Afeef

I am drunk off the fragrance of springtime in La Belle Époque Paris... Of course I bought this for the bottle, I love peacocks and am currently going through a Wildean fin de siècle phase at the moment. The notes transition to the next so seamlessly it’s very pleasant to me though I feel it could give a weaker nose a headache if huffed too long. At first I got a fresh, though synthetic, peachy smell which a few minutes later seamlessly morphed into orange blossom (or what I imagine orange blossom smells like, what I smelled was an orange citrus with light floral undertones). This orange blossom smell stuck around and honestly outlived this next note which is a woody amber that is trying to be sandalwood but fails. This woody amber smelled very nice and complimented the orange blossom which to my surprise actually seemed to outlive every other note. I love it and this will be my go-to springtime perfume.

A successful blind buy for me. When I've worn it for the first time I got two compliments straight away. People said it smelt amazing. And I agree! It's a very interesting perfume. I don't think it's a dupe of anything, I've never smelt similar before. Although I do find it difficult to describe. Afeef opens with pleasant fresh bergamot and pink pepper and then I get lots of jasmine, bit of tuberose and some sweetness from praline. I don't get much peach or patchouli in mine at all. It wears well in the spring and I think it'll completely fine in the summer too. Layers well many other fragrances. I like it especially with Alien. Perfomance is good - it stays on for hours and projects well. Bottle looks pretty, but the cap is huge and annoying. You could probably assasinate someone with those birds! I don't take it anywhere with me, so I can live with it as the juice matters more to me.

Out of the box this was fine - nothing special. Quite alcoholic and quiet. After a wee spray to start the party, followed by 3 months of maturation on my shelf (as opposed to maceration, which is part of the perfumer’s process 🤓🤓), it’s turned into a beautiful sparkly and sweet peachy floral. It’s not my usual preference but here I love it. I don’t get lots of distinct tuberose or jasmine notes, and I think the praline is harder to find (although others have said otherwise!). I am not overly sensitive to ambroxan so it could piss you off if you’re the opposite. Maybe this all means it’s a poorly-mixed blend but my untrained nose is a fan. It lasts a long time, I can smell it for hours - not bad for £30. I can’t complain. It’s not the most sophisticated, despite what the gaudy bottle promises. This is not high end...but tbh neither am I 💅🏻 That lid though...audacious.

Fresh out the box this is a beautiful scent! I’m actually shocked it’s this good! I was nervous because of the comparison to Valaya which I find to be screechy and headache inducing. This is very smooth without having to let it sit for months, the peach note is very photorealistic, the citrus tempers the sweetness, and the base is so deliciously creamy! I know this has been compared to an Erba Pura/Valaya hybrid, but I don’t get that at all. Let’s just hope that it isn’t what this scent eventually evolves into. I have both and can barely tolerate them, alone, so together sounds like a nightmare to me. The bottle and presentation are really beautiful , as well. I’m excited to see what the final form presents as after maturation. I’ll update in 3 months.

Ok, Ambergriz! I’m going to have to start listening to you more! I got this sample in part due to your review! I love it! I get the Erba Pura dna, but less heavy. This is a mood lifter just like the reviewer below said. It’s a golden, peachy, sparkling amber scent! I almost get a champagne effect! Ignore the hate online. I think it smells expensive and divine. There is a nostalgia here that takes me back to the 90’s, but the tuberose is not indolic! Btw peach often smells nasty on me, but not here. I haven’t had this much love for a perfume for a while. Thinking this will be a signature spring and summer scent!