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suzuki – :
I’m a big Al-Rehab fan and I had high hopes for Golden since amber,vanilla and caramel are among my most favorite notes
But I was disappointed when I first sprayed it as it punched me in my face with a very strong medicinal,almost chemical blast.I thought eeeu!what a cheap and invasive scent.but after 15 minutes it settled down to this pleasant,warm,cozy scent that I like a lot.
Before testing Golden I imagined it to be a supersweet foody gourmand.well it really has obvious gourmand vibes but it’s not vaguely foody.to me it’s a unisex,almost niche-like oriental.Although I can detect all the mentioned notes,it’s not as caramelized as I imagined and wished.I can smell amber,vanilla,something very much like benzoin,something reminding me of sandalwood,a softly powdered floral accord but I can’t put my finger on a specific flower(maybe some jasmine and immortelle),a caramel which doesn’t try to cover everything with a gooey,syrupy sweetness,a touch of musk and I’m sure that I can smell hints of oud sometimes,a note I usually avoid in perfumes but it doesn’t bother me here,it just gives Golden this dry woodsy,slightly smokey undertone
I sprayed it seven hours ago before sleeping and now there’s a soft,super lovely,smooth and clean musky vanilla lingering on my skin
After settling down Golden is such a balanced,well put together scent that it’s difficult to believe it’s so cheap.it may see simple but I love how balsamic notes,gourmand ones,florals,woods and powder are melted in each other.it’s smooth,cozy,sophisticated and one of the best amber-vanilla perfumes among low price fragrances.performance is impressive as usual with Al-Rehabs
Golden is not my most favorite Al-Rehab but it definitely is one of my beloved ones
breartintuift – :
I really like this. At first ( like another contributor)l could only smell shaving foam. However it then changed to a play doh type of scent? A few hours in,it reminded me strongly of EDEN by Cacherel! It is a really gentle scent, but strong in terms of notes and longevity. I’m going to try layering with some of my other Al Rehabs. See what happens… alone though, it is still a delightful concoction!
2 days later and this time using the spray.
It really reminds me of Lancaster for women/ it just lacks the pineapple-y note. A further couple of hours dry down, and to me ,we also have Fenjal body spray, this time missing the ‘ sharper’ herb type note.
So interestingly the oil and spray have developed quite differently on me.
Tomorrow, l will be combining.
JipseDype – :
A little background: I have a lot of fragrances. A LOT. Too many. Many are being sadly neglected because they are out of sight out of mind (I don’t display my collection because, hello, I don’t want them to go bad so they are in trunks and in cupboards, ideally in their original boxes…but I digress). Because I am a total nerd, and at the suggestion of another Fragantian, I alphabetized my Fragantica shelf by perfume house so I can more readily keep up with my inventory (hey, it makes me happy).
Yesterday I decided to attempt to start at the top of the list and work my way down so I can actually start getting some use out of these bottles of juice that I paid oh so dearly for. So yesterday’s perfume was Chocomusk. Loved it.
Today, I put on Golden. But first, I re-read the reviews. Yikes. I wasn’t so sure about this. Lots of mixed reactions out there. So I decided I’d play it a bit safe and not overdo it. Since I own the oil, I only dabbed a bit on my wrists and nowhere else (just in case it became a scrubber later).
My husband, who hardly ever comments on my perfumes, said to me “Mmmm, you smell really good.” I was shocked. “You NEVER mention my perfume. Why do you like this one?” “You smell like you’re in the Mediterranean on a beach somewhere having lunch and there’s a beautiful candle nearby. Like that scent really transports you somewhere.”
Very interesting!
So this is what I get, and this might sound a little weird: warm caramel vanilla mixed with a…best way to describe it is a shaving cream smell. Kind of fresh yet maybe slightly spearminty?, but just ever so much. You know the shaving cream that starts off as a gel and then when you start rubbing it around and it turns white? That smell? That’s it to me. Now, I can imagine that would not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I really like it. It’s a clean smell mixed with a gourmand smell. And to many people that might smell weird. But apparently, both my husband and I love it!
