Karagoz

First impression... got this in a triple feature Nishane fragrance haul from Fragrancebuy along with Hacivat and Wulong Cha and delivered by FedEx at 10:49AM this morning. Having Ani, B-612, and Fan Your Flames in my collection, I was really super stoked to get my nose on these. By 11AM, I had 2 sprays of Hacivat on my right wrist & forearm and 2 of Karagoz on my left. Wow. Okay, I get the grape soda vibe people talk about. It’s really prominent and smells of grape soda but slightly less sweet, and a tad more deep. Like if you mixed up grape soda with grape juice, maybe? And it almost feels like the pineapple gives it that zesty pop that adds a quality that makes it that fizzy grape scent a grape soda scent. Well done. So it’s gorgeous right? Yes. Yes, indeed, but... Not so quick. That slightly less sweet grape soda has a dark backdrop underlying it. That almost bo scent some mention? I get that vibe too. There’s this dark skankiness in the backside of this one. It’s like you initially smell it and it’s like woohoo young and carefree grape soda gulping. There’s this delicious, less sweet grape soda on the top that’s draped in the background by this funk, this skankiness. It’s not overwhelming. The patchouli and oud are done ever so right. Tweak that up a little more loudly and no way, no how. It’s like a funk that isn’t so nice of you’re surrounded by just that alone. But with the grape soda, it takes that negative funk and turns it into something that makes your head tilt to the side like a dog and think, “this is kinda bad, but in a good bad kind of way.” Oddly it’s not something that a year or two ago I would have liked, but something now that... I just can’t stop sniffing it. It’s lasted about 11.5-12 hours being able to pick it up now about 4 inches from skin. I got a 50 ml of each and so far I really regret not buying a 100 ml of Hacivat. This one I’m almost there, but I do wonder how often I’ll want to wear this. I mean, if it’s just me at home, absolutely. If life starts to get more normal with social engagements etc... I’m not sure I’d rock this, and definitely not heavily, around others. I love it and can’t stop sniffing it, yet I have this feeling most would be like “aye yo can you take a step or two back?”

Uhh, okay, wow. Wasn’t expecting much from this one, but it really kind of impressed me by how much I could wear it (I’m a teenager for context). Get that grape off rip, with another ripeness that could be identified as pineapple, but I kind of just round it all up to a juicy grape. Also get ambroxan, that I think really rounds out the top. Now, everybody says it’s medicinal, which to be fair, it is. I’m kind of shocked how much they kept this to a minimum with these two accords, although. I haven’t done much research into grape-smelling raw materials, but I know more about pineapple ones, and when in mixing them with another fruity kind of scent, I can imagine that smelling horridly medicinal. I’m not educated enough I suppose, but that’s my take. I do get a little creaminess like 30 minutes-1 hour in from the white floral, but the grape left its mark, and you can smell it through the remainder of the fragrance. Dry down is ambroxan with a darker woody base. Most people are Havivat people, some people really appreciate both, and in my experience online, very, very few people only like Karagoz. I am one of those people. There’s kind of a rebelliousness to this fragrance, where when compared to Hacivat just feels cookie-cutter imo. I went in with big expectations for Hacivat, and none for Karagoz, so maybe that’s why I like this one more. I stand by it though that this is a really well constructed fragrance that Nishane did well on.

This needs a few full wearing to understand what is it really about. I am completely agreed with some of the comments here bringing about this is bright and dark at the same time. That dark herbal woody oud (not skanky/funky at all), green grassy earthy vetiver, dark grape and ambery sweetness balanced out with this beautiful bright neroli, white floral and juicy tart pineapple. The neroli note play a big role in the dry down. Open out with this dark grape, wine like with tart juicy pineapple, then the dark herbal oud together with that green grassy earthy vetiver start to slowly emerged in the middle. On the dry down came this nice neroli together with white floral note. That fruity dark grape and tart pineapple remains throughout the lifetime of the fragrance in the background. Transition happens beautifully here. Might be polarizing scent by most, something to do with that green grassy earthy coupled with the herbal undertone quality. This does not get enough attention, a beautiful unique underhyped release by Nishane. My third Nishane acquisition after Sultan Vetiver and Hacivat. With Nishane, the price you paid and what you get together with it is really worth it in my humble opinion. The bottle presentation, the box, the beautiful postcard and the performance came with the juice. I love this.

