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krisa – :
yes – initially thisis very similar to vintage Rumba (did a side by side), however, the drydown is slightly different. Rumba showcases powdery raspberry there, while Randa remains slightly oud-y woody. If you’re looking at the Ted Lapidus version of Rumba, then this is close enough, if the Balenciaga version you fancy, this may fall slightly short.
klenovab – :
Waxy, soapy, incense powerhouse. Immediately reminiscent of the aforementioned Christmas candles, almost literally so. Light floral top notes, deep spices and resins in the heart, aldehydic base. Randa is surprisingly complex and clean for a cheap attar, and easy to appreciate if you love vintage style fragrances.
Yasonchik – :
Randa is a strong and skanky Al Rehab version of an 80’s powerhouse. I have never tried Rumba but it’s moving up my want list now. This is a strong spicy floral/leather/oud/musk and yes it smells just like a Christmas candle 😛 makes me wonder if some of the same scented oils used in those found their way into Randa lol. It’s a little bit of an oddball for sure but I have a feeling it could grow on me.
RenasGK – :
A very rich femine oil.
Strong old school perfumery.
For 3$ a bottle … all mainstreams form Macys are nothing compare to it.
Zoltrixcool – :
This would make the most amazing candle! It’s a very nag champa fragrance..smokey sweet..completely delicious. Two thumbs up!
EXelent – :
This is a bomb! But I don’t like it. I don’t mind rose & oud, I can smell them at the beginning only. But Al rehab has these ambers which are just horrible sometimes. This one here reminds me one used in Golden another Al-Rehabs perfume. It has these cooling qualities, more mushroomy & rancid. And this dominates on my skin. Randa gives you a good sillage and it lasts very long. I think it all depends on your skin chemistry, for the price it’s worth a try especially if you are into bold, 80’s style fragrances.
alex2008_78 – :
Bubblegum rose!
I’m not a very sophisticated note analyser – the above is what hit my nose when I put Randa on.
As it dries down, more ‘redness’ comes out I think, and the rose incense (that’s what I get, rather than rose wax) quality stays throughout.
Some of these oils can be beautiful at the top but dry down into something completely different – and sometimes just meh, or even downright horrible – hello Jalwa!
But this doesn’t do that, I’m really liking it.
I’ve never smelled Rumba so am glad to get to (sort of) smell it through this. 🙂
Would just add that Randa is not monster strong, like a lot of these oils are, at least not on me.
Anaenny – :
Rose isn’t my favourite floral note, but I have found a few rose perfumes I really like. And this one has become one of my favourite rose fragrances. It’s simply stunning!
It smells like a deep, blood red, voluptuous rose that’s on fire in the middle of the desert. That’s the best way I can describe it. It’s smoky, sizzling hot and quite intoxicating. It has a sweetness to it, that reminds me of thick, golden, animalic honey.
This scent is pure fire and heat and sensuality and power. So temperamental and passionate. So empowering. It feels like wearing a lions roar.
Longevity is monstrous, it just lasts and lasts. And the sillage is beastly. Don’t put too much on or you might knock someone unconcious with it. This is seriously one of the strongest perfumes I own, if not THE strongest.
Gorgeous creation! <3
m.kalaeva – :
I have to thank the beautiful and well scented ladies and gents of Fragrantica for adding this gem in my collection. This is for the oil version. When I first smelled it I was struck by its vintage vibe yet with an undeniable oriental heart. I knew this smell, and, indeed, it is just like like Rumba. References to wax and candles are true, this is probably the Amber note together with Rose and jasmine. Oud here is gentle and soft and adds depth and a slight woodsy feel, but is not dominant. This is a wonderful combination of waxy amber, rose and jasmine, gently spiced with Saffron , deep, sultry and long lasting. This will appeal particularly to those who love vintage scents, but a lot cheaper to acquire. All in all a very beautiful and memorable concoction.
Update
Use sparingly, on my skin it lasted 9 hours and even after shower I could still smell it, and my skin absorbs scent like mad. Huge sillage too. Not for the faint hearted!
CadeRoadeld – :
This does indeed smell like an extinguished scented wax candle, just as I’d hoped! It’s very warm, but not spicy. It smells like a vintage perfume belonging to an aging diva, amber-colored in its ribbed glass bottle that sits on her mirrored dressing table.
There are sweet white floral notes but I do not get rose from this, and I am usually quite sensitive to that particular flower.