NickPost – :
I like some of the Al-Rehab fragrances but this isn’t one of them. Floral notes are overpowering and this one just doesn’t smell very good. I’d suggest trying other ones in the line but avoiding this one. At the very least, this one is polarizing with some loving it and some (me) not being able to stand it. Also strange is how so many people smell something completely different from person to person. I get too much floral yet others get too much caramel or amber and others get vanilla! Golden Sand seems to have very similar notes but I like the mix much better. The floral notes in this are so strong I really don’t consider it unisex.
Update: I gave it to my mom when I stopped by for Sunday family dinner. She usually likes floral perfume but even she said this one has too much of a floral kick. I can’t even give it away! Same conclusion as me: it might be good if they hadn’t boosted the floral note to 10. She loved both Golden Sand and Dalal and hid both before I left so she could keep them. Left Golden on the counter. Whatever, happy mother…and at least she stinks good!
knippidereopy – :
i don’t like this one it gave me a headache its so strong and the amber and caramel are way to strong for my taste
ExNOV – :
Headache inducing rubbish!
Opening smells like the citrus-herbal-musk similar to the local prickly heat talcum powders (e.g. Boroplus Ice or Nycil) which are great for cooling down in summers and treating heat rashes.
Soon the opening vanishes and and am left with heated but not burning plastic / rubber / synthetic which is no way comparable to any Oud (organic or synth) that I have smelt…no idea what that is. Ugh…and this drydown in incredibly tenacious.
No way comparable to Shalimar or any other well known amber frags.
For now am parking this will test it a few months later.
xupypr-xp – :
Another hidden gem from Al-Rehab. As with most cheap houses, they’re fairly hit and miss – some of their perfumes very much smell as cheap as they are, but a few smell deceptively good and expensive. This is one of them!
STRONG and long-lasting ambery caramel/vanilla – supposedly unisex but I’d definitely say it leans more on the feminine. Either way, as a guy I still wear it and don’t care, because it’s amazing value for money. Outperforms the majority of more expensive and supposedly ‘higher end’ perfumes of that type. I’ve gotten more compliments on it than on most of my designer fragrances, too, so I’m not the only one who thinks this is great. Absolutely a steal for this price, and honestly even for a considerably higher price too.
stark0404 – :
Fragrance -Golden Al-Rehab
Bottle(roll-on) from – 2016
Golden is a delicious,sweet,syrupy and slightly animalic caramelized amber with a nice touch of floral notes,spices and musk and with a wisper of sensual rose.”Quality/Cost Ratio” is extremely high and the performance is great.This fragrance is also a bit sinful and provocative.Reminds me of a wicked night out.
Longevity – 10/10(12+hours)
Silage/Projection – 8/10(moderate to heavy projection and silage for the first 2-3 hours)
Weather – best in autumn and winter
Age – 25+
Compliments – 7/10
Scent – 7/10
Main notes according to me – amber,caramel,vanilla,rose,spices,flowers,animalic notes.
The drydown is a bit warm and sweet and I get some amber, vanilla,oud and musk.
Emotions –
wicked night out,warm,sweet,delicious,sinful,provocative.
Occasion -best for nights out.
Definitely will get everyone’s attention.
Nice fragrance,unbelievable price.
Espero – :
It is a nice blend of amber, caramel and vanilla. Not too strong and suitable for any situation.
gena666 – :
I usually love amber fragrances (like Baldessarini Ambré, Dunhill Custom, Bentley Intense), and caramel/sweet notes usually turn me off. But I thought I’d try Golden, hoping that the oud would balance the caramel nicely.
Well, tried it out……and on me Golden isn’t amber or caramel or oud (or anything else listed in the listed notes). It’s pink bubblegum with a bit of a little girl perfume my cousins had in the 70s. Not for me, but may be nice for a lady with a happy/bubbly personality.
Poster_news – :
I’ve always enjoyed unisex scents and I love this on my boyfriend he smells so good! I’ve always leaned on liking men’s cologne, when I was younger I adored Eternity for men. So I love that both he and I can wear this but I think it suits him so much more. I think it’s the amber and the oudh which to me just smells woodsy not like oudh to me at all. I think the two help make this a scent a man can wear too. So to me I say this leans pretty evenly male and female. On me the floral notes and carmel make this a lovely scent on me. I love the drydown it turns into such a good skin scent. Not that it smells like a typical skin scent I mean the notes just blend really well with my skin. The amber in this really makes it such a great scent imo. Love this!
