A mix of Frapin 1270, Dior Homme and L'instant de Guerlain ! AMAZING ! (Arabian version) - Page 3

This stuff is a 24 Gold Clone! Warning: If you do not like 24 Gold, do not get this. If you do, rock on!

This stuff is a 24 Gold Clone! Warning: If you do not like 24 Gold, do not get this. If you do, rock on!

Tried this! This is a 24 Gold clone! Projection and Longevity.

Argh, I'm so sad I don't get to smell this until I get back home in April!

Nah don't worry, I'll just wait :-)

Is there someone here who can send me a small tiny sample so that I can try it out? Let me know!
Thanks in advance.

Received my bottle today and first and foremost Id like to give incOgnito a huge thank you for giving us a heads up on this one! WOW! That was the first thing that came out of mine and my girlfriends mouth when I sprayed this. This stuff is really amazing. Fans of Dior Leather Oud are going to love this. To me the opening smells similar to Leather Oud with out the leather note in it and the smoky Oudh turned down just a notch. I get the reference to 1270 by Frapin and SDV by Guerlain but not Dior Homme or L'instant. I also get a resemblance to Halston Man Amber here in the way the Oudh note is handled, more of the "Bakhoor" incense Oudh wood chips, than the barnyard skankiness, hence the name "Raghba Arabic Bakhoor".

This is definitely a sweet fragrance made with quality ingredients. The main notes are vanilla, brown liquor (hard to tell which, is it whiskey? rum? cognac? brandy?), burnt sugar, smoky oudh, and a little spice thrown in. Longevity and projection are well above average for me, going on for 8+ hrs. now. It fills a large hole in my wardrobe as I didnt really have any sweet smoky scents and this one does the job wonderfully. Thanks again incOgnito, great find!

PS I also ordered another frag from this vendor called Oudh Al Abiyad by Rasasi which is a floral, woody, musky oudh based frag that I havent tried yet but Ill keep everyone posted once I give it a go.

Double post

if you own 24 gold should you buy this? going to get on the hype train again me thinks

Same thing! IMO no! Not to say that this is not a good frag. But, it would be like buying another 24 Gold IMO.

Oh oh. I already have 24 Gold and I ordered it. May be putting it up for sale.

Anyone in the uk could do me a sample?

Frag arrived for me today, and it did resemble Frapin 1270 to me however much; though different as well.

Today, my Dad smelled Riverside Drive, Raghba and maybe Red Vetyver, with perhaps him liking Raghba the best, heh.

I do like it, a sweet heavier scent with a booze kind of smell. There seems to be something/some things else in it that .. don't smell western? Perhaps something more native to middle-eastern perfumery?

Overall, I like it thus far. And was only $27.99 to boot (got in before the price hike ).

Edit: So, I compared the bottle with my 1270 bottle, and man, they are.. really similar.
Was this an attempt as an imitation/clone of 1270? They smell kind of similar, but different as well; but comparing the glass bottles.. really similar, even where the glass was... 'fused' together at?

I received mine today. Had it on for about half an hour. I don't have any of the other designer fragrances mentioned in this thread, so I can't compare. Furthermore, my nose is lousy at picking up notes. All I can say is it is very dry, very woody and very smoky. Kind of like the best smelling bbq you could imagine.

Further thoughts later.

Alright, so I got mine two nights ago, and gave it a quick limited testing before bed that night on one arm, and gave it a full wearing today.

So here goes...

Right off the bat in the opening, it honestly reminded me of essentially straight vanilla. I think the "boozy" quality comes from the fact that it smells boozy in the same way that straight vanilla extract would smell boozy (as the real stuff is something like 50 proof or something like that). To me, honestly, the opening on this one seems like it would be comparable to just going down to your local market, buying a bottle of vanilla extract, putting it in an atomizer, and spraying it on.

