Smoetn

Since there was no comment on this fragrance for a long time, I thought I breathe this fragrance times again a little new life, because he has definitely deserved.

To preface it - Halfeti by Penhaligon is a very special fragrance. Classically, you would probably describe him as a rose oud fragrance, but Halfeti can do so much more. Originating from the Halfeti district in the province of Şanlıurfa in southeastern Turkey on the banks of the Euphrates River, Penhaligon drew inspiration here from the abundant goods that Britain traded with Turkey. There are said to be roses here, so dark and mysterious with an intense crimson hue that they appear black.

Thus Halfeti belongs also consequently to the "Trade Routes Collection". Here Penhaligon tries through five different fragrances the Riecheden back to the time when London was booming and quickly became the trading capital of the world and was one of the largest ports in the world with a fleet of polished mahogany ships stacked with fine fabrics and rare, exotic foods. Halfeti is the fifth and final throw of this fragrance house on this occasion. And what can I say, I personally think this one has succeeded beautifully.

To the fragrance

Halfeti starts explosively with all kinds of fragrances, so that you could really think you're in the middle of a fully loaded ship full of herbs and all kinds of exotic goods. It's difficult to discern clear scents here, but I'll try anyway: the scent starts slightly fresh, but at the same time herbaceous and tart. Certainly due to the mountain moth in combination with the mugwort. At the same time, you can perceive something "green", for me still most straw, as strange as it may sound. In the heart note, which starts relatively quickly, it gets really difficult. Certainly floral (the above-mentioned rose), slightly spicy and bitter (cumin) as well as some sweetness (cinnamon). Where I really can not smell the individual fragrances in detail, but rather in the total amount guess. Over time, the oud then comes more and more to the fore and pairs with pleasant woody scents.

So the fragrance then remains for the next 7 to 8 hours on the skin. The sillage is strong, but not too strong and the bottle comes fine "gentleman-like" with a light green bow tie therefore.

For me, Halfeti is a fragrance that is very dense and can score with a variety of fragrance notes at the same time. Yet, despite the rose, it is an epitome of masculinity. The scent is labeled as a unisex fragrance, but to me, it's clearly a men's scent. Imagine the captain and his men on said ships, sitting together in the midst of their cargo, planning the route and smoking cigars. That's why I think the target group is over 30 and the seasons are winter and autumn. Incidentally, I think that Europeans in particular, not just people from the Orient, can wear this fragrance. Finally, the fragrances came yes on Turkey to England to be used there.

So who wants to be transported back in time, can imagine on a big ship together with his crew on deck to transport these great smells over the sea and at the same time masculine, complex and sensual smell, I recommend once Halfeti try. Certainly not a bargain, but it is worth trying out. From me a clear "full speed ahead, Captain!"

Normally I don't like to write comments about very well-known fragrances, because I usually think that I can't contribute too much to the understanding of a fragrance. And what was not all written about Tobacco Vanilla...; which in and of itself does not seem surprising, he is but one of the most popular Tom Ford fragrances (next to Tuscan Leather, Oud Wood et al.).

But I have the feeling that in the comments so far too little on an aspect has been addressed, which I now want to pick up. But first, a little (pre)history.

Tobacco Vanilla has me actually only really catapulted into the "perfume game". Everything began with the fact that I still tried as a relative fragrance novice, different fragrances. Just like that...without thinking about anything...just to pass the time or because I needed a new scent... And then it happened; I sprayed on TV and it was all over me. I had never smelled anything like it! Such a bombastic power, such an intense fragrance had not yet come across me. For some this might be too much, e.g. for my wife, who turned up her nose in disgust. But for me it was clear - this is my fragrance, I must have it. However, I was put off by the price. So I agreed with my wife a compromise - if I still like the fragrance until my birthday (and she has become accustomed to the fragrance until then), she gives me him for my birthday.

Weeks and months went by and every time in stopped by the perfumery, I sprayed on the scent. It was as good as before (so there I stood now, poor fool).

