Malik Al Taif

Today is Malik Al Taif. As always, this composition smells of the finest quality naturals. Malik behaves totally different on my skin than what my initial impressions were of the dipstick. I also have zero doubt that it will smell differently on my skin in a month than it does on my skin today. Just goes to show you these must be worn and studied over time to really appreciate what is afoot. In the opening, this fragrance shows almost all of its cards up front. I get the taif rose and gulab combo with its pink, citrusy-green tinged qualities that sit atop a hefty dose of deer musk, a blend of ouds (with the hay like qualities of the Hindi dominating) a smoky amber resin, and a MUCH more muted saffron than I initially experienced. The spiciness is there, but the boldness is more modest. It is an interesting oud combination. As stated above, the Hindi Oud kinda dominates the trio (hay, smooth leather, sweet resinousness) but I do pick up some smokiness and purple fruit that I have experienced in Cambodi oils. He listed the Lao oil as highly animalic. The Lao oils I am familiar with are the lactonic, almost cheesy fermented oud, and I do pick up a slight lactonic quality within the blend. After the fragrance starts to dry down that lovely benzoin creeps in and makes the rose a bit more enjoyable for me and just rounds out the entire fragrance as all the notes soften and blend in to your skin. Benzoin tends to have that effect on every composition that contains a decent amount of it for me. I imagine the guggul resinoid that Adam tends to use has a similar effect (aside from being a great fixative). At the top of the pack for rose/ouds, but I do not personally need another one. Exceptional stuff.

So THIS is the legendary Malik Al Taif? I'm not sure where to begin. This allegedly sits on the Mount Rushmore of releases from ALD, so it's inherently garnered some criticism. Heavy is the head, and all that. What's under the hood? Well, it's a pretty straightforward floral oriental with a subtly ambered, woody base. Sounds simple. And, it kind of is. But, I think that is the point. And that might be what makes it "good". Structurally, this is a floriental comparable to ALD releases Paradise Soil or Walimah. (Paradise Soil maybe with a little more going on as far as the bells and whistles) The base, the oud, everything in this composition is carefully dosed to create a platform to showcase the sheer beauty of the rose, like Walimah's champaca or Paradise Soil's bouquet of jasmine and ylang. And boy, is this rose worthy of showcase. There is boundless depth in this rose note. Tart, citric, lemony, fermented berry/cherry, wine-like juice, somewhat spicy aromatic clove. It is so robust, if you wanted to, you could continue finding facets within it until either the cows came home or the fat lady sings. So, what are the critiques? "Not complex enough", "flimsy base", "not a unique offering", "rose / oud is overdone". Are these warranted? Well, expectations are a hell of a drug. If you like rose... This is one of the most brilliant, vibrant, deep roses I've laid my nose on. If this is a composition outside of your expectations... That might not be at fault of the perfume.

After so many good reviews, I ordered a full bottle ahead of receiving the sample - I was relieved that I had made a good investment. The first thing to note is that this is fairly sweet. A few people use 'jammy' which I guess indicates a sugary element. I believe it comes more from the creamy benzoin in the base which provides a gorgeous foundation. A lot of reviewers have mentioned turkish delight in describing this and I agree. The rose is incredible. The perfume is worth buying for the sheer quality of rose alone, I've never experienced such a natural rose. The dry down is also a beauty to behold. I can't stop sniffing my shirt... such a sweet resinous benzoin in the base. I find this projects a bit better on clothing - but be careful on whites and lights as it will stain. The indian oud is very noticeable particularly on first spray - this may turn a few people off. However, I find this disappears after 10 minutes and I'm left with a delicious balanced fragrance. I find the opening almost chocolatey as well.The price is a lot, but considering the ingredients and uniqueness of the perfume I have bought two bottles.

I’m wearing Malik Al Taif on my hand again , today I’m detecting a lot more oud and saffron than I did yesterday , the complexity of naturals is incredible, I find the rose alive smelling. Opening is so breathtaking that you want that rose to stay vibrant for the entire duration of the scent, there’s a subtle skanky quality about the oud utilized in the building of this formula, and the saffron packs a punch. I’ve smelled and own a lot of rose Oud saffron perfumes, but none of them smell like Malik Al Taif. In my first wearing I felt as if I was wearing two different scents in one simultaneously, quite difficult to explain, but today on my second day Malik Al Taif is reading differently, as if the materials infused within each other overnight, the transitions from rosy into woody are more harmonious, the musk is kissing the heart of the composition gently, there’s a sweet almost fruity presence throughout , is just beautiful, and a warmth ambery aura becomes noticeable the longer the composition unfolds on my skin.