I personally found it to be a cheap smelling vanilla over a one that I would define as rich/smooth. There's some other stuff playing around subtly, but it's hard to pick up exactly what at first, as the vanilla is more of a candy/extract sort of vanilla and dominates the fragrance as it's working as the star vs. a supporting role. I wouldn't say that I find the vanilla in this one rich as much as I find it punchy.

After a while, we do get the musk coming out, and a little bit more of the rest of what it's blended with, though I wouldn't define it as really "musky" as the vanilla maintains its prominence.

Honestly, I don't find it very complex or rich, and except for when the musky-ish spice announces its presence, is fairly linear, but that aside, I really don't find it bad either. The comparisons of 1270, SDV, DHI, LIDGE are lost on me, as I don't find it similar to any of those at all, and I've never smelled 24 Gold, so I can't comment on that.

If I was given the choice again, I don't think I would buy it, but I'm not displeased to own it. It didn't cost much, and I do appreciate that the OP recommended it, as the price really was a bargain, and I can see myself wearing it every now and again.

In short I would put it like this. My preference is steak and sushi. Given the option and budget (which I don't have ) I would eat those with some frequency. However, there are times when I just feel like grabbing a burger from McDonalds, and am quite happy to eat there, and enjoy what I eat when I do go there. I would never compare a Big Mac to a Kobe steak, but can enjoy both when the mood strikes me. I don't find Raghba more than just a decent cheapie. Pleasant, but not groundbreaking for me personally. To me it smells cheap but it has pleasant qualities as well, and I'm satisfied with it over all, though can't honestly say I'd recommend it.

Longevity is pretty good, and I can't comment for sillage except for that I received positive feedback on it, but that was only about 20 minutes after application, so I can't really use that to gauge anything.

Thanks to the OP for giving me the heads up on this. Who knows, after subsequent wearings, maybe I'll come to enjoy it more, as I know that's happened to me with other frags in the past.

its a frapin 1270 clone what do you want to hear more

It's shipped today to you!

Anyone care to swap me for something, I don't want this.

Honestly, IMO I don't find it similar to any Frapin I've smelled. And I've smelled them all, and own 1270.

I got a bottle of boss orange splash i found today in an apartment, think its either 60 or 100ml. ill check in a bit.

Thank you so much Georgio!

As soon as I receive the sample that Georgio sent me I'll be testing it, and I'll let you guys know what I think of it. Since I'm aware of how every fragrance that this one is compared to smells like I can't even wait to try it out!

Just got my bottle of this.

The bottle itself isn't half bad, with a "slight" influence from Frapin, I have to say. Hehe.

Raghba stays classy by having some letters on my flask been obscured / have scratched away, but hey, it's 20 usd so who cares.

About the fragrance itself, I sprayed it on my hand five minutes ago, and per now I'm getting a sort of subdued vanilla, caramel, some warmth that's probably amber or honey-notes and a tiny bit of spice. It's actually pretty nice, I have to say. Not strong on me (but my skin is eating fragrance like fat kids eat lesser kids) so I can't comment too much on silage / projection.

It does not - as I'd imagine - smell "cheap". I can't quite put to words what I define "cheap" as, but it sure as hell isn't this.

I can see the DHI-comparison, and probably also the drydown of LIDGE right now. I can't comment much on the 1270-reference, seeing as I for some absurd reason haven't had a chance to sample it yet.

For now - I'm amazed over what 20 usd has bought me, which is 100 ml of something that smells pretty damn decent and could at least cost 50 usd easily. I'll report back after a couple of hours more to get a feel for the drydown.

Could anyone in the UK possibly decant 1ml for me? More than happy to pay shipping. Want to try this but as I already own 24 Gold, not sure I want to pull the trigger on a full bottle.

Okay, so I recieved my sample two days ago, from the very kind Mr. Geo! Thank you so much for that. I'm not the best when it comes to writing in English, but I'll try my best.

First of all, I would like to make something very clear. This fragrance does to me not smell like either one of the fragrances it has been compared to (exept from 24 Gold which I haven't smelled yet, could someone provide me with a sample? )
Second of all, I freakin' love this juice!

So right of the bat I get this sweet punch-in-the-face of vanilla. Not the creamy type of vanilla, this vanilla is boozy and dusty, in a good way. I sometimes get the impression of a much more vanillic Bvlgari Black dry down. Kind of like a faint rubber tire soaked in vanilla. Maybe that's the incense I'm smelling? And sometimes I get the impression of the honey note from Ambre Narguile, which I love and own a full bottle of. At this stage I'm about 30 minutes in, and it's projecting beautifully.

To be honest, this fragrance gets a bit boring as time progresses, due to it's linearity. It does change, but not much. And when it does change, it changes into something flat and less interesting than what the opening gave me. After 2-3 hours, the impression of a more vanillic Bvlgari Black and Ambre Narguile fades quickly, giving alot of space to the musk. At this stage, it's all vanilla and musk. And it stays that way for the rest of Raghbas duration

Longevity:
I got at least 7 hours every time.

Projection:
Projects really good for 3-4 hours until it dies down to a skin scent. Massive sillage btw!

Final words:
It's not that it doesn't smell good, cause it does. I just wished the opening lasted a bit longer than it did, since the rest isn't as good. But I can't complain, not at all. The fact that it's a pretty damn cheap fragrance and that it smells wonderful from start to finish without having problems with either projection and longevity is amazing. I'm giving this juice a 9 out of 10.

+2..

I too get this smokey, dusty vanilla from it - mixed with something I'm tempted to call "arabic" without really knowing what I'm referring to.

I did get about eight hours longevity out of it, but I can't really comment on sillage yet.

Is this fragrance for me? Probably not. It's a tad too rich vanilla-wise and that's something I really can't deal well with. It's still not a bad fragrance though, but to me it has that unmistakable "arabic" vibe I don't even get from Amouage. Weirdness ...

It does quite in fact smell "middle eastern" to me as well. But definitely not to the point where I can't wear it. I don't really like fragrances that delivers the "arabic" or "middle eastern" feel. I don't mind that with this one since the vanilla/honey combo is in the forefront.

- - - Updated - - -

Any updates, guys?

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I can't believe it.. my view of this fragrance has changed a a lot since I wrote the review.
The only thing good about this juice is the very 40 seconds or so, when the honey/vanilla combo is golden sweet and sparkling. After that, it's honey (yeah just honey, no vanilla) oud accord, a dash of dry incense and dark musk.
The "middle eastern" that I didin't get before is all over the place now... And since I am from a middle eastern country myself I can't really complain about the "middle eastern" smell, but I can see how it would be annoying to someone else since it's obviously there.

I won't be buying a bottle since incense, musk and oud isn't my thing. I can deal with musks if it's used in extremely small doses. Unfortunately, that isn't the case with Raghba.

I gave it a 9 out of 10 just a few days ago. I'm currently giving it a 4 out of 10.

Any updates on this guys?

Received mine and I discovered I already have the same juice in 24 Gold. It is great but I already own it and will put it up for sale.

I'm gonna sell mine too, or swap if some one is interested

Guess this one got hyped up too quickly for its own good.

It was a nice social experiment.

Mine arrived about a week ago and I'm happy with it. I wasn't expecting fireworks but for the price I'm very pleased. It is sweet and it has a very light oud note to it, I do get the 'boozy' opening and it's quite enjoyable. It becomes vanilla-y after a while. To sum it up:

- a boozy opening, something similar to sniffing a decent brandy, it's warming.
- very light oud humming away which makes things interesting.
- turns to quite sweet vanilla after a while

Overall it's very pleasant and for the price it's good. The only person who sniffed me seemed to like it. I think it's great for the cold weather.

I haven't smelled Frapin's offerings but I don't get any real similarities to DH or LIDG. I do think that it's a good frag for the price and I'm pleased with the purchase. My thanks to the OP for the recommendation.

Back at home for the weekend and managed to take a sniff of this...