I don't understand the rating (3.78) here. This thing deserves 4+! It's just amazing, how good the grape note is that goes along with the drydown.First it gets sweeter and then greener, woodier but still, the sweet and kind of dark grape is there at the front, dominating the scent. It's not overly sweet, just the right amount of sweetness all the way through. I don't think there is anything similar to this beautiful, high quality scent. Very masculine. It's not the typical niche profile, a bit of designer attributes can be found because it's a bit aromatic which is perceivable from the beginning. Still, it's very unique how it's blended. I got this for €100 and for this much money, you get a lot of value. It lasts forever, projects like a monster. I don't see anybody talking about this at all, this is like a hidden gem because Hacivat took the hype train and while it's also very good, Karagoz too deserves the recognition.

This perfume could be perfectly the Evil and more mature brother of aventus. Both share a strong presencié of the pinneaple in them and i can find log of similarities. But at the same time there are Also many differences. Aventus is fresher, brigter, more aquatic, is light suitable for an every day use. However karagoz is darker and much more dense and intense. Where aventus has vanilla or birch, karagoz has oud and vetiver. The green and creamy background of this perfume makes me think a lot if dries van noten by Frederic Malle. It is like this perfume but adding pinnaeple and oud Wood. Despite his dark character, karagoz is a perfume very easy to wear... Fruity and sweet, suitable for every genre or swason, but better for night time. The performance of the perfume is just what i would have expected to be un aventus according to the price. This is, summing Up, a darker aventus with a much better performance!

I really don't understand why it hasn't got much more higher rating. I think it's one of the best fragrance from Nishane. If I had to mention something bad about it, maybe it's a bit linear scent, but why would I mind if a great scent is linear? I'd like to feel it all the time. Scent starts with a mix of grapes and pineapple but, as it dries down vetiver takes the wheel from grapes and will lead your nose. I think this is a masterpiece of a scent. I think it's not the best for the office but I wouldn't care to be honest, but I do think a date night where it shines, or for casual clothing, I wouldn't wear when I'm suit up. Unfortunately it's a pricy product, but I rate the scent itself now. Definitely a male parfume but both genders like it as I noticed it. Scent: 10/10 Longevity: 10/10 Sillage: 8/10 Versatility: 6/10

It feels strangely familiar yet it is not. If Hacivat is a superior copy of Aventus this is what it would look like on the evolutionary scale a few thousand years in the future. A sweet thick buoyant pineapple darkened and complimented by maybe I would describe it as a desert wine accord rather than grape? The dark grape maybe even could be dark plum coming in behind the bright pineapple. Basically to me this is a substantially tweaked version of Hacivat - evolving just enough that you might possibly still buy both if you can afford it. Awesome scent, mature yet trendy, a bit look at me! - I’m driving a Lamborghini and I’m a cool middle aged hipster. Oh no - Not a flash new one mind you but a cool Muira or Espada and the young chicks actually DO think you rock... Yep, can see this on my top shelf for a long time...

I would like to start by saying it has hardly any resemblance to Hacivat. This is a fragrance on its own and this is in beast mode category.This last more than 12 hours on skin and you dont have to put arm close to nose to smell at 12th hour, its so potent and easily noticeable. This starts with strong blast of grape and hints of pineapple in background which is not prominent here. Vetiver, grape, oud combo lasts forever in this fragrance that are prominent player of the fragrance. All other notes are more in background. Vetiver lover should try this definitely it has added gr8 fruity touch to it which is unique in a way.

Can light and heavy coexist in the same fragrance? Can light and dark coexist in the same fragrance? The answer is ‘yes’ on both counts. Karagoz is a wonderful scent, which has a perfect mix of fruit, spice, oud and earth. There is something for everyone, placing it firmly in the unisex category, although it could lean a bit more masculine, while leaning feminine at the same time. Its various contradictions and long lasting fragrance make it a favourite of mine, and a “must try” for everyone. Nishane really NAILED this one, and I am almost tempted to make it my #1 Rating: 9.5/10

I don’t understand the hate, it smells good, fresh and interesting. It’s not something dull or boring. All reviews mention that it smells like grape soda, but it’s not. It smells clean and strong, fresh and somewhat fruity and very realistic fruit. Smells like clean clothes after Lenor softener. The performance is great, you need just a couple sprays and you’re smelling great full day! Now in the spring it’s great, but I want to try it also in the summer since it has that fresh side to it. Got it for a great price in the local store, wish I discovered this house earlier..

