u/cyc10nez

When i first smelled angels share i thought it was nice but nothing too amazing, and then the same with paradis, but when i smelled on the rocks it completely blew me away. At the time obsidian was the only clone available and i tried a decant which i loved. right as i was about to purchase it i started seeing buzz about this fragrance being way better, so I decided to do a leap of faith and blind buy Riiffs Veloce.

Note: this was bottled in May so it is about as fresh off the press as you can get, this is an early impression after 3 days of wear.

On the opening, this smells much smoother and less sour than obsidian. I can confidently say it is extremely close to OTR, in fact it is almost indistinguishable. The only difference is the boozy note is a bit lighter in Veloce, and maybe its a tiny bit less sweet with a bit more orange. I thought Obsidian was high quality when i smelled it but Veloce compared to it seems even better somehow. Only when smelling them side by side do I notice a synthetic sour orange extract smell in obsidian which is absent from Veloce. After about an hour the warm boozy apple pie core of the Angels Share dna starts to appear, blending incredibly well with the citrus. As it becomes a skin scent it retains that orange top note all the way to the very end, with a mostly similar dry down to OTR.

For performance this already lasts 8 hours on me in 20c heat and I can see it getting even better as it matures. Definitely suitable for the summer but with the warm base notes you can probably rock this year round. Maybe go light on the sprays for the office because the projection is strong and it could end up cloying, but definitely way more wearable than OG Angels Share.

My final scores:

Smell: 9 - My only complaint is i wish the boozy cognac note was a bit stronger, otherwise incredible dupe. I would give Obsidian an 8 compared to this.

Longevity: 8 - could easily mature to a 9-10

Projection: 9 - strong 2 ft bubble and lasting sillage

Price: 10 - paid 50 CAD after taxes which is a fraction of the price of OTR and also a good bit cheaper than Obsidian.

Bottle: 9 - decent design, solid clicky cap and pressurized atomizer

Versatility: 9 - Anywhere, anytime, just maybe not very formal events, it's a bit too playful. (Don't think i would wear this to a funeral)

Overall: 9 - a certified banger from Riiffs, these guys are dropping some major heat lately, not to mention their stuff under Nusuk. Going to keep my eye out on them as they are kind of an underdog taking over the clone space. If you want an OTR dupe, forget obsidian and get this.

Tried a decant of this earlier this year and after spending a week with it I had to get a bottle.

Upon first sniff, You are immediately blast in the face with some fresh citruses and a whole lot of photorealistic lavender. This is quickly followed up with the sweet honey and florals which smell like jasmine to me. The opening lasts about 10 minutes and is probably the only potentially offensive part of the scent as it comes off quite aggressive and potentially medicinal to some people.

After you get past the opening this evolves into such an elegant and smooth scent. It perfectly balances sweetness, florals, and earthyness. I am able to pick out each of the ingredients yet no single note overpowers the others. I have never smelled Naxos but I hear it is quite polarizing with the overdose of sweet honey and strong tobacco. Italia has a pleasant sweetness while freshing it up with those citruses and the tobacco is quite mild.

Thanks to the added freshness this scent is super versatile. It seems so non-offensive while also being unique that I could easily rock this as a signature scent, wearing it at work, daytime, nighttime, casual or formal. I would avoid super hot days but being in Canada I rarely have to deal with that.

Aside from the scent this thing has powerful projection. I can smell it radiating a 2ft bubble around me and constantly get whiffs of it even when only spraying 1 spray behind each ear. It also lasts all day, i could still smell decently strong after getting home from full work day 9 hours later.

Here is how I would rate it based on my preferences:

Scent: 9/10, only -1 from the intense opening

Projection: 9/10, strong without becoming offensive

Longevity: 9/10, lasts a full work day and then some

Versatility: 9/10, anywhere, anytime, just avoid scorching summer days

Presentation: 10/10, the bottle is pure class with a white marble texture, actual strong magnetic cap, and pressurized atomizer.

Value: 9/10, I paid $40 CAD and compared to Naxos being $200+ I'm pretty happy

Overall: 9/10. This is such a unique and beautiful scent; I can see why Naxos is so highly regarded as one of the goats of the niche world. I would love to try the real thing some day to compare but as a standalone scent Rayhaan Italia is a certified banger.

This adventure started when I was in an airport in Asia and one of the duty free shops had the YSL private line fragrances. I smelled all of them and after smelling 6 place Saint Sulpice I was blown away and immediately started researching if there was a clone.  Turns out it was my lucky day since this one came out not too long ago and apparently is very close to the real thing so I had to cop a decant.

Now for the fragrance. It opens with a very strong blast of black pepper, not too spicy to the point of making me sneeze but it is definitely strong enough to overpower most of anything else going on in the scent.  This lasts about an hour before the sweetness and woods start to peek through and the pepper settles down. 

The next 4-5 hours is where the magic happens. You have a nice blend of black pepper and cardamom with a silky smooth sandalwood, slightly sweet tonka bean, and a touch of mild leather and smoke.  At this point thriller is smelling very close to YSL 6 and the quality is insane, I'm sure they used top tier ingredients to make this.  The only difference is Thriller has a softer leather with a bit more powder, which I actually like even more than the OG.  After another 4-5 hours it is still going strong as a skin scent but without any pepper remaining.  Some people say this smells like Liam Grey and I can see where they are coming from but with the smokiness it actually smells a lot more like Arabiyat Prestige's Al Noor without the fig. I loved my decant of Al Noor but I can't find that fragrance anywhere in Canada for a good price so I would happily buy this instead.  I definitely need to try making a decant blend of this and Liam gray to see if i can concoct my own version of Al Noor. 

Aside from the scent, the longevity is amazing at 10ish hours.  One thing to note is the sillage/projection is quite reserved. This actually works in my favor because I like to wear fragrances for myself so I won't choke out a room by wearing this indoors. Most reviews say this is for the night time and date situations but I feel the scent is very elegant and with the mild projection I can see myself wearing this in the office or casual hangouts.  I wouldn't wear this in high heat but honestly I can see this being a signature scent for most occasions, it is just that good. 

My verdict is this fragrance is a 9/10 and I would love to get a bottle. It loses 1 point because of the overly spicy opening, but if the pepper can smooth out over time I can see this being a 10. Do not blind buy this, the profile is definitely mature and niche so please decant first if you are interested.  I have been on the lookout for a solid sandalwood scent and I think I can finally end my search.