First Glance

I recently branched out of my comfort zone and purchased first glance by Habibi after sampling it in their discovery collection (a great value btw). Although it is listed mostly as a white floral scent, on me it really smells primarily as a Woody kind of frag and a white floral second. My skin really likes to express the cedar and other Woody elements of it, and additionally the floral elements I mostly detect are orange blossom and jasmine notes, the rose is very quite in the background so if you’re not a fan of roses this one won’t ruin it for you. The oud is very much in this fragrance but not super aggressive or in your face. On its own it’s wonderful and it combines very well with other fragrances I own. My favorite thing to do if I want it to smell a bit rosier (I’m a big rose fan) is to wear this with my Chloe lotion or just regular Chloe perfume. If you like Jo Malone Velvet rose and oud cologne, I think you’ll like this. I wear the Habibi when I want a softer more floral Woody oud scent and my JM velvet rose and oud when I want a darker more heavy oud scent. I get a lot of compliments when I wear it and it smells way more expensive than it is. I appreciate that Habibi sends you a sample of the frag with your order so that you don’t have to open the actual perfume box if you decide you want to return it. Making it a stress free blind buy!

I really like this scent and suspect I'll grow to love it the more I use it. It smells so familiar, like something I already have in my arsenal, but I can't put my finger on it. It's got a warm, spicy, sweet scent that's not overly sweet. The jasmine definitely stands out as does the geranium. The oud, leathery, tonka bean notes round it out very well in the drydown, leading to a warm, creamy scent that is quite seductive and sophisticated. I tried this on my skin and it's beautiful. This is definitely going to be a cold-weather perfume for me. I feel it would become cloying and transform into something much too heavy in hot weather. The longevity is tonnes better on clothing, and I think it actually smells better on clothing. I can get 6 or so hours on my clothing, but about 2-3 on my skin. This was a good blind-buy, but if you're not familiar with niche fragrances or don't particularly like oud notes in scents, you'll definitely want to test the sampler before committing to the $75 full flanker.

As stated below, the sampler is a great deal, 5 good-sized testers for $20, and they threw in Urban Oud, which I immediately sprayed on my spouse, and its gentle fougere scented his small office wonderfully. I think this whole range is geared for lovers of leather and rose. I get rose in every scent. First Glance is fresher, so I decided to try it first. All smell a little boozy, which I like. I am not the biggest fan of rose, but this is OK mixed with tonka. All have that Arabian/Eastern edge with the little hint of incense, which I was hoping for. Very friendly service and fast delivery. Their FAQ doesn't state this but their line is cruelty-free and vegan, hurray!

Very pretty. Not unique though. Easy to wear, not over whelming. More designer then niche. Very nice layered with Vanilla Vibes. Gives it a little bit something extra.

Familiar. Boring. Fades fast. Reminds me of my mom in the 00s. Soft, light, slightly powdery. I used my whole sample trying to get anything out of it, but it just keep vanishing in 30 minutes. 5/10

The idea was nice, but it did not agree with me.