u/Brave-District-5152

Hey everyone! Sharing a look at how my collection shelf is currently looking.

I’ve built up a solid rotation of popular freshies, loud winter beasts, and dark spicy DNAs over time. Now, I want to pivot and explore the homegrown scene.

I’d love to get your thoughts on two things:

1. How would you rate the current lineup out of 10?

2. What unique, high quality Indian homegrown houses should I look into next to expand my collection?

I’m looking for original creations from Indian brands that offer great quality and good performance, budget no issue.

Drop your ratings and your favorite Indian house recommendations below!

I am so incredibly disappointed right now. I recently bought a 50ml bottle of Ajmal Ascend EDP from Blinkit, and it is completely useless.

Here is my honest breakdown:

• The Hype: I fell for it. I purchased this blindly after watching a glowing influencer review video. Worst mistake ever.
• Performance & Projection: Non existent. I did 8 to 10 sprays today. Within 15 minutes, the projection completely died out. No one around me could smell a thing.
• Longevity: It becomes a very weak skin scent almost instantly. Total longevity is barely 1 hour before disappearing completely.
• The Bottle/Volume: To make matters even worse, looking at the bottle, it does not even feel like a full 50ml.

Do not fall for the social media hype like I did. This is a total waste of money. Has anyone else had such a terrible experience with this one, or did I just get a bad batch?

I just can't bring myself to throw them away!

These are just my recent summer purchases, safely stored. There is something so satisfying about the packaging, especially for clones and Middle Eastern houses where the boxes are practically art pieces.

If you are a fellow box collector, drop a comment with how many you have saved! Let me know I’m not crazy.

Hey everyone! Following up on my recent unboxing post, I’ve had enough time to properly test Riiffs Prive Blue and wanted to share my full, unfiltered review with the community.

I picked this up for ₹2,200. For those curious about the scent profile, this falls squarely into the Dior Sauvage Elixir DNA. However, there is a distinct twist you should know about before buying.

Here is my detailed breakdown:

The Vibe & How it Smells

To be completely honest, this version lacks the iconic freshness of Sauvage. If you are looking for that classic, clean, airy lavender and sharp metallic citrus blast, you won't find it here. Instead, this fragrance leans heavily on the dark, spicy side.

* The First Spray: It hits you immediately with a very loud, sharp blast of heavy pepper and dark, smoky tobacco. It skips the clean, bright openings of normal fresh perfumes and goes straight into a dense, warming spice cloud.

* The Dry-Down: As it settles on your clothes, the aggressive spices calm down. It morphs into a much smoother, warm vibe that feels cozy, slightly sweet with a touch of vanilla, and very masculine.

Performance & Stats

* Projection: Around 2 hours of a noticeable scent bubble before it settles closer to you.

* Longevity: A solid 6 to 7 hours on clothes. It holds onto fabric incredibly well throughout the day.

* Appearance: 10/10. The bottle is super attractive in hand. It looks amazing on display with its unique dark blue bottle design and heavy cap. It is definitely a must have if you love collecting unique designer looking bottles.

Best Occasions & When to Wear

* Season: This is absolutely not a summer or all-season wear scent. Because of its deep, spicy warmth, it is best suited for fall or peak winter days.

* Where to Wear: It fits beautifully into a professional office setting or casual evening get-togethers where you want to smell mature and confident.

* Where NOT to Wear: Strictly not for the gym. Spraying this before a heavy, sweaty workout will completely overwhelm you and everyone else in the room.

The Verdict — Worth the Cash?

At a price point of ₹2,200, this is a really nice product to have. The bottle presentation alone makes it a beautiful piece for shelf display, and the juice inside has decent quality. However, because of how dense, spicy, and winter centric it is, this is definitely not a daily wear fragrance.

Grab it if you want a great looking collector's bottle for occasional cold weather wear, but look elsewhere if you want an everyday, versatile signature scent!

Let me know your thoughts if you've tried this one or anything else from the Riiffs lineup!

Hey everyone! Following up on my last post where a ton of you flooded the comments asking for a MOS version of the "Hawas Ice" DNA, here is the highly requested side by side comparison of three very different options on my shelf.

For context, Hawas Ice is famous for its legendary fresh, icy, and mass appealing scent profile blending sharp frosted mint, tart apple, and citrus with a heavy, clean aquatic backbone and a touch of sweetness.

Here is how the three stack up against each other based on my real world usage:

1. The Original: Rasasi Hawas Ice (The OG)

Note: This review is based on my older, currently open bottle. I haven't cracked open my backup bottle yet.

Any serious freshie collection is simply incomplete without this bottle. It delivers that signature premium, refreshing minty-aquatic blast that turns heads everywhere.

