II

When I first tried this perfume, I just thought "ugh, too sweet"... and switched to Black IV, trying this, also very luscious smell... but somehow not what I wanted, without being able to pinpoint, why not. This process went on for several days (people in the store already knew me when I came in AGAIN without buying anything... ;)), until one day I sat on train during my daily commute and found myself sniffing at my hand with Black II during the whole travel (40 minutes), while listening to a song ("Once upon a dream" / Lana del Rey) and watching a pink sunset with a fire red sun.... next day I bought it. The scent has a mysterious quality which makes it difficult to describe for me... it opens with juicy mouthwatering plums, even a little syrupy and boozy... paired with something very warm and comforting, I guess this could already be the Sandalwood emerging... I DON'T get any sharp citrus at all, but the plums might be interlaced masterfully with the mandarin and the vanilla as mentioned in the notes. It's not candy-floss sweet like Lâncome's "La vie est belle" or the new "Tenue de Soirée" by Annick Goutal, which is a little similar to Black II but dries down to strong powder (which I don't like). Mysterious indeed, I can't really distinguish those single notes in Black II, it rather evokes feelings. The strength of Black II is that it doesn't transform much from Top to Heart to Base Notes. You get an incredibly pleasant scent which just gets weaker and weaker and melts into your skin to a comforting shell of scent. It's a dreamlike mixture with moderate sillage but enormous longevity, composed by perfumer Jean-Claude Astier into a masterpiece I searched for during the last decades. The most interesting phenomenon for me is that after wearing it for weeks, I finally read the perfume description and it just made so much sense: "Black II sings a song of allure, an Arabian Sweet Seduction. Fresh and energizing, it’s a walk through a secret garden; guarded by a wall of memories. It is a safe haven created for endless exploration and poetry." I always feel protected, consoled and confident while I'm wearing it, especially when I have a hard and difficult office day before me... when I get hints of it wafting around me... with its sweetness, its softness and sensuality, reminding me of the beauty of life and that everything will be alright, even if times get rough and work is just so exhausting with all of its fights every day. It has such a comforting, sensual, alluring quality which transports you immediately to a happier place. This perfume is indeed a safe haven for the sweet and comforting things in life - and the belief that all roads lead home. I'm totally in love with this masterpiece and deeply thankful for its creation. P.S.: Even though I'm wearing it in office, I wouldn't describe this perfume as "office-safe". It's full and deep, so be careful applying it, don't nauseate people around you. I just spritz several times onto a cotton ball and dab with it where I want to smell it

I purchased WIDIAN "Black II" and several 5ml decants of various smoky incensed plum perfumes. "Black II" turned out to be a nice surprise. Black II opens with an extremely powdery-dusty-dry note, in which I definitely detect an orange and plum accord. The opening is not aldehydic, or spritzy-fruity in any way, shape, or form. I enjoy how the opening is very powdery and dry, yet a bit floral and fruity at the same time. Black II is dense but not thick. It's heady but not cloying. Despite its notes, the perfume wears in an ethereal and ephemeral way. The florals. Soon after applying to skin, the perfume unfolds with a lovely, musky, woody rose. The rose isn't juicy, lush, or big...just perfectly dusty. The rose smells like peonies to me, a fragrance I adore. The base presents some vanilla, along with a bit of dry oak moss. Black II definitely screams "Middle Eastern perfume," a genre I love (Amouage, I'm looking at you). I cannot see Black II appealing to a younger demographic. But I'm old and I really like the perfume a lot.

In love again. I'm so pleased with this fragrance. No, what am I saying? Pleased? Uff, pleased is too polite. I'm in rapture - I can't stop smelling my wrists. This smells like plums, raisins and orange marmalade, weighted with sandalwood, vanilla and a hint of musk. An orange marmalade wearing heels. And perhaps a big floppy hat. With nude lipstick. And long long long dark brown hair. There. What I must have been meaning to say is that it's so incredibly pleasant and beautiful; if I could wear one fragrance for the rest of my life, this would probably be it.