Melkyi87 – :
Golden is a BEAST. All that is needed is a dab. Do not roll the applicator or you will be a walking nuclear scent bomb. I am going to wait for a seriously cold day to try this out again. On the fence for now.
eryhon – :
I’ve bought loads of Al-Rehab over the years-cheap as chips, yet they do some spectacular fragrances (OK, so its all synthetic but they smell good and last for ages).
I got Golden together with Golden Sands. Golden is definitely a winner-the initial note was a huge blast of soap, very chemical, but that wore off after about 20 minutes and I’m left with a lingering juicy smooth richness. It’s sweetish, but not too sweet (Golden Sands is definitely WAY to sweet for me). It reminds me of Robert Cavalli Serpentine-its a sensuous sweetness that is warm and inviting. I don’t get much oud, and only a hint of vanilla and then it settles to a lovely gentle powder note. It’s really very pretty-I know they say its unisex but I think this is more feminine.
Вардан – :
I’m wearing this right now and I love it, I definitely feel “golden” wearing it! I’ve worn it twice and already gotten a couple compliments. I mainly smell syrupy dark vanilla and white flowers.. Soft oud in the background keeps this from becoming a full-on gourmand.. it keeps things complex and interesting. Another winner from Al Rehab.. I love this one so much I might wear it all summer! It’s incredible in the heat.
lut – :
I’m not a fan of unisex fragrances and this is definitely unisex… it’s neither masculine or feminine. However, layer this with Oudy from Al-Rehab and it becomes very masculine and smells amazing! For the ladies out there that love feminine scents, layer Golden with Roses by Al-Rehab and I can almost guarantee you’ll smell gorgeous! Golden is absolutely an autumn fragrance, especially for autumns in New England and North East. There is just something about it that just brings out an autumn vibe and the crispness, freshness, and florals of the season. I have both the spray and the oil and I prefer the oil for its more natural notes and longevity. If you try it and find it so-so like I did, try layering it with another Al Rehab that is more floral/rose if you are a woman. Or something that is more woody/oud/musky for guys, depending on your tastes of course. Trust me, Golden layers very nicely and probably better than any other Al-Rehab in my experience. I have 40+ Al Rehab oils and 5 or so sprays, so I have a good idea about these value-based fragrances. They are true gems and one hell of a bargain. They might not be the best for nights out on the town, romantic dates, work/office or clubbing. But they are perfect for late evenings at home or bedtime.
fc_Zenit_34 – :
Another little gem from Al Rehab! I already own Golden Sand and put off buying this one because for some reason I thought they were the same. Nope I was wrong. I can detect beautiful smoky woods and vanilla, it’s the perfect late Summer/early Autumn fragrance. Very cosy, and it lingers for a very long time, I love Al Rehab perfumes, it’s very rare to find one that disappoints and here’s another just to prove that…. Wonderful! X
Ptiteshka – :
I bought this under the impression that I was going to get a gourmand, and I was very wrong. Initially, this wasn’t at all what I wanted, and I remember finding it having a masculine edge to it.
I rediscovered it several months later and put it on. The beginning is VERY different to the drydown, you NEED to put this on your skin! Smelling right from the cap, what I first perceived as masculine, I now perceived as a soapy, classic perfume for women. However, this blooms on the skin. It slowly becomes warmer, thicker, more balsamic and like nectar. This is the scent of the warm, slightly sweaty and salty skin of a 1940’s woman after a trip to the beach, with traces of yesterday’s perfume and sunscreen. Nostalgic, comforting, warming, summery yet reminiscent of the colors of autumn. Balsamic, floral, classic and traditionally perfume-y. No caramel, only warm organic sweetness. It reminds me slightly of Coco (Chanel), my other favourite warm, ambery floral. It’s just as womanly and alluring. I highly recommend both, as well as Hex by Alkemia.
mihmih – :
I baulked at buying this one because it is so polarising but I’m so glad I did. Golden so lives up to its name. It is like autumn sunlight through yellow leaves, soft, golden and memorable. It’s largely gentle sweet amber and vanilla fragrance. Petit grain features too. It reminds me very strongly of Mitsouko edp, the current version. Mitsouko is unwearable for me because, although I love it, it is too intense and piercing/screechy on me. This is like Mitsouko without the sharp edges and better longevity. This doesn’t read as dirty to me or oudy for that matter. Maybe the batches vary? I’m getting a back up bottle of this one.
