Emirates Land Taif Al Emarat

The box and the soft pouch are good enough that I would never throw them away, and the white and gold bottle is simple and elegant. Emirates Land comes from the GCC collection by Taif Al Emarat, in a 75 ml bottle with 30 percent perfume oil. The atomizer test was already a surprise: from the air it smells somewhat unique, fruity, citrusy and fresh.

On paper it is a lemony, citrusy, fresh floral with real depth. Pink peppercorn, mandarin and violet leaves lead, Turkish rose and pepperwood sit in the heart, and the base is musk, patchouli, vanilla, benzoin, crystal amber and an oak fusion. It is well blended: the sweetness and the citrus are both there and the floweriness still shines. To me it reads as clean, sexy and inviting, cool and fresh enough for younger people, and straight-up unisex, neither feminine nor masculine. It has the Middle Eastern signature of roses and flowers blended into darker, earthier notes like patchouli and vanilla, and in my opinion the scent profile is very original.

The test strip was still going after more than eight hours. By then it had turned musky and vanilla, a little woody and sweet, calm and warm. If it performs on skin, this could become one of my signature scents.