Beautiful fragrance - sweet, creamy, and very smooth, in line with the remaining fragrances from the "Black" collection. This one is more feminine than the others, and it is exceptional. II was my first purchase from the house based on reviews alone, and I was pleased. I didn't originally see fragrantica reviews because the fragrance is listed under the new name "Widian" but continues to be marketed under "AJ Arabia". I tried searching that latter name and figured there was no entry for it. Glad I eventually found it. I can't to try the Gold collection.

True appreciation is shown repetitively, when you love something, you don't just love it once, you love it over and over again. So for me to purchase a fragrance a second time, like I just did with Black II,, says more than what words can about how I feel towards this magnificent blend. I will keep my review simple, and I will assign you with a homework to try this jewel out for yourself. But to conclude, if you want to experience one of the sexiest vanilla plum combinations on the planet, get your hands on Black II and you can thank me later.

"Well blended. Powdery sweet" A well blended fragrance just plays with my dopamine receptors, and WIDIAN II just did that. Although the vanilla is prominent at initial spray, it does not make the fragrance overbearingly sweet. The plum & rose create a balanced, powdery-sweet, yet feminine-leaning fragrance. I can easily wear it but I find it more suitable on a confident woman, making her more confident and desirable. Longevity and projection are very high. ******* 8/10

This is an oriental beauty and even though the price tag can’t really be justified in my opinion, I had to get myself a bottle. It has a beautiful deep sweet plum note, not overly sweet thankfully, it is creamy and woody without being overwhelming. I detect some leather or suede in the base as well but very creamy and softly blended. It doesn’t project much but the longevity I have to admit it is great.

I don’t mean to offend, because I think Widian makes the most under-rated fragrances. Every single one is a gem! I think as a very over-simplified description, this is like the ultra-refined version of Sol de Janeiro Bum Dia cream. I am betting that layering them, the longevity will be much better. They are both plum, vanilla, woods in a lactonic powder. This one is amazing!

Sweet, powdery, fruity, sandalwoody, musky, oriental fragrance that is very well blended. It smells expensive and sexy but not too sexy, still very wearable and not too sweet. Blends in well with my skin. Leans totally unisex, can see this on both genders. Love it! Hidden gem :)

Really pleasant and good longevity but not the most powerful fragrance. Rather light as I sprayed 8-10 sprays and didn’t feel like it was too much at all. Probably could have done a couple more..

Dry down musky and sandalwood? I only smell vanilla, with fruity opening. Thats all. Long lasting, good projection, very creamy.Very good fragrance, love it.

Magnificent. Blended to perfection. Can’t see anyone not enjoying this. Signature scent worthy and one of my recent favorite discoveries.

Spiriteuse double vanille like vanilla with sweet plum and creamy sandalwood, really nice, not that heavy on the sweetness

This is so beautiful! Widian is my favorite house and Black II Is one of my absolute favourite scents! A masterpiece! 🥰

I found an almost-copy of it - - Thameen Patiala. Would love to read your comments if you sense the same.

If you want a cheaper dupe, Father figure by Phlur is pretty much the same smell. You’re welcome.

Heaven in a bottle, truly a masterpiece. 10/10

This is the most angelic, comforting scent. Just utterly beautiful. I was ecstatic when I first discovered this, thinking I had finally found a beautiful gourmand that's not too sweet. However, I'm pretty disappointed in the performance. Even after 3 sprays on my wrist, it's gone completely after 3-4 hours, all the while having very weak sillage. I have to put my nose veeery close to my wrist to be able to smell it. If this perfume had just a little bit better sillage or better longevity, I would have gone for a full bottle. For now, I'll stick to my soie malaquais, which has similar cozy vibes and better performance. Edit: never mind. I bought a full bottle. I just adore this scent and HAVE to have it despite the poor longevity. Now I’m in heaven.

Pretty feminine but not totally unwearable as a man. From the few ive smelled from this house this was my fave. But I like sweet scents so... I didnt find it very synthetic at least not enough that I felt it warrants mentioning in reviews as others have. Its pretty smooth to me and enjoyable. It reminds me of something else that I cant put my finger on... I might wear this randomly if bored since I like the scent even if it is pretty girly, but at the end of the day the performance like the others from this house is pretty meh~ for the big price tag.

