Topaz Kajal 2025

This was another release I was excited for, but another disappointment.

I really love the opening in this. It has a recognisable Kajal vibe to it, but it quickly dissipates and the black & candied lemon mix starts to come through. This also smells gorgeous. The combination of these makes the scent sweet but also fresh. I get a bit of elderflower, but was hoping for much more. As it dries down I can smell the blackcurrant followed by the rose. I’m not currently getting any rum. The rose actually dominates in the final dry down on me. I’m not keen on rose scents at all, so it could be my nose/brain are focusing on this note for this reason. It’s giving “Delina”mixed with “Gorse” but add some sweetness. It’s like a light summer freshie version of Delina. Not what I was expecting at all. I really wanted this to be a unique, boozy, sweet lemon and elderflower combo. Good longevity. This does really project. Four sprays and my fiancé could smell it as soon as he walked into our home from two doors away. Definitely a sweet freshie, but suitable for all year round. Sadly not for me.

This is superb opening. Usually all citrusy fragrances smells chemical, synthethic like cleaning products. This perfumes has the best citrus opening I've ever smelled. It's almost like like real lemon and it's followed by fruity-sweety orange and lime. For the first 10-15 minutes you can smell the sour and sweet. In next phases I can smell rose and woods but nothing extraordinary. I wish to give better rating but only opening is worth to mention.

Pafory Advent Calendar 2025 - day 3:
First impression: Opens with florals and a hint of citrus — I can pick out rose, plenty of sweetness, and prominent musk on the drydown. I was excited for this one, but the rose-musk combo really doesn’t work for me, and it feels familiar, like another fragrance.
Full review: To follow

After a long time, here is another review of a Kajal fragrance. This brand is among my absolute favorites as I love fruity notes, and this brand captures them perfectly to my taste. Of course, there are other styles in Kajal's range, but I clearly prefer the fruity ones. I've had my eye on this Topaz for a long time. Actually, I noticed it immediately when it was listed among the new releases on Parfumo. Naturally, new niche releases are always extremely expensive (RRP 240€/100), so I waited a bit and then seized the opportunity with a good discount. It was a blind buy, but I felt carefree about it since I trust the brand. The name Topaz comes from the gemstone, which is often not cheap. The scent type here is very unique as it is quite a wild combination that I really like. It is advisable to test it before purchasing since this is a very special fragrance that could be a bit challenging for many due to the wild mix.

I really like the Kajal brand, also because it is not so overcrowded and far from a hype, yet the brand certainly has its followers. The eye-catchers are, of course, the beautiful bottles (especially those from the Classic series) with their lovely caps in great shapes and sparkling stones. The bottle itself is beautifully decorated, and many colors are represented; here it is orange. The boxes are rather simple for niche standards, but pretty.
The fragrance features many citrus notes that meet wonderful sweet notes with a gourmand touch. This is also due to the candied lemon, which stylistically reminds me a bit of D&G Devotion. However, they are not true scent twins, partly because there are other special notes present: of course, the black lemon, which is not often encountered. This has a wonderful slightly sour touch, and blackcurrant also meets this lemon with its sour-fruity touch. Elderflower comes through nicely and fits well with these aromatic wonderful notes. This gives a few floral notes along with orange blossom. Rum is very subtle and really boozy, and the scent never becomes too challenging. The candied lemon gives the fragrance a gourmand aspect and slightly leans towards lemon cake. In the base, everything becomes softer and cozier with Ambroxan, musk, and of course many soft woods like cashmere wood. A creamy-fluffy sweetness remains from beginning to end, and the sweetness never becomes sticky or too overpowering. Overall, a wonderful sweet fragrance that can be easily integrated into everyday life but can also be enjoyed well in the evening. The scent is unisex and for me, it is quite precisely in the middle.
Performance is consistently good with this brand, and here you get around 10 hours of longevity, with projection being really strong in the first hours, but in a pleasant way.

Overall, I can draw a positive conclusion. The brand just resonates with me, and this one will surely be worn by me from time to time. A year-round fragrance that can fit many situations due to the lemon. I can recommend it if you find the idea of a twist of sweetness and citrus enticing.

The Topaz had piqued my interest; citrus components with rum, elderflower, and blackcurrant sound really good. However, I have become somewhat more cautious over time, thankfully, and received a small sample... and beforehand... it will probably remain just a sample.

Why? Let's get into it:
- The first spray is a citrus explosion, where the citrus hits you hard, so much so that you don't really get any association with natural citrus initially, but it rather comes across as synthetic and, as described by others, reminiscent of toilet cleaner. At least for the first few minutes. This subsides a bit, and the elderflower with the rum comes through, but really marginally - unfortunately. I think they should have used more of those two components instead of the citrus.

- This elderflower-rum combination is really nice, and it carries well into the next phases, even if subtly. The citrus fades, but surprisingly lingers for quite a while with the two components. I miss any trace of rose; it gets a bit lost in the overall blend.

- In the drydown, the scent becomes fruity-woody, and you can effectively recognize that it is a kajal again. Not the typical overdosed fruitiness, but partly yes.

- The sillage and longevity for an "everyday scent" are actually quite okay; you can't complain, it's not a beast, but quite alright, and it lasts long. But even here, somehow you can't really categorize the scent. Initially very fresh, then very suitable for everyday wear in the drydown, but too heavy for hot days, too light for cold days.

The scent is not bad in itself, but also not good, and maybe I would have given it a 7.5 with lower expectations, but it disappointed me a bit too much. As I said, initially too synthetic-citrusy, then it becomes somewhat good with elderflower-rum, but in the drydown it slips too much back into the mass again.