Shahd

This is a perfect, one for one dupe/clone of Ambree by Narciso Rodriguez. I own the original Ambree perfume by Narciso, and it was love at first sniff for me. However, that perfume does not have the greatest longevity. In making a rather extensive list of Arabian clones, I discovered Shahd as an alleged dupe... so of course, I had to order it and see for myself! I feel obligated to report back to you folks that at least to MY nose, these are the exact same fragrance. Scent profiles are identical! I would just note that the juice in the Lattafa version is a lot more POWERFUL... I'd say for 2x sprays of Shahd, you'd be looking at 5 sprays of Narciso. Which, for me, that's amazing. I'd rather need less, to arguably be achieving more! Also, Ambree does not have the best staying power, and needs to be re-applied annoyingly frequently. With Shahd, I've comfortably gotten at least 5 hours, arguably more. Either way, that's over double what I get with Ambree! Speaking as the scent profile as one, since they are exactly the same. This is a beautiful tropical floral fragrance, it gives all of the tropical vibes without the suncreen! Ylang ylang is very prominant, yet well balanced amongst the other notes. Wearing this perfume gives me the feeling of having just stepped off the plane in Hawaii, being honored with a lei, proceeding directly to the beach and taking an evening stroll with my lover as the sun sets... it's absolutely gorgeous! Stunning. First step into paradise. This is the fragrance of an angel visiting you on the beach! I am certain this is what a Hawaiian princess would have worn!! Personally, I don't notice too much of a difference between the spray and the dry-down, but I'm perfectly okay with that! I find it so refreshing to have found a perfectly tropical fragrance that is not reliant upon coconut. This is a beautiful, tropically cozy scent. I have a difficult time picturing this fragrance any time of the year other than the summer, and I have a difficult time picturing it for a masculine person (though of course, do what you like!). Personally, I feel this is a very safe blind buy (unless you don't like ylang ylang). That said, I don't think the ylang ylang is overpowering, it's just pleasantly noticeable. I am very impressed by the longevity of this perfume, and it's closeness to the original Ambree by Narciso Rodriguez. This is such an excellent clone that I will not re-purchase Ambree in future, but Shahd. My only critique is that I feel the body is quite ugly, and is a bit of a let down relative to the beautiful Arabian perfume bottles I am used to seeing. Regardless, the strength and longevity of this fragrance is far superior to it's original counterpart, and for that reason, I have a hard time justifying the other. This is my second favorite tropical fragrance I've gotten my nose on, second only to Nosy Be, which has a significantly higher price point and does not have any known clones at this time. I would say that if you love Nosy Be, but want to spend less, this perfume is exactly what you're looking for! Even if I did not own Nosy Be, this fragrance is checking all the boxes to the point where I do not feel the need to add any others to my collection. Perfect for anyone looking for something tropical, but does not prefer coconut. Or, a perfect way to add some diversity to the typical tropical fragrance!

Update: This is still a favorite and very comforting, helps me de-stress. When the zombies come, Shahd is one of the few frags I would still want to haul around with me to help me feel comfier and get to sleep. I have a backup bottle now, too. - To be fair, I just got this bottle a few days ago, and I understand Lattafa fragrances can change a lot as they mature, but WOW. I am generally not a fan of yellow florals, but the frangipani is hitting me in the best way. I've smelled what people will call "plumeria" in stores and for a long time, thought I wasn't a fan of it, because I really disliked those scents. Later when I smelled the actual plant, it was so pleasant, it threw me for a loop. I could smell those all day and be happy! This is that smell to me, as I remember it from the flower. The top notes in this fragrance are right there for me. Someone asked if it has a laundry-like smell to it, and-- yes and no. It doesn't smell like any laundry soap I can find, or I would be using that soap. But I will say that during the first half hour or so, the plumeria is so fragrant yet soft and inviting that it has laundry-soap levels of comfort and might evoke that kind of feeling of freshness and cleanliness, without smelling like a particular soap. But I say that as someone who -does- like certain laundry smells. Ngl, I -would- spritz this on my blanket as much as myself. It's one of those florals that even when strong, it's only comforting, not a headache. All that said, this scent is very feminine. It has a quiet confidence and coziness. It is a nap in the sunshine, or reading a book with the windows open on a beautiful spring or summer day. I probably won't wear this too much in the fall, and think as far as nighttime, it would only fit a hot summer's night on the beach. The topnotes are a dream imo. Projection and sillage both fairly strong. I'm still feeling out the heart notes some, because the tuberose doesn't seem strong to me, but I don't yet have a good sense of what solar notes are supposed to be. Sure, it smells like sunshine, but I want to put more of a description on it than that. Regarding the drydown, I get mostly a musk sooner than I'd expect. It's pleasant but not very strong. You can still make out some of the florals, but that sunshine-fresh plumeria needs a bit of topping up if you miss it. The projection drops pretty hard for me once the plumeria fades, and it turns into a skin scent in a few hours, though still detectable. Anyway, I'm really liking this, probably my favorite recent find. It only ran me like $20 and I'm so into it. Now I want to smell Narciso too, though. I expect that this will be one of my most-worn until fall gets here. One last thing, some reviews mention other notes from Lattafa's website. The ones listed here on Fragrantica right now are the correct ones. It's pretty cut and dry-- zero orange or almond in here, and definitely plumeria, not jasmine. Go by the notes that include frangipani and you won't be disappointed.