This is a well balanced vanilla fragrance to me. Not too sweet, not too woodsy, not too dry, it’s a little soapy and fruity as well. It’s really well blended. It has an almost but not quite very slightly boozy quality to it that lends this scent a certain kind of mood. Melancholy, maybe? I don’t know, it’s something I’d wear when the weather is gray and a little sad... It is a beautiful fragrance but I am not sure I’d go for a full bottle of it as I know I would not reach for it. I’ll just keep my sample and revisit from time to time...

I’m sorry but this smells like the cheaper version of Très Chere but just at double the price per ml!!! After two hours of wear my daughter couldn’t smell it on my wrist, so be ware of the “performance” argument saying that this is like Tres Chere with better performance, it’s not. This has an obnoxious note thaf cloys me that Tres Chere does not have. I’d rather buy 2 Tres Cheres (which I own) and reapply every 4 hours than to buy this one ever. Tres Chere is magical, it has an airiness, a je ne sais quoi that Black II lacks.

رایحه میوه ای بسیار جذاب و خاصی داره در ابتدا وایب بالزامیکی_خاکی قشنگی داره که به مرور از بین میره خیلی دنبال آلو نباشید ... میوه این عطر اَنبه است؛یعنی به صورت بسیار واضحی رایحه پوست و گوشت اَنبه رو میده رُز شیرین و خاکی شیک ای توش کار شده که اصلا حرمی نیست و کنار صندل و مُشک؛حس و حال پودری لطیفی رو منتقل می کنه شیرینی کنترل شده ای داره و از حد خارج نمیشه ************** scent:7.5/10 longevity:7/10 sillage:6/10 purchase value:2/10 ****** overall:5.6/10

On my skin its mostly a fruity musk with a little vanilla sweetening it up. I like the opening and the dabber sample more than i like the dry down on my skin. I thought this was bottle worthy but the more i try it the more i realize its kind of boring. The dry down is musky, dusty, salty so i think the musk, sandalwood, and moss have taken over. I prefer widian IV.

It is a sweet and aromatic scent, like the smell of crumbled cookies in hot milk. It smells a lot like crumbled biscuits or cookies. It's a unisex scent to me. It disappears on the skin within 4 hours. Lasts up to 6 hours on fabric. The spread rate decreases to less than half a meter in the first 2 hours.

This is a super-smooth combo of plum/vanilla and musk with little spices. It feels unisex but clearly it leans towards feminine scents. Good performance overall. Long lasting with above the average projecton. This is my second test with this scent.

This scent is pleasant, youthful and inoffensive. I was hoping for more from the plummy top note and oakmoss base. Reminds me of what you might find in Sephora.

Nice powdery vanilla, quite simple. More on the feminine side though so it's not for me. 6/10

This is gorgeous, but sadly just doesn’t project or last on my skin. Even after deliberately over spraying from a bottle in Harvey Nics to save my little sample bottle! Such a shame as I really like the scent, but the cost is just not worth it for me.

This is a poor performance fragrance on me anyway lasts maybe 2 hours then its very hard to smell with very little projection.

So I finally managed, after almost 3 years of casual ignorance to get my head round that Harvey Nichols stocked an exclusive collection of this elusive yet hyped Brand tucked away in a small corner of their Parfumerie Department amid the usual show of Kilian's, Chanel Exclusifs, among other rarer finds. So; big expectations, kind of like the one I had before Kilian's Back to Black before rating that scent a 4/10 and crying about it (the disappointment). The 1st spray, always an acid-test I found this to pass it, really well in fact! Sweet and slightly syrupy Blackcurrant with more than a wisp in the backdrop of vanilla and something ever so slightly citric but pleasant. I soon remember referring to back here that the 'currant' is indeed Plum and the citrus was a mandarin but it came off more like a very light and complimentary sweet lemon/clementine dash on me, the slightest dabble to just lift the otherwise syrupy plum. So; this in fact settled after about half an hour to become Spiriteuses Double Vanille, Elysium (Parfum) and a tiny bit of Vagabond Prince all at once. And that only translates as 'Winner' to me. At £200 for 50mls, this is not for the faint of bankmanship. But against all the Tom Ford (Priv blends), Chanels, Nasomattos, F Malles, Jeraboam and Thameen's I recently tried (along with Hany Hafez's erm, 'stuff' - this pops them all, easily. After a bit of dry-down, it smells more musky and even a bit soapy-floral. For the sheer Quality and pulling off the best Plum ever in those 1st 15 minutes, and then still giving good vanilla for the next 5/6 hours despite and bit of a predictable, simplistic and even a tad generic musky/bland dry-dwon (unusual for a Niche to do this in the drydowns!), I have to score it highly. I really love Niche scents that are safe and fruity in the opening without shoving some great big magnolia, violet, orange, oud trunk, almond or hexa-shot of booze in there. Well done to Mr Aljaberi and Astier. This with a lower price is the new Enchanted Forest. My rating: 8/10

