SOTD - Turathi Blue by Afnan
This one is always a treat for me and I look forward to wearing it. In fact, my very first (non-family or friend) compliment was because of it and to this day, it was my most memorable compliment. I sprayed it (5-6x) around 5:30PM for a dinner with friends at an outdoor seating restaurant. By 8PM I was pretty sure the scent was gone. By 9-9:30 we finally got up to leave. I walked down the center aisle of the outdoor restaurant, and left. A woman diner chased me down outside the restaurant to ask me what I was wearing. She made me go back to her table so I could show her husband what I was wearing! Now that's a nice compliment! I love this clone of Bvlgari Tyger (about $300). In fact, I've tried the OG and IMO this makes Tyger redundant (and unnecessary.) I like it better and it performs better. To me this is a sophisticated, zesty, and masculine bluey that is quite affordable and of very impressive quality.. The opening is a sparkling grapefruit, but unlike many cheapies, it's not synthetic to my nose. It is a bright blast of bergamot and mandarin with a touch of ginger. Then it transitions into a warm, slightly amber and woody frag. Finally, the base is a mix of really nice musk, patchouli, and spices. It's pretty impressive because it maintains that "blue" freshness but picks up a "rich" weight as it settles. BoS, it's not stressed enough on here, but frags should never be judged within the first 10-15 minutes. To me, the LEAST important part of a fragrance is the opening. The opening is just the "sales pitch". It's the flashy car on the showroom floor. The mid and dry-down is what you should be paying for. The opening lasts 5-45 minutes. The mid and dry-down last for hours. Performance is significantly better than many designers in the same price bracket ($30ā$50). The longevity can last 8-10 hours and easily 7ā9 hours on skin. Projection is also very good. Finally, if you judge your frags within the first 5 minutes, don't bother with this one, but all things considered, to me it's: