Reviewing Alexandria fragraces vs OG: Tygar, The noir 29, Angel Share, Amyris

Hi all!

I have been a bit silent over the last two weeks, mostly because I was busy trying dupes to fragrances I really liked. All of the below has been tested on strip and then on skin, couple of days of wear too.

Incoming Montagne for Tygar and Thé Noir 29, so I will do a follow-up review as well comparing the 3 (OG, Alexandria, Montagne)

Let's kick this.

1- Bvlgari Tygar / Tygar Extrait / Vibrato Sospiro (had an OG sample) / Alexandria Black Panther

TL;DR: probably the easiest of the bunch: it is a plain yes, thank you very much.

The similarity between Alexandria's Black Panther and Bulgari Tygar is shockingly close. Sospiro is lighter than both, some would say more versatile.
I personally love the strength of Bylgari Extrait, and Black Panther sits between both the Tygar and the extrait in terms of strength and projection.
This does not change throughout the whole perfume lifecycle (start, mid, dry down). When the Tygar stops smelling, the extrait and Alexandria's Black Panther continues to last for a long time, easily the workday.

This is definitely a win, scratch the itch and save the bank account - A must buy allowing me to move to another scent profile

2 - Le Labo Thé Noir 29 vs Alexandria Mystere 29.

TL;DR: if you look for the dry down, it is a match. If the whole scent journey is important, it is not an exact match but maybe to your taste

Things get interesting here as I started to notice something similar to what I felt when doing the comparison between French Avenue Obsidian and Kilian Angel's Share On the rocks (see discussion here).
At first and on strip, Mystere 29 starts off with more soap and a slight acidic touch, comes very strong as a scent overall. Thé Noir is earthier, you can smell wet ground with roots, darker, less ominous.
I shifted to skin straight away, and this acidic touch disappears. You just have the extra soapy smell which may be enjoyable for some. After two minutes Mystere 29 smells more like green tea but the scent is way stronger than The Noir. There is a clear difference between the two here.
Twenty minutes later, Thé noir becomes hotter, spicier, and therefore stronger as a scent overall. Mystere 29 is floral, with a scent of dried hay, leaning more into The Matcha 26 territory, which again is enjoyable but different from Thé Noir 29.
Between 30 minutes and 2h, The Noir progressively goes into Mystere 29 direction. During that time, Mystere 29 still has this soapiness to it.
2h later, Mystere 29 has lost its soapiness, and the dry down is literally the same with Thé Noir 29, albeit Mystere 29 being slightly greener. I don’t think anyone would notice the difference though, this is really nitpicking.

Overall impression: Mystere 29 tends to go straight into mid or even dry down, with a synthetic soapiness for the first 1h / 1h30 minutes. I wouldn’t mind for many fragrances, but in the specific case of The Noir 29 itself, I love the scent journey it brings me into. The whole trip down visual and memory lane is just that good. But for everyday wear? If 2h later it is the same stuff, I wouldn’t mind using the dupe for the Office or any occasion where I just want to have the noir 29 dry down with me.

3 – Kilian Angel Share vs Alexandria Brooklyn Lovers

Nota: I have bought in the past all Angel Share line as decant. I have respectively Lattafa Qamrah, French Avenue Sequoia Blend and French Avenue Obsidian as dupes of all three (OG, Paradis and On the rocks). I am that addicted to this scent overall

TL;DR: you could live with the dupe, with a condition.

At first sprays, this feels like the real deal. Like it is extremely close. Brooklyn Lover gave me the same goosebumps I got the first time I smelled Angel Share.
5 minutes later, things get different: there is a chemical note that will grow over time, as if the cinnamon was badly reproduced and be fully synthetic. Meanwhile, the OG remains round, like no note takes over the other, it feels like a good blend.
Whether on skin or on paper, this chemical feeling will stay and be the top note you will feel, compared to the OG well blended approach.
French Avenue Obsidian vs On the Rocks also had the same synthetic cinnamon, but because of lemon note, it evens it out - In Brooklyn Lovers, it is there are main note, so it slaps.
During that time, I could tell the difference between the OG and the dupe because of that single note. Some may not be bothered by it though
Later down in the dry down, like hours later, I do not think I would be able to tell them apart, as this chemical note tends to fade for a more balanced approach.
Because of that note, it would be totally redundant for me to have it compared to my other dupes of the Kilian AS line.

4 – MFK Amyris vs Alexandria Law of Attraction

TL;DR: probably also the easiest of the bunch: it is a plain no, go away.

The similarity between Alexandria's Law of Attraction and Amyris is shockingly bad.
Dupe goes straight into minty shower gel territory, very strong. Amyris scent is round, less strong. From the start you can smell the vanilla with some spices
After 20 minutes, dupes stays where it was: overbearing minty shower gel. Horrible. Meanwhile, Amyris gets hotter with some chocolate and spice. Remains round, extremely pleasant, and you start to wonder which season you should wear it
After 1h30: dupe has some vanilla that shows up. Amyris gets to the dry down, and sure when it gets there you could think of shower gel, but it never really get there: the mint is contained, there is still vanilla and an every slightly bit of sweetness that could make you think of chocolate. The overall fragrance remains balanced.

This is definitely a plain lose: Alexandria should just stop selling this or stop saying it is inspired by Amyris. it is a disgrace to the OG. Go back to the lab and redo it all.

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