Picked a 2ml sample of this up recently and really didn't care for it. (A couple of sprays on the back of my hand followed by occasional sniffs to see how it developed). Gave it a full wearing a few days later and damn!!!! This is rather magical in the air for me. I don't pick up the pineapple at all. Just lots of grape...... A grapey, medicinal, oudy, soapy, clean laundry scent bubble. Definitely not for everyone as others have stated. There's quite a lot going on. This however, speaks to me 🫵 Oh, and the performance is savage too 💥

I fully agree with the reviewer that comennted that this smells like TIDE (the laundry detergent). Thank you for the comment bc I would have never picked it up based on the notes but your comment made me order a sample right away, I've been looking for this type of scent for ages. 😂 Boyfriend said it smells like 1 Million but let's ignore that. Also, how the f*ck did the perfumer cook a laundry detergent from these notes??? Wdym grapes and herbs 😭 I smell tuberose but whatever

What do Karagoz and Hacivat have in common? Both are central characters in traditional Turkish shadow theater. As perfumes, I think they’re both versatile, leaning toward the spring/summer seasons, and they offer great performance. Although Karagoz as a character is more famous, imo, Hacivat as a perfume is more popular. Back to the scent, I truly believe Karagoz is a great fragrance that deserves a proper, in-depth try—but it shouldn’t be directly compared to Hacivat.

In the story of the shadowplay, karagoz is hacivats EVIL enemy and in the fragrance game , he proved he’s a real competitor . Daring challenging fragrance but o ... so.... addictive!. It’s very strong and very good! It opens with a lot of black grapes till the end . In the drydown you have vetiver and oud backing up the grapes ! It’s the most underrated Nishane PERIOD! Love this guys. The performance? Hhahaha CRAZY

This one is a beauty that’s so versatile it can be worn basically anytime and anywhere. I wouldn’t wear it only when it’s really hot. It lasts a whole day on me and I can’t stop smelling it. Through the phases it transforms and dances from fruity to green to woody to soapy, but remains clean and fresh all the time. Definitely masculine-leaning. I don’t understand why it isn’t more popular because it’s smashing.

Opening so fruity but not a fresh fruity. It is deep, dark and rich fruity You can smell the little hint of green, hint of flower This is perfect fruity for me since I don’t like the fresh fruit at all Amber play the part to connect fruit, green and flower together. Top 3 Nishane imo. Very masculine, smell so gentleman. Suits for people who want perfume to make you feel confidence and more reliable.

Just like Chypre Mousse by Oriza L. Legrand, this is another case of a fragrance that got a lot of "dislike" and for that reason I thought I should check it. Bingo, again! I love it! Another fragrance with a personality of its own. The red grape note is canyon-deep! It lasts a long, long time. I like the dry down even better, when it gets a little more woody (but the grape is still there!). Great!

It would seem me and Nishane have a thing going. I own six of their scents. Took me a while to appreciate this one but kept getting drawn back to it. Strange grape and jasmine opening underpinned by mossy woodsy notes that eventually (many hours later) take over the fruits. Lasts all day with ease. Fruity and uplifting during the day and will be still going but warm and woody by the evening.

At Nishane, quality means being as suffocatingly, obnoxiously strong as possible, so that nobody within a 500m radius will escape without a headache and singed nostril hairs, and this is up there as one of the most over-the-top, jarring, nauseating horror-shows of their line. I don't know who would wear this, but I don't want to be in the same building as them.

Dark dark deep blue. Super duper extra fleshy sweet red grape, no tartness almost a black plum in fact. Bright sweet pineapple over the top. Base of patchouli, walloping out the dark depth bodied by amber. Every thing else is coincidental and complimentary. You... must... try... this... Only negative is (for me at least) is it just turns off 3 - 5 hours in.

