Luxe Chic

I just bought this (yes of course I will update) and sprayed it out. I have Nolita and my first impression was: they've captured it. That uplifting quality Nolita has in the opening (tangerine, freesia) - it's there!. I also got Luxe Blanc and WOW. Maison AlHambra's one of my favourite middle eastern brands. Yes, they need time to maturate but they go on a really interesting journey and just keep on improving month-by-month. With By Saffron and Berlinetta it took about 3 months before they were truly wearable - but that's okay. I am SO looking forward to this one. I was waiting for someone to release a really decent interpretation of the Bond No. 9 line. I'll comment further in time but so far I'm really impressed. Update: 7 months now and longevity is still no more than 3 hrs on skin.

Very pretty creamy and musky floral scent. Reminds me a lot of Afnan La Fleur Bouquet. Very similar clean, musky, floral vibe. I really enjoy it so far.

Haven't smelt the OG Bond. But Maison Alhambra Luxe Chic smells very similar to LV Pacific Chill, but lighter and even more suitable for extreme heat, whereas LV Pacific Chill is much punchier from its extra tartness. Compared to LV Pacific Chill, this Luxe Chic has the tart sour fruits dialled down a notch, more watery musk, and only a tiny bit of white florals. This is a good 'fresh and clean' fragrance for those who find LV Pacific Chill too punchy or tart. This is 100% unisex, like LV Pacific Chill. Men can easily wear this. The kissie lips on the bottle are also very reassuring to my masculinity because they symbolise the affection that typically only a worthy man would receive. Erm, uh, yes, that's right. This also smells like D&G L'Imperatrice (formerly D&G Anthology L'Imperatrice 3; both smell basically the exact same apparently), which also smells very similar to LV Pacific Chill but less tart, although Maison Alhambra Luxe Chic is even less tart than D&G L'Imperatrice. D&G L'Imperatrice also has a watermelon tinge, while LV Pacific Chill has a tart apricot tinge. D&G L'Imperatrice 3 was released in 2009 and came way before LV Pacific Chill. There might be a tester of D&G L'Imperatrice at your local shops in the women's section if you want an idea of how Maison Alhambra Luxe Chic smells. Oh, and there's a clone of L'Imperatrice called Maison Alhambra III L'Impressio. My personal preference as a guy is D&G L'Imperatrice > LV Pacific Chill / Maison Alhambra Jean Lowe Vibe > Maison Alhambra Luxe Chic. But they're all solid summer fragrances.