Al Noble Wazeer

How it Smells

Al Noble Wazeer opens with a fizzy citrus blast, like orange soda mixed with gin. The juniper and bitter orange are prominent, creating a bittersweet, slightly medicinal effect. It veers away from Velvet Iris here, which has a smoother, creamier opening. The heart reveals a powdery iris note, but it's quickly overtaken by a synthetic raspberry accord that smells like flavored lip gloss. The promised dark chocolate is barely detectable; instead, there’s a pervasive sweetness that clashes with the cedar in the base. In the drydown, the vanilla becomes more pronounced, creating a cloying, saccharine finish that is quite different from the sophisticated woodiness of its inspiration. There is a plasticky edge, like opening a doll's head on Christmas morning.

To Buy or Not to Buy?

If Al Noble Wazeer were a character in a movie, it would be the hyperactive, sugar-fueled kid from a Christmas movie who causes chaos and spills soda all over the nice furniture.

Performance Reality Check

I got about 6 hours of wear out of this one, with projection that extends to about an arm's length for the first 2 hours. I tested it at work and found it a bit too sweet and distracting for a professional environment. It's better suited for casual evenings out or weekend errands, somewhere you don’t mind smelling like candy.