Khaltaat Al Arabia Royal Blends

I just picked this one up blindly and I have zero regrets. I can however see this one throwing off some people, not me though, let me clear about that. Imagine this...You’re on vacation on a tropical island somewhere, with a sombrero hat on, suntan lotion lathered up on you, sunglasses, and drinking coconut juice from a straw. That’s what this reminds me of. I was SHOCKED that there wasn’t any coconut in here, not that it smelled only like coconut, but the spices, nutmeg, and cloves give off that illusion in the mid. Luckily for this cologne the opening is quite exceptional and you get a nice fruity spicy blast. The performance is exceptional on my skin too. I sprayed this stuff at around 10:30am and it’s now almost 4:30pm and it’s only now turned to a skin scent. In some ways this reminds me of a coconut suntan lotion, but a fruitier version of that. For an Middle Eastern cologne, I’m a little surprised we’ve gotten something that is usually not associated with the Middle East, but rather a holiday in the tropics. Honestly, this is probably one of my favourite scents from the house so far, and it’s a pleasant departure from the typical Lattafa Raghba colognes with that typical Raghba DNA, you know the ones I’m taking about too..Vanilla, oud, sugar.. This isn’t that. I’d also like to add that this is Unisex and definitely leans feminine. The silage is nuclear too, a couple of sprays drowned me out in my bathroom, and I’ve had people compliment my smell at my grocery store telling me they could smell me from the beginning of the isle, and this is during my Covid-19 lockdown where everyone is still wearing masks, they said I smelled like a vacation. This is definitely for summer wearing. It’s a pretty exceptional and unique cologne that can go either way for both woman and man. I tend to be a little bit more open minded though with my fragrances, and like I said, I wouldn’t be surprised if this one throws some people off, especially if they buy it blindly. The way Lattafa used the fruits, apple, musk, and amber in this one is quite unique. 9/10 from me..

APPLE/PINEAPPLE-CINNAMON TURNOVER . This took me awhile to figure out, but I've gone back and tested it again and I see what other reviewers are describing with getting a fruity/apple/pineapple pie scent. It doesn't smell like a regular apple pie, but a different sort of apple-pie. This apple pie is supercharged - the late night drive-thru kind: super glossy gel with apple-enhanced apple that leans to sweeter fruits with cinnamon and apple-pie-spice, deep-fried in vanillic pastry and dusted with cinnamon-sugar. This dries down a lot like Layton Parfums de Marly & Detour Noir Al Haramain, but doesn't have the aromatic opening. I had originally thought this was more like Erba Pura Xerjoff & Amber Oud Gold Edition, however as I test them side by side now, Khaltaat is way spicier with a near-cinnamon & apple-pie-spice vibe. It also lacks the fresh and tropical vibe of Erba Pura. Contrast to Layton Parfums de Marly: This is probably inspired by Layton, with good approximation with a twist being the openings are different. As they dry down they become more and more similar. Both have excellent performance. Contrast to Detour Noir Al Haramain: These are different, but they dry down very similarly with a supercharged apple-pie vibe. Detour Noir is closer throughout to Layton and leans slightly more masculine in the edgy opening. Both have excellent performance. Contrast to Amber Oud Gold Ed. Al Haramain: These are different, but there are similarities with tart, sweet fruity notes. Amber Oud Gold Ed. is inspired by Erba Pura and has a fresher, tropical quality without spice, and a faint creamy/bubblegum vibe in the background. Both have excellent performance. Overall: beautiful, gourmand-ish supercharged apple-pie scent with excellent performance. It's a love for me Enjoy!

I learnt this has been discontinued and that breaks my heart! It smells exotic and absolutely stunning. I have nothing like it in my collection. It smells like liquid gold to me. Although the longevity wasn't amazing, I loved how I felt when I smelled it on me and that's enough for me with many of my fragrances. This needs to come back either better or I'd do having the same formula made available again. I know people perceive scents differently and many people have given it mixed reviews, or even said it smells suntan lotion like due to coconut. But to me it smells like luxury. If anyone knows an exact dupe or if it's being sold in another name with a rebrand, can they let me know? Update - I tried a sample of BAO H&G to compare as it's listed as the closest dupe by Frgrantica community. To me it's about 50-60% similar to this on top, and the dry down, I'll say about 80% similar. But I'd still buy Royal Blends if it comes back in my country. It has a certain luxurious appeal that's lacking in H&G. Though both are in the same vein. H&G is a bit too in-your-face fruity pineapple. While Royal Blends, like the name, is much more well rounded and "royal" smelling. I think it's the creaminess from coconut that's missing in H&G. And H&G is a tad more spicy (cloves?) in the dry down. Had it been creamier I'd have loved it more. But if Royal Belnds doesn't come back I'll buy H&G as a back up and maybe add a sweeter perfume like Qissa Delicious to it. Let's see.

This one COMPLETELY caught me by supprise!! I was not expecting this to be so good! Ok to start, I'm a huge fan of Lattafa's fragrances, and especially anything middle eastern. I was curious about this for a long time, and finally bit the bullet because the price was just so good! This is like, an exotic apple pie! (With some added fruits) You definitely get every single note listed. It's fruity, it's sweet, it's spiced, it's absolutely GORGEOUS! The fragrance stays mostly the same throughout the entire duration. Even though it is not listed, I definitely pick up on a coconut note! But it blends in this BEAUTIFULLY! Also, if you're not a fan of oud, the oud is pretty much minimal/not existent in this fragrance. So that's worth mentioning. This to me, doesn't smell THAT middle eastern. Also, I was not expecting this to get any compliments! The very first day I wore it out, I had four compliments in one hour alone. So this must be one that people really seem to enjoy. Staying power is definitely above average. And It will definitely leave a scent trail as well. To note, in my opinion, even though it's listed as unisex it DEFINITELY LEANS MORE FEMININE because of the sweet fruits, the amber, and the very mild woody notes. If you're looking for a masculine fragrance, this definitely won't be the one. As for seasons, anything but summer will really work for this, in my opinion. But it's especially nice on a windy day :) This is an absolute GEM!

This is ridiculously good. And not just for the price either. It's just a really good fragrance. I am getting a ripe pineapple - juicy but not too juicy, and sweet but not cloyingly sweet - and it's also nuaced with the spices and woodsy base too. This seems to be pretty linear, but that's ok because it smells this good! It does remind me a lot of Lattafa's other fragrance 'Honor & Glory', but not exact dupes. I love both and I'm happy to have both. So if you enjoy 1 you will almost definitely enjoy the other. The projection isn't crazy beast-mode but it is substantial, and the projection actually lasts for quite a while during the wear. I am eager to see if and how this one macerates because it is already so good. One of the best cheapest buys I've found. $16!??? Are you kidding me!? And people go gaga over watered down Zara fragrances that are more than double that... Now I love my Zaras but some of their perfumes are just not worth the price when I can find gems like this from a Middle Easten brand. And my collection of M.E. gems keeps growing... also, this is a more niche-quality scent vs designer. I don't know what took me so long to pick this up, I guess I was nervous about it being a boring girly fruity fragrance (I am a female*) but this is not your "typical fruity perfume". It isn't too "on the nose"**... Well worth the $16!