Lamar by Kajal Perfumes

Sun shining into the kitchen, pineapple so sweet and ripe that juice oozes down the cutting board and drops on your tanned sunkissed skin. Lamar is a tropical gourmand that entices with its realism. 

And this is just on paper!

Juicy, warm, dripping with pineapple sap, Lamar is a tropical dream.

The freshness of the green apple is there too, just about as much as the pineapple. 

After dry down, the two roses aren't detectable to me, but a hint of white floral is definitely there.

I have been raving about this fragrance in so many reviews, so I thought it was in due time to finally tell about my experience with Lamar.

It is tropical in the best way; rich, warm and seductive, pick your poison.

It was brilliant for the hot weather when in Warsaw and the richness suits the colder days too, making me want to cozy up on the couch.

In all honesty, there is nothing left to be said, Lamar is thee pineapple fragrance.

Emporio Armani Stronger With YOU Absolutely by Giorgio Armani

Yet again, I have come home with a fragrance targeted towards men. My luck with female targeted designer fragrances has been a complete flop, but once again I have been smitten by an homme fragrance.

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The YOU series has something about it that has me smelling the paper strip a little longer than usual before passing it to a customer. When it came to trying Absolutely, that was it, I just had to try it on my skin. Absolutely is rich, warm, spicy and a somewhat more balsamic and alcoholic version of By The Fireplace by Replica.

Now I do apologise to any rum lovers, but I dislike the taste and do not get the same 'dislike' when smelling Absolutely. Absolutely has a more spiced liquor scent to it rather than the potent and harsh smell of rum. 
Sweet, but not too much, balancing on the edge of unisex, Absolutely is just delicious.

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On skin, Absolutely is dominated more by the liquor note than it was on the paper strip. It is boozier, but also lighter. I get the hint of bergamot and the aromatic element of lavender without the characteristic scent of lavender. It is actually less sweet and less leaning towards a unisex scent than it was on paper, which is different. Usually fragrances become sweeter on me.

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After dry down, the bergamot has gone, the same goes for the lavender. YOU Absolutely has become more smokey and masculine in an endearing way. 
I am so smitten by this!

YOU Absolutely also becomes a little nutty, it is really endearing. It might have reminded me of By The Fireplace and be similar to Memoirs of A Trespasser, but it is somehow different enough to become a part of the collection... Should I?

Libre Le Parfum by Yves Saint Laurent

Just like Gucci Mémoire d’une Odeur, Libre is so eye catching that I have given both perfumes more chances than I should. I would love to have the two in my collection just because of how they look, but I haven't. I think myself more sensible than that.

Last week I was at a YSL-Prada-Armani event and it was announced that Libre has now been decorated with saffron. Immediately I perked up wishing and hoping that this time, I will like it.

Let me preface by saying that both the eau de toilette and eau de parfum are not to my liking, at all, so my hopes weren't too high, but as soon as I tried Libre Le Parfum on a paper strip, I knew that this one stands a chance.

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On paper, Libre Le Parfum is an airy amber fragrance. I get the fruity mandarin, but not so much the ginger, which is supposed to be a top note. I do not get the lavender either. On paper, Libre Le Parfum is light, fresh and what I would call a mildly fruity fragrance. After dry down, the scent hasn't changed all that much, so I'm curious how it will perform on skin.

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On skin, I get a fresh and juicy bergamot and soon a sweetness of honey appears too. A slight spiciness from the ginger. Libre Le Parfum is quite different on skin than it was on paper. 
The fragrance remains mostly the same after dry down, a lightly spicy and warm fragrance.

After complete oxidation, Libre Le Parfum is still very light an airy, it never becomes a deep and rich fragrance. I wouldn't call it soapy, but it has the same light and airy quality as soap fragrances do. Due to the citrusy opening and this lightness that the fragrance has throughout, this is a perfect early spring and autumn fragrance. I wouldn't necessarily find it suitable for winter, it is just too light.

Unfortunately, Libre Le Parfum isn't as deep and spicy as I would have liked it to be, but fortunately I do like it as a transitional fragrance for the seasons. I am so pleased with that, because for a good bargain, I would actually buy and wear this from time to time and FINALLY have this beauty of a bottle in my collection. 

Mile High 38 by Parle Moi de Parfum

Before going to Warsaw, I knew who had Lamar by Kajal in stock. I have heard nothing but praise about it and the quality of the pineapple note too, so I just had to try it.

I did, and believe me, it is not overrated.