I read all the reviews here and, indeed, they are all over the place as the previous reviewer states. I doubt mine is going to clarify the matter. The other opinion that seems closest to mine, is Labaloo’s review.
Edit: I had an epiphany with this one the other day. I realised it smells exactly like a London Fog (earl grey tea latte with a shot of vanilla syrup).
Davamilioner – :
The reviews for Golden are all over the place and very confusing!
One reviews says “….It’s sweet, powdery, soapy, creamy, gourmand but mature and not sickengly sweet …” (how can a gourmand, sweet perfume possibly smell soapy??!), another says it starts out like vanilla ice cream with caramel, or like creme brulee, another says it’s salty with “that vibe of a hot day at the beach.” Huh???!
I’ve purchased several Al-Rehab perfume oil rollerballs in recent months, some of which are very nice (i.e. Choco Musk, Soft, Fantastic), others of which are just so-so, so I took a chance on blind-buying this one too. They only cost around £2 here in the UK so that hardly breaks the bank and is less than a cappuccino would cost!
Sadly, for me Golden is definitely not great! On first sniff there’s absolutely ZERO aroma of vanilla / caramel / creme brulee / amber and it just smells quite heavy, woody, slightly spicy and with an annoying hint of something that smells like licorice / aniseed (perhaps that’s the agar wood?). It also veers much more on the side of being masculine, rather than feminine. After an hour or so on my wrist the smell hadn’t morphed into anything different, or better, smelling but it wasn’t so awful that I felt the need to scrub it off. I could just about tolerate it! I then decided to swipe some Soft over the top and, luckily, that succeeded in making it smell nicer and, not surprisingly, softer!
Anyway, so this – by itself – is a miss for me BUT if I blend it with my Soft perfume oil then it actually smells pretty decent and better than a lot of expensive, overpriced perfumes!
Adgard – :
I had this. I made the oil into a room spray by adding Everclear to a spray bottle. It smells just like Johnson&Johnson’s Baby Shampoo. Just soapier.
Hoiseeenlance – :
I can’t help but be reminded of Shalimar here- the bright bergamot and subdued floral heart over the powdery base of smoky woods and labdanum with vanilla and the animalic touch of civet… golden indeed! And yet… not exactly like Shalimar either… there is a “bitter flower” here- like marigold or chrysanthemum that makes it different- maybe like a perfume that I have yet to smell that was heavily influenced by Shalimar?
The drydown smells a lot like Shalimar though…
Somehow, if you’ve been comparing the Al Rehab dupes with the originals, you see there is a sly connection in the packaging colors and names… haven’t identified this one yet. Green and gold… hmm.
I detect neither oudh nor caramel here, btw- though I can understand the impression within the composition.
SooneTefbepv – :
Got ‘Golden’ on a buy 3 get one free with free shipping on Ebay. (oil)I got based on the raving reviews here. It’s awful. It smells like spoiled perfume mixed with urine and skunk. It’s extremely strong. I smell Ood and sour soap. No caramel, vanilla, nor sweet. I waited hours.I tired it on paper. Only teeny dab. Henious! I’ll consider this the “free” one. The freebie was Bakhour. While I don’t like florals.. it’s way better than ‘Golden’ I like the Rasha, and the Choco Musk. Choco wasn’t chocolaty. It smells like the marshmallows from Lucky Charms. My husband agrees.
masterpact – :
Love this one (roller version), great fragrance. Bought some back ups rollers. because its that nice.
julia250 – :
On my skin this is an absolute BEAST!!!! LOL I went shopping for the bf B’Day gift. And every shop I entered people coughed!!! 🙁 So dispite that. I love it.