Just received this yesterday, and already I’m very happy with this purchase. Many Lataffa perfumes seem to need a period of maceration, and while this may be true for Shahd, it was just lovely. My first impression is that this perfume is warm, soft, and fluffy musks complimented by traces of inviting yellow florals, and and beautiful base of comforting cedar and feminine vanilla. On my skin musk is the most prevalent note, but I love it- it feels like being wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe that has been washed with expensive laundry soap and dried in a tropical courtyard filled with lush, creamy flowers. While I can’t quite pick out the solar notes, I get a sense of warmth and sunniness that makes this fragrance very appealing to me. The florals and vanilla help round the fragrance out and make it feel oh so feminine. Longevity seems to run about 4-5 hours on my skin, a bit longer on clothing. It’s hard for me to judge the scent trail, but for the first 30 minutes or so, I enjoy existing in this fragrance’s cozy scent bubble. While the bottle was heavy and the atomizer worked nicely, the bottle design isn’t quite up to the standards of many other Lataffa perfumes. Overall, it’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s lovely, and for the price it’s a safe blind buy if you’re looking for something warm, feminine, and appropriate for spring and summer.

I will literally purchase anything with a frangipani note, especially when the reviews are good. My only fear was since it had solar notes and described as a powdery tropical that it would translate to being a sunscreen scent, but let me just say this surprisingly exceeded my expectations!! As with most Arabic perfumes, I can tell this needs time to macerate in hopes that certain notes will come through more, but as it stands it’s so pretty! Definitely getting a yellow floral vibe, it’s slightly creamy but I get more of a powdery, floral sweet, not gourmand sweet scent. I can’t say she’s groundbreaking, earth shatteringly gorgeous, but there’s something so pleasant about her, she’s a demure queen!! Happy to report this was a safe blind buy. She might not be the most unique color in the crayon box but I snagged this for $15. My only complaint is that she doesn’t last as long as I’ve seen reviews claim, at least not yet. We might be able to chalk it up to shiny new toy syndrome but as subtle as she is, there’s something about her! 👛 I put her in my spring/summer rotation of perfect daily/office scents roster, but this would be really nice year round! I’ve been layering this with my last bottle of Bath & Body Works Plumeria 🥹 and Kim K Pure Honey, They work so well together!!

This is lovely. For those - such as myself - looking for a Narciso Ambrée dupe, I'd say this is satisfactory. If you love one, you'll love the other. However, this is way more floral and less musky, which makes it skew younger. It has very good longevity and sillage. EDIT: after having the bottle for three months, it seems to be a lot more musky and almost an exact dupe of Narciso Ambrée. I guess it just needs that time to maturate. I'll need to test with a new bottle, when I finish this one, to be 100% sure. It's subtle tropicality. Very floral and feminine, with prominent notes of ylang-ylang, frangipani, vanilla, and a (sadly faint) trace of musk. Just the right touch of sophistication. It can smell a little like sunscreen, but better. Lighter, without being obvious - no coconut, no mango, nothing too juicy. I'm starting a monthly chronicle of my search of a new signature scent. This month it was Shahd, and it's a great contender. It's definitely signature worthy, as it has a lot of personality, it's bright, but soft enough to wear to any setting. It's spring/summery, but appropriate for any weather. Full chronicle (part review, part journal) here: https://echoesofreverie.substack.com/p/sillages-01-notes-from-june