After Effect

French Avenue's After Effect is clearly inspired by Initio’s famous Side Effect, and you can sense it right from the first spray. While many inspired scents only loosely capture the essence, After Effect comes impressively close — both in structure and in the scent trail it leaves in the air. The opening is warm and spicy, dominated by cinnamon and rum. Compared to Side Effect, the spices here are slightly rougher, a bit more dry and powdery. It almost feels like you've opened a box filled with freshly ground spices and cured tobacco — intense but not overwhelming. As it transitions into the heart notes, sweet accords of vanilla and tonka bean start to emerge. This sweetness isn’t as smooth or creamy as Side Effect’s, but it’s still well-blended. The tobacco note is rich and masculine, adding depth without becoming cloying. This stage of the fragrance feels perfect for cooler weather and evening wear. In the dry-down, warm amber and a hint of woody notes come into play. The sweetness mellows out, and you're left with a comforting, slightly resinous warmth on the skin. While Side Effect offers a more velvety and creamy finish, After Effect leans slightly more dry and spice-forward. Still, in the air — where it matters most — the resemblance is striking. Performance-wise, After Effect holds its own surprisingly well for its price. It projects nicely for the first 2–3 hours, then settles into a close-to-skin scent that remains detectable for several more. With a few weeks of maceration, I expect the rougher top notes to smooth out and the overall balance to improve. Scent Profile: Top notes: Cinnamon, Rum — warm, spicy, slightly rough around the edges. Heart notes: Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Tobacco — sweet, masculine, and full-bodied. Base notes: Amber, Woody notes — cozy, resinous, skin-friendly finish. Final Thoughts: If you love Side Effect but can’t justify the price tag, After Effect is an absolute steal. At roughly 1/10th the price, you’re getting 90% of the olfactory experience. It’s ideal for fall and winter, especially for nighttime wear. With its warm, sensual aura and solid performance, this fragrance punches well above its weight class. EDIT 1 : After having both Farah and After Effect for 4 months, I can clearly say that if what you’re looking for is 'Side Effect,' then Farah is much closer to it and gives you that exact vibe. After Effect, on the other hand, is more masculine, dusty, and intense. It does remind me of Side Effect, but it’s definitely not the same.

After witnessing how fragrances by Initio fell from grace, i truly deem the best decision is to avoid the brand altogether. Like, there's a video out there that broke down how Initio scale down the quality of basically everything in their fragrance line. From the fragrance quality/performance itself, the presentation, packaging, everything (You can watch the full breakdown on YT by Brian's Broadcast) Yet we as consumers still have to whip out a hefty amount of cash for their product, which is plainly unjust. I therefore advocate for the clone and dupe fragrances to keep on their own game due to the egregious decisions made by the board of directors of some of the biggest name on the high end of the fragrance market as of late, such as Initio. Now, as for the fragrance. FW French Avenue After Effect. i'll give it a straight 9/10. Performance: 9/10 Easy 8 Hours. Without sweating, pollution, or other scents interfering this could push past 10-11 hours. Projection is bordering on beast mode. Scent: 8/10 Haven't smelled the original yet, but the notes listed are there. A bit of rubbery scent at the back, but nowhere near off-putting. Presentation: 8,3/10 for someone who doesn't know about perfumes, they'll assume you had a legit niche fragrance, on the 150-250$ range. The bottle is hefty, has some nice matte finishing on it. (which supports the aging process of the fragrance due to limited sunlight exposure). But for some reason mine has got a tiny leak on the sprayer neck. Price: 12/10 under 20$ (in my country). The absolute best thing about this fragrance, the best decision i've made so far.

Wow.......this one's pretty cool. Initial spray can be a little harsh but dries out smooth, a little sweet, dark, a little smoky and lightly spicy. (It actually reminds me a little of a sweet, smooth incense). This is beautiful! I'm not normally a fan of sweet scents (mainly because they aren't very masculine to me) but this is actually a very nice dark masculine sweet scent. So this will be a definite keeper for me. I did get a little of the BO and bitterness in the opening some people were talking about but as soon as it dried on my skin, it went away immediately (might be the alcohol and spices that makes that smell initially). It also seems to depend on how much or heavily you spray, I noticed. The lighter the spray the less I noticed it. I would downvote this scent if that smell stayed but it went away very quickly the very second the liquid dried. So, I'm not gonna get mad or discouraged with it. I haven't macerated it yet. Some reviewers have said that maceration takes care of this issue, so hopefully (fingers crossed) it will go away and smooth out. But I'm not too concerned since it doesn't stay long anyway. I still absolutely love this. The smell definitely matches the color of the bottle, if smells had colors. This is a really unique and beautifully dark scent. (Once it dries 😉) It's definitely worth trying. 👍 (yes I also blind bought, but it was love at first sniff for me)

