Hamsah

So my friend is getting married next month and I wanted to buy this perfume as a gift for her. I personally love gourmands and florals and she almost always compliments my perfumes and asks for their names. But since I didn't own it myself, I bought it this morning to test it out first. After all, I can't recommend a perfume that I never tried myself, right? So here I am, about half an hour after spraying it on myself, wondering if I like it. I ADORE Elie Saab's "In White", and I was hoping it would smell at least somewhat similar, but alas, it doesn't. It's very floral, to the point of almost "80's grandma floral". I'm guessing it's the gardenia's work, as I am familiar with the rest of the notes and love them. By now this overwhelming grandma smell has calmed down a little and I can feel the honey coming out and warming up the atmosphere. I'm really not sure if I should gift this to my friend, as this is not at all her taste. I, however, will give this a fair chance. I think that I will learn to like it more. Edit: after wearing this for 6 hours, I can tell for sure that this is very similar to Happy Spirit by Chopard when it sits closer to the skin. The honey is pretty much all that's left at this point. I'm not the greatest fan of this. This is definitely not a safe blind buy, nor is it a safe gift. Edit 2: it actually smells wonderful when sprayed on the hair. It smells very feminine and welcoming on the hair, as opposed to "grandma-ish" on the skin. I will definitely keep using this as a hair mist, and perhaps on the skin on a different weather. I think I will eventually get used to it and love it to death. However, I still stand by my belief that it is not a safe blind buy or a gift. I ended up choosing Intimately by Beckham as a wedding gift for my friend, now THAT is a wonderful safe gift. I have been wearing that one for over 10 years already and can't get enough of it. That one is a universally flattering beautiful, feminine floral, definitely "bride material".

I'm so glad I gave this a chance to macerate. I disliked it so much I reeled back and my nose scrunched up automatically the first time I sprayed it on my wrist. The passing hours didn't improve it, until I finally just washed it off and applied something else. Then I put it in my closet for a few weeks, then took it out today when moving all my fragrances to a new organizer I just assembled. Well now I absolutely love it. Reminds me of Elie Saab, which is my go to daily perfume for just smelling good without breaking the bank. Where ES features jasmine, this one features gardenia. It also leads more prominently with the orange smell than the ES does. I am glad to have both. I still think that ES is more my style, more sophisticated, but for a variation, especially in the coming warmer months, I suspect I'll be dipping into this one more and more. In fact, at only about $20 a bottle, the fact that it improves with time makes me think I should go ahead and buy a backup for next Summer. The only drawback to this fragrance is that while the bottle is a beautiful design, the cap just won't securely stay on. I've dropped this twice already. Thankfully it's a thick glass and I dropped it on a padded rug, but I have to remember to always pick this up around the broadest part of the bottle and not go for the smaller regions near the top. My hand slides up and grabs the cap if I'm not at/below the widest part of the curve of the bottle. It's a bit awkward, especially taking it out of a rack sandwiched in with other bottles, but I won't have it long at this rate if I don't get used to picking it up that way.

OK, wow, I have to add another review of this one. After my initial review, I kind of forgot about it and let it sit for a month and a half without touching it, I was THAT unimpressed. I should have known better when testing it for the first time, that perfumes change and evolve after the very first spray, when they get some air. Please don't take the first try seriously and make sure to let it "breath" a little before judging it! :) First of all, NO GRANDMA SCENT! YAY! The gardenia is much more calm now, and not at all overpowering. It's also much sweeter now and I can clearly feel the honey, which didn't really happen the first time. It was ALL flowers then, and just a little bit of honey at the end of the day. It still DOES remind me of Happy Spirit, though it's more on the floral side rather than on the "grape-ish" side. I have been testing it a few days in a row just to make sure that I'm not wrong again :) It's one of my favorites now! I'm still leaving my first review here though, in case someone wants to know what it smells like the first time and that they should definitely give this a fair chance.

This is really nice. It smells classy. It definitely smells similar to some of my great grandma's perfumes I used to smell, but it's not to the extreme. I've never smelled the Elie Saab this is supposed to smell like, however this has something in it that reminds me of L'interdit from Givenchy. Super perfume-y, floral, sweet, with a slight spiciness. You definitely get that touch of honey. Moderate sillage and lasts at least a day or more on clothes, lasts probably 3-ish hours on skin before it's basically gone. This could be worn as a daily scent but I also find it very classy so it could be a special occasion perfume too. Personally I just wear whatever I want, any time I feel like it lol. I would repurchase this again because I love this scent profile. Edit: Actually I think I would just repurchase Fakhar Rose over this, as FR is much sweeter, stronger, and less spicy (and also smells like L'interdit.)