Widian Black II Over the last 5 years, especially, my search for fragrances that say “home” has dominantly taken me down the road of summer/fresh/gentlemanly fragrances of various sorts. In that, I shy’d away from the warm, ambery, dark, resinous, etc fragrances. With the recommendation of an acquaintance and the generosity of a fellow fragrance lover, I gave Widian Black II a try blindly, at first. Right away, I am greeted by a lovely oriental. It is one that I immediately know works on my skin, at that. What is not a surprise is a warm vanilla that sits on a smooth and lightly powdery wood. Where I was taken aback was with a subtle yet present fruit that adds depth to the base. I later learned that this was plum. That and the richness of the rose paint a mental picture that I can’t shake throughout the wearing. The ever-vivid picture is that of a living room of a middle eastern home. This living room is lined with white couches with wood trim. On the one wall with windows, white curtains veined in a subtle gold pattern span from ceiling to floor. It’s rich but not lavish. A thick carpet adds to the warmth of the setting. As his wife (dressed in a culturaly approriate hijab) serves the man of the house and his guests coffee, tea, and amaretto cookies, a friendship strengthens. While this fragrance never smells of coffee, tea, cookies, or even the home itself; the kindness, warmth, and hospitality this fragrance conveys cannot be understated. It hints at a friendship and mutual respect. As this fragrance slowly wears down, the depth of the fruit and vanilla subside. The powdery rose and sandalwood carry it through. While this fragrance may never be “home” to me, the invitation from those who do call it home is just as warm and heartfelt as the fragrance itself. This is my first venture into the house of Widian. That said, if the quality and hospitable nature of this particular fragrance is any indication, I will be accepting further invitations soon.

This one is quite nice. I can see why it is both enchanting off-putting. Thankfully, I like it. The notes are well balanced and none seem to compete for dominance. The orange comes out first and lets the sweet plum and vanilla happily coexist. Another reviewer mentioned syrup, and I agree. It's like fruit stewed in honey. There is a slight woodsy musk and earthy moss too. The only note I am not getting much of is the rose. On me, it is not very discernable. And the drydown features a powder note not listed. Yes, there is some cheapness to the components. I feel like I have smelled them before in Kat Von D's Saint and Sinner line. This could easily be a popular fragrance with a celebrity name slapped on it. But, I don't feel like Black II is a bargain bin fragrance. It is a little more sophisticated than that. However, I don't know if it is worth the price tag.

Edit: this has become a top favorite for me! It is very long lasting & just gorgeous !!! Ended up getting a full bottle. I am just sampling this today & so far I am in love!!! It is very reminiscent of Mizensir tres chere which I LOVE. However, there is a little something extra in this that I can’t quite put my finger on. A little more depth/complexity & a little sweeter. It is stunning. I haven’t been able to commit to a full bottle of Tres Chere because it was just slightly missing something for me & is so fleeting. This one has that extra that I needed!!! & I am so curious to see how it lasts/projects on me. So far it already seems more powerful which is excellent. I think this is going to be full bottle worthy for be. Beautiful!

