Rifaaqat

A pragmatic review of YSL Babycat / Rifaaqat from an unrefined nose Testing Methodology: Two sprays on a paper test strip. For the skin test, two sprays were applied to the forearm, followed by a gym session and a normal shower to simulate a full day's wear. Note on the Clone: My nose perceives Rifaaqat as functionally identical to YSL Babycat; any minor performance difference could be attributed to the sprayer. This review applies to both. -------------------- Opening: This gave me pause. It is a strange vanilla, blended with an incense that is not the familiar Asian temple type, but a very specific Western Catholic Church variety. The result is a single, unified, challenging, and intoxicating accord of "dark slutty vanilla." Performance: Performance is excellent. The scent is very compatible with my nose, as I perceive it strongly and distinctly. It is completely linear on both skin and paper, making it a reliable performer. After showering, a faint, sweet vanilla skin scent remains. -------------------- Overall Impression & Use Case: This is a masterful fragrance and a reliable projector of its unique "dark slutty vanilla" effect. It is not gourmand. I would not eat that vanilla bean, but I would flick it. The core concept is clearly "gender-fluid sex in a bottle." The scent leans feminine due to the "slutty vanilla," but it is not strategically equivalent to a tuberose-heavy stripper fragrance. The image it creates is of a high-class escort or a business leader with a specific, edgy aesthetic. Think a boardroom by day, anal by night—either giving, receiving, or both, I don't judge. In my mind's eye, I see very specific attire options: a dark business suit, a chic leather jacket, priestly garb, or a chic goth with a studded choker. Specifically, all wearing fishnet tights, especially the men. This is not a man's-man fragrance. So, who is this for? Its most straightforward use is as a daily driver for someone promiscuous with a Goth or alternative aesthetic. For anyone else, the use case is highly situational and almost exclusively at night. Babycat is a contradiction: upscale, mature, possessing a sex-worker edge. The best image I have for it is an upscale swingers party; I would not expect this at a college party. There is one exception for daytime wear: you could, funny enough, wear this to church. The liturgical incense note would blend into the environment, and people would just think you were wearing a vanilla perfume, which is probably normal behavior. I love the scent but I fail to articulate a strategic use case for most people.

A BabyCat Clone? Let me tell you a little story... So that is why I bought it - I saw some influencers claim that Rifaaqat was the REAL DEAL and if you couldn't find BabyCat that it was worth the price ($30 USD). So I figured...let's give it a try... So right away: I LOVE IT! Vanilla, Dark, Spicy, Black Pepper, Woody, Saffron...Great Value! But is it a real BabyCat Clone? And if it is... How CLOSE of a BabyCat clone is it? This will answer the question... I'm in Neiman Marcus, my son and I head over to the fragrances. He is gushing over Guerlain's Tobacco Honey (see my review). I'm listening to him but my mind is on Cherry Oud...YES CHERRY OUD...I have a little story about that one...but I digress... So the saleswoman at Neiman Marcus walks up from behind us and asks if we need help... We say: "No just checking out the fragrances." She projects this negative energy as if she has a million things to do and she just had to walk over to see what we were doing. Seemingly frustrated, she walks to the inside of the counter opposite of me, reaches down to get some testing strips and when she stands up she looks directly at me AND the gives me this look. As if I said something that she is trying to figure out if it was offensive - you know the look. She quickly walks around the counter as if to leave and walks BEHIND my son and I. For a moment I thought she was leaving but then I notice that she is really close to me. She proceeds to reach in front of me and starts arranging a few of the bottles. I was wondering what she was doing because I watched her move them slightly. At this point, she is right at my shoulder and looks up at me and again, gives me ANOTHER look. She realizes that I noticed how close she was to me and she quickly turns back to walk behind us again and returns to the opposite side of the counter. I found it strange but I figured she thought I was up to no good and she was satisfied that I wasn't and figured she would return to her sales position. It was then that the Guerlain saleswoman says to my 22 year old son: "How do you like Tobacco Honey?" He said: "I love it!" She smiles and nods: "Yes, It is very nice. I really like it." And she turns to me and says: "BabyCat right?" I respond: "BabyCat?" She said: "Yes, I can smell you're wearing BabyCat." I pause. At this point, I'm debating on telling her the true identity of the fragrance that I am wearing when she quickly adds: "I Love Baby Cat. It really works for you! So tell me, how do you like Cherry Oud?" Need I say more? Enjoy!