This perfume was a blind buy on Amazon I took a chance on because of good reviews. I love it! I expected a citrus scent because this has orange blossom in it but on my skin it never showed up. On me this perfume is gardenia, Rose, and honey in a very soft feminine way. Projection was surprising at least 6 feet with a strong trail that lingers in hot air. I live in Arizona desert where temperatures exceed 120 in summer often. This perfume I put on in morning when postman delivered it and after running around in heat it was still on me as strong skin scent at end of day. (Most perfumes last a couple hours if I’m lucky in this high heat.) This perfume does not bother my asthma or allergies. No headaches from it either. It stays soft but strong in high heat without being overpowering. I highly recommend it!

I just received this in the mail. From the initial spray it’s a beautiful sweet honeyed orange blossom with some spice. It smells really similar to Kayali’s Deja Vu white flowers, one of my favorite fragrances from Kayali! I’m in love 😍. I’ve been looking for an alternative to Deja vu that can give the longevity that she’s missing. Hamsah appears to have what I’m looking for so far. I’ve had it for less than a day but it’s pretty strong so far and not weakening. It’s not identical to Deja vu more like fraternal. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to Deja vu, try Hamsah. It’s like $17 for 2.7 oz on Amazon. Try it! Try it! It’s soooo beautiful! Update: it’s still good but this fragrance borders on coco Chanel or white diamond vibes. It’s really nice but has a very mature/dated side to it.

I used up the big 80ml bottle that I had of this over a year ago, and recently I've repurchased it. I've been thinking about it so much since I ran out and I've been missing it so badly, that I just couldn't not have it any longer. I feel like especially now, in the grey cold, it smells even more gorgeous and yummy than in the summer (when I used it up over a year ago). In the heat it's playful, young spirited, happy and carefree. In the cold it's grown-up, sophisticated, put together. It plays its own flute like that. Honeyed florals. Beautiful and simple, but not boring in the least. Casual with a bit of sophistication. The dry-down almost reminds me of Gabrielle Essence by Chanel (though Hamsah is sweeter). Truly fits all seasons and occasions.

Absolutely beautiful. Two pump skin test in the dead of winter. Honey sweet florals. True to scent orange blossom, gardenia, and rose. Smells very natural, like I was doing something lovely and the scent found it's way to me. Has a storybook-like quality, an animated girl singing with the birds or carrying her basket through a field before she meets her prince. A keeper, and I'm likely to use up the sample and have a very hard time deciding between buying a full bottle of this or one of the Gucci Blooms.

Oh wow! Swiss Arabian knocked it out of the park with this one. It is hard to find a fresh orange blossom untethered by klunky base notes, but this perfume shimmers. I’ve been frustrated with my Jo Malone orange blossom, because it loses its orange blossom accord very quickly and fades into nothing within an hour. But this- this is how I wish it had smelled. I got it for $17 which is insane for how much I love this and how well it performs. 10/10

Another blind buy for me....i read about Swiss Arabian- Hamsah and i was just curious to see if it fits me. It definitely does!.Very similar to Oriflame - Imagination. It opens with a flower scent that remembers me the beginning of summer when a type of tree blossoms.Can it be jasmine?! i don't know! But i do know that it's warm, feminine,well balanced and elegant. A big YES and thumb up from me!

A gorgeous, honeyed white floral fragrance. This is just so so beautiful. White florals do very well on me, and this smells like a wealthy, beautiful woman at a luxurious tropical resort. This is sunshine in a bottle, and it is a huge compliment getter. I would say it’s possibly a favorite for me in terms of Arab fragrances. It’s long-lasting, and the sillage is good without being too much. 10/10

I love when I stumble into something this beautiful, went in to buy Nawaf and the guy suggested this one, I usually don't care for staff members recommendations but he nailed it with this one as I wouldn't have bothered trying it. Beautiful feminine fragrance that can be worn all year round and all occasions, a real hidden gem

I received this today from SA. At some point in my childhood the gardenia became the standard for what a flower should smell like. The burst of orange blossom and gardenia at the top is very satisfying. It's modern floral, clean, and the dry down Is beautiful.

This one is a sleeper. I can’t believe how affordable it is. It doesn’t smell like cheap perfume. This is Swiss Arabian. This is quality. It’s floral and unapologetically feminine. It’s very lovely. Great blind by.

