Mutamayez translates as "something special" in Arabic. And indeed, this perfume is "somewhat different". It is special in a bad way because I always got nauseated by this fragrance opening. It is special in a good way because I have always felt comfortably pleasured with the fragrance drydown.
Due to its scent and origin, this fragrance could be considered oriental, at least by its birthplace. In reality, we are dealing with a woody fragrance that could be made by a western designer as well.
This fragrance clearly has 4 distinct phases:
- After a generous spritz from the very good spray, you get a blast of alcohol along with a strong, ripe semi-sweet candied orange. The scent is just too "Tang Orange" for my taste. The aroma gets even weirder with a coniferous and clove touch. That accord doesn't really combine with the candied orange synthetic note.
- The alcohol disappears within 20 seconds, fully revealing the mentioned notes. Emerging spicy and woody notes are also noticeable now. Definitely, my sinus doesn't like the mixture of orange with pine or clove. The clove note becomes too intense, but on a pair with pleasant cardamom, cashmere and cedar notes. Fortunately, the clove accord doesn't last too long. The woody notes last until the third phase.
- With the arrival of the bottom notes, you feel a skirmish commanded by strong vetiver trying to dominate the atmosphere supported by animalistic musk. It seems that the scent development has no clear plan to follow. Other newcomers - oud and amber - are more peaceful and waiting for their very important dominant role in the perfume theatre stage.
- After the initial half-hour, the truce is declared and the very well behaved oud and sweet amber begin their pleasant journey of dryness. At this stage, if you had sprayed one hand with
Mutamayez and the other with "M7 (Eau de Toilette) | Yves Saint Laurent", you would only notice a slight difference between the two hands. Finally, we get the lovely smell we were hoping for. It lasts for over 8 hours with 3 great sprays and has average sillage.
My classifications for
Mutamayez:
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Scent Opening: 4.0 (awkward opening with candied orange and a coniferous touch; I don't like it)
Dry Down Scent: 9.0 (very pleasant woody base drying with oud and sweet amber)
Longevity: 8.0 (8 hours with three sprays)
Sillage: 7.5 (up to 5~6 feet at its peak with 3 sprays; average projection for 1.5 hours)
Uniqueness: 9.0 (quite unique to me, even if not in a good way; It becomes similar to M7 during drought)
Wearability: 8.0 (it leans more towards daylight during winter, spring and autumn, although I consider it perfectly safe to use it at night as well. Cool summer nights are also suitable for this fragrance)
Versatility: 8.0 (the fragrance is a safe one for leisure and work situations. I consider it unisex)
Compliments: 6.5 (you will get a few compliments but only during the drydown)
Quality: 8.0 (sturdy flask; ingredients quality is ok, or even better than average; only the blending design is under average)
Presentation: 6.0 (acceptable but I don't like the bottle flashy yellow colour)
Price: 9.5 (100 ml non-tasting for 18 Euro + shipping)
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Overall Rating: 7.59 / 10.0
- between 7 and 8 = more than average;
- between 8 and 9 = recommended;
- greater than 9 = do not miss;
My opinions:
- I recommend this fragrance only for collectors because of its M7 similarity during the dryness. As with any other oriental oud perfume, I also recommend you try it before you buy it. As far as I am concerned, I don't like to use it at any time. I don't seem to be able to forget the awkward opening.
- Just for M7 enthusiasts: It does not smell like an M7 xerox copy in the drydown, but is close by. But for the price, you might as well try it.
Music: Gipsy Kings - "Djobi, Djoba" (I never understood if I love or hate this song)