Decadent Dream

I thought I couldn't stand this. Turns out waiting several months and retrying, made all the difference for me. So my advice is: spray and let it "simmer" 4-6 months. Now, nutty, creamy, soft woody and wonderful jasmine notes, alongside the other notes, have all settled in nicely in this bottle of a pleasant surprise. In the Danish summerheat this "Decadent Dream" has ensnared and convinced me of keeping it.

I haven't tried the original to compare, but this is impressive on its own. It's complex and really lovely. From the bottle I smelled old school sunscreen. The initial spray, I was in love. It's nutty, smooth, creamy, and slightly powdery. It stays consistent on my skin yet with each sniff I pick up something new. 1 hour in I finally recognized the pear. I think its a safe blind buy.

Delicious and delicate. Sweet pear and warm hazelnut on the start and after a few minutes the sandalwood comes through. The warm scent is reminiscent of cinnamon. Sweetness from the vanilla and the white florals. Great for the fall. I have not tried the original, probably wouldn’t purchase it but for a similar DNA and at a great price, this is a good choice.

I have the original and can definitely say it smells pretty much the same except the dry down on this is a bit sweeter and less spicy which I actually prefer. Obviously projection is not gonna be as good as amouage but for the price you pay it’s stunninggggg 💕

The opening is awful for me, it smells like sweat for me. But i love the drydown. That's where the magic happens.

2nd UPDATE: I had to gift her away. She's too much for my personal preference. Beautiful no doubt, but just not for me. Especially living in the south when the average temp is like 85 degrees year round. _____________________________________________ **UPDATE**: I sprayed a normal range of sprays today (7) and for the first 20 or so minutes it choked me out--I personally won't be wearing this outside in any weather above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Which doesn't happen a lot in the southern US. After the 20 minutes it's still that sexy, comfortable, sophistication as before. Huge win for cooler temps! ___________________________________________________________ I have NEVER smelled the OG because as I've established before: ya girl has bills to pay. I bought this because I adore pear notes. As a stand alone scent, here are my thoughts: Tester strip does NOT do this scent justice--the initial spray does NOT do this scent justice. So starkly different than the tester strip, I almost wrote off this fragrance. So glad I was patient with it. Off jump I didn't spray a whole lot because it smells like it would choke me out, I did 4 sprays: neck, elbows, and one on my forearm so I could smell that. Now I wish I would've done my normal 7-9 sprays to get the full experience. Sexy comfort and sophistication is the name of this game. Might be too decadent (see what I did there) for hot climates or tight office settings. She's warm, she's sweet, but not candy sweet--vanilla sweet. There's this smoky, woody piece in the back. Can I pick out the specific notes? Nope. But I'll say this fragrance is my new go-to for holiday gatherings. And reminds me of a scent from the late 90's/early 2000's--anyone else? Man, this is a blind buy win!

Tried this to discover the Guidance DNA as I'm persuaded by various reviews that this is very close to the OG, so here goes: This is definitely a niche fragrance, in the sense that the scent profile is uniquely complex and needs time and patience to fully appreciate. On first spray I was hit with an odd, but not off-putting, powdery and woody accord that gradually revealed some nutty and sweet facets as it develops on my skin. Feels very soft and cozy and I think this would wear nicely in cool weather or as a bedtime scent. It lingers for over 4 hours with a soft projection which might improve with maceration, as they often do with these ME dupes. Some might find that disappointing, but with a unique scent profile like this it's not necessarily a bad thing, as this is potentially polarising and not everyone is going to love it. Honestly even I don't love it that much at the moment, but I could see it growing on me in time so I'm looking forward to wearing it more often this fall season. As for the comparison with the OG Guidance, tbh I can't tell as I never tried it before because of the pricetag. It's simply too expensive to risk a blind buy fail. In comparison, this one only cost me a little over $20 with shipping. So now it would highly depend on my experience with this dupe, and if everything goes well I might be tempted to splurge on a full bottle or at least a decant of it, so we'll see 😉