This is a dressed-to-the-nines fragrance, old-fashioned and formal but never cold or harsh.
Edit: This is it. This is the one. I can sell all my other bottles and be happy wearing this for the rest of my life.
alexSThfg1 – :
I purchased this perfume based on the reviews that I’d read from other folks here.
Initially it’s a lovely smoky/burnt out candle smell that I just love.
In fact it was the review of some folks here that said that they got a candle/wax scent that made me want to buy this perfume, as I’ve got another perfume with an expensive burnt out candle scent that I love!
Bear in mind it’s a very expensive burnt out candle smell, not some cheap 99p one!
There is some spiciness there and an almost green/medicinal note that I find very intriguing!
It is pretty potent and so a little would go a long way!
I can smell the jasmine and saffron notes and I find that they compliment each other beautifully.
I’m not a huge fan of super-sweet scents, and so am glad that the sweetness mixes well with the spiciness here.
Then after a while the potency of the scent dies down, it’s still strong but in a more settled way-if that makes any sense.
The lovely saffron/jasmine combo is still there but now we get the amber coming through. There is a small hint of rose, but it’s hidden behind the other notes.
Now it’s changed from sweet-spicy to spicy with an edge of smoky, there is still that burnt out candle scent that it just brilliant.
Wow I love the dry down:)
This perfume smells very expensive-no cheap notes, no chemical smelling notes, its beautifully blended and it exudes class.
Personally I’d prefer to wear this perfume in colder months, as it would be a bit too much in summer.
flamb – :
This is for the 6ml oil
I had a review on this before but as my nose gets use to Randa I think I should add a bit more insight. My skin amps tuberose so I still think this is the bomb. The tuberose bomb!
I do get the rose, jasmine, and amber but there is so much more going on here! Aside from the distinctive tuberose I also get some creamy white flowers other than jasmine. It’s spicy but my nose is saying it’s more carnation spicy than saffron and I don’t get a ton of oud maybe just a pinch.
Randa is incredibly heavy and will give me a headache every time if I use too much. Just a tiny dab on the wrist and rubbed together is enough for me. I never ever put it on my neck or close to my face. I have to say I like it in moderation. It follows me around creating a warm fuzzy blanket of sexy almost smutty scent. Red and black are the perfect colors to use on the packaging! I can’t say it’s dirty or animalic at all but it is loud, brash and not at all apologetic about its sexuality! Randa is a very confident woman and more than a little intimidating.
I’m a little embarrassed to say this because I know it’s been said before about other heavy scents but I think Randa is a 1980’s business woman who is a hooker on the side. Just for fun!
I don’t know Rumba so these are just my impressions of Al Rehab Randa.
You have to take Al Rehab Fragrance notes with a grain of salt because many are sorely lacking. For instance Randa and Rasha have identical notes but are completely different! In fact Rasha’s notes are completely wrong.
Biakinwaf – :
I have never smelled Rumba. The first thing that came to my mind smelling this was “I’ve smelled this before”. And then I remembered an old flask of Avon one of my aunts kept in her bathroom shelf. Could it have been Timeless?. This is a difficult scent: I quite like it, but I think I could only wear this in very cold weather, and living in a hot Andalusian hell I’m afraid I won’t have many opportunities to wear this, not even in winter nights. Perhaps I’ll wear this only to bed in winter. I’s a lovely aldehyde, inciense, jasmine, tuberose, smoky and juicy vintage. I really love it but it’s almost unwearable in Southern Spain. What a pity, sometimes climate is a b****
Edit: now that the nights are getting cooler, around 18-20Cº, I dared to wear this on a night out and applied it in homeopatic doses: only a ball roll for both wrist and then rubbing my wrists on my nape and decolletage. It worked ok and wasn´t too cloying. Perhaps I´ll dare to wear this more this autum and winter nights. It layers very well with Choco Musk.
Curious that something inspired by a perfume called Rumba could be so difficult to wear in Andalusia 🙂 it seems more suitable for freezing countries like Sweeden or Germany I think, a more propper name for this would be Chimney Fumes, Fallen Leaves or Roasted Chesnuts.