• Performance: I get around 6 hours of longevity on my clothes, with 1 hour of strong projection.
• Ratings:
  • Longevity: 8/10
  • Projection: 9/10
  • Appearance: 8/10
  • Portability: 5/10 (The bottle shape and heavy weight make it awkward to travel with)
  • Quality: 10/10

2. The Inspired Version: Ministry of Sillage (MOS) Project Hawas Ice

If you want the OG vibe without the price tag, this is an incredible alternative. It is an inspired version that mimics the original scent profile beautifully cloning it at roughly a 90% similarity.

• Performance: Surprisingly, this outlasts the original on fabric. I easily get 7-8 hours of longevity on clothes, with a solid 1.5 hours of noticeable projection.
• The Best Part: Portability. The bottle looks great on a display shelf, but it is incredibly easy to travel with—especially if you keep the outer box it comes in. I throw this in my bag and carry it to the gym and the office without worrying about leaks or breaks.
• Ratings:
  • Longevity: 9/10
  • Projection: 9/10
  • Appearance: 7/10
  • Portability: 9/10
  • Quality: 8/10

3. The Budget Alternative: Wild Stone Code Titanium

Let’s be honest here: this is not a perfume. It’s essentially a gasless deodorant body spray, but it punches well above its weight. Scent wise, it is an inspired version that captures about 80% of the Hawas Ice vibe, though it definitely lacks that intense icy mint and sweet depth of the original.

• Performance: Don't expect a massive scent bubble. It projects for maybe 15 minutes max (and even then, it's very faint). However, the overall lasting power is quite good at around 2 hours, which is fantastic compared to other gasless deodorants in this price bracket.
• The Verdict: I use this strictly as a daily hygiene deo after a shower. At just Rs. 199, it is an absolute steal for everyday casual wear.
• Ratings:
  • Longevity: 6/10
  • Projection: 2/10
  • Appearance: 4/10
  • Quality: 6/10

Final thoughts: If you want premium quality and the ultimate flex, stick to the Rasasi OG. If you want a daily beast for the office/gym that you can beat up in your backpack, MOS Project Hawas Ice is the winner. And if you just want to smell clean on a tight budget around the house, grab the Code Titanium.
For me, all all 3 of them are value for money product at the price point they comes, although i realised later that i paid a lot more for rasasi hawas ice while purchasing it from nykaa, but the damage is done now anyways!

5 new purchases added this week in building my perfume collection. First impressions -

1. Riffs Prive Blue [₹2200] - Most liked Sauvage DNA dupe from middle eastern fragrance industry. For the the price, presentation and bottle is just awesome. Blue bottle just looks like a bottle of some expensive wine, heavy and premium, a perfect shelf display material.

2. Rasasi Hawas Ice [₹4599] - I just bought the latest batch of most hyped fragrance of 2026. This is my second bottle. Purchased last one for ₹2899 and this one for ₹4599 due to price increase. I think this might be my last bottle because at this price i dont feel its a value for money product now. DNA is nice but now its available in multiple brands at much low price. Recently heard that the performance has reduced in recent batches, will test and review.

3. Ministry of Sillage Project Hawas ice [₹899] - This is my second blind buy from this brand. I was using their silver mountain water and was really impressed by the perfomance of this brand so brought 2 more fragrances. If this performed well, i will shift to this instead of the original due to price factor.

4. Ministry of Sillage Project Purple Oud [₹899] - My third blind buy purchase. ordered this by seeing a 2 positive reviews of this fragrance here on reddit. Their presentation is really unique. Packaging and bottle design is very neat, clean, and minimal. It feels way too premium, at this price point its hard to get a packaging like this. i feel its best for gifting under 1k, specially in upcoming festive season.

5. Wild Stone CODE [₹199] - This is a my quick Deo blind buy from Blinkit. Its also a Hawas ice DNA fragrance. Wild stone's this CODE series presentation is top notch. You get a shine blue bottle with black transparent cap just like middle eastern deos. I feel its a great deal at this price point specialy for Hawas ice lovers.

Please note these were just first impressions of all 5 fragrances, i will post full reviews of all 5 fragrances soon, after using them for at least 2-3 days.

Please suggest me some french perfumes under 3k for my next purchase for upcoming winter season thats not common but value for money. Thankyou everyone !

I came back home late at night after a family get together. Was too hungry and made this delicious macaroni from assorted fresh veggies that i found in my fridge and pizza cheese at 4 am. This cheesy macaroni with cold coffee was ready in just 20 minutes and finished in just 10 minutes. 😂

Got this mithai combo pack in reception party last night. Looks like my sweet cravings are booked for whole week. Already finished 2 cranberry burfi and 2 round snack that contains almonds. Can anyone tell the name of this sweet, circular in shape that has almonds in center and wrapped with sewai type of thing?