Ishq

This scent does something magical once it warms up on the skin! Yes, it is an oriental style with saffron, leather and rose, but it is unlike any other I have come across. On paper, it is dry, herbal and aromatic. Once it meshes with your skin it brings out a delicate sweetness that is so sophisticated! I like to wear it when I dress up and reminds me of a scent that a femme fatale would wear with a dark leather or lace outfit and red lipstick. I could also see it on a woman with a power-suit commanding a room full of people. If you get a chance to try it, don't pass it up.

This stuff smells *expensive.* Beautifully balanced and blended, gorgeous at opening and dry down. After the peppery top notes, Ishq gently melts into a soft and powdery scent with a unique twist of sweetness. Leather and saffron keep it unisex. Lovely for everyone.

Smells like more rosey mass appealing version of Oud Stallion Way less heavy on the leather, probably a bit less depth but more complex and well rounded Strong Good project Good performance Didn’t need maturation

Beautifully done scent, sweet starts off sweet then turns almost smokey. It really surprised me. I love it.

This fragrance is a must-try for anyone who appreciates complex, sophisticated scents. It opens with a bold dusting of black pepper that will grab your attention, but it quickly softens into a beautiful, warm sweetness from the saffron. The heart of the fragrance is a typical blend of saffron and rose, but it is beautifully wrapped in a prominent, smooth leather note that makes this scent feel truly genderless. The leather is the star here—it's not harsh, but rich and enveloping. As it dries down, the cypriol adds a perfect earthy, woody depth that pairs masterfully with the leather. This rich base makes the fragrance incredibly long-lasting and comforting. Overall, Swiss Arabian Ishq is a perfectly balanced scent, ideal for cooler weather and cozy evenings. It’s the kind of fragrance you'd wear with a favorite cashmere sweater and boots—warm, elegant, and unforgettable.

Lots of cardamom and carnation; it's spicy and not exactly sweet, but not dry either. Definitely more woody than floral at the beginning. I can't even smell rose early on, and rose generally stands out on my skin. After half an hour or so, leather starts to come through, but it never becomes a primarily leather fragrance - the core is still spices. After a few hours it turns into a creamy, woody vanilla fragrance. There are a lot of fragrances out there which resemble this one (several of Junaid's come to mind), but Ishq is an exceptionally good example of the style. It's better balanced than many others and lacks the unpleasantly synthetic scent that I've found sometimes accompanies leather-vanilla fragrances. Definitely worth a try if you generally like this sort of note combination.

I purchased the Love collection discovery set (6 samples) and I ranked Ishq as No. 6 (descending order to favourites). Let me tell you why. I smell all of Ishq's notes, all at the same time, no one overpowering each other, but all together overpowering my nostrils. The opening is indeed strong cardamom, so very strong and I've never smelt black pepper so strongly in a fragrance as I do in Ishq. I adore carnation and here it is very spicy, along with a slightly sweet Turkish rose, an aromatic sage and a strong leather note. Perhaps the note that distorts everything is the Cypriol oil. To my nose it does not mesh well with the leather note. Indeed the leather note in this fragrance reminds me of Gres' Cabochard (just the leather, not the entire fragrance). The dry down embers to cardamom, black pepper, leather and cypriol oil. I found myself only enjoying it towards the end of the dry down when cypriol oil was nowhere to be smelt. The combination of cardamom, soft black pepper and leather became lovely to my nose. When I purchased the discovery set, from previous reviews, I was sure Ishq would be my no. 1, but in reality, it is almost too much for me, it does nothing for me, and it is not my Aashiq. Ishq is unisex, but I feel it leans more masculine. I think this perfume will do well when there is a chill to the air.

It's strange, if you smell this at the right distance it's a really appealing peppered floral, but most of the time smelling this it's not nearly so good. Many times it's gritty from the spicing, the florals don't hit right, and the smell is only acceptable these times. I recommend Hanae Mori HM instead of this, it does the good parts better without the downsides

The notes listed don't represent what I'm smelling. For me it's strong tonka, rose, fruit (as a review said below, blueberries) and saffron. The other notes are there if I squint and use my imagination. It starts well, smelling opulent and complex but quickly the brightness fades from the top notes and it becomes sickly, cloying and cheap-smelling.

The opening is pungent, herbal, spicy sweetness. Black pepper and cardamom. (Saffron is not listed in the official notes.) Then, carnation and rose amplify the sweetness. A touch of sage as well. Then, it quiets down into an earthy, woody leather, but softly. Strangely, it retains the sweetness, and I find it a bit weird. I prefer more masculine leather. It's discordant at this point for me. In the final drydown, it's fake, sweet, leathery amber. This just feels synthetic and a bit toxic to me. It's too much. The idea is pleasant, but it's overwhelmingly synthetic.