Détour Noir Al Haramain

Ah yes, it's that time - fittingly, the nice Parfumo member sent me the Detour Noir today, unfortunately sold out everywhere. Man, am I glad this site exists.

I was in the city at a private perfumery and had Layton sprayed on my arm. With such expensive fragrances, I prefer to ask rather than just spray away. You could see that with each of the 4 sprays, a tear came from the saleswoman. 2€ gone, 4€ gone, 6€ gone, 8€ gone, and the customer just walks away. But hey, I'm happy going home.

At first, I found Layton somewhat... repulsive. That sticky Dior Homme musty note mixed with a hint of mint. But that passed quickly, and I was soon overwhelmed by a wave of fascination. Wow. What a scent. Now I understand why everyone loves this little bottle so much. Such a gentle aura of vanilla, paired mainly with apples and lavender. You can notice the sandalwood, but only up close. An absolute masterpiece, suitable even for summer (but more of an autumn and spring scent). You are surrounded by a warm aura that makes you want to fall asleep. My nose is more accustomed to designer fragrances, so I can't say much here. This is a depth, a SO COMPLEX scent, believe me - If you only know Gucci, Givenchy, YSL & JPG, go to a proper perfumery and have a typically known niche fragrance SPRAYED ON YOUR ARM. Never just sniff test strips and then think "well". Trust me, it’s unusual to smell something like this for the first time.

But yes, the real star, that was just a bit of backstory so I have a comparison - Arriving home, unpacked Noir. Oh my god. What an awful bottle. It looks like someone tried to make an anvil out of glass. As if someone shrank a glass cleaner bottle & painted it silver. A terrible plastic clunker with neck pain. The bottle reminds me of the reaction when you get tickled on the neck.

But that’s not what matters. Just hide it well before someone laughs at you. Four sprays, like in the perfumery. 1 cent gone, 2 cents gone, 3 cents gone, 4 cents gone. No tears were shed. And well, what can I say - They are similar, very much so. But rather the opposite. Layton has a warmer heart, the freshness is in the background. With Noir, it’s the opposite - The freshness is in the foreground, here the flowers come out more instead of the vanilla. More shower gel than noble perfume, but the similarity is there.

Overall a good scent for the price, but those who know Layton & have a very good nose will notice that the fragrances are indeed different.

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Compliment scale: ? out of 10. I’ve already drafted the review and will update it as soon as a few test subjects can be found.

Huh, wait a minute. I just smelled my arm again.

Okay, cut...

The similarity is astonishing. Out of nowhere, the freshness of Noir disappeared, and the warm aura of Layton came through. What’s going on? Wow. Just 10 minutes ago, there was little similarity (20 minutes since spraying on the arm), but now it’s fully there. The fresh floral notes are still a bit stronger than Layton, sharper, but it’s getting warmer, much warmer now. Guys, buy it. The difference is there, I won't be fooled by prices, but Layton really does smell a bit more expensive. However, on the street, Noir can easily pass for Layton.

Update: A few hours later - Layton is fading, a hint of a slightly woodier Dior Homme paired with much more depth of vanilla, much woodier than at the beginning, still very complex and dark, yet warm. Sweet, but still very VERY masculine. Projection weaker than at first, but still slightly detectable in the wind, quite intense up close. I know some will hate me for the Dior comparison, but I directly associate it with that.

Noir still smells exactly like the peak of Layton. Right where Layton radiates that incredibly beautiful aura, Noir embodies it over time, but Noir also needs a good hour for that. For some, a shame, for others maybe even a blessing? Projection still quite heavy, Noir has more bite, a bit more pungent than Layton, but not in a bad way, just... different.

But that’s enough now - Noir is incredible. Actually a scent that plays in the 100+ € league, but is offered at bargain prices. We're talking about going out for a buffet once. Professionals will notice that Noir isn't quite as noble, but even trained noses probably won't recognize the difference. No joke, it really is like that. I had my nose on both arms for 6 hours, always with a cup full of coffee beans at hand. Layton truly has a special depth that Noir lacks, Layton plays with you, smells almost unpleasant at first, then incredibly great, later pleasantly woody, and Noir smells very biting citrus-floral at first, but develops within an hour into what Layton radiates at its peak for 2-3 hours, and that for 5+ hours.

Buy Noir. Do it. Just hide the bottle so you don't get laughed at.

Final note: After about 10 hours, Layton is still obviously noticeable on the skin. Noir has almost completely disappeared. Longevity is definitely longer with the luxury product (my experience).