A pragmatic review of Paris Corner Rifaaqat from an unrefined nose Context: 2nd store test. Testing Methodology: Two sprays on a paper test strip in store; the strip was then placed in a bag with other scented strips for transport. The drydown was evaluated at home over 4 hours later. Note: Bagging multiple strips together creates a high probability of scent cross-contamination, which may impact the drydown analysis. Take it for what it is, as bagging them individually would've made me look really suspicious. === Summary: Dark, dense, slutty vanilla is the best way to do vanilla, IMO. My nose perceives Rifaaqat as functionally identical to YSL Babycat; any minor performance difference could be attributed to the sprayer. This review applies to both. === The Smell: Strange vanilla meets Western Catholic Church vibe, Rifaaqat is linear and non gourmand. My brain now files this as what vanilla should be. Mother nature came up short. This is also what bottled sex should smell like. Think of Blackedraw video: marketed as unscripted but clearly scripted with infinite production value. The scent carries that same energy. Polished profanity dressed for the occasion. Black tie slutty. === Performance: On paper, performance is weak. It fades to nothing by 4 hours. On skin, this is eternal. Strong projection even after a workout and shower. My brain is weirdly compatible with this DNA. I can barely smell most fragrances, but this one registers. === Use Case: The smell is black tie slutty, so the archetypal wearer is someone heading to an upscale swingers party. Boardroom by day, bdsm by night. The attire follows from the scent. A dark business suit, a chic leather jacket, priestly garb, or a chic goth with a studded choker. All wearing fishnet tights, especially the men. In practice, anyone can wear this for cold weather social events, mostly at night. I would not wear it professionally. One daytime exception: church. The liturgical vibe blends into the environment, and people just think you are wearing a vanilla perfume.

TL;DR: I got a mid 2024 batch when I bought it a week ago. It smelt like an amazing woody vanilla with a bit of spice and saffron out of the box didn’t require maceration or nothing and lasts for almost 24 hours, cannot be washed off until 12+ hours after applying it. I haven’t smelt ysl Babycat before so I can’t tell you if this is an accurate dupe or not, but this is a solid 8.5/10 for the winter/fall season. Wow, just wow. Before I bought it I was reading all the reviews on here saying they didn’t like it and it has a burnt rubber/ very spicy smell at first and it will take a long time for maceration to kick in and make it smell nice so I wasn’t expecting much from it at first because I thought I was going to play the waiting game with this one, but MY GOD was I going to be surprised. When I first sprayed it smelt I did smell a bit like a burnt tyre but that smell left in like 2 minutes, from there it was just straight woody vanilla then 5 minutes later the spices came in but it wasn’t over powering or anything it was more complimentary and it wasn’t trying to be the main character, I was with 4 friends when I unboxed it and deadass all of them grabbed it from me to spray it on themselves because it smelt that nice. Later that day I was with just one of them and I was wearing Rayhaan Obsidian and I couldn’t even smell my fragrance anymore and Rayhaan Obsidian has a strong projection but I deadass couldn’t smell it anymore because Rifaaqat’s projection is just nuclear and it WILL mog almost any fragrance anybody is wearing.

I blind bought Rifaaqat because I wanted something new for winter and was curious about the whole “Babycat clone” talk. After looking at the notes and seeing the price, I decided to just go for it. When I first sprayed it, I was honestly surprised. The opening is very strong — heavy incense with this burnt, almost rubbery edge. It’s bold and a bit aggressive, and I can definitely see how it might put some people off. For me though, it didn’t ruin it. I was more intrigued than disappointed. Once it settles, that’s when it really starts to shine. The drydown turns into this beautiful warm vanilla with spicy and slightly resinous undertones. The harshness from the opening smooths out, and it becomes cozy, dark, and very fitting for cold weather. That stage is what made me really like it. Performance has been very good on my skin. Projection is noticeable without being ridiculous, and longevity easily gets me through most of the day. I’ve also received compliments wearing it, which always helps. Over time, I’ve realized this isn’t the most versatile fragrance. It’s very much a winter scent and leans into that smoky, slightly gothic vibe. Because of that opening, I wouldn’t call it a completely safe blind buy — even though it worked out for me. Overall, I’d give it a 9/10. For the price, the quality and performance are impressive, and it delivers that dark vanilla-incense profile really well. Just be prepared for that strong first impression.