Honestly, this smells close enough to the OG that I see no reason in springing for Guidance. Obviously, the ingredients won’t be as high quality but if all you’re interested in is the actual scent and saving yourself $300+ then just get this. I’ve had a decent off the OG and it was so strong and potent that 3 sprays almost took me out. This is also strong! Usually I can’t smell any scent the next day if I’ve worn it to bed the night before. It’s just all gone by morning. Or it’s a faint skin scent that I have to huff to smell anything. I’m smelling this perfectly fine on my pajamas and on my arm. Which tells me that I’ll have to go light on my sprays when I wear her out today. Just get this before Maison Alhambra gets sued and it gets discontinued. This is about 95% the same as Guidance but not as beast mode - but to be fair, no one needs the strength of Guidance. This is still strong and will last you all day into the night. This is way closer than Bayne Al Asrar. That one is a lighter, more watery take on the Guidance DNA. layering both will be stunning and I’ll be doing that soon. Get this! It’s cheap and so good, if you enjoy this profile.

I have yet to get my nose on Guidance, I live in a fairly small town mostly, so there isn’t a high end perfume shop near me. I gave myself a $35 limit on blind buys now, so obviously that’s not gonna work! A decant is usually priced similarly to a 100ml dupe so that’s the way I usually go, as well as look up reviews. If I like the scent profile, I’ll usually get the original! Probably girl math 🤣! I purchased this probably 6-8 months ago and if I’m gonna be frank, at first I thought it was kind of gross smelling. I’m a bit on the fence with lactonic scents. I’m trying it again and it’s finally fully matured. Let me say, I can 100% see the draw of this scent profile!! It is elegant, creamy, nutty, woody and really pretty. I can also see why people don’t like it. It is rich, like an incredibly creamy rich dessert that you can feel your stomach churning just from the smell of it! The woody/nutiness is a bit like Peace and Love, but more sandalwood. I think this is great on its own, but I also think this would be a great layering fragrance! I’m gonna try some combinations and come back if I find any good ones!

I bought this back in August so I’ve had some time to play with this a bit.... So let’s get into the nitty gritty of this! Even now to this day when it is first sprayed , I am not a fan at all, kind of reminds me of a hairspray I used back in y2k,HOWEVER!!! when it dries down, I become absolutely obsessed!! I will say I have owned a decant of guidance and they are very similar. Only this is more sweeter and lighter an a much more wearable , guidance is a bit more complex and spicy ! I have also received many compliments when wearing this at work and out shopping not that compliments matter, but it certainly makes me wanna wear it more🤣 I must also add, I’m not really the biggest lover of floral fragrances but this on the dry down has me in a chokehold

It sounds to me like haters here are the suckers that bought the OG, only to now discover this little gem Here’s a tissue baby, use it to dust out your empty wallet. Moving on, may I recommend an all-star lotion layering combo using Hempz brand sweet jasmine and rose. It’s just enough of the same mid notes to back the fragrance up nicely, without overpowering the subtleties like the pear and hazelnut. Tell your mama and your friends ✌🏽

People need to calm down. If the original is truly untouchable, you shouldn’t need to write fanfiction about the clone’s imaginary flaws to defend it - like adding fake 'reminds me off' and rating it masculine/intimate/hate. Guidance is a pretty particular dna that can be polarising, so it can be nice enough to have a lighter take on it like with this one or Bayn Al Asrar from Paris Corner (or Khadlaj Musk Pour Amber).

@brandiwine1980 No. Not to my nose. I like this version a lot and find it sweeter and less layered in comparison to the original. That, with much less longevity makes it an easy option to wear even daily, while one can only wear the original if one's prepared to smell like it for over 24 hours. I'm very happy with committing to this one for about 7 hours, thank you! 😄

At first sniff, I thought I regretted buying it. But on drydown, I couldn't help smelling my arm a few times every minute. This is one of the few fragrances I have where I love the drydown and find the opening horrendous, but still think worth it overall. 😂 Not a safe blind buy imo.

