Habik For Men

Habik For Men to me is a little bit of a mish mash of familiar DNAs. A few pinches of Le Male (Essence but also several others), a little pinch of CH Privé and tiny sprinkle of L'Homme thrown in. The result is as one would expect, a very wearable, very pleasant to oneself and also apparently crowd-pleasing wear. It's also very sweet, so do be aware of that if you're sensitive to that. I've gotten quite a few compliments on it so far which surprises me as I'm not usually one to go out for that, so that's saying this fragrance is quite mass-appealing. Longevity is good, I get an easy 6-8 hours but it's also a sneaky nuclear projecting fragrance so do be aware of it in close quarters, I made that mistake at work (no more than 2-3 sprays!). This one will get a lot of wear during this coming cold season. I've seen many comparaisons to Le Male Essence which I agree with but don't buy this expecting a 1:1 close, it's also got its own take on this DNA, Habik is a lot spicier, less vanillic and more cardamom forward up top, more akin to L'Homme then as it dries down it gets closer to Le Male's vanillic vibes. Still, great work from Lattafa here.

I think most of these reviews have been from people who haven’t let their bottle mature for a couple of months. Fresh out the box on day one you’re gonna get a heavy pepper, cinnamon, and artemisia blast which can be very offputting for most people‘s noses. It’s almost a very stingy clove scent and the dry down has a leathery note with some odd sweetness that would easily be graded to a 5/10 fragrance by most noses. Now three months down the road and it’s a whole new fragrance! You still have those notes on first spray but it’s very toned down and well blended & accompanied with sweet tonka, sage and slight powdery lavender giving Habik an earthy,sweet and almost vanilla & licorice note that’s driven by the tonka in the deep dry down. Very well made and enjoyable if you actually have the patience to wait for the fragrance to properly blend. The only thing I could pick apart on this fragrance is that “almost vanilla note” could have, AND should have been added to the blend! That would have made this a 1:1 and a true cloned masterpiece. I have to give this absolutely undeservedly ostracized & underrated “almost masterpiece” a 9.3/10.

I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews on Lattafa Habik—some people love it, others really don’t—but honestly, I’m on the side that loves it. I went into this as a blind buy not knowing what to expect, just chasing that thrill, and it definitely paid off. First off, the bottle is beautiful and feels like something special right out of the box. As for the scent, it’s amazing. You get a warm, sweet, ambery cinnamon vibe right away, with a nice blend of spicy and aromatic notes. There’s a fresh spicy kick in the opening, mixed with lavender and herbal touches that give it some balance. As it dries down, the vanilla and amber come through more, giving it that smooth, slightly powdery finish, all sitting on a woody base. It’s definitely a winter fragrance—warm, cozy, and perfect for colder weather. This is also known to be a dupe of a discontinued Jean Paul Gaultier fragrance, and it really captures that sweet, spicy DNA well. I’d honestly be surprised if this doesn’t pull compliments. I can’t wait for winter to really put this one to use.

starting off, I'm just gonna say I have never smelled the original Le male essence, so this review isnt looking at this fragrance as a clone and more as a standalone thing. Its opening is strong, first 5 minutes its pure black pepper, which i hate, but the bergamot and cardamom step in to smooth it out and it starts to actually shine. the bergamot cardamom, slight black pepper smell stays for a solid hour or so, then the lavender and cinnamon come in. the lavender gives it the classic le male sweet smell, and the cinnamon makes it slightly gourmand like caramel. most of the base notes are somewhat prominent from the opening onward, but the tonka bean and patchouli stand out giving it a spicy, earthy, and vanilla-like mens shaving cream smell. The best way I can describe it is Pepper from Sauvage, Sweetness from One Million, and herbal notes and masculinity from le male. its a great fragrance, somewhat cheap, useable for any winter day, and very masculine. Would recommend.

So I’ve been wearing this on occasion for the last 6 months and before it gets to warm I’m wearing one more, ish, time. I do think this is fine for all spring long. Once is stays in the 80’s I’ll stop wearing. Anyway I’m really loving this scent and it is a compliment getter. Spice, sweet with leather works. After adding high end designers, Dior & TF, as well as niche PDM & Scents of Woods my nose has evolved, I think, and I gotta tell ya I do think this has quality at least in the high designer realm. I’m impressed with the quality, not any naturals I’m sure but synthetics done really nicely. This is absolutely a steal for $30 ish usd and completely blind buy safe. I’m now on a mission to get my nose on a sample of the OG, just curious. This will be a staple in my collection. Would love to get OG as a collector.