Lovely, warm, attractive, tender, not so saturated scent. Particularly nice in the summer time – the scent gracefully opens up with a lovely blend of honey and orange blossom in a heat. Beautiful.

Reminds me of Longing by Coty from back in the day but much softer. Very sweet and delicate but a banger at the same time. You get it, right? I’m gonna wear this one out!!!

Oh this is lovely. Smells almost exactly like the jasmine vine we had growing up, so element of nostalgia there. Pretty one note but it's so nice. So cheap too !!

Got this today on a blind buy and was pleasantly surprised , it is florals done well in a woody base, smells as good as any designer fragrance for half the price

profumo meraviglioso dolce e inebriante ,ottima proiezione e sillage,lo consiglio non rimarrete delusi

I’m not a big citrus fruit fan, but every summer I find myself craving something new fresh to wear. Usually I’ve pick up something with pineapple or bergamot, but this time I wanted to stay on more feminine side (I experience pineapple / bergamot as more masculine side) and still stay little bit more fruity than flower side. I thought about Elie Saab for a long time, but it felt bad to pay the "full price" for a fragrance that I basically don't like terribly. Ironic, but you probably understand what I mean... Well, anyway ; I am very pleased with this choice! Here the honey, sweet orange and orange blossom are in lead. It's almost( ! ) give a lemon scent and to be honest I get some toilet freshener vibes, but so I get from ES too. Sorry. I also distinguish Gardenia ( my nose easily confused it to creamy tuberose) because here is that kind of thick creaminess, what could become overwhelming too, but here that nice citrus fruits freshen it beautifully up! Vetiver is quite inconspicuous, but gives a balanced base, still the scent is not wooden or oriental at all. For me this is not a chemical mess. I think this is pleasant, easy to use, feminine, mature, citrus fruity floral fragrance for day use. Not quite what I love the most, but certainly one of these, what I use the most in the next summer. Definitely worth the price!

This is a white floral, jasmine and orange blossom, with a super sweet, photorealistic honey. I've not smelled Elie Saab for Her so I don't know if Hamsah is a dupe. For me, the honey is dominant. It's a really nice honey. It smells just like the clover honey I buy at the farmer's market in the summer. Which is astounding because this is a really inexpensive fragrance here. When it first arrived, there was definitely some molecular shock going on that separated the honey note from the rest of the fragrance. It's been 24 hours and the juice is well blended. I love a sweet floral. Add honey and I'm in heaven. But Hamsah is not for everyone. It is distinctly feminine so if you identify as strongly masculine, this isn't going to work for you. I don't think this fragrance is work safe. It is incredibly sweet and projects a few feet. On my skin anyway. It's probably more appropriate for spring/summer outdoor events. Hamsah is a solid 8.5/10 to me. For the price, if you're a fan of seriously sweet florals it's probably a safe blind buy. Longevity is impressive as well.

Hamsah is a bit difficult fragrance for me. I do like the scent, it's pretty white floral forward but has a nice sweetness to it. It smells calming and makes me think that maybe some nice and motherly teacher might wear something like this. But I'm not that :'D To me this is too mature/oldschool/classy and that makes it difficult to wear for me. It's not old-lady or clearly dated or anything but just... more of an grown up profile. Maybe the gardenia is part of that? Longevity might be a little worse than what I'm used to from middle eastern brands, but still moderate. Edit: I have had this for a good while now. I probably have never worn this outside. I'm trying to use it up as a room spray. If you love white florals and/or more mature floral scent profiles maaybe give this a try, But other than that I'd say it's not worth it even if it's super cheap.

This fragrance reminds me a lot of Tocca's Florence, deepened with vetiver and this standout, rich honey note. I would say its a better, more complex version of Florence, however, the longevity of this perfume is highly disappointing. None the less, this is quite a beauty among the gamut of white floral fragrances. update: for whatever reason my cat is addicted to this smell and literally will not leave my side when I wear it. He will literally come up to my wrists and sniff- its so cute and very strange

I was gifted this by a very kind Fragrantica friend (🧡) and I like it a lot. The honey note hits first. It's full bodied with the resinous scent of the comb - but not really sweet. This never veers into a gourmand - it is wholly a garden scent. There's also a dry note that gives this a slightly vintage vibe - maybe the vetiver? I think this suits cooler weather better. It really never reaches cloying territory, but I do find it overwhelming in very warm weather. That cap, though....

I genuinely enjoyed this scent. It’s not as strong as some other scents from this house, but it’s still very pleasant. It reminds me somewhat of Coty’s L’Aimant, but without the soapy aldehydes and with slightly more noticeable citrus notes.

