9
Top Review
The Dark Horse Anomaly
Unlike others, I didn't come into this hobby with capital, so cheap, middle eastern brands such as Afnan and Lattafa were my best friends when I was starting my fragrance journey. Still remember just how brainwashed I was by the hype social media influencers engraved in my mind. That naivety led me to many mistakes, most notably acquiring Hawas for Him and Khamrah Qahwa. But thankfully, we learn from our mistakes, and as I gained experience throughout the past year, learning what true, good perfumery actually is, I was certain I would never go back to smelling, let alone buying a Lattafa. However, that was before I believed anomalies such as Maahir Black Edition were possible.
Seeing fellow afficionados @CivetOnly, @TheDunkPapa, and @Smirky highly praise this one as a smoother Gualtieri fume, my interest spiked. And since the fragrance retails for like $20, I was willing to risk the money on this stallion. And so I did, and I'm not sorry for it.
In the opening, hay-like saffron, not to rubbery, with a slightly sweet facet greets you, accompanied by short-lived pungent pepper spiciness. The pink pepper, in particular, adds this subtle fruity-aromatic undertone, which aids in the sweet aspect of the opening.
As it dries down, things get darker. A warm, slightly resinous and ambery labdanum blends beautifully with a not-too-strong balsamic sweetness, along tagging a tart and mildly earthy rhubarb. Everything sits below a Cade juniper bush, which brings an intensely smoky aroma, with hints of tar and charred wood. But none of the mentioned accords seems blown out of proportion. Everything blends together smoothly, and nothing seems out of its place... apart from the rather unexpected chocolatey sweetness that you get. Yes, chocolate-like sweetness, with a slightly bitter cocoa edge. It seems that's what the combination of notes here evoke, which in the end fits nicely, as it is hardly overpowering, both the sweetness itself and the chocolate resemblance.
Once at the base, the patchouli comes in with musky and slightly damp soil tones, working in tandem with the tree moss. It also sort of carries on that subtle chocolatey sweetness. Spiced, warm leather tags alongside, as well as slightly smoky/sweet/dry woodiness. However, the latter is not very prominent; just hints in the background. Overall, I'm impressed. Not only by the scent profile itself, but also by how well-blended and smooth this comes off as. It's unusual for something actually qualitative to come out of a brand such as Lattafa.
Given its stronger, darker character, you would expect proper performance. And on my skin, it's great, but not "beast mode". Longevity peaked around 10-10.5 hours, while projection, at least the first hour, gave me the impression that this would hit a 9/10 at least in that regard. But it turned out just slightly less strong on the long run. I got a very solid 3+ feet that first hour, but afterwards it would die down more to around 1.5-2 feet, and quickly to less than 1 foot afterwards. By hour 5-6, it would pretty much turn into a skin scent. Sillage did seem a little more potent, though.
It's not really an easy fragrance to wear, however. Smoky, resinous, slightly sweet, spicy, dark... It will feel a little heavy, at least to others around you if not for you. A friend of mine at first told me that I sort of smell like manure a little. After a while, he mentioned that I smell like pickled vegetables. But by the end of that day, he asked me for the name of the fragrance, for he liked it. Regardless, this is not a fragrance you want to wear to the office or school. It can do as a leisure wear, especially in darker, moodier days, or you could also pull it off at formal events.
So while it's not my favorite fragrance overall, this is arguably one of the biggest surprises I've had so far in my fragrance journey. I would've never thought that Lattafa was able to pull off such a nice composition; dark and assertive, yet also smooth and nicely-blended. And for the $20-$30 it asks for, it's one excellent deal. Screw Khamrah Qahwa or Oud for Glory - Maahir Black Edition is arguably the only Lattafa actually worth a dime, and yet it gets no attention on the social media scene. It's definitely a harder scent profile to sell, but in my eyes that just makes it all the better, as it wouldn't be an overstatement saying that Maahir Black Edition is niche-type juice.
Overall Rating: 7.9/10
Seeing fellow afficionados @CivetOnly, @TheDunkPapa, and @Smirky highly praise this one as a smoother Gualtieri fume, my interest spiked. And since the fragrance retails for like $20, I was willing to risk the money on this stallion. And so I did, and I'm not sorry for it.
In the opening, hay-like saffron, not to rubbery, with a slightly sweet facet greets you, accompanied by short-lived pungent pepper spiciness. The pink pepper, in particular, adds this subtle fruity-aromatic undertone, which aids in the sweet aspect of the opening.
As it dries down, things get darker. A warm, slightly resinous and ambery labdanum blends beautifully with a not-too-strong balsamic sweetness, along tagging a tart and mildly earthy rhubarb. Everything sits below a Cade juniper bush, which brings an intensely smoky aroma, with hints of tar and charred wood. But none of the mentioned accords seems blown out of proportion. Everything blends together smoothly, and nothing seems out of its place... apart from the rather unexpected chocolatey sweetness that you get. Yes, chocolate-like sweetness, with a slightly bitter cocoa edge. It seems that's what the combination of notes here evoke, which in the end fits nicely, as it is hardly overpowering, both the sweetness itself and the chocolate resemblance.
Once at the base, the patchouli comes in with musky and slightly damp soil tones, working in tandem with the tree moss. It also sort of carries on that subtle chocolatey sweetness. Spiced, warm leather tags alongside, as well as slightly smoky/sweet/dry woodiness. However, the latter is not very prominent; just hints in the background. Overall, I'm impressed. Not only by the scent profile itself, but also by how well-blended and smooth this comes off as. It's unusual for something actually qualitative to come out of a brand such as Lattafa.
Given its stronger, darker character, you would expect proper performance. And on my skin, it's great, but not "beast mode". Longevity peaked around 10-10.5 hours, while projection, at least the first hour, gave me the impression that this would hit a 9/10 at least in that regard. But it turned out just slightly less strong on the long run. I got a very solid 3+ feet that first hour, but afterwards it would die down more to around 1.5-2 feet, and quickly to less than 1 foot afterwards. By hour 5-6, it would pretty much turn into a skin scent. Sillage did seem a little more potent, though.
It's not really an easy fragrance to wear, however. Smoky, resinous, slightly sweet, spicy, dark... It will feel a little heavy, at least to others around you if not for you. A friend of mine at first told me that I sort of smell like manure a little. After a while, he mentioned that I smell like pickled vegetables. But by the end of that day, he asked me for the name of the fragrance, for he liked it. Regardless, this is not a fragrance you want to wear to the office or school. It can do as a leisure wear, especially in darker, moodier days, or you could also pull it off at formal events.
So while it's not my favorite fragrance overall, this is arguably one of the biggest surprises I've had so far in my fragrance journey. I would've never thought that Lattafa was able to pull off such a nice composition; dark and assertive, yet also smooth and nicely-blended. And for the $20-$30 it asks for, it's one excellent deal. Screw Khamrah Qahwa or Oud for Glory - Maahir Black Edition is arguably the only Lattafa actually worth a dime, and yet it gets no attention on the social media scene. It's definitely a harder scent profile to sell, but in my eyes that just makes it all the better, as it wouldn't be an overstatement saying that Maahir Black Edition is niche-type juice.
Overall Rating: 7.9/10