Finally tried one of the most recommended and highest rated fragrances (4.61/5). I already own the EDP, so expectations were high. Here’s what I think. It opens with a fresh, spicy ginger. Almost instantly, woods come through along with a soft toffee nuance similar to the EDP. At this stage, it felt about 90% similar to my EDP and I initially thought there was nothing new here. As it dried down, the vanilla started to emerge and it began reminding me of BIR Intense, but less aromatic. The ginger nearly faded away, and I stopped paying attention for a bit. When I checked again around the 5th hour, it had turned into a sexy vanilla woody scent. It evolved into something completely different by the end, and the drydown smells incredible. This feels like a much more mature version of the EDP. Both sit in that slightly F boy fragrance category, but the EDP is an 18 year old F boy, while the Parfum is a 25 year old F boy. The drydown is easily the best part of this scent. Stupidly addictive. Performance, however, was not what I expected. I suspect this is a newer “made in France” batch, because my EDP is also a France batch and performs noticeably weaker than my “made in Spain” sample. Most reviews that are a year or older praise its performance heavily. On my skin, I got a modest 6 hrs with average projection. By hour six, it was a skin scent and barely noticeable. I only did 3 sprays, but all were on pulse points, so I expected at least half of what’s usually advertised. Not thrilled, but overspraying is an option. Personally, I still prefer the EDP because of performance and profile, but I could justify owning this just for the drydown alone. I still haven’t tried MB Club Black, which is also said to be similar. Thinking strategically, the EDP overlaps with SWY Intensely, which doesn’t suit my skin chemistry, whereas the Parfum leans more towards BIR Intense and possibly overlaps with other scents instead that suit me. Final rating would be 9/10 for scent and 6/10 for performance. Overall, I’m giving it an 8/10 purely because of that drydown. Simple, sexy, and addictive. Very affordable with a great bottle design too. If I could get my hands on an older batch, I would definitely own it. For now, this is firmly a “wear it more and decide later” fragrance.

I went to do a good deed for a brother and ended up scouring five fragrance stores, bought in three of them saved a big wad of cash, and spent an even bigger wad. But hey on a bright note, excuse the pun, I finally got that elusive bottle of D&G The One to finish off my 2025 wish list. Dubai Perfume Shop: Brulee by Ahmed Al Maghribi Magnificent by Amraff Fakhar Extract by Lataffa Pure Sandal Oil by Hamidi Golden Dust oil by Swiss Arabian Samples Lathani by Ahmed Al Maghribi Atlas by Lattafa Azure Royal by Ahmed Al Maghribi Cocoa Morado by French Avenue Ghinwa Niche by Lattafa Asad Elixir by Lattafa Qissa Blue by Paris Corner Velvet Accent by Fragrance World Musamam Black by Lattafa Fragrance World: Perseus by Maison Alhambra The Chemist Warehouse: London by Burbury Blue Mediterraneo - Mirto di Panarea by Acqua di Parma The Perfume Shop: The One by Dolce & Gabanna Not gonna mention names, but you know who you are, just look what you've done to me, hope your happy now 😂😂😂