Christina

Aha. :D Thank you, thank you, Fragrantica staff for adding Christina to the database. We are indebted to you! I've wanted to write this review for a VERY long while. Christina is one of the best perfume buys I've ever made - period. It's a 6 ml roll on attar that currently retails for around 3 dollars (with shipping, around 6 dollars, depending on your seller). Nabeel is a brand quite similar to Al Rehab in pricing, but with a slightly different twist on fragrance. Their scents include some terrific western dupes, as well as eastern blends - pungent and strong as you could find. The company is a good example of the quality of the best middle eastern bargains, which is GOOD. Christina is not one of those amazingly strong nagarmotha scented behemoths Nabeel does so well. No, this is a quite feminine, western style scent, suited for the young or young at heart. At first she is a pleasant acquaintance who initially seems 'nice'. Later you realize what a true jewel she is! Christina blends well with any company, harmonizing and contributing with equal skill. She never stands out, and yet always lends the most scrumptious quality to any event. This is a versatile and lovely aroma, which can actually become addictive, something my chypre loving heart did not expect at all. I thought this a pleasant enough fragrance - a creamy strawberry vanilla musk, if you will. But, oh, the longer Christina is on skin the more she shines. Longevity and sillage are moderate, but never too soft. Layering potential, unlimited! Don't be fooled by the simplicity of strawberries and cream here. She could delight your 8 year old daughter AND please your 58 year old mother. (I wouldn't put it past your grandmother to be interested also!) Christina is a versatile budget princess, able to entrance all ages of women. The best stocking stuffer notion I've had in years, in fact! <3 Update - The longer I've had her the more Christina's complex side comes out. I'm now getting only a whiff of strawberries and a lovely melange of creamy, orchid based florals. Just Charming!

I just received this as a blind buy off of ebay based on previous reviews. Really interesting scent. I stumbled upon it after doing a search for perfumes with my name (yes, I'm a Christina). Right away I smelled a soft sandalwood, though it's not listed...could just be the intermix of what patchouli, musk, amber and tobacco do to each other: just smells very incensy-green. I didn't really get the strawberry and cream at first, but then once I re-read reviews I thought, okay yeah that must be what that soft smell is. If the mandarin and white flowers are in there, they also do their own alchemy to create their own unique smell so I can't pick them out individually. I wanted more strawberry and cream, so I decided to layer individual oils on from The Fragrance Shop on top: Strawberry and Vanilla Cream. Adding those oils on top of Christina intensified the scent, and then a final layering-on of Christina gave it its full power. This is a nice skin scent: I can smell it, but it doesn't scream outside of my personal space. I love that oils can be applied that way, as sometimes just a spritz of a major perfume is offensive. As a second thought, I think I'd like an intensification of the tuberose accord as well, so I may order it from TFS (Tuberose 10%) and see what that does. I'll need to wear this for a while to really get my full impression down but overall I'm very pleased.

I adore Christina!! Its one of my very favorite perfumes not just a favorite cheapie or Arabian oil but a favorite out of all perfumes I own. It is great for layering and I use it a lot with Valentino Donna and some times with Shalimar P.I . The first time I smelled it I thought it was soapy/ musky , thought it was nice but didn't really give it a chance before trying other things. The next time I smelled it I was wearing it fully and thought omg this is amazing!! There was no soapy smell. Instead I smelled a musky, creamy strawberry and Lily! It gets creamier and more violet like as it wears. I think it smells like whipped cream, full fat cream, strawberries , lilies and violets. Its sweet, fluffy, creamy, and musky! The performance is outstanding! I can smell it the next day still when I wake up. It stays on clothes forever and the sillage is perfect!! I put Christina in my hair, nap of neck and on my clothes and skin and it is never irritating to my skin a nd hasn't stained my clothes. I pop off the rollerball , pour a little in my hands, rub my hands together a nd then spread on my clothing and hair. This is definatly worth trying!! 5/5 ;)

In response to Golden's lovely review: I have worn Cerruti 1881 and another Arabian side by side on my arm and they were indeed VERY close. However! That Arabian was Al Hanouf by Al Rehab. If Christina smells like Cerruti on someone, they have amazing chemistry, because these are truly not much alike at all. Go read reviews of Al Hanouf if you love Cerruti. It's a budget winner. Back to Christina: She is one of my most mentioned and suggested Arabians of all time. Why? Because she's such a winner for blind buys, newbie fragrance adventure, gifting, stocking stuffers, and various ages! Totally likeable and nothing really to Dislike. Creamy, slightly musky, floral, and strawberry. The floral note remind me of orchid. Sweet vanilla resides in the base. Just ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY, because this is a cheap thrill that gifts perfectly. I can see a 6 year old or a 60 year old completely loving this fragrance. Initially I thought Christina a bit simple for my taste, but no. I Love her just the way she is - comforting, pretty, and feminine. A Plus kind of scent, even if not a complex masterpiece. Recommended!

Christina is such a unique fragrance. The strawberry note is the most prominent, but there's something so green and fresh about it. It's not a "gumdrop" type of strawberry....it's almost like they used an entire strawberry plant: the leaves, the flowers, the fruit, everything. The strawberry is bolstered with rich, buttery florals, amber, and vanilla, but no one note jumps out at you. It's very well-blended. A sort of milky or soapy accord ties the whole thing together beautifully. It's the smell of late spring and it's gorgeous. Sillage is decent but not too strong. Longevity is about 4-5 hours before it becomes a skin scent, then it's time to re-apply and enjoy! I can't believe how inexpensive this is. It's a nice quality scent and the packaging is adorable. Given the price and how pretty it is, I'd say it's a safe blind buy. Can be worn year-round, day or night, but I think it might feel "sticky" on a very hot humid day.