It’s warm, sensual, elegance, refined, and VERY much like Van Cleef. Which I used to wear when it came out in 93……( i think?????)
Beautiful for winter, colder months. sweet, and comforting. Lasts and lasts for hours, both on skin and on my clothes. I love it, and will always keep a bottle of this and or Van Cleef, in my collection.
ygb856speagoessenda – :
This is so underrated. It comes in an ugly cheap bottle, but imagine it in fancy dress and you have a delicious complex good quality scent. On the soapy side.
I have 100+ niche samples for swap within Europe – updated spreadsheet of samples on my profile, get in touch!
nan22 – :
This is so good. It kind of reminds me of a masculine version of Hypnotic Poison without the bitter almonds and with caramel as the main player instead of vanilla. It’s sweet, powdery, soapy, creamy, gourmand but mature and not sickengly sweet like LVEB or Black Opium. I find this totally unisex but I gave this to a man who loves Zara Silver and he really likes this too. He wears this more as a night, formal scent and he really smells like heaven when he wears this. Warm and exotic, so clean and delicious!. On me this smells sweeter, my skin seems to amp the caramel over the white flowers notes. Try it if you like Hypnotic Poison or sweet men’s scents. Sillage is very good and lasts the whole day and is even noticeable after a shower. Do not be afraid of the oud notes because here the oud wood is barely noticeable and lacks the medicinal quality
gusar_30 – :
For me this is quite an unusual fragrance – at first more masculine than feminine. I smell tangy sandalwood, rose, caramel, and OUD. The oud is fairly dominant, and the caramel is not cloying. It’s a little imbalanced at first, then settles to a unique take on woody caramel. Still masculine, to some degree, though some men might easily disagree. This is probably more about skin chemistry than anything – to me it smells manly.
BUT!
Try layering Golden with Golden Sand, and you will immediately be rewarded with a gourmand/amber/oud of beauty! It’s unisex, but leaning to the feminine.
Try layering Golden with NEBRAS? Oh my word. A Rich Floriental with a middle eastern twist! This thing is Gorgeous, and quite expensive smelling. I notice not so much Nebras or Golden, as a rich, intoxicating aroma of flowers, wood, musk, and warmth. In this latter incarnation, Golden becomes quite womanly and ideal for those who love oriental powerhouses of another era.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Sasha56 – :
This smell just like gaultier2
hawker – :
It’s warm, fresh and powdery. Kind of reminds me of Zara Nuit
anur – :
I think this is a really nice fragrance, but it has too much of something in it and I’m not exactly sure what it is. Might be the amber as I can only pick out a couple of notes. I do like it tho, but won’t be wearing it. I don’t think I could take it all day.
I’ve tried several scents from this line and so far haven’t hit on anything I can wear. This is the most powerful one I think of all that I’ve tried.
I get some light caramel but it’s mainly amber, which is my favorite note. I don’t get any vanilla or musk either. Somewhat powdery also. I’d recommend it to try because it’s very cheap as far as price goes. I wouldn’t mind being around a female wearing this.
denus31 – :
Haha ok, I think I’ve got it ! The drydown of this nice, sparkling, cozy, long-lasting little ambery treat is close – really really really close, at least on my skin… although there is a slightly more caramelized note in Golden – to gorgeous Van Cleef & Arpels’ Van Cleef !
(Remember : Susan is haunted by Amarige, Nebras by pre-reformulation Boudoir… still with that typical and delightful attar-oil intensity and longevity.)
This Is fun 🙂
atom20001 – :
This is Britney Spears for Men! I like it. It’s sweet. All other notes aside, this is a sweety. Me thinks the wood is what gives it that place on the ‘masculine’ table. Cheers to Golden. Would like to see more men perfume use floral and other ‘women’ notes combined with ‘men’ notes for men (and women). I gender bend fumes because it seems silly that the sexes are limited to certain notes. Golden is great for fall. My preference is still Cobra, but this is my choice when I want a stronger sweet that isn’t just more sweet.
