Habib

Yes, Habib is another JPG Le Male Elixir "with a twist." I haven’t smelt the original, but man, I enjoy Habib. The opening is lovely. It carries the DNA of The Kingdom, but with less emphasis on the aromatics. It softens the mint and lavender, and lacks the orange flower accord—while amping up the juicy bergamot and tangy pineapple. The lavender and mint are still detectable, but they sit in the background. As it begins to settle, the amber shines brilliantly. I mean, whenever I now see "dry amber" listed as a note, I get hyped—because this smells so beautiful. It almost gives off a bubblegum accord, paired with the faint pineapple lingering in the background. Yes, this is where it distinguishes itself from Lattafa The Kingdom. I was fascinated by Habib when I first smelt it. I thought it encompassed both Le Male Elixir and Le Male Le Parfum because of how the sweetness is rendered differently. I still think it does, but it leans more towards the Le Male Elixir side. One thing I do miss here, though, is the tobacco note from The Kingdom. That tobacco makes Lattafa’s version feel more earthy in the drydown, while Habib leans toward a musky and softer profile. If The Kingdom focuses on (besides vanilla): Lavender > Mint > Tobacco, Habib focuses more on: Dry Amber > Lavender > Tonka Bean. That’s how I interpret them. Performance is good on Habib, but better on The Kingdom—8+ hours on Habib, 10+ hours on The Kingdom. You can tell just by sniffing them that Lattafa’s version is simply more powerful. Projection follows the same pattern. Tbh, at the drydown, they’re kinda different. Lattafa leans into subtle aromatic facets, tonka, and vanilla, while Habib gives off a slight pineapple nuance, heavy amber, and tonka—almost bubblegummy. Whoa! I think I like them both. It’s really hard to choose a winner. They’d both smell amazing for any outing. But damn, 789 snipers pointing at my head? I’d take Habib... so I will live to take The Kingdom another day.

Daarej Rasasi but more synthetic 🤏

Le Male Elixir with pineapple 6.8