Then I became aware of Parfumo through my brother; this then also got me a filling of TV in the souk. And so slowly I come to the pudel's core. Full of anticipation, I sprayed on the bottling and....nothing! It can't be! Two more sprays. Minimal scent. I went to my wife and asked. She also smelled it very faintly. Well, maybe we have now just too accustomed to the scent (my wife found him acceptable to good in the meantime).

Ok, at the next opportunity I wanted to ask the Gretchenfrage (no idea by the way, why I write here so many fist references ?) at a party and ask how the fragrance is received. If the response was positive, my decision regarding my birthday present should be final. No sooner said than done. At the party I asked a friend what he thought of the scent I had sprayed on him an hour ago. Which fragrance? He literally hung his nose on my neck, but assured me he didn't smell anything at all. What a disappointment...

Still, the scent wouldn't let me go and I wanted it badly. In the meantime, I stamped the filling also as "fake", I could not explain it to me otherwise also at all.

There he came now my birthday and with him Tobacco Vanilla. Sprayed again...waited...and...well. I will not say that I was disappointed, because I was prepared by the filling for the worst, so I have me but secretly hoped for more; namely on the experience of that time in the perfumery.

Now again some time has moved into the country and I can now look at the fragrance with some distance. The sillage is unfortunately really not worth mentioning, far from my first meeting with the fragrance. But also not quite as bad as the bottling. In the meantime, of course, I did a lot of research and the well-known Youtube greats seem to agree that the fragrance has been reformulated. This I can only confirm from my experience described above.

The fragrance is still the hammer and one of my favorite fragrances! Who likes gourmandig-sweet fragrance, will love this. The fragrance I must describe here also not at all closer, this was done by others here already extensively and very well. However, I can't get rid of the feeling that the fragrance is only a shadow of its former self. You can literally feel how it could perform stronger, but is held back by something. It just lacks that rich, full, powerful power that you would somehow automatically attribute to this fragrance. This is a great shame, as it also means something of the fragrance itself is missing, which made me reduce my rating from a 10 to a 9. As I said, the fragrance DNA is still top notch, but the sillage unfortunately has to be classified as poor. The durability, however, is good to very good, partly I perceive the fragrance even the next morning on my skin.

So what is my conclusion? Overall, still a very nice fragrance, but I wanted to draw attention with my comment mainly on the performance, speak Sillage, to avoid unpleasant surprises for one or the other. Those who love the fragrance DNA (as I do) may consider snapping this up, but should be aware of my comment. For everyone else, there are certainly better alternatives at this price that Tom Ford calls off.

Rasasi - a fragrance house that appeals to me very much and through various comments I was spurred on to just order two fragrances blind. On the one hand, this was Al Wisam (with my favorite fragrance DNA of Silver Mountain Water) and just the present Qasamat Bareeq. Rasasi is said to be known for copying well-known fragrances, similar to Armaf. Rasasi, which also comes from the UAE, still interprets these scents in a slightly different way and modifies them slightly. Just Armaf with a twist...

Qasamat Bareeq belongs here to the middle price range (with about 40 euros for 65ml) from the house and forms together with Qasamat Ebhar, Qasamat Rasana and Qasamat Morhaf just that Qasamat family. Each fragrance imitates a well-known fragrance DNA: Ebhar - Oud Satin Mood, Rasana - Aventus (optionally Hacivat), Morhaf - Rose d'Arabie by Armani Prive and Baccarat Rouge 540 for Qasamat Bareeq. It should be noted that almost all of these fragrances here on Parfumo are either in the upper 8-figure range or even above 9 (with quite few reviews, which speaks to the relative unfamiliarity of the fragrance house).

But now to the actual fragrance: Yes, immediately after spraying on, a not to be denied similarity to Baccarat is perceived, although I know the 540 only cursorily. I refer here to my more detailed experience with Cloud by Ariana Grande (which comes across a little less "medicinal" and really just smells like cotton candy). Immediately afterwards, however, this impression dissipates and a fruity note emerges; this takes some getting used to at first and is even slightly off-putting. In the heart note, the floral notes come more to the fore and a little more sweetness is perceptible. This will probably be due to the caramel, which is listed as a fragrance note. Here it also becomes more similar to Baccarat Rouge 540. Towards the end, the scent becomes fresher and woodier, with vetiver and cedar. Still a little later, he also gets a slight powderiness.

