Al Mas

I was gifted this lovely fragrance in a swap. I chose to wear it blindly without peeking at the notes first and *wow* am I surprised at what's listed! On me this opened with a fleeting whiff of mint/menthol which blossomed into a well-blended and heady white floral with a hint of exotic arabian oil undertones that I couldn't place. Boy was I shocked that it apparently has rose, cinnamon, and vanilla in it! I didn't get any of those notes on me! Beautiful fragrance.

I didn’t get too excited about ‘Al Mas’ by Khalis. To put it clumsily, it’s like ‘Gres’ by Cabotine layered with Dior’s ‘Poison’. The oud, vanilla and cinnamon is minimal, so it’s basically a jasmine heavy floral. It’s impressively cheap (under £3 for the rollerball oil), so it’s worth owning. Having said that, I had it for all of 10 minutes then gave it to my mum as it didn’t hold my interest.

I have now had this for about 3 weeks, and have tested it a few times. It is a lovely rose-forward fragrance with a very perceptible jasmine note as well. The combination is slightly reminiscent of Nabeel's Empress, but less piercing, and warmer. The rose is almost realistic (definitely better than most other rose perfumes I've smelled - I have a hard time finding a non-synthetic rose) and with a slight green tinge... I am not sure why cinnamon is indicated as the most noticeable note, since I don't smell any, besides just a general warmth. I also don't smell the vanilla at all. NOTE - I have the rollerball version. Update: As times goes on, I smell the cinnamon more distinctly (although who knows, maybe it's the power of suggestion, based on the notes pyramid? ). This is definitely a perfume that reveals more of its beauty with each wearing. Lovely - one of my favorites