(Tested on a test strip) yeah, sure, it does smell kinda similar to guidance. But like without it’s complexity & depth. I’d still not be satisfied with this and desire to get Guidance.

Of course it's not like the original, look at the price, but it's pretty good, pretty close, not very long lasting. People need to chill, it's just fragrance, relax.

Good dupe for Guiadance. The only big difference is the projection. DD performance like 8h, less than Guiadance.

Hashtag by Zodiac has way better quality but this has a same dna and is a good option for daily usage.

I got my bottle about a year ago and I'm still struggling with the scent profile, mainly because of the rose. On skin, it's very rose-forward (at least on me). Yesterday I sprayed it on a tissue and left the tissue in my bathroom...I came in later and kept wondering what is that pretty woody cedary scent??? It was Decadent Dream alright. Gonna play around with it..see if I can make it work.

Yeah just not for me, I've layered it to make it work. I layer it with Butterscotch... but all I get is like lotion and or peach yogurt LOL

this smells like if you sprayed a guidance dupe in water, same lasting power as water too

Hard no for me. Very weird and unpleasant. Returned it.

I hope I'm gonna change my current review, because my first impressions are so so bad. On my skin this is straight sweat with laundry detergent on something rotten, with rose and jasmine, and with an unbearable saffron undertone. Horrible blending! I read that ambergris is an ingredient that has a marine, FECAL odor when it's fresh, and it needs time to develop to a sweet, earthy note...mine is in the marine fecal state, I'm sure 😂 Everything I listed for the OG is not detectable for me. I give some time to maturate, but I need a miracle to even tolerate this one after its introduction...🤨

I haven’t smelled the OG it’s inspired by, but if this is considered a close scent... then I’m sure I won’t like the original either. Decadent Dream is just not the type of fragrance I would ever wear. I honestly can’t even break down the notes because, to my nose, it comes across as something rotten or off. There’s a strange sourness that hits immediately and never settles into anything pleasant. Even my fabric conditioner and laundry detergent smell way better than this. I really wanted to love it, but this one is a solid no for me. HARD PASS.

Bought out of curiosity. Don't know how original supposed to smell like but if it's anything close I can't imagine spending 400 bucks on something that's smells like warm body odor and perfume mixed together. I sprayed some of the perfume on the box in my garage and every time i passed by box I was repulsed by the smell. Smells warm, odd and bad. I like MA dupes overall, this dna scent is not for me. Sold next day.

Smells like cologne you’d get with a toy set for little girls. Yuck.

UPDATE: after 3 months I can say I like it A LOT. I do NOT know Guidance, but if is something better than this I'm very curious about. I can't describe, but the Very open is harsh, let's say first 2 minutes, so after this become a very nice scent, kind powder and soft roses soufflé, kind salt Vanilla. I have a very special tip : I do have Lancôme Idole Power and I mix with Decadent Dream, is amazing combo. This does worth my money. I'm considering get a backup bottle, just for start the maceration. NEW UPDATE: I got 3 samples from Amouage Guidance, when I did buy Existence (Amazing) and I do can say that This one is very similar to the original, very ! The opening is identical. But the dry down , this Decadent Dream kind fades way after 2 hours. Without shadow of doubt, the original have very high quality, some complexity. But the original does not last very long either, so in this case I prefer the most affordable option. I keep my opinion about mix Decadent with Lancome Power is very good❤️ At the end I would say neither Original or this dupe I would get again, I will just repurchase the Idole Power, to me is that make sense.