The grape-pineapple-vetiver combo is very interest NG, different. Could be worn day, night, office or casual. Moderate projection and longevity. Leans more masculine. To me a darker version of Hacivat. I like it for the uniqueness and versatility. Not a blind but, get a sample first. As can be seen by prior reviewers, this is not for everyone.

Sweet fizzy grape with a base of woods. Linear and to the point, sweet but mysterious. Worth it to get from discounters. Highly recommend just spraying on the back of your neck, I live in a tropical country, but Karagoz lasted for 12+ hours from 9am till 10pm+++ with just one spray on the back of my neck and one spray on my clothes.

It has a smooth, rubber accord whilst remaining pleasant, smooth and fresh. Doesn't project like other Nishane products. Wasn't the grape soda scent I'm after. Has nice herbal and fruit qualities that make it very unique. Update. I bought the 100ml. It grows on you and my 2ml sample went quite far. Very sigma scent profile.

Opens up with a blast of fruity sweetness. After a few minutes, the vetiver becomes the main player. It dries down to a pretty unique fruity woody scent. I like it, I don't love it. Performance is massive. EDIT : second time trying it, I love it now, it doesn't go on the buying list but it's very good.

I love the smell, after hundreds of frags in terms of scent this is my favorite. But... Nishane has ruined their frags in terms of longevity and sillage. As newer Hacivats this one also suffer from the weakened down strategy :( No Nishane worth the pricetag from the newer generation

This is fruity sweet, dark, dense, masculine and extremely long lasting. To my nose, smells like a niche version of Bad Boy le parfum, but only in the opening.The dry down is a whole different world, Karagoz gets creamier and fruitier , muskier and keeps on pushing beast mode.

Absolutely gorgeous. Bright pineapple and grape harmonized with earthiness, a wee touch of floralness and STRONG classy oud. You WILL be noticed while wearing this. Unfortounately its not for everyone, either a hit or miss. I personally want to inject this into my nostrils.

The sillage and projection is strong. I got noticed today in a large room from a far distance, nor a compliment but not negative either. Second time wearing and I like it even more. Could be signature scent for me.

I am not going to complicate it I love this fragrance, its a warm, deep, comforting red grape. I dont know what it is about it but its super comforting and last all day. I really recommend checking it out

Drinking Grape Koolaid on a laundry day! I get the sweetness of grapes and mixed fruit with laundry detergent and dryer sheets. The only one I own from house that was a blind buy and I’m happy I did! 👌🏾

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The best perfume from Nishane. I got so many compliments, the best time to wear is spring. Long lasting with strong sillage. Underrated gem. Sadly they don’t have 100 ml bottle.

This is very fruity and yet harsh to me but I like it very much and the projection is too good my friend smells on me and said it's very harsh and strong but he likes it too

This is very fruity and yet harsh to me but I like it very much and the projection is too good my friend smells on me and said it's very harsh and strong but he likes it

I love this perfume.Smells strong and sharp.Longevity 12+ hours with very good sillage!This one is in my top 3 from the brand "Nishane"

It is bit pricy. But I love it. It is indeed a grape soda in a perfume bottle. Giving rating of 7 just because of the price.

Such an amazing scent. Even great. For this price tag I was expecting more longevity and sillage, but still a masterpiece!

I love this, unique, gorgeous, last a lot. It’s the type of fragrance you love or hate, in my case I love it

It is very different, I enjoy wearing it. It is very strong and everyone will notice it.

beast mode grape/piña Fanta. Dry down smells great but not like a fanta. Love it

grape soda pop... thats it. love it 10/10 for fruit lovers/ beast mode activated

I loved this so much, it was herbal but also quite fresh but also smkoeish

It's like to eats grapes at the forest. Fruity, green, clean.

Really like it. It's dark fruits and wax in a sexy way.

It's one of those fragrances I enjoy smelling.

