Mohra by Lattafa and Halfeti by Penhaligon’s occupy very similar olfactive space, especially once both fragrances have had time to develop on skin. On the opening, Halfeti clearly shows its pedigree. It is smooth, well blended, and immediately cohesive, with the rose, spice, and woods feeling polished and refined right from first spray. Mohra, by contrast, comes off a bit synthetic for the first 10–15 minutes, which is fairly expected given the price point and the house it comes from. That said, I do suspect some maturation time could help smooth out that initial sharpness. As the fragrances move into the heart and dry down, the differences become far less pronounced. After roughly four hours, Mohra and Halfeti are easily 85–90 percent similar. At this stage, both share that dark, spiced, woody character with a warm, slightly resinous feel and a subtle rose presence that ties everything together. In the air, they smell remarkably close and would be very difficult to distinguish without side-by-side comparison. Where things really separate is performance. On my skin, Mohra is still projecting confidently at the four-hour mark, while Halfeti has essentially settled into a skin scent. This is especially disappointing considering Halfeti’s premium price point, even though I am working with a decant, which may play a role. Still, the contrast is noticeable and hard to ignore. In the end, if we’re talking pure quality and refinement, Halfeti gets the nod, just be prepared for reapplication if you want it to maintain presence throughout the day. If performance and projection are your priorities, Mohra by Lattafa is the clear winner, delivering strong longevity and scent trail while capturing the core DNA of Halfeti surprisingly well in the dry down.

Today, I stopped by the Kilian booth inside Macy’s at the Wayne, NJ, mall and met a great Kilian sales associate named Frank. We ended up talking about fragrances for a while, and the conversation eventually drifted into what Kilian has coming down the pipeline. That’s when he let me in on a quiet preview of an upcoming release called Her Majesty. Frank described Her Majesty as a modern floral chypre with a bright, fresh opening and a grounded, mossy, woody base. He mentioned that it’s rumored to be composed by Caroline Dumur and inspired by Kilian’s trip to Kyoto, Japan. After some conversation, he sprayed it on my arms and walked me through the notes. Top notes include peach with a light aquatic freshness. The heart centers on sakura (cherry blossom) and rose. The base settles into cedar, ambrette musk, oakmoss, and cypriol nagarmotha. On my skin, it leaned softer and more traditionally feminine, but I can absolutely see a confident man pulling this off without hesitation. Lasts on my skin for 3.5 ish hours, with a soft sillage and a 4.5 ish strong skin scent. It has that quiet confidence vibe rather than loud masculinity. Frank mentioned it should be released mid-January, so definitely keep an eye out. I didn’t find Blue Moon Ginger Dash this time, but getting a sneak peek at what Kilian has coming made the visit more than worth it. Ps: They sell a hard-to-find fragrance, Sacred Wood, if you are looking for it.