Al Areeq Gold

* Unique hybrid gourmand and leather fragrance * Unique and imaginative fragrance * Very nice black tea note not found in any other gourmand fragrance * Warm blend of sweet, tea, spice, leather, vanilla, smoke, incense, amber, and vanilla aromas * Drier than most sweet fragrances thanks to a good note balance * Perfect for date nights and social occasions * Good for both older and younger users * Good intro to the leather fragrance DNA for gourmand lovers * Great masculine fragrance * Strong performer * Beautiful bottle presentation * High QPR value * Niche quality for discounter price * Not unisex * Notes may come off as rubber or petrol to some noses * Love it or leave it proposition * Absolutely unnecessary, hard to open and plain looking display case Lattafa's Al Areeq Gold is probably the most masculine fragrance to date I've experienced. It's very unique, a hybrid leather and gourmand fragrance. That makes no sense on paper, but in practice this is unique, imaginative and beautiful. The two standout notes are a black tea note in the opening I have never experienced in any other gourmand fragrance I own. This is followed by sweet, spice, leather, vanilla, amber, smoke and incense aromas. There are comparisons to Mercedes-Benz Club Black, Bvlgari Man in Black, Lattafa's own Oud Lail Maleki (which I also own), Valentino Donna Noir Absolu and Crystal Saffron. Al Areeq Gold is absolutely not a clone of any of these. This is its beast. It's extremely masculine and quite strong. There is a touch of sweetness but it comes off drier than most sweet fragrances due to a great balance of its notes. This is a great intro to the leather fragrance DNA for gourmand lovers, but keep in mind that leather is probably the second most polarizing fragrance note there is, surpassed in divisiveness only by oud. Combined with the other notes here, it may come off as rubber or petrol to some noses. You have to be confident to wear this. Definitely rewarding if you can. This is easily a niche quality perfume for a discount price. Performance is quite strong. Very high QPR value here. The bottle presentation is beautiful. Note that this comes in a display case, but the display case is IMHO completely unnecessary. It's also hard to open and rather plain looking, especially in comparison to Lattafa's outstanding display case presentations for Thouq, Eternal Oud and the Winners Trophy fragrances. Really not sure why they went for this, but if they were going to go for it then I feel they could and should have done a much better job with the case. Annoying case aside, this is an easy high recommend from me to male users.

I wasn’t sure if this would be a safe blind buy, but for £25 I was willing to chance it based on the notes. I’ve worn this for 3 days now and there’s something that’s becoming addictive about it...it opens up with a super rubbery saffron, I get a touch of the tea alongside this, but sadly it’s not a potent enough match for that huge saffron. There is a sweet vanilla all through this, and once the saffron subsides the velvety suede and a touch of smoky incense compliment that lovely vanilla. A strange love for me, I’m glad the vanilla is there as without this it wouldn’t be sweet enough for me, wonderful quality. Actually astonishing for this pricepoint, compared to a lot of hyped up niche fragrances. The presentation is stunning, and the juice matches the bottle - I can only imagine how lovely this will be after a few weeks. Would be great on a man as well- straight unisex to my nose. Dry down is familiar to me somehow, but I can’t place it, kind of along the lines of Amouage Overture woman - but without the boozy fruity opening. Comparisan to Ishq Al Shuyukh Gold: The only similarity is the loud, rubbery saffron - that’s it, Ishq Al Shuyukh is sweeter and with a ton of caramel-vanilla and tonka, giving it a denser, more chocolatey profile whereas Al Areeq plays more on a suede-incense type vanilla. I will definitely keep both in my collection-and the bottles compliment each other beautifully. Longevity and projection are currently just above average- around 6-7 hours on skin, longer on clothes but Lattafa’s will always give better performance after a few weeks/months maceration so am very satisfied on that front. Lattafa is fast becoming one of my most respected houses for the sheer commitment to knocking out banger after affordable banger.

Al Areeq Gold opens with a rubbery, slightly bitter-sour black tea. The opening reminds me a bit of Matiere Crystal Saffron. It quickly transitions into creamy suede that feels like running your hand over a new leather accessory, with something in the style of caramel vanilla. The incense is weakly perceptible, but overall the scent is slightly smoky. If it is clearly noticeable anywhere, it's in the opening, where it can resemble smoked tea with saffron, although in my opinion it comes across quite smooth. It is very oriental and niche. You need to like heavy Middle Eastern motifs to blind buy it. Overall, it develops into something on the edge of a slightly sweet gourmand character that rounds out the industrial, rubbery saffron leather, very well blended and linear. It is somewhat similar to Bvlgari Black, which I miss. Areeq is not a power monster (though long-lasting), so for greater enjoyment of the scent I sprayed it about 15 times. Also fully unisex; if it leans in any direction, it is to the feminine side. It has an interesting effect, because it's clearly a masculine composition but built for women; there is a softness and sweetness that tilts just slightly to the feminine side. I was very lucky and managed to buy it brand new for €15. The bottle is beautiful, with a bakhoor showcase and a fitting color scheme for both the bottle and the juice. In short: a smooth, smoky-tea suede with saffron and gentle sweetness, niche in attitude yet wearable in reality. Opening note: 8+ Sillage/Projection: 7+ Drydown: 9 Longevity: 9 Blend/Composition: 9- Versatility: 8+ Uniqueness: 8+ Value for money: 8 Bottle design/Aesthetics: 8 Overall experience: 9- Blind-buy rating: 6-

Over a year ago I purchased this for the man, to help him get over Amen Pure leather. As soon as it arrived I tell him he's "going to love it", we spray it and he's saying "nope, no, nope". I didn't mind it, but he said he didn't like it at all, so I put it up for sale on eBay but it never sold. Today, over a year later, I decided to try it again and see if maceration helped. Boomshakalaka, there it is 😍 A beautiful suede, leather opening with a gorgeous powdery, vanilla, suede, leathery dry down. I decided to try the man again 🤔 "Hey check this out, a new fragrance for men into leather gourmands" I said, didn't mention he'd tried it before.... I sprayed he's arm and he said "fkyeah I'll have that" I said "Yeah it's great" and placed it on he's shelf 😁

Veo muchos comentarios refiriendo un olor a gasolina o goma, en mi caso esto es algo muy alejado de la realidad, el perfume irradia clase, a la primera atomización sentí un olor a gamuza lujosa envuelto por un vainilla oscura, puede ser que el te o el incienso le den este aspecto a la vainilla, pero es genial! ya que genera una vainilla oscura. Una vez que salen estás notas casi al mismo tiempo son envueltas por un cuero, que se percibe como un cuero lujoso. Creo que estás tres notas de Gamuza, Vainilla y Cuero son las protagonistas de esta estupenda fragancia, las cuales se mezclan en una armonía perfecta que es apoyada por un almizcle. Desde mi punto de vista es una fragancia totalmente unisex con un aroma lujoso y un estupendo performance.