My SOTD H24 Herbs Vives is said to be “polarizing” by the “influencers” due to its sharp, green, metallic opening in contrast to “crowd-pleasers” that allegedly no one could dislike. This is false. Plenty of us dislike (even abhor) duplicative designer cash-grabs flooding the Macy’s counters. In short, we disfavor (e.g.) diabetic bombs and “fresh out the shower” bluebells. If you wear these, please don’t take offense; I’m merely making a point. The point: every frag has its detractors. When Ash hawks the latest Dubai dandy with “No one will dislike it,” he’s talking out his ash. He needs to get out of his basement more. All fragrances have fans and enemies. All fragrances are “polarizing.” Therefore, “polarizing” is a useless fragrance category.

I know Lattafa is one of the most popular Middle Eastern clone houses, but after owning and wearing a number of their fragrances, I think they are very hit or miss. They have a few good releases, but in my opinion the hype surrounding the brand is far greater than the overall quality. A low price and long longevity do not automatically make a fragrance a great fragrance. One thing I notice with a lot of Lattafa fragrances is the opening. They often come out extremely loud, projecting aggressively with heavy sweetness and synthetic aroma chemicals that immediately grab your attention. Sometimes the opening slightly captures the fragrance they are cloning, but it is usually more about giving you a strong first impression than accurately recreating the quality of the original. As the fragrance moves through the wear, many Lattafa releases begin to fall flat. The heart often lacks depth, smooth transitions, and development. Instead of evolving naturally, they can become linear or simply turn into a weaker version of the opening. Strangely enough, the closing or final drydown can sometimes capture the general scent profile better than the opening. However, this is usually because the fragrance settles into standard base notes that are used in many fragrances, such as vanilla, amber, musk, woods, or sweet resins. A lot of fragrances close in a similar way once the more distinctive opening and heart notes disappear. Lattafa may reach something recognizable in the final hours, but it is normally less refined, less detailed, and rougher than the fragrance it is trying to duplicate. There are also times that it can capture the opening very loud and similar and then pull flat throughout the rest of the wearing. This is something I notice with many Middle Eastern clone houses in general. They often focus on recreating the loud opening or the most recognizable part of a fragrance because that is what sells during the first few sprays, especially on social media. But when you wear them for several hours, they rarely capture the full structure, refinement, or transitions of the original.

I thought it would be fun and helpful for anyone just getting started / on a limited budget in this hobby for us to start a thread on top budget picks: anything you can find that’s at least 50ml for $50 and under. This doesn’t have to just include ME brands or clones, it can also include designers you can find at discounters. These should be bangers you actually love to wear that offer fantastic value for the price! Here are some that I’ve come across that I’m so glad to have in my collection: - Fragrance World Star Man Nebula - Versace Man Eau Fraiche - Lalique Ombre Noire - Jimmy Choo Man Ice - Rayhaan Aquatica - Givenchy Gentlemen Only