But this big question is now whether the current rating of 9.4 with ten reviews is justified (although this is of course always subjective). Is say - not quite. I give the fragrance a 8.5 and is thus definitely very good, just for a blind buy; but I'm also quite honest, a certain disappointment also spreads, especially since the other reviews here were hoping for even more. Nevertheless, I am fond of the fragrance and will certainly try again sometime one or the other fragrance from the house.

Sillage and durability are very good, which was to be expected from such a fragrance but also. Especially at first, the sillage is room-filling (but not quite as strong as the biggest sillage monster ever: Into the Void by Juliette has a Gun).

The bottle is very pretty to look at, by the way, and also looks quite valuable (quite unlike the bottle of Al Wisam, which crunches with plastic only so).

The fragrance you can (s) certainly wear all year round, although he might be a little too heavy for the summer. He is already a unisex fragrance, where he tends slightly into the feminine, which is not to say that men can not definitively also wear it (which I will certainly do). Age-technically also by almost everyone to wear, just by younger (compare Cloud by Ariana Grande).

Overall, therefore, a very nice, round fragrance (which can be repulsive in the top note, however), which indeed reminds of Baccarat Rouge 540, but does not copy him 1:1.

Very nice scent, which actually reminds of a rainy forest floor. The scent reminds me of something from the past. It could be Sumatra Rain by Axe (deodorant of my youth 20 years ago), but I can not be sure here. Unfortunately, the sillage is not particularly, so rather a fragrance for one to relax

First of all - this is my first comment. But after I am now a few months here on Parfumo on the road and have read many great comments, I thought it time to write a comment myself and thus to honor a fragrance that has done it to me.

It all started with my usual hunt (when Corona still allowed it) for new scents from my watch list. When I was through, however, I still had room for one scent on my arm. I took heart and reached for my first Xerjoff in a great blue bottle. Rather skeptical at first, I found the scent got better and better as time went on. When I was at home, I researched the price. Oh, no thanks.

The next day, however, the fragrance did not let me go and looked here times for Dufttzwillingen. I found - Silver Mountain Water. Hm ok, on the watch list and tried at the next opportunity. Oh yes, very similar and also very very nice. But the durability was subterranean, after 3 hours only very faintly perceptible, after 4 hours completely gone. And for that such a price? Also, no thanks.

Next fragrance twin - Armaf Sillage. Test? Can not, there are hardly in perfumeries. Price? Oh, 50 euros for 105ml. Well, if it smells like SMW and Mefisto, then I can't go wrong.

No sooner said than done (ordered).

So today it arrived and what can I say? I am thrilled. Really very similar to both fragrances. Mefisto is for me a little more plastic and SMW a little less fresh in the opening as Sillage. Initially I even find Armaf a bit bitingly fresh in the opening, but after 20 minutes this subsides and this floral freshness kicks in (iris for sure). In fact, I imagine seeing a river somewhere in the mountains, inhaling that freshness and noticing the flowers growing along the banks as well. A slightly herbaceous, tart freshness is also present, which bothers me a little, but can only be perceived if you take a deep puff with your nose directly from the skin.

Of course, the fragrance is not quite as refined and delicate as the original, but I gladly forgive that for the price. ZUMAL the durability is better by SOMETHING. Certainly not a performance monster, but respectable for a freshener. Creed should be ashamed!

I could see this fragrance being my new signature scent, although I own much more expensive fragrances. But with its floral freshness, it fits easily in 3 seasons (although winter would also be feasible) and for almost any occasion. He acts young, dynamic, but also noble and stylish, so that the fragrance can be worn by almost anyone.

Sure, it is a clone. Who that bothers, may not access here. But if the original calls up such prices and performs so miserably, you can not be surprised if people do not tolerate this further and look for alternatives.
Who this does not bother, finds with Armafs Sillage just this alternative, and at a price-performance ratio, which is unparalleled