I tried Lamar and whilst praising the pineapple note, the kind staff from Perfumeria Impressium had me trying all of their pineapple scents, one of them being Mile High 38 by Parle Moi de Parfum.

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A burst of pineapple at first spray, but to my surprise, there is some other note too. On paper the opening note is a pure juicy pineapple, but on skin, a green note dominates the fruity companion. Immortelle and a dirty patchouli.

Straight from the bottle I was expecting a juicy cocktail almost too sweet for my 30 plus years, but on my skin, Mile High 38 is nothing juvenile, but a mystically rich fragrance. 

After dry down, Mile High 38 is a patchouli fragrance, nothing else. Beautiful, but too similar to Nouveau Genre by Yves Rocher.

Hours in, my nose alludes me to Nouveau Genre and nothing else, a sweet patchouli.

Pleasant, but not memorable. Yet again, Lamar makes the other pineapple scents run for their money.

La Nuit de L'Homme Bleu Électrique by Yves Saint Laurent

Lately, I have been advising many men in fragrances, unfortunately, it isn't men with an interest in fragrances, but those who just search for "a good fragrance". To each their own, but it hurts my soul when I sell the umpteenth Acqua di Gio, Code or Boss Bottled, once in a while Chanel Blue... I understand, to the general male, those fragrances are good and good enough, but to a scent obsessed person like myself I scream inside that there are SO many other fragrances to try!

Now, my options are small too, the most 'exotic' choice my customers have is Oud Wood by Tom Ford. 
In short, I have the regular Boss fragrances, Montblanc, Calvin Klein, Armani (no Prive), Paco Rabanne and so on and so forth, at hand, so when I smelled La Nuit de L'Homme Bleu Électrique by Yves Saint Laurent for the first time, it was as if I had woken up from a slumberous haze.

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Spicy, warm, seductive, DIFFERENT (from the other options on the shelves), I tell you that every time a guy says "I like a little spice, something different than X, Y and Z" I reach for Bleu. However, my success in convincing them is very low, usually they end up buying their classic, One Million...

So, if not them, than me! Bleu Électrique is so memorable and just calls my name every time I pass it that I chose to get a sample for myself. And I really hope my boyfriend loves it too, so he can wear it!

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As I only know it from a paper strip, let's start there.
Now, you know my stance on designer fragrances and Bleu has the same DNA, BUT the warm aromatic spiciness is to die for. It is somehow so masculine and not for the faint of heart, but at the same time very unisex. It's sweet too, I absolutely adore it.

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On my skin, the sweet cardamom is much more prominent and definable. I get a hint, a teeny tiny one, of marzipan too. So faint that it's almost more of an almondy note. After dry down, it reminds me of some fragrance that I cannot for the life of me pinpoint which, but it is a niche one.

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After complete oxidation, I get a hint of play doe. I must say that my enthusiasm has dwindled. Bleu is still good, but I've gotten a slight headache from it. It's very powerful and I have to give this one a couple of goes before I make my full opinion.

Rahaba by Anfas Perfumes

When at Sense Dubai, I was like a kid in a candy store. The talented Nina found my dream perfume, Taj, but I also tried so many other fragrances that made me fall head over heels in love with Dubai fragrances.

After my third (!!!) visit there, on my trip to Warsaw, I got a sample of Rahaba too. Yet another pineapple fragrance on my quest to find the perfect one (even though I think Lamar by Kajal is thee peak pineapple fragrance). 

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Bear in mind that in Warsaw it was hot and the oriental fragrances were in their right element. I had to try this fragrance a couple of times before making my opinion and I have to say that in the Danish summer, which isn't as hot as the Polish ones, the fragrances do not unfold like they rightfully should.

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Now to the review.

Just after taking the cap off my sample decanter, I can already smell the fruity, sweet, vanilla that is Rahaba.

Sweet, syrupy yet elusive pineapple, Rahaba opens very sticky, but with a charm. Powderiness from the orris, but surprisingly no rose, even though it has both damask and Grasse. On paper, Rahaba is a powdery sweet fragrance.

On skin, the opening notes are surprisingly without any trace of pineapple. This will sound insulting, but the fragrance has a very Zara perfume vibe - powdery sweet with that signature Zara baseline. Rahaba, when sniffed from the decanter, is fruity and fresh, more so than Taj, but on skin, I get orris and heavy sweetness.

I get a slight hint of gin, but it is handsomely decorated with sappy sweetness that is on the verge of giving me a headache.

After dry down, Rahaba is quite disappointing, unfortunately, the scent seemed promising, but luckily, I won't have to choose between this and Taj. No questions asked, Taj is still thee fragrance.