This is quite lovely. It gives a little bit of old school vibe, and I don’t mean it in a negative way. It gives a more classic perfume scent. It’s well blended, and no note throws me off. The bottle is nice, and the price can’t be beat.

This is very similar to Elie Saab La Parfum but softer and not as crisp. It is lovely and cozy and and quite a bargain for the 22 US dollars I paid for it.

Neroli blossoms dipped in honey. It’s yellow, sweet and clean smelling. Like bedsheets drying in a field of dandelions, with bitter orange trees around, nerolis are blossoming and bees are gathering nectar. You can smell the fresh honey, as the beehive is close by. If you like neroli fragrances this is a steal, projection and longevity are great for the price

I usually don’t like summer perfumes but this has a sweet honey smell to it. It doesn’t fade away into anything nice but I like the smell of it so I put it as like. For someone who enjoys sweet fragrances this is nice, but I don’t think I’d wear it anywhere because it’s slightly headache inducing as it has citrus notes.

Not sure why, but this reminds me of the little sanitizing towelletes you get on a flight.

This smells like a pretty cheap attempt at what could be a really beautiful scent. Based on the notes, I had high hopes. I am a major fan of orange blossom, neroli, and white florals. I LOVE honey. I am obsessed with vetiver, how smoky, dry, and earthy it can be. How sacred it can feel. I have a small collection of the beauties that exemplify these transporting notes. But this... this fragrance did none of these notes justice. It smelled instead like hairspray at first and then, increasingly, like the spray sunblock I used to use from Neutrogena! After about four hours I had to shower to get it off, but for the entirety of those four hours, all I could smell was a kind of barbershop lathery version of spray sunblock! Like 1990's men's aftershave + sunblock. It was neither sexy nor refined, and certainly not transporting, which all of these notes definitely have the potential to be. There are hundreds HUNDREDS of beautiful orange blossom, honey, neroli, vetiver, gardenia, fragrances out there for similar or negligibly higher price (and beyond if you so desire). I blind bought this on a whim thinking "how can I go wrong with these notes" but it went SO WRONG. This was my first and last foray into Swiss Arabian. Please also note that if you do really want to purchase this fragrance, avoid Amaz*n, which will ship you a broken product and refuse your return. I would recommend against blind buying it.

if you've ever had mastic (pronounced 'mistaka' in arabic), this smells the way mistaka tastes. ive had it as gum when i was a kid, it was even in the ice cream overseas. i was so excited to look at the fragrantica notes so I can see what this note is listed under in the database, so i can find even more scents with this nostalgic smell...i was confused to see it isn't listed! the scent breakdown seems very classic white floral, which I'm not getting at all. its mastic plain and simple, and i just can't see otherwise. sillage and longevity are poor, so i'm not keen on purchasing this (though I love the smell!) but the memories have reminded me of how much i love the smell of mastic! now to find a perfume that has it and lasts well....

After purchasing several fragrances from Swiss Arabian, I've gotten familiar with their style of perfumery. Each bottle has a very similar DNA that includes the same musk and woody notes. They vary the compositions by highlighting a singular note while keeping the base the same. If you're interested in the Swiss Arabian line I would suggest starting with Hamsah because the woody Floral base is great for layering. You can make it sweeter or more spicy. Personally I'm not getting much rose in this one. The gardenia takes over. There's just a tiny bit of citrus. It's most similar to Florence also from SA with less rose and more vetiver. The longevity is around 6-8 hours and the sillage is beast mode.

This is so beautiful. Straight up orange blossom, it's just like that lovely scent that hangs in the air when orange blossoms are blooming.. I live near an orange farm and adore the way it smells in my neighborhood during spring. I've only smelled Elie Saab Le Parfum Intense but I can see how Hamsah would draw comparisons to Le Parfum, as it is definitely a more gauzy, sparkling version of Le Parfum Intense. The bottle is huge.. you get a lot of bang for your buck as this is a strong and long-lasting scent. It smells classy and high quality though. I wear it often, especially to work. I can't imagine anyone not liking this fragrance.

The review below mine is spot on: a more airy and less textured version of Elie Saab Intense. Unfortunately for me, the texture of ESI is exactly what gives it it's seductive and warm allure. Imagine if you have 2 of the same jackets, except one has a thicker lining inside, and the other one doesn't. It boils down to preference which one you will enjoy more. Hamsah lacks the soul of ESI but smells amazingly similar on the surface, it also lasts perhaps an hour at best (on clothing) and sillage is average. Personally it is a great dupe but still not good enough to replace ESI.

