Hayat

Hayat is an arid and parched earthy and woody fragrance. Quite fragrant but devoid of anything sweet and wet. The bitter orange comes strongly at you in the beginning. It is the smell of the bitter orange rind rather than the fruit itself. Lavender is also evident; however, I detect it by its cool and medicinal amell rather than by its sweet floral aspect. The oud falls on the woody side of the spectrum rather than the skanky, resinous, and fungal side if it. The cinnamon adds to the dry feel of Hayat. It smells dusty, dry, and fragrant rather than sweet. Amber and cardamon are listed as notes. I don’t smell them distinctively. That’s sad because Hayat would benefit from their sweetness. Sometimes I smell cedar and sometimes I don’t, and when I do it is quite light. I don’t get any patchouli at all. Overall Hayat is a sober and torrid woody fragrance. I own it. Compared to other Kemi fragrances I own, it is my least favorite. I don’t love it but I like it. I find it more suitable for cool fall and winter nights. When I wear it I get the sensation I’m wearing a dry wool/linen coat in a very cool night. This is a self-reflective perfume that you might appreciate for its artistic qualities.

Welcome to the jungle... This is a woody spicy fragrance with some aromatic nuances (lavender and bitter orange). These nuances on top are the responsible, in my opinion, to make this juice very special, this together with a little skanky Oud take this composition into a challenging but intriguing universe. To my nose this is wet, dark, very woody and sweet&sour. It gets less interesting in the dry-down, where top notes (which provide this sour effect) disappear somehow and the wood loses some of its natural feeling, but still nice, easier now to wear and in my skin very long lasting. So the jungle effect is transformed into a more furniture-like aroma, elegant aroma, but no so special. Originality: medium (opening is more original than dry-down) Scent: 7.5/10 Performance: high Would I buy it: No (if retail price..., I found it cheaper and it is now part of my collection)

A helpful perfumisto at The Scent Bar in Los Angeles showed me this one, and because I bought some fragrance I got a sample! He told me that this is what a quality oud-based scent smells like. (I really wasn't sure. I thought oud was either cough medicine or a rotting log.) The top notes, at first, repelled me... No, I didn't care for it. And then, amazingly, it changed into a truly marvelous scent... A lovely, deep, complex wood. So *this* is oud! Ah, I can see why it is prized now! The development of this one is the most radical and pronounced of any scent I think I have ever smelled. Truly amazing! Finally, an oud I like! $400/bottle. ------------ I wore some of the sample and a female cop asked me what it was I was wearing. I told her and she wrote it down. I'll be very sorry to see my sample go away.

@iobhai, such an honest assessment of this scent , yet so out of leftfield compared to many other reviews. We went from an epic masterpiece, 10/10 , the gold standard for such scents to a torture chamber experience. Well, of course as we all know, tastes vary and experiences too. At times the weather or air conditions play a huge role in how we judge a perfume. Give it another shot under different conditions and see what you think. For me , although not one my faves by any means, this scent is actually quite appealling in it's own right. Quite similar to Amouage Jubilation for men. Just a little less boozy in overall effect, with everything else almost identical to my nose. Overall a more wearable scent compared to Jubilation.

Finally got my hands on a partial of this after blowing through a decant. This is a big love for me. Tom Ford Oud Wood DNA done how it should have always been done actually having some oud to it. It's sour its pungent it's gorgeous. The oud to me is not fecal but has some barnyard elements. Reminds me of a horsey leather like a good hindi oud. The mixture with the sparkling opening and the cardamon is a love for me. I have wore this out alot for cocktails and events and always garners compliments. To me the sillage is very Tom Ford Oud Wood but up close you get the oud for your personal enjoyment. Stunning honestly my favorite Xerjoff / Kemi by a mile ( I know those are fighting words lol ) with Tempest a close second.