Lattafa has recently expanded its The Kingdom line, which features two distinct versions: The Kingdom for Men & The Kingdom for Women. Both were released in 2024 & seem to have gained a reputation for being high-value dupes of popular luxury fragrances. While Lattafa rarely credits specific individual noses for their mass-market releases, these scents are developed by the brand's internal team of perfumers in the UAE. Whilst it does take inspiration from the JPG elixir DNA, its not an exact carbon copy; it offers a slightly different balance with the omission of Honey making it a bit more balanced and less cloyingly sweet. This is an aromatic-oriental fragrance, which balances refreshing herbal notes with a dense, smoky sweetness. The initial spray is bright & lifting. Unlike many budget ME fragrances, there is no harsh synthetic opening. Lavender, gives a clean, floral, classic masculine barbershop feel. With Mint add ing a cooling, crisp edge that prevents the scent from feeling too heavy immediately. Finally the Sage offers a slightly peppery, herbal earthiness that helps to transition the scent toward the heart. As the freshness of the mint & lavender recedes, the fragrance shifts into a much warmer, more sensual territory. The star of the mid-section, is that Vanilla witch is creamy & gourmand but balanced by the smoke. Tobacco adds a sophisticated, slightly dry, smoky layer. It gives the fragrance its character. Then Orange Blossom adds a subtle floral note that provides a bridge between the herbal top & the heavy base, adding a hint of clean elegance. The base is where you can easily imagine the Kingdom truly settles into its name, rich, deep & long lasting. Tonka Bean enhances the vanilla with a nutty, almond like sweetness with a touch of spice. The Benzoin adds that balsamic resin that gives the scent a warm, honey like (though not actual honey) depth. It is finished off beautifully with Labdanum. This is were that leathery, amberlike muskiness that anchors the entire composition comes from.

First from the house. I thought of reviewing Side Effect but I had already worn a boozy fragrance today, so I went with OFG instead. I’ve heard great things about this one, so here are my thoughts. The opening is fantastic. If anyone still doesn’t understand the term “warm spicy”, this one will make you say “I understand it now”. Sweet saffron, spicy nutmeg, and aromatic lavender. Super high quality with perfect blend and balance. For the first 15 minutes I kept going 😗🥰. One of the best openings I’ve personally smelled. This is my also my first oud-dominant fragrance and I can say I still don’t fully understand it. It smelled like a mix of sweet, sharp, balsamic, woody, and fruity? A lot going on, but luckily it didn’t dominate until around hr 2. After that it was mostly the mids and base. The “oud”, sharp almost metallic patchouli, and animalic musk. Very mature and gentlemanly. This is where it gets super polarising. But my trained nose loves it. Many would probably be offended once the opening fades. Masculine and umbral. I really liked the opening but from there it slightly dropped towards the end of the fragrance. Also super reminiscent of Sauvage Elixir. Performance is where I heard the most praise about OFG. The first 2-3 hours were very potent. I did about five sprays, though it was a sample so around 0.12 ml. After the 3 hr mark it started settling, and once it fully dried down around hr 6 it became a proper skin scent. I expect it to stay like this for another couple of hours, so roughly 8.5-9 hrs of lifespan which aligns with a standard EDP. Not quite enough to sing praises about though. Maybe newer batches are weaker, or maybe it’s just the sample’s performance. Still a respectable showing. Price isn’t too big of a deal. I could get a 50 ml for £150 which isn’t bad. But I do have to say it left me wanting more. More importantly the main issue is that I think I’m not ready for this yet. This fragrance is very overpowering. It needs a lot of confidence or status. My career has just started, so I can’t quite project that level of boss energy yet. Maybe 5-7 years down the line when I’m in a stronger position, I could wear this comfortably.