I'm a huge fan of white florals, especially orange blossom. As you can imagine, this perfume really is my style. I don't smell the honey, but it very beautiful and well blended. The longevity is extremely poor on me. Which is the main downside, of this lovely perfume. I tested this against L'interdit Couture, the smell is very similar on me, just without the slight 'grapey' theme. It's not a dupe, in any sense, but it might be a cheaper alternative. I just wish it lasted longer on my skin, or even on my clothes, as it truly is one of my better buys of this year.

Definitely very close to Ellie Saab Le parfum. I paid around 15 USD for mine, but I would only recommend it for those who want an affordable alternative for ES. Reason is, Hamsah smells less expensive, less intense and synthetic. Hand wash synthetic. If you prefer the real deal go for ES. I am not saying it is a bad fragrance, in fact it is one of the closes dupe I found for ES, but it is kind of "whatever"...It is not enough "polished". Also, the bottle, i dare to say it looks cheap, the cap doesn't stay on place at all...but maybe it's just mine...

There is something in this that reminds me of Dior's Pure Poison. It is certainly not a dupe, but there is something similar. It is certainly sweeter. Overall, a beautiful scent that can be worn everyday on any occasion. I would consider this a safe blind buy if you like fresh, slightly sweet and classy scents. On the skin it lasts over 6 hours, but on the clothe it is even longer. I was able to smell this on my shirt the next day. Overall, I think it is a great fragrance for the price. This will definitely be a part of my collection.

To start off with, this perfume smelt very citrusy so yes, the orange blossom was there in full swing and I could definitely smell the honey as well, yumm. Then after about an hour the drydown really reminded me of another perfume and this is Elie Saab Le Parfum Intense. I also own this perfume and they smell almost identical so if you love Elie Saab then you can save your cash as the longevity of Hamsah is great. This perfume is not sweet, at least to my nose. This is a beautiful floral bouquet. Lovely perfume!

It is a beautiful parfume that made me smile and sniff my wrists all day. Sunshine in a bottle that made this dreary fall weather bearable. The performance is moderate but I happily reapplied Hamsah in the middle of the day as it is very affordable and I scored a -50% deal anyway. If hunting for good deals, discounts and coupons were a sport I'm sure as hell would be an Olympic finalist. :D I can't wait to try it in warmer weather, I can imagine how it will shine in spring and summer.

i wanted something that smelled like the l’oréal butter honey hair mask (i think that’s what it’s called) and i thought i smelled some gardenia in it, and figured this would work. i’ll let it macerate and then update. i get honey, not a lot. but i also get a veryyyy perfumey old woman smell. this genuinely reminds me of something my grandma would wear, and if this doesn’t macerate well then i’ll just give it to her. will update

The first hour of this is gorgeous, honey yum! The drydown is all orange blossom, lasts for days on my clothes and skin. Years ago I purchased Laura Mercier Neroli, I tried to love it, as Marcel Rouseau is the genius designer, and I usually love his fragrances,but again that same orange blossom note, ugh. So if you love orange blossom, Neroli by Mercier, you will love this, if not, steer clear.

I recently ordered a Swiss Arabian Perfume Discovery Kit. I’m currently trying out Hamsa EDP. Hamsa is a beautiful floral, woody musk fragrance for women.I really pick up on the beautiful gardenia & mandarin notes. This is a stunning perfume. I just had to order a large bottle of this perfume. Hamsa has great longevity & sillage. I recommend this perfume if you like gardenia fragrances.

Yes, similar to Elie Saab Le Parfum...with a twist..?? Starts off with a orange blossom/gardenia vibe...then there is an underlying green-ish vibe added to the florals. Very comforting/soothing blend...does not "cloy". In the drydown, I find this gets sweeter. Beautiful !!! Good sillage/longevity so far. I think I like this better than the Elie Saab...just sayin....;-)

Elie Saab Le Parfum Intense at a tenth of the price. I have Le Parfum Intense, the smell is about the same, the difference is in the texture, Le Parfum is thicker and creamier. But at a mere fraction of the price, who can complaint? P.S. Hamsah in Arabic means whisper.

I own Elie Saab Le Parfume and they are identical. This one has greater longevity, to my surprise! And the price is a fraction of Le Perfume. I wonder which company made the concoction first.

This perfume reminds me Elie Saab the perfume, but in a nice way, is not too sweet.

does anyone see a similarity with Serge Lutens' Fleurs D'oranger?