Khanjar

Khanjar is very easy to throw into the 'Ganymede clone' drawer, but the longer I wear it, the less it makes sense to me — especially since I have a few fragrances that are clearly trying to be Ganymede. The association mostly comes from the opening, which, in every other fragrance made in its likeness, tends to continue into the drydown. Here, however, there's this immediate abstract mineral-fruity impression that disappears after a moment. And I think that is where the similarities more or less end, it misses saffron and suede. What we get instead is a powdery nutmeg, a violet-ginger bomb, set against a woody, dry patchouli background. All of it is wrapped in silky, smoky cashmeran, which is one of my favorite accords. The final drydown is quite heavy, leaning more in a spicy-leathery direction, somewhat à la Fahrenheit. I already own Masa, and they're fairly similar, as I expected. They share a certain minerality, and both also have that quirky, glossy fashion-magazine-from-the-2000s feel. It might even remind me more of Arabian Oud Signature or SHK I. The biggest downside is the projection, which is quite weak. Longevity is okay, but nothing spectacular either. At first, I bought Khanjar only for the bottle, because let's be honest: this is absolutely among the best bottles I've ever seen. I keep my whole collection in a wardrobe, but Khanjar stays on my desk as a showcase piece. With a bottle like this, the fragrance itself could theoretically be overlooked, because you're basically getting it included in the price of an Arabic home decoration. For me, Khanjar is more of a futuristic object with character. It doesn't have the performance I would expect from a fairly heavy composition, but it does have a distinct personality and a refined, premium texture. I got this piece of decor (slightly used) for nearly half the retail price, which is also a plus. Opening note: 8+ Sillage/Projection: 6+ Drydown: 9- Longevity: 7+ Blend/Composition: 9+ Versatility: 6- Uniqueness: 8+ Value for money: 7 Bottle design/Aesthetics: 10+ Overall experience: 8+ Blind-buy rating: 6-

Nose Note #940 The main question for me was whether this smells 100% like Masa. They are obviously similar, but still Masa felt fruitier and almost like a freshie (but not like Bois Imperial at all). This one is kind of what most Ganymede clones smell like. Metallic, mineralic, printer ink. Here you do get somewhat of a violet note. I can smell no leather. Is it powdery? Well, I don't know. Maybe a bit. It's hard to think about Khanjar in terms of powderiness. It's just a strange scent - like what Ganymede is, a super strange scent. It took me more than a year to warm up to this DNA. Definitely not blind-buy safe. Unisex, masculine leaning. Great performance, great sillage. If money is an issue I'd pick Masa instead. 8.5/10, legendary DNA done beautifully

Just got this and straight out of the box it smells incredibly well-blended and luxurious (hard to imagine that the smell will even improve over time, but it has happened to most of my Lattafa fragrances so who knows). 9.5/10 for now - smells MUCH higher quality than the 45 Euros I paid for it; the average perfume collector wouldn't question it if they smell this in the air and you would tell them it's a 250 dollar niche fragrance. Gonna test it a bit more over the next few days, especially to see how this thing performs, but even if that's just decent I will buy a second bottle. And maybe a third if this turns out to be a beast. Wow. Edit: Performance seems absolutely no issue and gets better and better (8+ hours with decent projection)!

So glad they finally added this after months of waiting. This fragrance is indescribable, I had never smelled anything else like it. It's very unique. I don't even know how to put it in to words. I instantly bought a bottle after sampling it at a store. It's strong, ozonic and smooth. It does require maceration to reach full potential. I have heard it's a dupe of Gaynemede, but I've yet to smell that. I did see that Masa is also a dupe, Al Khanjar smells MUCH better than Masa. Masa was a bit off-putting to my nose. Beastly performance and huge projection. I could see this working for most of the year except the very hot months, but it certainly shines in Spring and Fall. Definitely not blind buy safe, due to the uniqueness.

It's an amazing scent one of my favorite Lataffa's so far. The nutmeg and ginger come together and it smells almost like a sweet cup of tea. It dries down to a leather scent which I am in love with. I bought two of the 20ml bottles that come with an atomizer. Was hoping the price came down on the 100 ml bottle but it's still high. Of course Lataffa had to make something that looks like a powder horn on a mantle as the bottle. Would be much cheaper in a regular bottle. I don't care for the elaborate presentations. I just want the juice. Office safe, not a beast mode scent but it does last nicely for about 4 hours.