WEDMEDЪ – :
Sweet, floral, deep, balanced soft amber…
Well, this one has surprised me! It is rare that a perfume makes me instantly happy upon first sniff. This one proved that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to smell great!
So the fragrance to me is a mix of soft, well-blended floral notes, a deep, ambery vanillic like base, and a clean dose of musk. The oud is here, but it’s muted and subdued. More a “part of the blend” than a main player.
I do recommend this as it isn’t as heavy and is completely well blended and balanced. A joy to smell and a joy to wear. For the price you can’t ask for more in my opinion. Great if you are on a budget and want to smell fantastic.
xpyst1d – :
I see that not many people here really likes this. Well, I LOVE it. So much actually that it just knocked Atelier Colognes Ambre Nue down from the Top 5 shelf on my profile page. Oud and caramel should get married, cause they are amazing together!
I have tried 11 scents from Al-Rehab so far, and this is my absolute favourite. I would classify it as an oriental woody gourmand.
It starts off very sweet and creamy, almost like vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce. Or like Crème brûlée. But there is something warm, deep and cozy lurking behind the initial sweetness. It is the amber, and it really smoothes out the dessert-ness of the scent and brings it into that lovely oriental drydown, where also the oud says hello, although very softly.
I’ve worn this scent twice now, and the first time I wore it the drydown was warm, smooth, ambery and sligtly woody, with a soft lingering milky sweetness from vanilla and caramel. The second time I detected a faint smoky note in the drydown, almost like oud mixed with incense. Very interesting and lovely.
Sillage is moderate to strong, longevity is excellent!
I’m so smitten with this perfume oil! I wanna eat my arm after I’ve applied it. xD
mukim – :
This smells like very powdery dragons blood perfume oil. Very sweet and lovely
FreddyLumix – :
Somehow caramel and oud don’t go together well here for me or perhaps it is just this fragrance is just too flat without any extra zing on top. Flowers, amber, vanilla caramel and oud all together create suffocating mx which reminds me rancid butter or other fat which has gone off. Roller ball version is close to skin, lasts 6 hours. I have tried 6 Al-rehabs except Golden: Soft, Nebras, Aseel,Musk al Madinah & Al Sharquiah and must say Golden is my least favourite.
56anna153 – :
inspiegabilmente concepito per uomini, questa piccola delizia è gradevole e calda senza essere invadente. le note gourmand di caramello, immediate ed evanescenti, lasciano spazio in breve tempo ad un accordo ambrato lievemente floreale. Golden non spicca per complessità, ma è confortevole ed estremamente economico.
SluseLaseDefe – :
I don’t know if mine is different form everyone elses but, to me golden smells like insane amount of oud and a little bit of amber. I don’t get any vanilla, after a while I start to smell a bit of faint caramel. It’s not an unpleasant smell, but it’s not exactly for me. I would prefer to smell it on another person. It’s unisex but I think it leans more towards men. It’s a very woody but softened sweet scent.
Smitecreate – :
I don’t really care for Golden. On me, the start of this smells like one of those white, semicircle deodorizers you’d hang from your toilet, and it stays that way for a long, long time. The drydown is really nice, but I don’t know if I can take that fake, sweet, floral foolishness to get to it. I may try it again later down the road, maybe when it’s warmer, and see if it’s different. Right now it’s my first (hopefully only) strikeout from Al Rehab.
fl1ght – :
This is a less potent al rehab. I think it is best to wait half an hour or more for the strange floral, sweet notes that are difficult to discern what is what straight away, to mellow. It begins sweet, floral, not much amber. On drying I detect vanilla and powder and a slight touch of woodiness. So powdery vanilla with floral hints, or vanilla powder and flowers is the best I can come up with for this one.
gemberov_nikolai – :
@alimuanis
You wrote so many negative reviews of Al-Rehab fragrances with pretty much no justification at all. Most of them are hard to understand and even offensive. You mentioned that you had tested their products for the first time, but in Crystal’s review you gave us a cheesy story about how you bought it for your mother years before.
Well…this is weird.
mbo272Negeltzex – :
I am new to perfume oils, and they sure feel different from EDT sprays. Rubbing on a splash of Golden feels like spreading a warm layer of gold over my body.
