Déjà vu describes the strange experience of a situation feeling much more familiar than it should be. Sometimes you feel like you've been in a case before while doing, watching, or listening to something. You visit a place for the first time in your life and suddenly feel you've been there. It's like a movie that goes fast forward. You already know what will happen or what your interlocutor will say a few seconds later. The feeling is so strong and so connected to this moment that you know it shouldn't be as overwhelming as it is. Nevertheless, the sentiment is overwhelming; it disappears just as quickly as it came on.
Assuming that Rehlat means Journey, what déjà vu has got to do with this scent? Keep on reading. When I first sprayed the smell, I was transported back about thirty years as soon as the essence cloud reached my nostrils. A flashback of a perfume I wore in the early nineties. I'm talking about
IL Eau de Toilette. I know it is a fake déjà vu since I have smelt it before. However, while smelling Rehlat, my mind experienced the same feeling I had when I smelled Lancetti IL, for the first time. Besides, the same intense red colour of the bottle, and the same arrangement of fragrance notes. Naturally, Rehlat presents a more modern formula, but the accord resulting from the juxtaposition of some notes in both makes them resemble each other.
Hence, let's dive deep into this Arabian jewel. Rehlat unfurls with tons of aromatic, balmy, and spicy facets. The bluish lavender shows everything: the flower, the leaves, and the stem. It is sweet, hay-like, and aromatic at the same time. It juxtaposed this cool and fragrant facet with a more sweet thing, and I don't know if it is the saffron aroma. That cool-sweet accord makes me relate Lattafa Rehlat to Lancetti Il. Right off the bat, I find the fragrance friendly, elegant, polite, and far from the roughly opulent Middle Eastern colognes and attars. I smell a minty smell amidst all this clamour, almost certainly from the soothing lavender. The first ten minutes could be confusing, as it needs time to settle into the skin.
When the initial blast tones down, the central accord of white florals, roses, and green foliage rises and grows. I get an overdose of sweet pristine jasmine, cheeky, insolent, which pairs with the sensuality of a splash of tuberose and a dash of dewy rose. The bouquet lay on a minty and balmy lavender carpet, which moves in the back and upholds the floral accord. This aroma is impressive because of its leafy and floral heart since roses and geraniums are not frequently used this way. Nevertheless, I mainly experience sweet and indolic jasmine in the middle, which would please all the jasmine admirers.
In the base, I keep patchouli, slightly earthy and sweetish, and lots of musk with a deep undertow of oud. The result is a musky Damask rose, full of sweetness but not jammy or cloying. A semi-sweet and salty amber completes this generous concoction. The oud is smooth and soft, as I've checked many other Lattafa colognes. It adds thickness and depth to the scent without making it too dirty or medicinal. And an oud with such a sweet and graceful undertone as in Rehlat I have never experienced before.
Last, Rehlat is a distinctive fragrance we don't smell everywhere, a high-quality formula that gives a long-lasting scent and provides a touch of confidence and freshness. The ideal choice for all occasions, casual and elegant, it is perfect for a night out, a date night, a dinner, or a social event. Excellent projection; I catch it even after several hours, and above average longevity. Despite the coolness, I would avoid wearing it in hot weather, as the sweetness that cuts through the icy winter wind could become a nauseating and obnoxious madness in the scorching heat of summer. Assuming that I don't associate perfume with a genre, Rehlat is neutral, fresh, musky, flowery, and sweet without leaning to one side. Whichever gender you are, no one would think you are wearing perfume targeted at another gender. It depends on your taste; a man might say that the sweet floral component is more feminine, and a woman might say that the fresh musky element is more masculine. I don't prefer the sweet and gourmand kind; however, the jasmine sweetness of this perfume is sublime.
I base my experience and opinion on a bottle I've owned since December 2022 (BC M03-220400374, PD 04.2022).
-Elysium
Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
Maxelis
Elysium
