Malik Al Motia

Update: I read here someone comparing this to a Bortnikoff Oud. Yes, it is similar to Bortnikoff oud being floral with a light oud. This is about the same price as a Bortnikoff. But you have Russian Adam's works here. It's richer overall and at a higher level I think. I've reviewed over 20 Areej frags. This is superb. Proberbly the best composition from this series. I have Ambre de Coco, great oud. But objectively speaking I think I can say this composition is best. Uodate: I have this on one hand and Areej Grandinia on the other. The opening of this is so much fresher. I like the open better than Grandinia. Especially for Spring time. I've searched for great woody jasmines or Lilly of the valley and woods. You can't beat this. Totally gender neutral. I do not like feminine florals, but I like great florals. The jasmine and lotus Lilly are excellent and very natural. It's strongly floral, yet great woodiness, from the touch of oud, benzoin and the coniferous Peru balsam resin. The Davana gives it a slight bitter green touch, perfect. From the mid to dry dry-down , the florals fade off and the oud shines brighter, with the green davana still there, keeping it interesting. I put a bid in on ebay for full bottle. Still available from Areej site for $260. Will be a great Springtime fragrance. Some compare this to Paradise Soil. Yes close, but not as complex or interesting. Grandinia is a woody floral chypre which is better, but this is similar. Considering what you get here, great value. Rating: 9/10 God bless. John 3:16

I have Mysore Incenza, and there is definitely a shared DNA here. The jasmine is identical in both perfumes. Whereas one has incense, this one has wood. The oud is beautiful, no skank, and the sandalwood, lotus and davana cool the perfume, making it mysterious and slightly melancholy. It doesn't seem strong, but when I go out and about it's booming out around me, without being oppressive. I much prefer these types of ALD rather than the heavy ones (I recently tried and didn't really like Al Sandal, Al Ambar and Al Oud) , and this is a love for me. Update: I'm getting the chocolateyness others have described. Delicious! Plus, the drydown left on the skin the next day is the most heavenly, silky benzoin cloud, absolutely breathtaking, and totally different to the opening of the perfume. Every stage of this smells different but wonderful.

This is so opulent! Opens for me with a massive blast of amber rolling into a well orchestrated jasmine note. Jasmine is so difficult in fragrances; nothing compares to the flower in its full glory, but somehow translated into perfumery, the note often becomes screechy, hopelessly synthetic. No such paint-remover vibes here! The drydown becomes a deep mellow patchouli sandalwood base offset with a rich floral note that stays without becoming stale or thin. This is not a summer jasmine, that sense of light and air just isn't there. It's a sumptuous creation for fall, winter and evening. It is intoxicating.

Wow! love at the first sniff This fragrance is dramatically beautiful blended on my skin it’s just like sitting in a secret garden in one of the palace in India surrounded by the blooming jasmines sambac in a full-moon night. this is my favorite in the collection I wish I could buy a liter of this fragrance.

Jasmine incense and a bit feminine. Not a ground breaking fragrance but beautifully made and good quality. So wearable and comfortable for a lazy day.

Every time I put this scent on, it feels like a whole new experience. I first tried the sample pack when it came out, it felt like jasmine with a lot of oud, somewhat similar to Amber de Coco. A few months later, I got some bottles from Areej while I was in Indonesia. the first time i wore Malik al Motia, it was pretty much just jasmine.. it was like am wearing just jasmine oil absolute, it faded fast. The second time, though, it was more alive, the oud and lotus were more apparent. The third time i wore it after a surf session, it was like a completely different scent! It was thicker, richer and delicious almost. i even got a chocolatey vibe (peru balsam maybe). The jasmine wasn't very indolic/sharp, I couldn't help thinking it smelled like something i tried before. Turns out, it reminded me of Bortnikoff's Oud Monarch. This fragrance keeps throwing me curveballs, the skin chemistry plays a big role is determining which components are blooming.

Flamboyance in a bottle! This is the most naturalistic jasmine that I’ve ever encountered in perfumery. Often jasmine perfumes stifle you with this cheap toilet freshener scent, but Malik’s jasmine is that opulent flower fragrance that your nose catches outside by the big blooming white bush. Then, imagine how this bunch of flowers is poured over with sticky sugary syrup, and the scent becomes very thick, edible. Next phase is this substance is poured into a wooden jar. Sweetness is mixed with plenty of sandalwood and ambery raisins. The profile is enriched with tiny crispy green accord and light earthy cinnamon note (that’s Peru balsam I guess). It’s so dense you actually wear it all day like an extra layer of clothes.

Indian jasmine wet incense. This is the second of the Indian attar sample set I am trying. This one reminds me of the heady wet style incense and oil perfumes featuring indolic jasmine with an undercurrent of woods and skank.

On a test strip I feel like I can smell green apple and green tea in the opening. I've never smelled davana by itself before but thats probably where it is coming from. You definitely get the watery petal aspect lotus can provide. It also smells like there is possibly a little tuberose in here and maybe even some orris. again, this was on paper. And it had slow transitions. But on skin it all blends into one big linear green jasmine smell with a slight fruity nuance. I wish for more oud but alas, this was kind of interesting on a test strip but pretty boring on skin. This collection has a few much more crowd pleasing fragrances than fans of Areej may be used to.

Malik al Motia is probably the most feminine perfume of the 7th collection. It has that unmistakable motia(jasmine) note from the beginning till end. It is floral, indolic and slightly animalic but not in an offensive way. It feels very harmonious and well blended to say the least. I cant help but associate it with the intense mixture of the scents in a mosque on Friday.

MaM is just a high quality jasmine and a bit of lotus at the top. Sits over gentle benzoin and sandalwood and ... thats it, at least to my nose. People who search for quality almost soliflore jasmine - will be happy, but nothing special here. This perfume is missing a good dose of oud and some oakmoss to give it a nice twist. Maybe next time.

Jasmine and nice watery blue lotus with a dose of real oud and woods. Can smell the realistic ingredients. Very strong and well blended. First one I’ve tried from the house. It may not be a game breaking composition note combination for uniqueness, but for someone who hasn’t tried this sort of natural ingredients, it’s unique for me.

A really beautiful white floral with a nice baseline of benzoin and sandalwood... Nothing new or genre-defining, but still damn nice. Not much from the 7th collection has moved me all that much, truth be told...

Lightly indolic jasmine, labdanum, clove and a hint of warm cinnamon. Beautiful opening but not a lot of progress after that, it feels rather flat after a while.