According to Parfumo, this perfume has already been discontinued, even though it has just hit the market? Strange.
This, along with the fact that it is said to be a dupe of "Gentleman Givenchy Réserve Privée | Givenchy," prompted me to make the purchase.
At first, I was skeptical, as many claimed that
Odyssey Homme was already a dupe for
Dior Homme Intense (2011) / "Valentino Uomo Intense (2016) | Valentino."
Both fragrances resemble "Gentleman Givenchy Réserve Privée | Givenchy."
However, the Armaf did not smell at all like either of the mentioned fragrances.
I only tested
Gentleman Givenchy Réserve Privée years ago.
Definitely a beautiful scent, but I already own "Dior Homme Parfum | Dior," which is also similar but smells better and has more power under the hood.
That's why I decided against a purchase back then.
Still, I remember quite well how the Givenchy smelled, and "Qaa'ed Intense | Lattafa / لطافة" comes extremely close.
Probably a bit fresher and slightly more synthetic in the opening, but still a really good and successful dupe, thankfully not comparable to the Armaf.
In the opening, you find white honey, tobacco, and cinnamon.
I don't perceive any of that at all.
I smell more of an iris as known from Givenchy.
Very powdery, "lipsticky iris" is what one would say in English.
Slightly sweet and spicy, just like in the original.
Only here it seems, as mentioned above, a bit fresher and less spicy.
In the dry down, it becomes earthier due to the patchouli.
I also perceive myrrh, and something reminds me of benzoin.
And although iris is not one of the scent notes in the dry down, I still perceive it as the most prominent.
Until the end, it is a play of powdery "iris," myrrh, and patchouli.
And also until the end, you have a scent that strongly resembles "Gentleman Givenchy Réserve Privée | Givenchy."
I cannot evaluate the performance of the original.
According to someone who owns both fragrances, the Lattafa has a better projection.
I can only say that I have worn the scent on my clothing and noticed a decent projection of 2.5 hours.
Not really strong, but still subtly noticeable.
For the small price of €16.99, that is respectable.
Longevity is 2 days on clothing.
Overall, I am satisfied with Qaa'ed Intense.
A really great dupe of a wonderful fragrance.
The original will always remain the original.
Nevertheless, you get a very similar scent with good quality for little money here.
If you like the original and want to save money, this is the right choice.
For me, it is currently one of the top 3 Lattafa fragrances on the market, and therefore, I definitely recommend buying it.
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