Lion by Rayhaan

Arrived yesterday and caught me off guard; I’m very happy with it. Bought it blind and have zero regrets. Smells great on anyone, and the best part is that it’s super cheap.

It’s a fragrance with its highs and lows. People say it’s a clone of JPG’s Ultra Male, and while they do resemble each other, the heart and base here are different. The box is small, pretty, modest, yet well-finished with good design. The bottle has a magnetic cap, a square textured body that’s compact and black; what stands out most is the golden and green lion, very aesthetic and giving it a designer-quality feel. The atomizer looks solid, not pressurized but works well, not feeling loose like some Arab perfumes. Usage: this is NOT for summer or heat. It lacks citrus notes or freshness that lasts more than 5 minutes; the bergamot is nonexistent, more like synthetic green lemon. No typical clean summer scent either. Better for mild days, intermediate seasons, and evening wear. It’s more masculine, but not rare for women with character. Notes and Scent: The opening isn’t great, starting with an unpleasant lemon that fades quickly, followed by a cumin-fennel (the latter will be there forever) with lavender; together, it smells like strong detergent and chemicals. Don’t sniff it up close, it gives you nausea and headaches; this lasts about 10 minutes. In the heart, the good stuff shows up: heavily ambered, delicious warm vanilla, secondary cumin with minty reminiscences; it’s the most masculine version of the JPG (the Lion is unisex). Lavanda is barely present, nothing fougère, preventing the vanilla-amber from tasting like dessert. The pear note is hard to distinguish, blending with the vanilla to make it more ‘clear’ and sensually sweet. The base is the most noticeable; the cedar is felt but as if from a distance. The other notes aren’t detectable. As it fades, a strange cumin with muted lavender and light amber remains; that’s the dry down at 10-12 hours. Longevity and Projection: 4-6 hours on skin, up to 10-12 on clothes. Average projection, leaves a weak trail but it’s impossible not to notice when you’re close; not annoying. Reminds me of: from afar, for some reason, it smells like caramel popcorn in a bag. To conclude, I don’t like it entirely. The cumin smell doesn’t work for me; it bothers me quite a bit, though the good news is it’s controlled in the heart. But when it dries out completely after many hours (like sniffing the atomizer), it smells like unhygienic breath after eating spices. I recommend it only if you like spicy perfumes and not fresh ones. Note quality is moderate. Rating: 7.5/10.

Smells just like the Ultramale but with better longevity, punch, and sillage. Good trail and little else to add: a youthful perfume (I don’t see it on anyone over 25), for night, mainstream, known art, not very original, very mass-produced, and a scent not suitable for summer because it can be overwhelming. To each their own; I wear it all year round, though mostly for fall and winter. Buy blind if you like this vibe and shop in the 20-25 euro range (anything beyond that is overpriced. I got mine for 23).

It’s okay, a bit disappointing since it’s the same as the 9PM, just less artificial. I saw a review saying it was an Ultra Male more ‘tropical,’ but I can’t find the tropical vibe no matter how hard I look. It’s impossible to use this in the heat as stated here on Fragrantica. I’m not disgusted because I love this scent DNA, so I’m just disappointed because I thought it would be different from the typical Ultra Male clone, but at least it doesn’t feel as artificial as the 9PM, haha.