Old-school citrus, Antiquity style, with a mix of florals behind it in the opening. The Areej stamp is all there: making this a familiar projector that fans of the house will know.
Where Antiquity worked wonders for me, this doesn’t. The ingredients just aren’t blending. I could see that as this sits on the shelf a bit, the florals will meld into it. But I buy aged cigars because the makers sit on them until they’re ready to be delivered and enjoyed right away. I think if he let this age, it would be something special, but right now, for me, it doesn’t come together. I sat on this review a month now, but it is still the same after wearing this atrocity again. It’s just an idea that fails in execution. It needs more time in the lab. Ingredients need texture and bridges. I want some more layers. The gardenia is not popping in this; it literally bounces the top notes off like a dribble rather than a marriage, a composition of grace. I got my hands on some of the best gardenia oil recently, and I know what it can be when it is allowed to shine. With Areej, you usually get more, something indolic, but Grandenia does not deliver that change-up that I have come to expect from Areej Le Dore. If I am wrong, I will report back. But we will see how this ages. But this is only my opinion.
As it sits, it becomes a lively lemon with florals. Honestly, there is too much powder projecting, and it gets in the way of the experience. It is a tab buttery with sandalwood in the sillage.