Yes, it has a wax candles feeling to it like someone else stated here before.
susylan – :
The oud is present here for the whole longevity of this scent on me. It starts off really strong and stays that way for a while. I get a lot of smokiness and something really sharp that reminds me of mint. This soon subsides though. As it starts to dry down I get a perfumes plastic doll`s head, Which isn`t realy a bad thing. The musk then starts to come in. I don`t get a lot of rose, more fruitiness. I`m trying to think what this reminds me of. I don`t know Rumba so I can`t compare. I`ll be back to finish this review after a few wearings.
alexruj – :
This is a very interesting scent! Imagine you are sitting around a campfire and someone tosses half a can of Pepsi into the flames…and the smell of smoke combines with the toasted-sugar sweetness and the spiciness of the drink. The smokiness is quite rich and woody, almost a vetiver-ish note and also a tiny herbal-grassy note. It vaguely reminds me of Toujours Moi, but more subdued. After a few hours, it is fading a bit to just a toasty, lightly spiced smell; could definitely be unisex, and absolutely for fans of oriental or floriental fragrances. I’m not usually a fan of Oud (too chemically for my nose), but it is not noticeable here. I’m not sure I would recognize saffron, and I don’t really smell jasmine or rose…but this is an interesting take on an amber, a very warm golden amber.
pahey – :
Amber and Oud. This is all I get out of this perfume. No jasmine at all. It’s very heavy. I kind of like it, but I wouldn’t wear it, it doesn’t suit me at all.
motovmaksim – :
It starts off rosy and pink, and then jasmine bomb extraordinaire. This is loud and proud white floral. But I am loving it. Strong, floral, sweet and warm (getting lots of amber and very little oud in this one) This is a bit like those loud, heavy classics, less is more…just a teeny spray and oh it is heavenly. All jammy and sweet.
vce – :
I can’t smell any of the notes listed here except rose. This is a sign of a well-blended perfume. It’s a heavy smelling fragrance suitable for an older lady. But what the heck! Younger people can wear it too!
sltlalllklelrl – :
I got it today as it was extremely cheap here ( I live in an Arab country )..I had had the original Rumba long time ago and I remember giving it to my sister . I have reviewed the original Rumba here if you ‘re interested..I tested Randa today on my wrist and I have to say ; it smells much more subtle and clear than the original old one, which reminded me of a lusty and a bit messy Rumba dance ..but this seems more in harmony with it’s name sake …It’s funny since I was never a fan of the older version 🙂 ..but it seems I will be wearing this more ..
lumber2999 – :
Very similar to the original Rumba.
Extremely long lasting and potent. Too synthetic for my liking.
JimBeamRu – :
Having never tried Rumba, I can’t in all honesty compare the two. But I have tested Randa with great interest and curiosity! Here’s what I’ve observed…
For the most part, Randa seems to be nothing like the main accords listed. But this isn’t unusual for an Arabian oil, in my experience. They’re an adventure all the way! 😀 The main notes I smell would be more like this:
*Sharp Marigold
*Smoky Leather
*Typical Oud
*Plus a touch of something fruity, green, and tart-sweet…
While I’m sure the expert nose could sense amber and rose as well, the notes listed are intense enough to drive all thoughts of analysis away. Randa seems to combine sharp, fruity, smoky, and More Sharp! I’m a little puzzled at the combination, to say the least. It’s delightful – in that I would Never have thought to combine such accords myself. And it’s equally intriguing to ponder what Randa is trying to be. Perhaps a dynamic chypre? Certainly not a subtle or delicate composition. 🙂
For now I’m just pleased to test this little mystery, continuing to satisfy my urgent craving to smell more Arabian oils!
Update ~ A memorable experience and EXTREMELY long lasting. I’ve woken up with it still present on my skin after a good 8 hours of sleep.
andrey-zxz – :
I was wearing this the other day, and my brother said, “You smell like candles.” At first I blew him off. What does he know? Then I realized it DOES smell like candles… Don’t ask me what kind though. Maybe just a mash-up of all the dense, old fashioned, waxy, green-maroon-and-cream colored candlesticks my mom used to have around the holidays. Then I decided I don’t want to smell like this, and will be giving it away.
qwerty999 – :
Interesting. I don’t care for Rumba either. Dare I sniff them both for a comparison?…
LEOPOLD_KILL – :
THIS IS RUMBA BY BALENCIAGA! I put both on and it intensified the fragrance because I love Rumba. They did a good job in mimmicking some of the perfume houses out there.
Spaicer666 – :
Smelled like Rumba by Balenciaga
lenya123456 – :
Sorry @drugstore classics, this is one Al-Rehab I really didn’t like. I can’t even describe it. Overly sweet and just weird.