I remember from college days; Balkis has totally stolen my heart. I don't know what this smells like -- perhaps I'm getting the oud as it is soft and woody or mossy. A little powdery after the drydown. Very very rich. I have been looking for a scent like this a long time -- almost had it with the old Charlie Red although that had a sharp edge to it, and now they've changed the formulation so it is brittle and metallic. If I could combine the softness of Cinema with the deep undertones of Shalimar, I'd have it (but alone, Cinema is too sweet and Shalimar smells like a grandmother). Balkis achieves it. I love this. It is my favorite now. The incredibly reasonable price, and amazingly fast shipping from Al-Rehab are bonuses. This is a rich, complex scent. Quiet but insistent. I think I could not have worn it when I was younger (say, under 35) as it carries a confidence I did not yet understand. Timing is everything. Now, this is my favorite scent.

I tried this perfume while waiting for my falafal in a Middle Eastern Deli. It was so blah... I was going to try and wash it off after I finished eating but forgot. An hour or so later as we were almost home my fried said "what is that incredible smell"? I was like, I don't know but I can't believe how great it it... I thought it must be one of the cards I had grabbed in Sephora so started digging around in my purse trying to figure out which one it was. I finally realized it was the Balkis wafting up from my wrist. I can not believe how much it changed in an hour! This perfume oil is infreakingcredible! I smelled it for hours and started obsessing over it. The next moring found me in the car for the 2 hour round trip drive back to buy this $2 beauty. I have worn it daily for a week and it has garnered more compliments than anything else I own. Love Love Love this little bottle of perfume oil. WOW!!! Update: I realized what this reminds me of. Tauer's L'air du desert Morocain.

I received Balkis in the mail today. After reading the reviews I knew I had to add it to my Al rehab collection. When I opened it, I swear I was transported in time to a laundromat I had to go to as a child. It was screechingly soapy— almost harsh. I was so disappointed that I didn’t get the delicious notes everyone described here— just one harsh laundry soap note. *****BUT***** after about an hour or so I decided to try again. I picked up the bottle and shook it for a few seconds, I couldn’t tell you why I did that, but what a difference it made! It’s like everything blended together properly. I love it. It still has that nostalgic soapy smell, but not harsh. It’s comforting, clean, & I’m so glad I have it. It will probably be even better after settling for a week or two.

Another Al Rehab in this same general category would be Sabaya, not yet on the database. Sabaya has fruit, forals, musk, and jasmine, blended together to create a sunny, yellow/orange aura of happiness. :D Sabaya's notes are similar enough to Balkis to give me pause, and yet the overall emphasis strikes one as a different shade of the same color scheme. It is lighter, less tangy, and not as spicy. All of which makes Sabaya sound uninteresting, which most certainly is not the case. She is sultry, fresh, floral, and tropical - all at once. A summer song! Incidentally, layered with oud or sandalwood, Sabaya could well work for a man, but on her own she is so feminine that the average man will at once envision a pretty woman. Or should I say Gorgeous?!!!

On my skin Balkis bares a distinct resemblance to Classique, though magnified in intensity and aura. By comparison, Classique is a mere body spray! If blindfolded, I would immediately guess that Balkis is the more expensive scent. She radiates warmth and decadence like the best of a bygone era. Update - The opening notes may indeed scare off a few potential Balkis lovers. The wierd fruity/lemon opening doesn't last long, and the resulting 80's powerhouse aroma is so enthralling that I completely forget about the first few minutes. Conclusion: If you're currently searching for a rich floriental, try Balkis. On the right skin, this loud and lovely beauty is SENSATIONAL. Definately for the most feminine bombshells! Rating = 5 stars

Because I am impatient, I sprayed this when it first arrived in my mailbox and I cannot emphasize enough how much this benefitted from about a week's rest after arriving. As this dries down, I get a bit of powder. But, from the initial blast I get a very juicy ripe pear note, that projects very well. This is underpinned by white florals; I detect tuberose, but I would not be surprised if there was also jasmine and iris or violet in the mix. The result is a truly lovely fruity/floral scent that is going to be appropriate for most occasions. It's a solid choice and great for folks that are on a budget.