As I have collected fragrances, some of them have been really stand-out as far as need for maturation goes. This is my number one on that list. When I first sprayed this fragrance, it smelled like... well you know when you accidentally set a tupperware container on the stove and it’s hotter than you thought it was and the plastic gets heated just enough to melt and sends a plume of some carcinogenic shite flying through your kitchen? It smelled a lot like that. I could tell that there was a nice, creamy perfume hiding in there somewhere, but the initial spray was very discouraging. Fast forward about a month and I have tested AE two more times. There has been zero improvement at this point. Another month passed and FINALLY, we have something worth reviewing. I love this fragrance. It smells expensive and unique. I definitely don’t expect to smell it on anyone else in public where I live. Granted, where I live also doesn’t yield many days where this is useful, but that’s okay! The boozy sandalwood accord is fantastic. Buyer beware though, anticipate a desperate need to let this one rest in a dark room for a couple months. I expect there to be even further improvements as time passes, but it is wonderful the way it is now. 3/10 when I pulled it out of the box, easy 8/10 after 2 months. Who knows what I’ll be working with after 6 months have passed!

I don't know how I happened upon a review of this but I was elated. I believe this was my very first M.E fragrance purchase. I had been living under a rock for so long, and I had never even come across clone/dupe frag vids. Right as I I was gearing up to make my seasonal frag purchases, I pulled out my decants. My Side Effect decant had literal drops left and had turned syrupy from the previous year. I was holding on to that bad boy for dear life until this! It's close who cares if it's not spot on IMO. I've learned that sampling helps a great deal so I suggest finding decants for these impressions as I went crazy buying full bottles and that is just not smart. Also, do what you want with your money. Do not let frags snob convince you of quality and ingredients and all this cheap b.s. We all hope the hundreds we spend on designer/niche goods are b/c of quality but we cannot verify that. It's one of the greatest lies told and sold if you ask me. But snob on if that's your thing. It is all just, smelly-fkn-water. If it makes me feel special at $20 bucks vs $200, even better!

After effect by French Avenue is one of the best fragrances that money can buy you. It lasts a decent amount (around 5-6 hours, maybe I need to let it macerate a bit as it’s a new batch) and smells very identical to its copy. As for notes, I smell a lot of cinnamon and Saffron in it, and there is a prominent boozy vibe to it which is where you get the rum note from. Although it is quite hard to distinguish the individual note of rum. Same applies for the white florals and tobacco. But hey an average person would never care if they smell those notes on you or not it smells good and that’s what matters. Got compliments from many friends and strangers in public, I would say it’s highly suitable for large indoor spaces. Dont overspray it cause initial projection is beastly, before it dries down and the projection reduces, it is still a very good performer. I had doubts buying this at first cause I have had hit or miss with clones but I would definitely recommend you get this for cool weather occasions. It will jot disappoint ;)

While bold and unique, After Effect can be surprisingly versatile. It's perfect for evening occasions, but its vibrant citrus notes make it suitable for daytime wear as well. The longevity and projection are outstanding. I would call it a masterpiece. It's a fragrance that demands attention and evokes a sense of intrigue and allure. If you're seeking a truly unique and unforgettable scent, After Effect is an absolute must-try. I highly recommend After Effect to anyone who: * Appreciates bold and unconventional fragrances. * Enjoys a blend of sweet, spicy, and woody notes. * Seeks a perfume with exceptional longevity and projection. * Wants to make a statement with their scent. * You've tried Side Effect and want to own it at an affordable price.

This fragrance strongly reminds me of Side Effect and Mashrabya by Lattafa, but I find it better blended, with more earthy undertones in the rum note. Mashrabya, in comparison, can lean a bit too sweet, although its dry-down is still enjoyable. This fragrance, however, is seductive from the opening through to the dry-down. It maintains its character consistently, without the abrupt shifts found in similar compositions. In effect, it feels like a Side Effect–style decant, though with slightly lower projection and sillage, if I am being honest. Final take: considering the quality and price, this is a steal well-executed, sensual, and excellent value for money.

Out of the box it was good but nothing mindblowing, I was pleased with the blind buy. After about 3 months just sitting on my shelf the scent itself has become much smoother and somewhat better smelling. Very good fragrance for the price would recommend. It doesn't have any weird smells like body odor or poop like someone said. But when i first spray it its so strong that my nose goes into shock for a while, after a minute I can smell fragrance like I should. And for those who only care about the dupe quality its basically the same scent as Side Effect but a little harsher and the blend is a tad bit lower quality as is expected.

