SOTD - Neelam by Yom & Layl · Brotherhood Of Scent

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SOTD - Neelam by Yom & Layl

A while back I picked up a discovery set of some Boudicea frags that included a 10ml of Boudicea's Blue Sapphire. After one wearing of the Boudicea, I knew it was for me. That being said, before I dished out a pile of money to get the OG, I wanted to try a clone first to see if would scratch the itch until further notice. I think it was

@Lon Chaneyfield

that suggested that I take a look at Yom & Layl. I reviewed their site and decided to pick up three 30ml "inspired by" frags, one of which was Boudicea's Blue Sapphire.

Once the package arrived, I was less than thrilled with any of the three. Then I noticed on the site that they're strongly recommending that I let the bottles sit in the refrigerator for "one week to allow it to develop its full potential." After a week it was better but still a bit disappointing. It's been about three weeks now and the clone is starting to come alive. I compared the clone to the OG (again) and this is what I found:

On the initial spray, the OG is a bit citrusy but the oud from the base is unmistakable. It's not entirely animalic but it IS a bit funky. It's not really unpleasant, but it's not going to be a compliment puller.

The clone is a similar citrus but it is a little less animalic, I'm guessing because it's not using real (or the same) oud.

Within 45 minutes the differences become less distinct and the clone makes a pretty good showing vs the OG.

Five hours later, the clone is actually a little more forward, but pleasant. The OG on the other hand is still sitting on the skin but still leaving a sillage. In fact, I wore the OG about 3 weeks ago and I got a comment (not a compliment) from a guy who said he could smell my frag from 10 feet away! That was after five hours, with about 5 sprays.

The bottom line: The clone is about 35% oil and seems to be of very good quality. Is it a 1:1 clone of the OG? Of course not, but it's one-tenth the price. So for the time being, I'm good with my remaining 10 ml of the OG and my 30 ml of the clone. I think Yom & Layl makes good products with good materials, but they're swimming in the deep end when they're trying to clone a House like Boudicea and I'll probably pick up the OG at some point.

My ratings??

The clone vs the OG - 7.7(clone) / 10.0 (OG)

Clone on its own - 8.1 / 10.0

Does that make sense?

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