This is a pretty good dupe of Guidance Amouage with excellent performance, although it's a bit sharper than Guidance. Has that Lattafa smell. Not as pear forward as Bayn Al Asrar Paris Corner although DD is stronger overall. Needs to macerate. If you like Yara Lattafa, then you might like this. I'm getting a mix of Yara Lattafa and Guidance Amouage. I'll give it a chance, but the jury's still out... Update 01/10/26: I found a lotion that saved this scent for me. The best layering I've found so far was inspired by a suggestion on the layering threads (Guidance + Valentino Donna Born in Roma), so I tried this dupe of Guidance over Pink Obsessed Bath & Body works lotion (dupe of VDBiR) and wow! The sharper aspects of Decadent Dream (which are also in Guidance to some extent) are softened with this layering, so here's my favourite layering combos so far for Decadent Dream: Pink Obsessed B&BW lotion + Decadent Dream Pink Obsessed B&BW lotion + Decadent Dream + Pure Poison Dior Pink Obsessed B&BW lotion + Decadent Dream + Dolce Garden Dolce & Gabbana

@jonnyfrags first of all guidance isn’t that amazing, I love it, but let’s be honest. It’s great, not out of this world. Second, you do realise it has been cloned before, right? BDK Parfums did it with “Impadia”, Zara did it with “stellar amber”, Paris corner did it with “bayn al asrar”, milestone did it with “Mouj Gardens”, Assaf did it with “Miss Gris Intense”, The Dua Brand did it with “The Guide”, Khadlej did it with “musc pour amber”, Fragrance world did it with “signature pearl”, Barrett fragrances did it with “Athena’s wisdom”... And you’re mad because Maison Alhambra did it too? Chill will ya.

Well to be honest the first sniff was too harsh and smells rotten fruit but after just a minute turned into soft creamy fruity incense-y sandalwood then smells sweat in dry down. It’s very complex and sometimes reminds me of dried pomegranate peel or that’s maybe the labdanum with olibanum vibes. My bro said it smells like sweat in draydown and ya it is on me too !! I'll give it another chance after macerating. Edt: after three months of macerating the opening still little harsh but the drydown is more nutty creamy on me, like it more now.

@Johnnyfrags Why is it annoying? Because people like to spend less money and not their kidney on a designer fragrance or fill pockets of expensive houses? Buy the original one and let people use dupes. Some are better than the originals anyway. Guidance is Guidance and can't be exactly replicated but there are plenty which are amazing dupes or even better. Glazing an overpriced perfume is silly.

I never tried Guidance so I'm not sure how Decadent Dream compares to it. I'm honestly on the fence with this one. While it feels unique and different, it starts with a dense dose of olibanum which I'm not a huge fan of, then in the dry down, I can't get over this really faint sweat smell. I'll test it after a while and see if anything changes. Side note, the bottle is beautiful.

I had a 5ml of the og and wasn’t too keen on wanting a full bottle, but this definitely checks the list for when I actually feel like wearing this scent profile. It’s a very good copy in my opinion. It’s creamy, slightly sweet and nutty and i can only imagine it’ll get better as it sits. Looking forward to wearing it on a cooler day.

@SassySandy46 and @JohnnyFrags Y'all retaaded or something? Having a temper tantrum over a perfume? Hopefully when you both grow up you never have any actual problems because you may be so emotionally disturbed that a commitment could be necessary.

I don't care what the naysayers are saying this fragrance is darn good. I know nothing is better than the OG but this fragrance is so good. If You can't afford the OG get this You will enjoy this. Just wait for the dry down. Gorgeous ♥️

LOL at people throwing temper tantrums in the comments as if that's the first time they hear of dupes and dupe houses. You know you can still buy the OG if you want to, right?

Just got this perfume and sprayed it in the box. First impression: stinkyyyyy haha. I will let it settle down and try it again in a few days so I can update my review.

Decadent ass. Don’t you fucking dare clone one of the most magnificent fragrances ever created. Nothing will replace the original!!!

Spot on dupe of Guidance. I absolutely HATE the opening bc it smells like armpit. But the dry down is so pretty once that dies off.

@Acrelune It was mostly just a joke. Brands can obviously do whatever they want. But it is annoying seeing all of these dupes!!!!

I love this one. It is VERY SOFT!!! Great blind buy. This fragrance is suitable for anyone, from teenagers to grandmothers.

Is there a pickely sandalwood here? Peace and Love has a slight pickle and I want to avoid that.

I ADORE IT! Very similar to the OG. 9/10!