Opulent, indulgently rich and narcotic. 1001 nights inspired MALIK AL TAIF opens with heady, plush Taif roses; drizzled with effervescent lemon, heapings of thick, golden hued honey and hints of finest saffron strands. An unparalleled olfactory experience is intensified by the use of Indian oud, lending MALIK AL TAIF slight animalic edge, dept and character; while musk absolute adds unmistakable sensual edge to the composition; taking it from innocently bright to head-turningly daring. The drydown is probably my favourite part of MALIK AL TAIF. Creamiest, most luxurious Mysore sandalwood, rich amber resin and Siam benzoin create a lavish aura which envelops the main player - rose, in a sweet, woody, golden embrace; caressing one's skin like a finest silk undergarment....

A stunning scent. It opens powerfully with oud, animal notes and ta if rose. It's curious for me that I actually don't mind the animalic note. The oud is strong but the rose holds its own. You would imagine that the oud and animalic musk would dominate for a long time but no they don't. They step back and for most of the long timeline the rose ta if is queen. A rich, deep and almost jammy rose. This is a very natural rose note so not very sweet. The scent is creamy. The oud and musk are now barely detectable. A beautiful unisex fragrance. The sillage is not big but the longevity is really good.

If you just want to own one rose fragrance (or maybe one rose oud saffron combo) do yourself a favor and buy a bottle (or more) of Malik Al Taif. The rose in this is phenomenal. Maybe the only issue u had when testing it a couple of times so far is that it dries down and vanishes a bit too fast after 2-3 hrs. I will most likely be getting an FB anyway, since it's worth alone for that rose heaven opening and also when applied in full sprays from an actual bottle it might perform better as well.

I understood that everyone said “rose jam”. I love this. What a luxurious scent !! I feel animatic oud and civet and little lemon. And boiled roses are in full bloom. A scent that entangles and gives me a time of sensuality. I succeeded in buying blinds.

Love this. I find the Rose here to be a lemony pine-sol type of rose. I am wondering if this comes from the high amount of rose oil, or if it is augmented. Just curious as this evening it has a loud lemon vibe going on.

this is the most beautiful rose oud that I've ever experienced. It has the fine high quality taif rose, real deer musk and barnyard oud, and is gorgeous.

The rose in Malik al Taif is very similar to the Rosa Damascena that is harvested in Bulgaria, it is not sweet and sickly, but very natural and appealing and can be worn easily by men without feeling effeminate. The rose dominates with the saffron the first two or three hours accompanied in the background by a warm, resinous amber, oud, and benzoin which takes over when the rose dissipates. Many people have fallen in love with the opening, but I actually prefer the warm and creamy base. The longevity is OK, not beastly though, and I can only assume that those who have rated the longevity as poor have intended the opening (I am someone who has dry skin and longevity of fragrances not the best with me). Some of the finest and rarest ingredients in the world have been used in Malik al Taif but for me, the rose is too dominant and there could have been a better balance with the other ingredients. It has a totally natural feel to it, far away from the aromachemicals that so many people have become accustomed to. As far as oud+rose combos go, in my opinion, it is still behind Roja's UAE, MFK's Satin Mood, FDB's Sahraa Oud, and Armani's Rose d'Arabie.

irma la douce goes never on sunday, a working rose, sensual, seductive but no nonsense. some deep red roses have an almost painful beauty. they simply overwhelm--leaving one in a trance. this is malik al taif. i know indian rose from the ghulab attahs available in every attah wallah's shop in india. a rose scent that i first fell in love with about 15 years ago. gender be damned, i loved it for the sweetness which seemed to fit my body chemistry. i have never encountered the real taif rose in life, but here it seems more unctuous than the indian rose, and darkens (and enriches) the experience. there are other notes present, mostly oud and musk, but they are merely soothing elements which are lightly detectable, the pedestal upon which the mighty rose stands. the rose/oud/musk trio is familiar to most who know arabian/indian perfumery, but this blend of exquisite quality raises the standard to dizzying heights.

A powdery Oriental rose, this is another nice but unexceptional offering in the fourth batch of Areej Le Dores. The central Taif rose note is very beautiful and the high quality of natural ingredients is on full display in the perfume. The perfume opens with the central rose note. As it begins to settle, one can detect notes of musk and agarwood. It finally settles into. a powdery base of amber, benzoin and sandalwood with the central rose still taking center stage. Very much an ‘attar’ style perfume, the perfume is bright, radiant and cheerful. However as many reviewers point out it is not particularly novel or distinguishable from many Oriental Rose Oud combinations easily available on the market for much lower prices. Moderate to strong sillage, unisex (slight feminine leaning) with good longevity. In my opinion, nothing new or exceptional, but still a beautiful high quality juice. Enjoy!