Karagoz is an aromatic masculine scent to my nose, fruity and herbal with a woody-amber undertone. It has a metallic quality that I associate with designer masculine scents, and while it is objectively decent, I find it underwhelming, particularly considering the price. It feels slightly generic, despite being slightly better quality than run-of-the-mill designer releases. Karagoz is fruity from initial spray, but without any sweetness. The woody-amber accord of the base is evident from the early stages, initially adding a slightly unpleasant synthetic metallic undertone, but it thankfully subsides as the scent settles. The herbal accord becomes more evident as it develops, adding a nice aromatic quality to the fruity opening. Grape, an unusual note, sticks out for me. I always find grape to be quite synthetic as a flavour etc., and this is the case here. Some powdery florals add body, but are quite subtle. As it develops, the woody-amber comes to the fore. After the synthetic phase, the individual notes can be enjoyed. The oud is soft and woody - there is no skankiness here. There is a muskiness to the amber accord, and some earthiness thanks to the patchouli. Some herbal nuances remain during the drydown - I get a hay-like quality here. It fades to a musky, earthy skin scent. Sillage is strong and longevity is long-lasting. It is a transeasonal masculine scent. Hacivat is an underwhelming and overpriced masculine scent, not bad overall, but nothing special. More mass-market designer than niche. 3/5.

My thoughts based on sampling this: I can understand that this can be a love it or hate it fragrance, from the first sniff I got this very familiar opening that reminded me of something I've smelled before but couldn't really put a finger on, I got tarty dense grapes almost fermented wine-like, this stays throughout the life of the scent, the pineapple mixes with the grapes to give off a jammy moderately sweet fruity vibe, slowly it develops into something slightly off-putting, maybe it's from hints of the oud that creeps in and mixes with the delicate white florals, its an extremely complex scent for sure, 8 hours later the patchouli and ambery dry down with a distinct "Fanta grape" soda lingers on the skin and keeps pushing for a really long time. The projection is great for the first few hours and has insane longevity, it remains as a skin scent until you shower or wash it off. For me, I really like the bold, unique character, and the bottle suits the style of the dark sweet mysterious atmosphere that this has the capability to create. Overall a solid 8/10 for me, would pick a full bottle if found at a good deal soon. Edit: WOW! This is beyond beast mode, I've never had a fragrance that lasts this long, Bombastic! Wore at 4pm in the evening the previous day, still stuck on my skin today at 2 in the afternoon. 22-24 hours, I'm stunned!

Karagoz opens with a fresh fruity scent which immediately brings Hacivat to mind which is also part of the Shadow Play collection. The opening gives way to a slightly floral accord as it dries down followed by the appearance of a woody accord, specifically oud. The fruity, floral, and woody accords all seem to be on an even footing after the scent has completed the dry down. The evolution doesn't really take that long, slightly less than an hour. My general impression to describe the scent is that Karagoz is in the middle between Hacivat and Hacivat Oud. Hacitvat retains more of the fresh fruity accord while Hacivat Oud emphasizes the oud. To that point, in my review of Hacivat Oud, I stated that it would be better named Oud Hacivat because of the prominence of the oud. Karagoz's performance is pretty good. I got about 9 hours of longevity at which point it's down to a subtle skin scent. Projection was good as well for the first couple of hours. My recommendation would be to sample all three, Hacivat, Karagoz and Hacivat Oud to see what you like best. If you want a fragrance that isn't as fresh fruity as Hacivat but not as oud-y as Hacivat Oud, Karagoz might fit the bill. My personal preference is for Hacivat and Hacivat Oud.

Oh this is nice! completely unexpected because I hate oud but this is a fairly nice woody pineapple scent and smells nothing like aventus and those types of fragrances. Actually reminds me of burberry hero but with pineapple and higher quality. And i'd probably say it reminds me a little of creed himalaya like vetiver, woods, bright freshness in the opening. Maybe a little bit of Roja vetiver but without the oakmoss fougere smell to it and more the citrus & vetiver combination you get. Also reminds me of CK defy a little sweet in the opening and dry woods/vetiver in the dry down Not a clone of any of them just similarities I can pick out with those other fragrances I mentioned. The woody smell is more dry like the woods you'd get in creed fragrances like himalaya & green irish tweed.

A nice, beast of a fragrance. You do get that grape ( purple grape ) but... something was mentioned to me by someone who is not into fragrance as we all are... it reminded them of Dior's Fahrenheit. I didn't even think that at all until it was mentioned. Now, I definitely get that vibe from this lol. So in conclusion, if you like strong, purple grape, a reminder of Fahrenheit ( not identical at all, just a reminder of it subtly ) then you will love this one. This is a strong like for me, It's not bringing me enough to love it. Worth checking out. Cool/Cold/Fall/Winter Time.