Smells a bit alcohol like for a few minutes when you first spray it, but after around 10 minutes as it settles down it develops into an almost 1 to 1 side effect. I'd say around 95% similiar. This one is more punchy then side effect, which is more soft. They smell literally so similiar, and for the price I think I would much perfer this over the original side effect. People say this is synthetic, well so is side effect. Not much of a quality difference. This one is not a safe blind buy, but if you already smelled side effect then this is a great deal. Atomizer is crazy good. Pressurized.

I had it last week, and it's true that It has a heavy alcoholic opening, which probably will fade with enough maceration. After that, the smell feels rich, sophisticated, and changes through time, starting with strong notes of rum and tobacco, and transitioning to a smooth vanilla. It also has something that reminds me of sweat, or skin, which far from being disgusting, makes the perfume more addictive. The bottle might be not the best in terms of quality, as the purple paint starts falling around the atomizer due to alcohol exposition, but the liquid inside is worth every euro.

Got this about a year ago as I loved Side Effect but wasn’t willing to pay $500 + for it... Definitely needed time to macerate but it’s a great fragrance now. Really close to the original in my opinion, obviously smells slightly less expensive and put together, but for the price it’s amazing. Blended really well and I’ve gotten a few compliments on it. Noticed people saying it’s cloying, and I don’t find it bad but I would say it’s not blind buy safe. But overall for smell and price I would say def 9/10

Although the initial spray is very alcohol heavy, the rest of the fragrance is great. Not too sweet, spicy (in a more cinnamon and cardamom way rather than peppery), and has a good tobacco note. Definitely reminds me of a fireplace in autumn, or a vintage library, but not in a dusty way. Performance is good, lasts around 8 hours on my skin while projecting for the first 2 or 3. I would say it's more of a mature and intimate fragrance rather than something you would go to a party with.

I've never smelled side effect. So I can't speak on its smell. What I will say is this fragrance is amazing. I am currently head over heals for this. It has this rubbery plastic smell that I absolutely love in fragrance. Smells nothing like noir ambre from Issey miyake, but has that same plasticy smell that I can't get enough of. If this is what side effect smells like, I would have had no problem dropping 200+ on discounters. It's worth the price in my opinion. 12/10 for me.

I like this. Smells of berries and wood. I don't really get much tobacco, rum, and cinnamon. Not saying it's not there, but I don't really pick it up. Strong at first sprays. Goes hard for the first couple of hours before settling down. Sticks around all day (a good 10+ hours). Really pleasant, but also very linear. This is such a nice frag for the fall and winter; you can totally wear this in the spring... or maybe even on cool summer evenings (but not in the high heat).

Alright now. Doing a side-by-side, the opening, when compared to the OG, is completely different. I mean, you cannot mistake it. But wait.....just wait a good 10 - 15 minutes and they become nearly indistinguishable to one another. I mean it. Literally makes the OG redundant. Unless you want a slightly boozier, more medicinal opening that's gonna last like 5 - 10 minutes in the OG, then there's just absolutely no point in getting it. An absolutely phenomenal clone!

"The After Effect - Effect" ... after two intense weeks (lol) of maceration , The scent is 1: 1 to Initio side effect patience is truly the key .. I really saved 250 dollars , I can't stop smelling it this is so great , highly recommend to macerate before using it .Not a daily driver but perfect on date nights and special occasions especially in winter , A very mature and sophisticated scent ,Not a safe Blind Buy , I recommend to sample side effect first .

A lot of people saying this is a headache in bottle and that it's too heavy and synthetic, and I almost believed them, but bruh when I checked the OG side effect reviews they are saying the same shit "it is heavy and synthetic and blah blah blah" 🤣 so I think the problem is the scent profile, you guys just don't like it. there's no problem with the juice itself. Anyway I will buy after effect tomorrow. Yall need to stop posting fake reviews.

This smells pretty close to initio side effect but I have to say the rum is way more present. Right out of the box it was ok but after letting it sit for about a month and a half the scent became much better and felt higher quality. It lasts a lot of time, on my skin I get 8 hours + with about 3 hours of good projection. If you like Initio side effect this is a very good budget clone and at this price point you can't go wrong with it

This is an excellent masculine-leaning unisex scent!! The rum and cinnamon balance out so well in this fragrance it's almost edible. The best part is the dry down coming out with that saffron and sandalwood, leaving you with a powdery, boozy, and aromatic finish. Longevity: 12 hours+(On clothes 24 hours+) Sillage: Very Strong 10/10 Quality: 9/10 Bottle and Fragrance This is truly a masterpiece fragrance/dupe.