Absolutely gorgeous juicy almost sparkling rose up front, then a deeper, more citrusy, almost sweaty sharp Rose comes from underneath. Along with the darkness of the Oud there is a sparkling effect created. But then there is something strange and off putting in the drydown that I need to test more to put my finger on. Whatever it is it’s enough to make me decide against a full bottle.

This is my first foray into Areej (but not the Niche world) and this is the first one i tried on from their discovery pack. Yes, it is jammy rose, yes its oud, saffron, kinda musky. Overall has a sweetness that is appealing. Great rose-oud scent.

I now have less than 10ml left and would love to buy a bottle or a 10ml decant. If anyone is selling, let me know . US only . Thank you

What a beautiful perfume, I have a tiny bit left and need to buy a bottle . If anyone has a bottle for sale, please message me.

A rose bomb! Absolutely the best rose fragrance ever. If you like rose scents, this is a stunner.

This is one out of the 4th Collection sample set that I didn’t care for. However of the two I didn’t like, I liked Malik al Taif much better than Koh-i-Noor, but Malik al Taif is still in the dog-house. It is a busy rose-oud where the Rose has squashed the Hindi oud mercilessly into a pungent tangy mess and has gotten the dirty accident stuck firmly on its beautiful shoes. It is sharp, jammy, pungent and jagged. The squashed Hindi oud on the Rose’s shoes has gained consciousness and has started to grow over its footwear consuming the roses body crushing it slowly until only Hindi oud remains. Then the rose’s body seeps out of the struggle as a sweet, acidic syrup corroding the Hindi oud exterior leaving behind a thick vegetal funk. In Malik al Taif it is a messy war between Rose and Hindi oud that never becomes union. It smells like the fumes of those lit citronella mosquito repellent coils that I used quite frequently in Indonesia. A heavy, musty, medicinal citronella profile that smells of strong Deet or Mosquito repellant. Viridenscent, musty, acidic and spoiled. If you never had the chance to smell those coils this is probably a very unique, expensive and special scent which is kind of funny. But to me Malik Al Taif brings the association of cheap mosquito repellent. It is very clearly the smell of an aged rose oil as the provided description states but it has been matured way over its prime lost all of its vibrant, delicate, fruity and citric nuance and has been rendered to only its bitter citric profile with a decaying musty green stem and an intense metallic herbal twang that in the end overpowers the bitter Hindi oud. The metallic deet and thick citronella profile has always made me a tad queasy. I never thought I’d find a rose oud combination that was poorly done. It is usually a fool proof combination like cereal and milk, but here we are... High quality ingredients surely, that is the only thing saving this composition, but it is neither a good reference for oud nor a good reference for rose because both get lost in the composition and become a cheap citronella repellant. Ultimately forgettable and redundant amongst the rose-oud category for me to the point I forgot where I put my sample box for years since 2018. Now I am re-re-reviewing Malik Al Taif and Koh-i-Noor to see if my old thoughts are still my current. And yes, it seems my stance has not changed. To me it is a discordant rose forward rose-oud with superior ingredients. A palette of good ingredients wasted. 7/10

Areej le Doré Malik al Taif is a traditional Arabic rose-oud composition with high-quality materials. There’s a very high dose of the famed Taif rose, which on me came out extremely lemony at first, almost like lemon Pledge. It took a full half hour before it blossomed into a tender, pink-petalled, faintly rosewater-like scent, with just the faintest buzz of musk and smokiness beneath, and a still quite persistent citrusy flavor. It wasn’t the bright red jammy rose I was expecting; far more subtle and delicate, though quite diffusive. In the second hour, the amber and sandalwood come out, adding sweetness and producing a tender warm “second movement” I like a lot. In the third hour, I get more of the oud; it’s smoky, tangy, delicately animalic, and, to me, quite beautiful. In the fourth hour, the golden sweetness returns, this time with a bit of vanilla, and Malik al Taif is a mellow, warm, slightly spicy, sandalwood-and-amber scent again, with just a hint of smoky-funky oudh. Unlike classical French perfumery, which offers a swirl of dozens of notes, and usually gives me at least a preview of the base notes right away, Malik al Taif (and maybe classical Arabic perfumery in general?) has fewer elements, and separates cleanly into four separate stages without much overlap. I would say I love stages 2/4 and 3 — the poignantly sweet amber-sandalwood and the subtle, elegantly smoky oudh — but I find stage 1, the lemony rose, something I respect more than I love. Taif rose is a Damascena varietal, originally brought to Arabia from Turkey. While Rosa damascena normally has a jammy, ruby-red tonality, the particular terroir of Taif makes the same species of roses come out powerfully citrusy and green, almost not like a rose at all. This distinctive scent is prized among perfumers, but it can be a bit of a “love it or hate it” thing. I find it a little hard to handle. This is a top quality example of its genre, and I think it’s unisex — it smells like roses, sandalwood, and oudh, not like “men” or “women”.