I generally stay away from both sweet and floral scents, but Golden’s level of sweetness is not overpowering. This scent seems to fluctuate on my skin. It is a delicious not-too-sweet caramel/vanilla mix that sits on my skin, which is periodically lifted by florals which comes and goes in wafts.
Personally I could do without the floral upliftment but it is a nice affect and makes this unisex.
Ideal for colder weather. Not my favorite type of fragrance but I cant wait to try this during winter.
Longevity is even more better than all the other great performing Al Rehab’s and sillage is moderate.
Scent : 13/20
Longevity : 9/10
Projection : 6/10
Total : 7/10 … Warm, soft caramel scent which I will be eating up come the colder months.
ROKKES1970 – :
Nice Caramel and floral perfume,not too sweet but wearable. Very longlasting and great sillage. Very worth it for cheap price,you will not disappointed.
BoHH_aka_1One – :
It’s not really a gourmand. I don’t know what to classify it and I guess neither does Fragrantica. Sure 3 out of the 5 notes are gourmand but none really stand out and take charge. I don’t smell any amber or oud. Just some synthetic florals and a bit of caramel. I am an Al Rehab lover but this does not work well for me at all.
FLorsWrotsbok – :
I am reviewing the oil and absolutely love it.
Nice when massaged in after a bath or shower.
Golden is unique and I think the name describes it to a tee.
Fairly linear and close to the skin but lasts 6hrs plus for a very cheap price.
Cant smell any Oud but the caramel and florals are well blended to make this suitable for either sex.
It is difficult to classify in these days of uber-sweet gourmand type fragrances. As a clue it is nothing like the Amen/Angel type of fragrance that seems so widely copied by many fragrance manufacturers but I have never smelled anything similar.
It is a fragrance that I would wear to please myself and not others. Makes me feel pleasantly perfumed without invading anyone’s space.
I am thinking of buying the 35ml spray also to see if this helps with the projection factor. If it doesn’t who cares for such a price you can just experiment.
It has been a cool day here in the U.K and Golden was a perfect choice.
I have bought other Al Rehab fragrances and they are super. Think I will increase my collection each week!
my rating out of 10 for lasting power 9, for fragrance itself 9 and for projection 5.
aceli – :
This reminds me of Pi by Givenchy. Not the same smell but in the same category, gourmand for gentlemen.
I’m a girl and to me this was a bit too masculine. But a male friend of mine wears Pi and he loved this one, of course I liked it on him too, the notes are yummy!
I get mostly amber, and a bit caramel, it’s a sweet and nice one, the oud is very faint, so completely accessible to an untrained western nose!
Crematory – :
Received this in the post today and since I was alreay wearing perfume decided to test some on the back of my hand. As if I hadn’t always been preaching to everyone not to spot test Al Rehabs? (Well at least I spread it from one back of the hand to the other to rub in a little). Once again, the smaller the concentration the better it will potentially get. So my first impression brings back memories of my favourite (aka best smelling) suntan lotion ever, it was Piz Buin in the brown bottle. I always felt that this lotion had a scent like oleander, at least that’s what my nose was telling me. Then I am reminded of a rather inexpensive amber scent of some sort (I can’t remember the name). Eventually, as the fragrance started to develop, I had to wash my hands which only left a tiny trace of fragrance back. Now this is getting interesting. I finally get something that could be called a sort of Hypnotic Poison for men, backed up with an amber like in L’Ambre des Merveilles. Need to try again and use a tiny amount on warm skin. Note to self: never judge an Al-rehab by sticking the roll-on under your nostril. Never spot test… etc… etc…
Update: today I have done the proper thing and applied Golden all over thinly and generously. I am afraid, nothing much has changed. It definitely wins over spot testing, but at the end of the day this leopard doesn’t change its spots. For any of you guys in the UK, this will appear in my swap list now 🙂
Jan14: trying this once again. I am still oddly fascinated by this scent… it has that vibe of a hot day at the beach, a sweet and salty mix, like when you come home from holiday and unpack your case and everything smells of beach and sand (in a nice way). So I guess in the end it is a keeper. The drydown reminds me of Eau des Merveilles, too.