XVI

A few months ago, I came across a video where someone claimed that if you enjoy Sospiro’s Vibrato, chances are you’ll also like XVI by Pana Dora. I absolutely love Vibrato and have been wearing it for the past two years without ever getting tired of it. Naturally, my curiosity led me to start looking for XVI, even though it’s quite expensive. As it usually happens, I could find testers of every other fragrance from the house except this one. That is, until last week, when I finally spotted an open tester bottle available for customers. I carefully approached it, removed the horn-shaped cap, and took a discreet sniff just to get an idea. It seemed nice, but since I was already wearing Eau Rihla (which I adore), I didn’t want to spray it on myself. Instead, I gave two sprays on a blotter and continued my walk. For six whole days, that blotter stayed on my desk, and I could easily detect its scent filling the space around it. The first few days, it practically scented the entire room. Incredible. So, a week later, I went back to the store, and luckily the tester was still there. Nearly empty, of course but enough left for a “proper” test. And where should I even begin? That it smells far better on skin than on paper? That it lingered on me for about twelve hours before truly fading? That it feels both classic and modern at the same time? That it surrounded me with its aura for hours? That the opening notes don’t vanish quickly, unlike so many modern perfumes? Or that it’s remarkably solid and stable overall? What can I say I only found three drawbacks: • On skin, up close, it doesn’t smell as beautiful as the aura it projects around you. • It’s not groundbreaking in originality. • At the moment, it’s very expensive €280 for 100 ml. In my personal opinion (as reviews always are), if it were priced around €200, it would be an extremely tempting purchase maybe even a must-buy for me. We’ll see... One last note: it works best in cooler weather, and definitely not in the heat.

This fragrance do I dare say is better than Roja Dove’s Sweetie Aoud? XVI is exquisite!! 🫐🍓🪵🥐 🇫🇷 Pana Dora XVI en tant que parfum a une odeur très délicieuse et est très sous-estimée. L'essence gourmande de ce parfum me donne l'impression d'être dans une pâtisserie. This masterful blend is in the realm of Roja Dove’s Sweetie Aoud however they are not a 1-1 alike. Don’t let the notes deceive you! I think the perfumer is hiding some notes out but that is my opinion because it does give off delicious gourmand accords that I feel is not listed in the note breakdown. Panda Dora XVI: is a comforting semi gourmand scent that isn’t sickly sweet. This fragrance can be easily be worn in the fall or even springtime or even fancy events or night out of town. Scent profile: I can definitely pickup the patisserie accord from the opening in which has this silky buttery texture then as it dries down it envelops into this woody vibe with a bit of this chocolaty concoction from the patchouli. I also pickup fruits in this fragrance specifically berries think of visiting a pastry shop in Paris this fragrance to me smells like a warm buttery croissant with berry filling dusted with powdered sugar that’s exactly how I feel whenever I wear this fragrance it’s to die for and it’s comforting with the balance of woods and resins.

Stunning fragrance, the complexity of this juice is phenomenal, beautifully & artfully blended containing high quality components including artemesia, patchouli, olibanum & juniper to name just a few, slightly sweet, herbal, a rich chypre styled fragrance of monumental proportions, powerful dry down & silage lasting many hours with no need to re-apply on a night out, lasts forever on skin and fabric. After hours of wear I detect a warm, rich white chocolate note that ventures into niche, gourmand territory, not a blind buy but a definite try for lovers of this type of fragrance, touted as fit for purpose by Swedish nobility & royalty of past ages, as stated PANADORA XVI is a real Stunner... proud to have this in my collection edit: after much consideration I would describe this luscious fragrance akin to a rich, decadent gourmand egg custard infused with a spicy liqueur plus a melange of exotic aromatics and rare middle eastern spices, think cardamom, caraway & sandalwood as the thick milky wood note, I am totally blown away by this fragrance, seriously GOOD!!! Mr. Ibrahim Al Zoabi is a veritable genius of sophisticated, niche perfumery IMHO...

Let me start by addressing the elephant in the room: Does Pana Dora XVI smells like Roja Dove’s Sweetie Aoud? Yes and No. Are they clones? No. Are they in the similar category? Yes. To my nose, Sweetie Aoud is more bright and the oud is more pronounced. While XVI is more dense gourmand in a more nougat type of way. Both are stunning scents and are love for me. If you want the more gourmand and cheeper version, then go for XVI. If you like the oud smell then go for Sweetie Aoud. Both perform about the same on me: I apply on both skin and clothes and the performance is about the same for both. Sweetie Aoud is much more expansive and more recognizable / popular of the two and I would say probably easier to find. XVI is much cheaper, but is harder to get your hands on. So the bottom line: if you can get your hands on Pana Dora XVI in the hopes of getting something similar to Sweetie Aoud minus the hefty price tag, then I don’t think you will be disappointed.

I like this a lot! Actually liked this more than I thought I would and it grows on you. I get a lot of leather in the opening but it quickly becomes woody and spicy. It has that unique factor since it's fresh and spicy but still very sweet and kind of gourmand. You don't find that in a lot of perfumes. Very similar to Sweetie Aoud by Roja, but I think XVI is more worth the money and it's also more my type of fragrance. Good longevity and performance as well. Perfect pick-up if you need a fragrance for special occasions like date-nights, weddings, going out etc.