Putting the sin in synthetic is an understatement here. This is the kind of fragrance that has "Blind Buy Me" written all over it. Again, another one of those cheap sweets that arises out of the ashes with an egregious price tag. Only worse, this reminds me of Keiko Mecheri's Lunea which i also didn't like for the same non-natural reason. A toffee/vanilla combo is what you mostly get backed by an airy rose that may or may not be noticeable on your skin. Absent on my skin were the plum, citrus and moss. Likeable for people that doesn't know any better. Artificially, this succeeds but from a quality standpoint this is lacking. The highlight of its tenure is when the fragrance ran its course.

Interestingly, this doesn’t smell natural to me but it’s still lovely and intriguing. I’m getting a sweet vanilla with a double dose of plum and sandalwood, creating a smooth ride from start to finish. There’s not much development. For a vanilla dominant scent, there’s a masculine quality to it. A bit heavy handed, like a little too much of everything. Still I’m digging it. Don’t expect monster projection with this one, but longevity is there at 4-5 hrs. Now the price tag...eek! That’s a lotta green for 50 ml ($245) which is why so many people are looking for dupes.

Granted I'm not the most developed nose on the block, but my impression on the first sniff was that this is rather reminiscent of Aquolina Pink Sugar. However, when compared side-by-side and after a bit of dry-down, Pink Sugar has a caramel vibe and this one smells more floral. maybe even a bit soapy by contrast. Also Black II lacks that anise blast that makes Pink Sugar so foody. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it! They are both sweet, to my nose, but Widian Black II less so. Wonderful how we all get different impressions from one perfume. I love this hobby!

Largely the same as Black I (budget Arabic honey-bomb scent) but with an anonymous floral undercurrent that lends it a third dimension. It’s still as cloying as everything else done in this style, and the longer it’s on, the faster it turns into “exotic snickers bar.” Aside from that, there’s not much to say about it. It’s a warm but cheap smelling synth-bomb that’s loaded with sugary notes and an expected sour synth sandalwood. After 30 minutes, you’d be hard-pressed to tell it apart from something like Raghba Wood Intense. Cheap but expensive.

I had a generous decant of the previous Gold II before they changed packaging. For me, the only reason why I would purchase the full bottle is for the drydown alone- it's VC & A's Orchidee Vanille, which I love immensely but find that the original a bit weak, and yet with Gold II delivers way too much of (decisions, decisions). If you're in the market for a powerful, ambery, sweet vanilla, Gold II is a great consideration.

I took a dear friend to ROJA's (5th floor @Harrods) today. He was absolutely smitten and decided to buy a bottle. Must say, smelling it here at home in isolation and not being bombarded by all the other lovely fragrances in R's, it is an excellent fragrance and well worth a buy. On my want list along with No.1 of the Black Collection. I am wondering if AJ is going to release the Gold Collection any time soon in R's ?

Balck II opens with citrus notes of mandarin and plum, which create a smooth mood , further you can recognize the floral scents of roses and sandalwood and a unique combination of moss, followed by a vanilla and musk base, scratching the surface of wildness and sexiness of your personality, leaving it with timeless silage.

Very similar to Le Male Le Parfum. If you are familiar with that fragrance it's instantly recognizeable. I'd rather have the three and a half 125ml bottles of Le Male Le Parfum you can get for the price of one 50ml bottle of Widian II. I do love Le Male Le Parfum though so the smell is amazing. Scent 9/10 Value 0/10

Vanilla and sugary peach candy are the two initial notes I feel. After about 15 minutes there is saffron, jasmine, powdery musk, cotton candy accord, rose. The last two only intensifying by the minute. Feminine leaning semi-gourmand.

The fact that JPG Le Parfum isn’t the top of the up votes amazes me. Take it from someone who owns both. They are exactly the same, with Widan being higher quality and JPG projecting more

This is incredibly good. Im obsessed! I can’t really compare it to anything because it’s in a league of its own. 10 outta 10.

This is going to be the next perfume I buy. It is so lovely and exotic. It's creamy with just enough spices and sweetness.

Smells like a designer fragrance. Not bad, but a little too sweet and boring to my nose. Nothing about it excites me.

omg it does smell like father figure, whoa

A boring powder-bomb on me, tha's all....