Kismet for Men

This is a totally respectable dupe of Tuxedo that gets the basic notes right, but in slightly different balance, and with a reliance on aromachemicals instead of naturals. I think it's a tremendous value, certainly when compared to Tuxedo. I think that "The Tux" gets closer to the proportions of the YSL original, but I prefer Kismet to The Tux: I just think that this is the better smelling combo when it's all aromachemicals. I often have trouble with performance of fragrances because my body (and especially my skin) run very warm compared to average, but Kismet for Men actually performs pretty well on me. Sillage and endurance are reasonable for the cost. Contrary to others, I have not observed any change due to masceration. Smells and performs the same as when I opened it. To be perfectly honest, I generally disregard claims about masceration, since there's no way to reliably know how long it's been since a particular batch was made when you're buying it. In addition, I expect a quality fragrance to perform out of the box - I'm not in the market for scent bonds that need to mature (and if it needs to mature, the manufacturer should mature it and sell us the finished product). Finally, I suspect that some of the people who bemoan the performance of this are among those who are genetically pre-disposed to anosmia to Iso-E Super. Easy test - can you honestly smell Escentric Molecule 01? If not, you're anosmic to Iso-E Super, but fear not, for most people (like me), it comes and goes. Some weeks it's intoxicating, others, non-existent. I'm fairly sure that Kismet for Men is relying heavily on it for fixative properties and to make the synthetic sandalwood project, so you need to be having a good day to really get the experience. My advice: if you really enjoy this when it "works," you will probably get your money's worth from a bottle of Tuxedo.

Evoked Dried-Tobacco-Leaf with VANILLA, VETIVER & PATCHOULI. In the first couple of minutes there's a burst of warm & fresh spices. As the sillage opens up, there's an evoked dried-tobacco-leaf note with plum-y/raisin-like nuances. All of the other notes are serving to support & enhance different facets of the evoked tobacco leaf. This has above average performance for a year-round wearing experience, but some people will become anosmic. Contrast to Tuxedo Yves Saint Laurent: These are different, although there are striking similarities with vanilla & patchouli, and this gets more similar to Tuxedo a few hours into the dry down. Tuxedo has vanilla-patchouli more forward and a more obvious rose accord, while Kismet for Men has a more forward vetiver. Both have excellent performance. Tuxedo outperforms. Contrast to Moustache EDP Rochas: This is a dupe of Moustache EDP Rochas and I would say it's about 90-95% similar although it might get more similar with an aged bottle. In Kismet for Men, vanilla-vetiver-patchouli does a good job of giving an impression of the benzoin in Moustache EDP Rochas. The opening fresh & warm spicy notes last longer in Kismet for Men, but the benzoin in Moustache EDP is more swoon-worthy for those who don't go nose-blind to it. Overall, this is a pretty good dupe, but not better than the OG Moustache EDP imho, since the benzoin is my favourite part. Moustache EDP has better performance, but it seems that many people go nose-blind to both of these. Overall: gorgeous evoked dried-tobacco-leaf scent with slightly above average performance. Even though I prefer Moustache EDP Rochas, this one is still a love for me and if I had never smelt Moustache EDP I would likely be blown away by Kismet for Men. Enjoy!

Smells woody, boozy, airy, warm spicy and oriental. It lacks depth and richness. It feels very airy and diluted. On my skin it has below average projection: projects within 1 feet for 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. Below average longevity: on skin, it lasts for 4-6 hours. But on clothes, it can last for 12+ hours. I was wearing this one time and got a comment from someone saying that what I was wearing "smells like something from south asia or the middle east". This is strictly worn on cold temperature and at night only. It doesn't fit daytime and can smell weird when it is hot. I like the scent, it is unique and warm. The opening smells regal for the first 30-50 minutes, it becomes softer, less spicy and more woodsy, after the opening. It continues to project for a few more minutes then it sits closer to the skin. I don't mind the 4-6 hours longevity at all. It's an okay fragrance. UPDATE: Tried layering it with Al Haramain's Detour Noir. 2 sprays of Detour Noir as base, then 2 sprays of Kismet for Men on top. For the first 2 hours Detour Noir was overpowering Kismet, but I could still faintly detect Kismet. The drydown was surprisingly very pleasant and rich. The prominent woody and patchouli note of Kismet greatly compliments the prominent vanilla note of Detour Noir, the vanilla became more intense. Longevity of this combo is 8 hours. Strong projection.

I'm posting this review to be informative for those looking at Kismet as an alternative to Rochas Moustache EDP. I found Kismet to be almost identical to Rochas Moustache EDP to the extent that it is most certainly a clone of that fragrance specifically as opposed to being a Tuxedo clone. Moustache & Kismet are as close to 1:1 that you can get in a fragrance. I find the main difference between the two is that Moustache has slightly more vanilla or better quality vanilla that makes it more noticeable. The difference is subtle, they are so close with Moustache having only slightly better performance and quality that it isn't even a factor in my opinion. Moustache is typically twice the price or more VS Kismet, and for that reason I think you are better off going with Kismet for the money. Side note: In my experience with Lattafa, letting the bottles sit for 2-4 months can really improve the performance. That's has been the case with OFG & Asad and the same is true for Kismet, after you give them time to develop they will improve.

I was apprehensive about wearing this after blind buying. On paper, this was very ambery and rosy, and a bit too gentle. I liked the notes and commentary provided on tuxedo and Moustache but this was the only one available and was pretty cheap so I jumped on it. I tried it on skin and to my nose, I get soft woods, light spice and rose. It was okay but nothing special. Tried it again a month later and I'm getting darker woods and more spices. The rose is there but it has settled down a lot and now I'm starting to like this a lot! It's easy to wear and pretty strong. It's just about 0 / 32 degrees where I'm at, could smell 2 sprays surprisingly well under all my layers and it maintained a decent bubble for 4 hours. Skin/clothing scent afterwards and I'm going on hour 10 and can still smell it. I'm wearing it at the office too so was a little worried at first but glad it calmed down...I feel lucky given the complaints below. This one grew on me. No regrets!