OMGGGG!! This one is my Favorite from Al Rehab family 😍😍❤️ I looove this soo much, and start confuse to over use it, I don't wanna run this out from my toiletries... A huge of Jasminee kicking my nose as I spray for the first, and then citrus, I think it's bergamot, honey, ouuud and bit of apple peach & cinnamon (maybe). sooo this perfume really represent myself. All ingredients I love are in it. it smells soo expensive, classic and sensual. Really worth to buy, especially for you who like warm oriental-spices aroma. You won't be upset!

I have worn this for two days trying to place where I have smelled something like this and only going from memory it reminds me of the original Organza by Givenchy in the late 90's..It has that classic vanilla/woody/white flower base that several perfumes of the time had like Amarige. But it's not Amarige...It's not a dupe of Organza just a "reminds me of" type fragrance. It's very wearable and if you like the house of Givenchy and you are over 35, this is a safe buy. It's a solid love for me.

This review is for the oil... it's currently my favorite to sleep in, very comforting. The oils are great for this ( one swipe under my chin) I can smell them without getting asthmatic. To me the most endearing part of this fragrance is the animalic touch of oud. My very first impression was heavy warm gourmand floral with just a tiny hint of monkey house at the zoo. Now it just seems to add just the perfect amount of character and raises it far above it's price point! Unisex leaning feminine.

Perhaps I'm weird, but in the opening I smell lots of peaches. Very creamy, sweet peaches with a bit of lemon. And then, jazmine and roses. Something camphory later on, perhaps some sandal, spices, powdery vanilla and more flowers. Is there some cinnamon too? This is absolutely divine. Not unisex, more on the feminine side. It's delicate, distinct and unbelievable addictive. Soapy and clean, but not fresh. I love it. Smells like an expensive designer Western perfume. So glamorous!

So many compliments on Al-Rehab, I'm in the process of selling some of my expensive perfumes ($200+ bottles) because these get me more compliments than them ha! People always die to know what I'm wearing when I wear this..."Wow you smell AMAZING, what is that?" Honestly, for £2 these are a best kept secret. No one else will be wearing these and people will think you smell divine. Yeah, buy all of them....they are equally amazing....6ml roll on oil is the way to go.

I found this gem in this little Middle Eastern dress store in the town that I live. Wow - I've been ordering my Al Rehab online and I could have been picking it up there for $5!! I put this on after a bath at night and when I woke up in the morning, I could smell it. Having forgotten what I had on initially, I remember thinking, did I put on Prada Amber? It definitely is different on me on the dry down. Lovely. Non offensive. Would buy again for sure.

Just received my 6ml oud sample, it instantly smelled familiar snuffed from the cuff of the bottle but didn’t know for sure, it’s been long time I have worn Obsession but that could be it plus some extra note added into it to make it its own. This quick first impression review its luxorious thick expensive smelling defenately night wear and sexy but since I don’t care what people think I would wear it any time. So excited!!!! Al Rehab

For the money; Balkis just cannot be beaten!!! A beautiful, stunning pleasure. There is just something intoxicating about this. Very comfortable, sexy but in a playful kind of way. Opens with a deep floral, powdery notes, but the Oud stays in the background, just lurking around, kind of like a hanger on. The florals and, to my nose, the musky essence in the powder when drying down; is amazing. Kudos...

This is my favorite Al Rehab scent, next to Full, Sabaya and Saat safa. I really really love it. In the beginning I didn't understand this scent and couldn't tell notes from this, it was strange, but later it became my fave. I can imagine wearing it night and day, in all 4 seasons. I gifted one to a friend of mine and she loves it too, asked me to order for her and for her Mom, too. <3

Balkis is a powdery, nutmeg-spiced, woody white floral (I think I smell gardenia...? Actually, I discovered later that it's ylang ylang!), very reminiscent of the sumptuous Givenchy Organza. It doesn't have the depth or longevity of Organza but is still a beautiful echo, albeit a tad sweeter, maybe good to wear at night after a shower, when you don't need your perfume to last all day.

I hated it when sniff it for the first time. It smells like typical middle east strong attar. I blind buy it. But i still gave it a try. Dab a little bit behind my ears. I was amazed! Its so good. Very nice powdery scent. I did overdone it once and it gave me and people around me headache. So it is best to just use a dab or two. Or else it will suffocate you