Nio64

It was hot all day… Clothes stuck uncomfortably to my body and now the sun is slowly setting. I look forward to a glass of Raki right by the promenade, sitting down on an old wooden chair with a square wooden table that creaks as I sit.

Now it’s time, the well-chilled Raki has arrived, my gaze drifts towards the Aegean and I take my first sip. Just at that moment, a refreshing breeze comes, cooling me down a bit.

This is exactly the kind of imagery I had with Mare. A blind buy that brings the absolute wow effect. Even my wife, who has been highly critical of every perfume purchase and can't stand fragrances, has for the first time since the birth of our son, uttered the words that I smell good.

The scent is aquatic and salty, but it also has something sweet that I can't quite place, yet it has completely captivated me (and thankfully not just me).

Longevity… outstanding in this heat. In Germany, it might even be stronger. At least a 9/10.

Sillage is above average, especially for a summer fragrance, and in my opinion, Mare clearly falls into this category.

Bottle. It's fine, stable, and unremarkable.

P/L… well, I don’t know the price for the market in D-A-CH. It cost 3,000 Turkish Lira (about 66 Euros) and is twice as expensive as the other fragrances from MAD. According to the staff in the store, it is currently the bestseller. I can imagine that it goes for 100 Euros in Germany, which might be too much for some.

Here it is, my new blind buy on the shelf. Cherry, dark sweet, what am I saying, very very dark and very very sweet cherry! A bit mysterious and perhaps even synthetic at first glance, it seems somewhat feminine, but in my opinion, it quickly sways into the unisex corner.

The comparison with Angel's Share with a strong cherry addition, or the similarity to Oajan could be true, but for me, that does not mean at all that this is a clone. On the contrary, I would say it belongs to a completely different league.

Longevity is fantastic, 12 hours and more is absolutely no problem. I would even claim that Khaltat can be perceived on clothing for ages.

Sillage... two sprays, walking around all day with Polo... and a pregnant woman still has to throw the Polo out of the room at night, as it remains room-filling and too much for her currently sensitive nose. Perhaps not suitable for the office, as I think it is very strong. However... I have to hold back with this scent, as this beast can claim the room for itself for several hours.

Bottle... very elegant made of metal and the color combination is very appealing. Definitely does not look cheap.

P/L is a topic one could argue about. Snagged for under 70 EUR and for me a top deal, as a similar quality could easily have gone over double that.

However, the scent is not really for hot days. In cold or milder temperatures, it will definitely shine much more, which is why I enjoy it when it rains and cools down a bit. Khaltat Night could then reach a different dimension.

The Confidential Gold has been with me for about 3 weeks. An interesting scent that, in my opinion, can definitely hold its own on warmer days. I can recognize raspberry and mint, which initially come across as quite synthetic.

Nevertheless, it does not feel cheap. It is interesting and sweet at the same time, which is why I rate it as above average interesting. It lasts relatively well on the skin for several hours (even a bit longer on clothing). I just wish the sillage had a bit more power.

The bottle, on the other hand, is a real eye-catcher with its gold design and does not feel cheap. There is a noticeable similarity to Kirke.

In terms of price-performance ratio, it gets a solid 10, as the scent is very affordable and still has a lot to offer.

My bottle also arrived as a late birthday gift. The scent itself is very refreshing, very interesting, and quite similar to the JPG, which was also mentioned as similar here. After a while, it becomes very soft on the skin. I definitely like the scent, which is why I rated it as above average.

Now we come to the sobering part. The scent doesn't really last on me. I usually can't perceive it after 2 hours. The sillage also doesn't seem to have beast mode; you have to get quite close to smell anything. Is it the batch? Is the scent just weak? Does it just not work for me? Don't know, but I somehow expected more.

The bottle is a matter of taste; for me, it's not a standout, so I rate it as average here as well.

Price/performance still gets a "2" as a school grade, as it is relatively inexpensive to obtain.

Today, the DHL courier brought me Sharaf Blend from Zimaya, which I had been waiting for. The packaging of the box is very neatly high-quality, similar to the Stallion. The bottle resembles a thin whiskey glass, which is probably a clear indication of what it is imitating, namely the Angel's Share by Kilian.

But is Sharaf Blend a cheap imitation? Never! In my opinion, Sharaf is less or not at all about Apple Pie and Cognac, but rather a sweet composition of cinnamon, vanilla, dates, and pralines that smells more than noble and beautiful to my nose.

However, Sharaf is clearly intended for the cold season; in summer, it would be too powerful and simply not suitable. Is the scent unisex? Update after Day 1... masculine, although there is something feminine about it... perhaps the sweetness.

Longevity so far is more than above average, sillage is very room-filling (the home office smells of it) despite just one spray on my wrist.

The bottle is very elegant despite being an imitation, not cheap stuff.

Price-performance ratio cannot be rated more than 10 here, as it is available for around 20 euros and has qualities that other fragrances in the three-digit range do not offer.