I don't get what the whole backlash is about, it smells very much like 24 gold, only smoother (there's a harsh medicinal note that I sense in 24 gold that's kind of more in the background in this one). Plus it's cheaper and probably better presented (the box is pretty bonkers). The only downside is that it lasts slightly shorter and projects slightly less than 24 gold, but sometimes that's a good thing. Overall, pretty happy that I did purchase it.

EDIT: Also did a comparison with my L'Humaniste bottle... Exactly the same (except for the cap)

I just received this today and thought I would chime in. I think some here should revist this scent. I initially get a sweet(not too sweet) vanilla which quickly intertwines with an ever so slightly medicinal leather accord with mixed berries, especially blackberry. No, its not like the sharp TF Tuscan Leather type vibe, this is more to the lush side. As its moving along i get a tiny hint of apple in the blackberry and the vanilla takes on a hint of smoke, like the sugar in the vanilla is caramelizing. I get a little spice in the background as well.

I think this is a nice scent. I'm only 3 hours in with a couple sprays to the back of the hand; left my hand shiney where i sprayed it. I would only be speculating on thoughts of projecton, silage, longevity at this point. It Keeps me sniffing and sniffing. I'm enjoying it. I've spent more on scents I don't like as much and not nearly as smooth as Raghba.

I certainly don't get LIDGE, or DH in this. As for the powder others previously mentioned in this, I feel it is more in line with D&G The One/Vera wang/ or womens vintage Obsession kinda feel. Ill ad it leans masculine. Bottle is killer, sprayer is excellent, package is pretty. I find its well worth the asking price. Thank you to OP who recommended giving it a try.

Update: 5 hours in, it has became predominant with the berry accord. I find the vanilla and leather have taken a back seat along with the spice. I feel this mid/base point is now showing this can be a unisex scent with the sugary blackberry. I'm now seeing where other reviewers are saying the scent gets sweet, as it does. I like sweet scents, so this is fine for me. So far, so good. Wish the title of the original post could include the actual name of the scent so others might be more inclined to comment about there impressions in the thread.

Can I get a sample from someone? I have some samples of a number of fragrances that I can swap in exchange. Someone pm me and let me know. In fact, there's a fragrance that this sounds a lot like. It's an oil called "Golden Sand" by Suratti. I'm thinking the two smell similar. I really like the Golden Sand tho, and have gotten quite a few compliments from it.

Would really love a sample of golden sand.

I just got my bottle of this in the other day. I have to say for the price this is a quality fragrance. Definitely get the boozy vanilla from DHI, great project and sillage and lasts all day. Can't complain for $25 !

i have ordered a bottle of this juice and when i get it will be happy to get some samples to my uk brothers
Nen & Randall

Much appreciated Pieman!!

Generally agree with the positive comments on here. I'd be a little worried if it was the only fragrance I owned, but as one of many, it is certainly different to the others I have, and well worth it for when you feel like something completely different.

Now I have my Arabian perfume, I just need a harem.

I got my bottle yesterday and its a sweet smoky vanilla fragrance, similar to DHI imo, quite linnear but last for ages on my skin and thats good because my body chem sucks up fragrances. I love it but my wife hates it! So I guess im going to have to try and get rid of it either sell or swap.. message me and see what we can arrange.

Just an update as well, as I received mine to see what the hub bub was about.

I honestly don't see much resemblance to DHI or LIDGE, it very faintly resembles Frapin 1270, but I have to wonder if its a psychological scent due to the bottle.

As others have mentioned, the strongest resemblance is to 24 Gold. Very strong vanilla and honey throughout, definitely for those who favor sweeter fragrances once the initial "booze" wears off which I don't really think is a boozy note, but rather the strength of the vanilla note. I do see some semblance to Guerlain SDV with the initial booziness strength of the vanilla as well, think I saw some chest hairs appear, haha.

Its nothing amazing, but definitely not too bad for the $25 or so I spent on it, would probably make my top 20 bargain fragrances.