Abu Dhabi

On my skin this evokes dry sand. I was curious to how a perfume could smell like a dry desert and well yes it does. It's more of a subtle scent so it's office safe. It's winter in London and I can't wait to try it again when it's warmer as I have a feeling this will evolve differently in warmer temps and prob be even more deserty.

Gorgeous orris and saffron, with a dry-spicy backbone that’s shared with others from this brand, and I’m a sucker for it (I’ll also need Bukhara, Accra, Istanbul ...). The geranium gives it a soapy tilt, suggesting the amenities at an ultra-luxury hotel. Wonderful stuff, and the 30ml bottle makes it a must have.

Abu Dhabi is an aromatic leather scent with a foresty green undertone and a nice spicy accord. Despite its Middle Eastern location, Abu Dhabi seems like it would suit a mineralic, sterile scent, evocative of the steel skyscrapers amongst its desert sands. Either way, this is a pleasant, good-quality scent in its own right, featuring a smooth, clean leather accord. AD opens with aromatic, green notes, with some savoury herbal notes and a pine-like edge. Pink pepper gets the spicy accord off to a great start, melding well with the herbs and leather. The leather accord slowly develops throughout, smooth, dry and clean somehow, forming the backbone of this scent. Saffron contributes to the amber-leather accord, its rich spice the perfect addition here. Geranium follows, its peppery greenness the perfect addition to the herbs and spices. It becomes earthy as it dries down, but remains clean and smooth. Patchouli is particularly prominent here, but powdery, rooty orris enhances the earthiness while keeping things smooth and refined. Some dry woods creep in, but it remains primarily leathery here. Some soft musk emerges as it fades. There is a slight mineralic edge here, but it doesn't take from this scent. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. It is masculine-leaning in my opinion, and is a year-round scent. A versatile, good-quality aromatic leather for everyday use, AD is a lovely addition to this house, but not the definitive leather for me. I prefer Accra, but that is down to opinion. 3.5/5.

Finally sampling the latest release from Gallivant Perfumes, Abu Dhabi, from late 2022. To my nose, it’s a spicy, dry blend, as described, centered around saffron but with notable touches of pink pepper and orris, with a background of cypress and leather, to me. It’s a great blend that I think is vaguely in the vicinity of Istanbul but without the reliance on rose, a similar commentary I offered on Gdansk, but while Gdansk is a bit boozier and sweeter (albeit also with leather), Abu Dhabi is dryer with orris. A fascinating blend, quite unique, wearable, and artistic. I don’t think I quite love it as much as Gdansk but I’ll continue to wear it some more. Like the rest of the line, Abu Dhabi is priced at $200/$95 for 100/30ml (sold at great boutiques like Perfumology), great pricing and with great performance, in this case, like most of the line. The house continues to put out great fragrances so I cannot recommend them enough. 7 out of 10

The name of this scent is meant to evoke dusty desert heat and eastern spices and I find the scent does just that. There are no florals here and no sweetness. Nor is there any freshness. This is dry, expensive spice with almost a bitter flavour. For this reason probably more on the masculine side for most people. But I like to wear it (I’m female) because I love more woody earthy scents than floral ones and on my skin it quickly looses the bitterness and becomes softer. As with all designer scents what works for one may not work for everyone so try testers before you commit to a full size bottle.