Right from the start: Eros Najim is not in the collection, nor as a sample. Therefore, I have no direct comparison here, only to a sample of Eros EDP.
And that's where it starts...I read in the statements something about the Eros DNA. So: I sprayed both directly on my hands and checked.
Indeed, in the first two minutes, the mandarin is what unites them. However, the Qaed is also directly supported by cardamom and cinnamon for more spice, while in Eros EDP, lemon and mint veer towards freshness.
And that's about it. After three or four minutes (admittedly, at around 24 degrees right now), the mandarin is quite far in the background and the similarities to the "classic" Eros DNA are gone, now the Qaed continues on its own.
From the very beginning, there is incense present, giving it an oriental touch without the result becoming heavy or oppressive, remaining rather airy and moderately fresh.
Oh yes: the closer you sniff to the skin, the smokier it gets. It needs a bit of air to breathe.
I'm sitting at the keyboard and it's wafting around my nose from 30cm away. The result is...nice.
I'm lacking a bit of the technical vocabulary, so here’s a picture from my mind. Please, you're welcome:
An evening by the campfire, in mid to late spring or early autumn. Occasionally, the wind carries a bit of smoke over, and someone has come up with the idea of making stick bread and marshmallows. The sweetness of the dough (and the caramelization of the sugar) mixes in, and somewhere near a flower bed, there’s a bowl of fruit salad with a good portion of fresh mandarin.
Later, everyone moves closer to the embers, the smoke increases a bit, the fresh fruits have been consumed, the flowers have fallen asleep, only the one guy with five marshmallows on a stick hasn’t had enough and adds more sugar. Someone fetches warm blankets.
All in all, a lovely scent for spring and autumn. A bit too powerful for summer, perhaps a tad too weak for winter.
The presentation: The packaging is stylish but simple. Horse, name, concentration. The bottle is also stylish, but aaaaand processed according to the price, meaning you can see the "seam" of the mold quite clearly. But that’s okay.
Plus point: Cap with "bouncing magnet".
Minus point: my goodness, they could have squeezed the "Untamed" somewhere too.
In summary, for the price, you really can’t go wrong. The scent is pleasant, doesn’t clash, won’t really upset anyone, but also won’t scare anyone away. You’d like to take a sniff of it every now and then and enjoy it when the wind carries a cloud past.
