Najdia Tribute

OG Najdia is a somewhat unimpressive Invictus Aqua/Hawas wannabe. This is an entirely different juice. 80% of this fragrance can be summed up in two words: "violet" and "leather". Yes, there are lovely bits of apple, amber, oud, musk, sandalwood and cedar, but the leather and violet remain from the first sniff to the last whiff. I am not an oud fan, but it is perfectly applied here, enriching the cedar and sandalwood and occasionally providing a waft, but it is very much a team player here. The violet is on the floral end of the spectrum, not the metallic/brittle variety; the leather is soft and smooth, and the amber sweetness makes it feel like a well-worn suede jacket that your father used to wear. If I was the king of the universe, I might ask Lattafa to boost the leather accord's longevity, as it steps back a bit to let violet take center stage at around 2 hours, but this can be forgiven in the name of fragrance evolution. The two hour mark is also where you notice that the somewhat-distinct notes (other than the violet) meld into a unified accord. This projects pretty strongly for the first 90 minutes, then at arm's length for another 90 minutes. 6 sprays on chest and shirt can still be smelled 8 hours later by the wearer and anyone who hugs the wearer. Very impressive for such an inexpensive fragrance. This could be worn by a woman due to the softness of the leather, but it isn't feminine per se. Violet is one of those notes, like iris or lavender, that can be floral without being feminine, and this composition uses it beautifully. This would work for casual, office (with some restraint in spraying), clubbing, and romantic (assuming that your S.O. likes violet), but not so well for formal or rustic/outdoorsy activities. For me, it is a bit heavy for summer, but Fall through Winter, sure. And finally, at the risk of being repetitive, stay far away from this if you don't like violet, because this is a violet beast. If you love violet like I do, however, this is a treat, and extremely blind-buy worthy.

This smells just like lapsang souchong, a variety of black tea that’s smoked over pine wood. Or Imagine dried fruits and flowers put through a smoker for hours. It’s mostly smoke with just hints of florals and I bought this blind without ever seeing the notes and I was completely convinced that this was a tea fragrance, it even has the leaf on the bottle and box. I like this but it’s kinda simple and linear. It needs a touch more sweetness and fruits. I think I’ll try layering it with a patchouli frag or a touch of Bitter Peach. This doesn’t smell anything like Fahrenheit, the only thing kinda close on the “smells like” is Amouage Portrayal Man but that is way more violet forward and Oud in the background. This is primarily a smokey earthy leather with some fruity and floral components.

I actually like this a lot. It's a citrusy fruity leather fragrance. The leather here smells like Velvet oud. It should've been a flanker to that rather than najdia. I think they took Velvet oud, freshened it up with apple and mandarin, toned down the oud, added sandalwood, and kept the same leather note. It should've been called Velvet oud sport. It's a unique scent. It's like a bottle of Orangina spilled on a piece of leather. Some people might not like it. I see this as a signature scent worthy fragrance for 30+ gentlemen. It's quite complex, long lasting, and very affordable.

I bought it at a low price to qualify for free shipping — and I’m so glad I did. I keep coming back to it and really enjoy how it feels on my skin. It lasts for many hours and has moderate projection. It’s a leathery scent, but with a fresh and floral twist, making it casual and perfect for the office or warmer months. I get citrus and ginger in the opening, and in the drydown, it settles into a blend of leather and violet.

Reminds me of Stetson Black but better. I like Stetson Black, I find it has a bit Jolly Rancher candy scent. If you like Stetson Black you should like this. I love the opening that goes away fast to a nice fruity juicy sweet leather suede like scent that leans masculine but barely and could see as a easy unisex fragrance.