Raidn

For this review I have to expand a little, because there's a little backstory to how I came to "Ajwad / اجواد | Lattafa / لطافة".

Raidn and the rose have always been difficult. If the rose wasn't too soapy, then it was too pungent. Or too synthetic. Or too old-fashioned and dusty. Or well made, but far too dominant. There was always something wrong, the rose wasn't my friend and I gave fragrances a wide berth.
Until I realized, thanks to various Kayali fragrances, that if the rose plays a supporting role and is combined with notes that tend to be sweet, then I can not only tolerate it, but even like it.

So I boldly wanted to go one step further and set out in search of a fragrance in which the rose plays the leading role. I didn't dare to try the queen "Delina (Eau de Parfum) | Parfums de Marly" directly, but "Roses Vanille (Eau de Parfum) | Mancera"
I really like vanilla, I thought the sweetness was a great contrast to the rose and citrus notes and I liked the reality even more on my skin. But...am I really ready for such a permanently present rose note? Doesn't it get on my nerves too quickly? And spend so much money on it?

A Parfumo search later, I ended up at "Ajwad / اجواد | Lattafa / لطافة" which made me hope for a good alternative for significantly less investment. A few days later, I got carried away and made a corresponding blind buy.

So now the big comparison between... Freshly sprayed on, there is no difference for my nose between "Ajwad / اجواد | Lattafa / لطافة" and "Roses Vanille (Eau de Parfum) | Mancera"
This is rose, sparkling with citrus notes, but excellently countered with sweet vanilla and soft musk. The cedar wood ensures that the overall impression is not too sweet and girly. The combination results in a fresh vanilla bean rather than vanilla bakery aroma, with a slight powderiness that remains fresh rather than stale thanks to the citrus notes. So far so inspiring.

The "Roses Vanille (Eau de Parfum) | Mancera" does not develop much further for me. In the drydown, the rose remains permanently present, similar to the first spray, until it disappears at some point towards the end of the fragrance's longevity and only vanilla, musk and cedarwood remain.
The "Ajwad / اجواد | Lattafa / لطافة", on the other hand, takes me on a fragrance journey. After a while, the rose takes a step back and gradually makes room for warm jasmine and cosy amber, both of which harmonize wonderfully with the other fragrance notes and thus
make "Ajwad / اجواد | Lattafa / لطافة" more exciting and comforting than "Roses Vanille (Eau de Parfum) | Mancera" can be.

Conclusion: I don't think that "Ajwad / اجواد | Lattafa / لطافة" is a dupe for "Roses Vanille (Eau de Parfum) | Mancera", the scent is too different and amber and jasmine are not super strong in "Ajwad / اجواد | Lattafa / لطافة", but noticeably perceptible, while both notes are not present in "Roses Vanille (Eau de Parfum) | Mancera".
This means that the "Ajwad / اجواد | Lattafa / لطافة" not only convinces with the better price but also clearly with the better performance*


PS: my rose fragrance journey will of course continue, now I'm curious




*Note: For me, "better value" does not mean that a fragrance is necessarily better overall because it is cheaper than another or, on the contrary, that you automatically have to accept lower quality for less money. In this case, in my opinion, you are not paying less for a compromise, but you are paying less for a comparatively much better fragrance. Or to put it another way: I think "Roses Vanille (Eau de Parfum) | Mancera" is by far not worth its price in comparison

...this would be exactly my cherry scent.

The opening with the proven cherry-almond combination is intensified by the saffron and really beautifully accompanied. The cherry is supported by the sparkling notes of berry and rose and is therefore permanently present without being too squeaky-sweet and artificial. Well, and the base could be a dream: the resinous sweetness and patchouli harmonize beautifully with the cherry, again without bringing in too much sweetness. And now comes the big BUT, which unfortunately ruins everything for me and that is the musk.

Musk is always a gamble for my skin chemistry and my nose. Musk - especially in the base - can develop almost imperceptibly on me and simply develop a nice cozy softness without being smellable to me. However, musk can also develop a sterile peak on my skin that puts the most intense washing powder in the shade.
And unfortunately, the latter is precisely the case here, the musk is permanently pervasive and does not go at all well with the grandiose fragrance composition.
At this point, please don't give me the argument that contrasts are what make a fragrance exciting. Because yes, for me, not everything always has to harmonize perfectly; I can certainly appreciate rough edges in a fragrance. But the musk spanks the cherry on my skin in such an unpalatable way that I unfortunately have to say goodbye to my dream of the perfect cherry fragrance.

Lavender in the opening, a sweet, slightly synthetic vanilla pudding note in the drydown.
I don't notice the cocoa at all, I can sense the ginger, even if it's probably mainly there to support the lavender and give it a little less mothball flair.

The comparison with "Mon Guerlain (Eau de Parfum) | Guerlain" is supposedly due to the lavender-vanilla combination, but for me the two actually have little in common.

1. The lavender in Goddess evaporates relatively quickly on my skin, whereas I can perceive it much longer in Mon Guerlain.

2. The vanilla in Goddess is much more intense, sweeter and more synthetic on my skin

3. Jasmine, iris and sandalwood make Mon Guerlain more complex, while Goddess remains quite linear on me

I ended up adding a small 30ml size to my collection - admittedly also due to the hype - and consider Goddess to be a nice, harmless, uncomplicated all-rounder in the best sense of the word, with no rough edges, which could have better longevity.

I always wear Goddess when...
- i want something inconspicuous and pleasing in the office
- i can't decide which fragrance to wear in the morning
- i want to wear a different fragrance in the afternoon/evening and the short shelf life is practical

The olfactory mind says: Bianco Latte is absolutely linear. There are no surprising developments, in the dry down you get exactly what the first spray promises and that is vanilla, milk, honey, caramel as well as a hint of synthetics.

The heart says: I don't care, I love this feel-good fragrance! Sometimes I want exactly what I expect, sometimes it can be simple, plain, the mind can take a break and I just feel safe in this cloud of fragrance.

If you are looking for a complex, multi-layered fragrance with Bianco Latte, you are definitely in the wrong place. For me, Bianco Latte is a homely fragrance for relaxing and feeling good, without the typical herbal or woody spa vibes. The vanilla is correspondingly flat, not trying to be sexy or exciting, but gently embracing. Always resonating with a light synthetic, which ensures that despite the pure gourmand notes, you are noticeably wearing a fragrance and not smelling as if you have bathed in hot milk with honey. At the same time, the synthetic is so subtle, so minimal, that you don't run the risk of smelling like a run-of-the-mill sweet vanilla body spray or even Impulse Vanilla deodorant. This is also helped by the fact that the sweetness of the fragrance is constantly present, but not too dominant, so that Bianco Latte is not only wearable for U25-year-olds, but remains ageless.

And it is precisely this perfect balance that ultimately convinces the olfactory mind of Bianco Latte. Because the supposedly simple things are sometimes the hardest to perfect.

Note: Bianco Latte contains coumarin, which can be perceived as "green" (mint, woodruff, herbs) by some people. Therefore definitely not a blind buy recommendation!