u/Crab_bottom_licker

Lattafa
His Confession
Smell: 7/10
Longevity: 6/10
Powdery iris is definitely the main aspect, with some vanilla in the background. A very elegant, simple, and pleasant smell; I'd say great for a date or evening with friends. It's definitely a unisex scent, though. It lasts pretty much 5 hours with a strong projection on skin, and leaves a faint smell on clothes for a day or two.

Khamrah
Smell: 6/10
Longevity: 10/10
This was the very first fragrance I got, and it was obviously because I got caught in the hype. Now, I don't dislike the fragrance by itself, but after wearing it only like 10 times, I'm so bored and full of it. An extremely, sickeningly sweet smell of dates, faint bubblegum, cinnamon, and something like a weak coconut cake. An extremely sweet gourmand fragrance that you will absolutely love or hate. I've had my fill of it pretty quickly. Heard the Qahwa version is a better choice. It lasts for ages, though.

Asad Elixir
Smell: 8/10
Longevity: 8/10
I gotta say I bought this right after smelling Boss Bottled Absolu in a shop and loving it, and this doesn't really smell similar to me. I don't see how it is a clone of Boss. That doesn't mean, however, that it's a bad fragrance. An earthy, manly, dark, but sort of clean scent. I have a hard time describing the notes in it, but the final blend smells really good. I'll make this my daily for the winter. Lasts for a good time as well.

Afnan 9PM Rebel
Smell: 9/10
Longevity: 100/10
Pineapple bomb opener, extremely juicy and sweet. As it settles, it's mixed with moss and some wood mixed with some bitter smell for me, but in a good way. In the drydown, it smells extremely pleasant. A worthy daily wear for sure, pretty much for any weather. The projection and longevity are absolutely nuclear. 3 to 4 sprays is the absolute limit in my opinion, and from my experience and comparison with my friend, this even beats Supremacy CE. The best 9PM, I'd say.

Rare Reef
Smell: 8/10
Longevity: 9/10
Did a full review of this one a while back. Citrusy, aquatic fresh scent, bit of apricot in the drydown. Lasts really long and projects well.

Supremacy Not Only Intense
Smell: 7/10
Longevity: 10/10
On the opening, this is 80% moss and 20% blackcurrant syrup, and it lasts that way for a pretty long time. Only after an hour or so does it start to remind you of the other notes in there, like pineapple, musk, and citrus, and they are very, very light. For me, the moss is the main ingredient here, and that's either going to be good or really bad for you. I like it, but I'm not blown away, as I expected a bit more. Still, I wear this to open spaces and a lot of my friends told me that it's very easy to smell it and catches one's interest. Earthy, sort of rotten wet forest tree-bark vibe is what I get from it. Projection and longevity, once again, are absolutely killer.

Bonus Armaf Club de Nuit Urban Man Elixir
Smell: 6/10
Longevity: 8/10
I got this as I've never smelled Dior Sauvage and wanted to see what it's all about, and this was the easiest clone to get. I liked it at first, but over time I sort of grew out of it. If I had to describe it, it smells purple. Lavender and ambroxan are extremely heavy in the opening and give a chemical reaction, like straight-up smelling some shit from a flask. It takes around an hour to settle down and then it smells somewhat good: a bit of citrus, pepper, that ambroxan and lavender remain. I can see why it's so popular, but I think Armaf did something wrong here, because that opening doesn't smell right at all. If you can get over it, though, it could be a decent daily.

I bought Afnan's Rare Reef in January in preparation for summer, so I've had it for quite some time now. It had time to properly mature, and I've had time to test it out extensively. I actually have a warning for the beginning, because when I bought it and first sprayed it, it smelled awful. It had a weird stench of those extremely cheap hand soap sticks, but 10x stronger. It surprised me, but I kept an open mind and came back to it here and there to see how it was doing. And within two months, it pretty much transformed into a beauty. The review focuses on the post maturation Rare Reef, so if anyone tried it or will try it straight outta the box, be patient and give it some time.

Description
Rare Reef opens with a citrus bomb that pretty much takes all the spotlight for some time. As it settles, it changes from a purely citrusy scent to something more. The citrus takes the background and lingers for quite a while, but gets traded for a pleasant mix of aromatics and a light aquatic smell, which I would personally like some more of.

Endurance + Projection
Massive on both fronts. Three sprays are already overkill for me in cramped spaces, so plan ahead. Longevity is also massive, and after like 6 hours I can still smell the fragrance quite heavily. After like 10 hours, it moves closer to the skin, but stays on and endures EVEN after showering. On clothes, it lasts pretty much the whole day, but does eventually disappear.

Conclusion
If you want a beastly summer scent mixing citrus, aquatic notes, and aromatics for a few bucks, this is as good as it can get in my opinion. Taking into account the fact that it is an absolute monster in projection and longevity (where these summer fresh scents sometimes struggle), it's a nobrainer. Definitely my favorite summer scent so far.

Overall Scent: ⬤⬤⬤⬤○
Performance: ⬤⬤⬤⬤⬤
Worth the price? Depends on what you're looking for.

So, in preparation for winter, I’ve been looking for a few cold-weather scents. I already picked up Lattafa Asad Elixir (hoping to review that soon too), but I managed to find Lattafas His Confession for around €10 on the Czech Douglas site. For ten bucks, I figured it was worth taking a risk and got it.

It’s a really nice powdery, elegant, and almost "cute" scent. It’s slightly sweet, but nowhere near as heavy and syrupy as something like Khamrah, which I also own. Right after spraying, you get hit with a strong blast of vanilla and iris. It pretty much stays that way through the drydown, along with a few extra subtle notes that my noobie nose can't quite describe.

The only real downside for me is that it’s definitely unisex, leaning slightly feminine, in my opinion. I usually prefer strictly masculine fragrances, but this won't just sit on my shelf collecting dust since it fills a unique spot in my collection. Still, it's something to keep in mind if you prefer masculine leaning scents.

I think this would make a great date night or dinner fragrance. It doesn’t punch anyone in the face, but it leaves a subtle, elegant and romantic aura. If you can catch this for under €20, it's definitely a solid pickup.

Overall Scent: ⬤⬤⬤⬤○

Performance: ⬤⬤⬤○○

Worth the price? Absolutely.