Terhaal

You know a polarizing scent when you see both love and hate reviews - and nothing in between. The description says it's a delicate fragrance and that it's perfectly balanced, which is hilarious, because it's everything BUT delicate and balanced. This is a wild scent. Like something straight out of a witch's cauldron. A potent love elixir for the ruthless and determined, to be applied precisely at midnight, that might or might not be lethal if overdosed. It starts off with a cacophony of contrasting notes, sharp and unappealing, like a fleeting warning for the unaware target. It quickly settles to lure you with the cold, sharp, intriguing citrusy notes that don't seem to fit, but weirdly they do. It smells like a late summer moonlit garden filled with fruit trees and flowers, with a slightly chilly breeze carrying the smell of jasmine. The closer you come, the more intoxicating it gets, and by the time you realize it was a trap, it ensnares you in its sensual, bittersweet spiciness. It's not the kind of warm, sensual, feminine (it's pretty unisex imo) oriental flowery scent nice ladies spritz on to feel sexy. It's sensual, but in a cold, untamed, unpredictable manner. A very je ne sais quoi kind of fragrance situation, strong and VERY easy to overspray. The atomizer is TERRIBLE though. It falls apart easily and I had to reassemble it a bunch of times, which is annoying. The bottle is gorgeous though and the fragrance inside... big love.

A nuclear bomb of Rose. Oud. Caramel. Not for feint hearts.

I'm sorry, but this initially smells like a fart! A fart that someone has tried to hide using some white flowers and citrus. I don't know whether this leans more male or female, but no one should be smelling of farts. I think it's due to the oud. Not a safe blind purchase. Fragrances like this is the reason samples should exist. When the fart discipates, there's a blend of fruits, blackcurrant, and some sweet citrus left. It also kinda smells like a bowl of cut-up fruit... but there's melted caramel right next to it, and some jasmine, and you're like "This is not meant to go with that, is it...?". Quite a polarizing scent. It will be interesting to see what this be comes when it has had the time to macerate. Right now it's a fresh caramel-like perfume where jasmine and citruses are combined... and the super-heavy, farty oud in the beginning... very unusual. As if someone has layered soap, deodorant and perfume that doesn't really go together...and where does the oud go??? Oud is a large molecule that's suppose to hang around - there's a reason it's a base note. Like, what? Edit: after having it for soon 2 months, the drydown on my clothes smells like soup...! Like dill, basilikum, slightly salty, AND the same notes as described above. It's the perfume equivalent of a toddler: smells of playdough, farts, the soap you bathed them with, your candy that they found and ate. It's cute and sweet most of the time, but all over the place...! It also gives you Smellholm syndrome: it assaults you and doesn't let you go, but you stay and try it again and again because there are some interesting notes in there too that you want to experience again, and you hope you just somehow start liking all of it.

I left a review 2 reviews down. This is an update. This perfume NEEDS to mature. It's a complete mess before it has matured. The oud in here is absolutely horrendous in the beginning. Now this has been standing open for 3 months. Not very long yet, but the farts are almost gone from the bottle. It still smells like a toilet inside a swimming hall after someone has pooped. I hope it gets better with time. Currently, after the poop swimming hall toilet opening, it continues with sweet citrus and other fruits, and has caramel in the base. I can also detect a little bit of jasmine that makes this smoother. Can no longer detect any woody notes in this, and also no musk or prominent vanilla - the sweetness in this is mainly ambery, and from the fruity top notes and caramel. Quite a simple, sweet, light, young fragrance. It's actually very NON-offensive. I can't imagine anyone, aside from people who react to perfumes, being offended by something like this. Not too sweet, not too fresh, nothing spicy in this, light. Very easy to wear.

I’m someone that likes all the polarizing fragrance notes, like tuberose, patchouli, jasmine, civet, etc. so it takes a lot for me to hate a fragrance. I read the scent notes above which seemed innocuous and even like something I would love. There were no reviews here so I went online and found one that said it was ok, a so so typical tuberose, nothing remarkable. So I blind bought it at $14. But it is remarkable: remarkably and spectacularly revolting! Something in it triggers a gag reflex in me and since the sprayer was leaking so bad inside the packaging that the cap had started flaking paint everywhere, this small box was able infuse its malodors everywhere in my house! I ended up throwing it all away ASAP. Each time I walked by the trash bin my stomach contracted like I was going to hurl. The first time any fragrance has done me this way!! It compares to nothing I’ve ever smelled before, like one of those toilet cakes that make your eyes water with white floral detergent! Please test this before buying! Ive never posted negatively about a perfume but I want to share a warning to save some innocent, bargain hunting soul the pain I endured. Blind buy at your own risk! Update: I have Al Dur Al Maknoon and I love it. This smells nothing like it.