Ajwad

اجواد

Lattafa / لطافة

For this review I have to expand a little, because there's a little backstory to how I came to Ajwad.

Raidn and the rose have always been difficult. If the rose wasn't too soapy, then it was too pungent. Or too synthetic. Or too old-fashioned and dusty. Or well made, but far too dominant. There was always something wrong, the rose wasn't my friend and I gave fragrances a wide berth.
Until I realized, thanks to various Kayali fragrances, that if the rose plays a supporting role and is combined with notes that tend to be sweet, then I can not only tolerate it, but even like it.

So I boldly wanted to go one step further and set out in search of a fragrance in which the rose plays the leading role. I didn't dare to try the queen Delina Eau de Parfum directly, but Roses Vanille Eau de Parfum
I really like vanilla, I thought the sweetness was a great contrast to the rose and citrus notes and I liked the reality even more on my skin. But...am I really ready for such a permanently present rose note? Doesn't it get on my nerves too quickly? And spend so much money on it?

A Parfumo search later, I ended up at Ajwad which made me hope for a good alternative for significantly less investment. A few days later, I got carried away and made a corresponding blind buy.

So now the big comparison between... Freshly sprayed on, there is no difference for my nose between Ajwad and Roses Vanille Eau de Parfum
This is rose, sparkling with citrus notes, but excellently countered with sweet vanilla and soft musk. The cedar wood ensures that the overall impression is not too sweet and girly. The combination results in a fresh vanilla bean rather than vanilla bakery aroma, with a slight powderiness that remains fresh rather than stale thanks to the citrus notes. So far so inspiring.

The Roses Vanille Eau de Parfum does not develop much further for me. In the drydown, the rose remains permanently present, similar to the first spray, until it disappears at some point towards the end of the fragrance's longevity and only vanilla, musk and cedarwood remain.
The Ajwad, on the other hand, takes me on a fragrance journey. After a while, the rose takes a step back and gradually makes room for warm jasmine and cosy amber, both of which harmonize wonderfully with the other fragrance notes and thus
make Ajwad more exciting and comforting than Roses Vanille Eau de Parfum can be.

Conclusion: I don't think that Ajwad is a dupe for Roses Vanille Eau de Parfum, the scent is too different and amber and jasmine are not super strong in Ajwad, but noticeably perceptible, while both notes are not present in Roses Vanille Eau de Parfum.
This means that the Ajwad not only convinces with the better price but also clearly with the better performance*
PS: my rose fragrance journey will of course continue, now I'm curious
*Note: For me, "better value" does not mean that a fragrance is necessarily better overall because it is cheaper than another or, on the contrary, that you automatically have to accept lower quality for less money. In this case, in my opinion, you are not paying less for a compromise, but you are paying less for a comparatively much better fragrance. Or to put it another way: I think Roses Vanille Eau de Parfum is by far not worth its price in comparison