So I wanted to call something out. Fragrance samples have either disappeared or gotten stupidly expensive. I have seen 2 ml samples selling for more than $10, which is absurd for most fragrances. When the Nordstrom Anniversary sale happened (and yes, I went for my free gift cards) I saw something was back that was awesome and helped fight this shift. Nordstrom now has free empty sample containers for fragrances and creams. They are in the women's fragrance section normally (or you can ask for one in the men's). You can fill them yourself or ask an associate to do it. I grabbed Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot, Bvlgari Man Rain Essence, and some Rénergie Lift cream. I am already a Nordstrom fan, so finding this made me very happy. It lets you wear something a few times before committing to a bottle, which is how sampling should work. However, it means less buying at Jomashop and Macys, as if I sample it at Nordstrom... I need to ethically pick it up there. If I like and buy it. Now they just need to start carrying The Harmonist.

I have owned a few Rayhaan fragrances, and my overall impression is that the house is decent for the price, but it sits on the lower end even among Middle Eastern clone houses. Rayhaan can give you a recognizable scent profile, attractive presentation, and an opening that gets fairly close to the fragrance it is inspired by. However, once you move beyond that opening, the difference in quality becomes much easier to notice. The biggest weakness for me is the synthetic structure. Many Rayhaan fragrances feel like they are built around bright aroma chemicals, sweet amber woods, musks, and a fairly basic modern clone-house foundation. The individual notes do not always feel naturally separated, and the fragrance can become flat after the opening. Instead of moving through several clear stages, it often feels like the top notes disappear and leave behind one synthetic woody-musky base. Aquatica is a good example. It gets attention because of the tropical aquatic profile, but on my skin it smelled noticeably synthetic and did not perform particularly well in projection or sillage. It also was not nearly as convincing or enjoyable as Montagne Buko Intense. Aquatica may remind people of Virgin Island Water, but it lacks the smoothness, natural lime-coconut balance, and development that make the better versions of that profile interesting. I have tested Aquatica and Buko Intense by Montagne on 10 Diffrent people blindly, and not one person picked the Rayhaan version. That does not make Rayhaan completely terrible. The house offers affordable, easy-to-wear fragrances for someone beginning a collection or looking for a familiar DNA without paying designer or niche prices. The bottles and presentation are often better than the price suggests, and some releases can still be enjoyable when judged strictly as inexpensive clones. The Brand was created to cater to those who dont have the means to afford even inexpensive Middle Eastern Clone brands. My problem is that recognizable does not automatically mean high quality. Rayhaan frequently captures the basic idea, but not the depth, transitions, or refinement of the original. The fragrances can smell good in the air, especially at first, but wearing them for several hours reveals their synthetic construction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAAFX-Ab1LY

I tried a sample of this a couple of months ago and loved it. Now I've got a full bottle. This is easily one of the best scents I've ever come across

While I was away last week, my wife did a blind buy 😬. She had been watching an influencer and decided to pull the trigger on this for “me” 🙄 even though she made me make her a decant right away 🤣🤣 While I’m not a blind buy guy or do I subscribe to the idea of blind buying. My wife every so often just can’t help herself. That being said, it seems pretty nice but I haven’t worn it yet. I have no experience with this house and really haven’t started looking into it yet. I’d love to hear from those that have experience with it. I am blessed that my wife was thinking about me when she bought this. I don’t believe it was an expensive buy so if it isn’t great it will be a great education. But as always it’s the thought that counts!! Can’t wait to hear from you all.