Mashrabya by Lattafa Perfumes

Ultra Nuclear Bomb!!!!! What an exquisite fragrance, this is pure sighs… deep breaths. Elegant, imposing. An explosive sweetness without being sickly. Lasts and projects loads. Truth be told it’s really lovely. Solely and exclusively for night-time, clubbing, parties, romantic evenings out. Totally masculine. Cold weather, never for the heat. That combination of tobacco, cinnamon and dates… oof… what power. That vanilla and caramel… blimey. Not as a signature scent, only for special occasions because this fragrance is very special. 100% guaranteed blind buy.

Exclusive, unless you already have the Smoking Hot, although it’s not the same. Definitely not blind, and above all, not for wimps. Apple, cinnamon and tobacco, of course there are dates and a hint of cherry in the background. Beast mode, elegant and from my experience wearing it, plenty of compliments. Delicious. My first Arabian, I’ve got a little left in the bottle and I’m going for a second one.

It smells 80% like apple shisha. I found it quite novel when I tried it but ended up swapping it. You have to be in the mood to smell of apple, I prefer to go another way. Moderate longevity, good projection.

When I sprayed it the first time I said, why did I buy it, did I fall for the hype again!? haha The thing is that during the first hours I kept smelling it and it didn’t convince me at all. Then after about 3 or 4 hours very lovely wafts started coming and I couldn’t believe it, I loved it. I kept wearing it and started to understand it and give it time, my nose no longer rejects that opening (a bit tricky if you’re not very used to this type of perfume), for the cold weather in Argentina it’s working excellently for me and works as a signature scent since no one will be wearing it (generally). It’s similar to Smoking Hot but after a while on skin, moderate projection and excellent longevity at least in my case, 7 or 8 hours. Clearly for autumn and winter, days like today with only 1° outside, it’s brilliant. For the price, it’s really a gem and if you like collecting perfumes like me, I have more than 100, don’t hesitate to buy it, it’s little money and when you train your nose you’ll enjoy spraying it and feeling the evolution of top, heart and base. Cheers from Córdoba, Argentina!

I don’t know the original perfume it’s inspired by, but I did try Veneno and for me the Lattafa beats it on projection and longevity! Besides costing much less and having development as Veneno seemed very linear to me… 7 to 8 hours and I can still smell it 😍

Lattafa and I definitely don’t get on. There’s something in their perfumes or in the way they’re blended or who knows what, but it’s hopeless. I can’t cope with them. And yet I liked this Mashrabya at the time. To the point that I bought it. I thought that sweet and smoky apple had something about it. But with time and wearing occasions, reality has set in. The opening still seems the most remarkable to me. It’s where the smoke note and something like what is supposed to be tobacco stand out most. After that it becomes a very flat perfume. A sweet little apple (of pretty mediocre quality) that stays with you until the end of its journey. As for performance, little to complain about. The last time I wore it, it lasted me over 8 or 9 hours and projection was good for 1 hour to an hour and a half. The problem is that after a while it’s a perfume I can’t stand wearing. I’ll end up giving it away.

It smells like that very sweet caramelised and smoky apple shisha accord, very flat… For scent I give it 5/10 Longevity 8/10 Versatility 3/10 Red, caramelised and smoked apple is the description I can give you of this perfume with a medium-quality synthetic base.

You know that incense stick smell? That’s the opening, I don’t like it, but after that smoke note, the perfume becomes more subtle and there remains bright apple with a mix of tobacco and some cinnamon… the other notes are perceived, but they are almost imperceptible… at first I thought of Khamrah but then nothing to do with it, it doesn’t have its intensity, projection and what differentiates it are the smoke and apple notes. COMPLIMENTS: I rather received an anti-compliment, when I asked a person (woman) what she thought, she told me I smell like when you enter a botanica to buy a candle to do a love-binding and macumba ritual. LONGEVITY: moderate to low, depending on how much you put on, I only used 3 sprays. PROJECTION: personal bubble, it’s good, but not that powerful. PERSONAL OPINION: the drydown is nice, when that smoke note goes away, but it’s not “wow, what an amazing scent, it will be my signature scent!” either… it’s different from the others, nothing more, it’s a little apple with tobacco. CONCLUSION: if you want to go to the supermarket or somewhere where you’re not going to meet any women (under 20 degrees), wear it to use it up. this perfume is very Arabian because of the smoke that recalls incense sticks, which are the most intense in the world for their religion… (I plan to gift it to someone I dislike at work, I’m waiting for his birthday, although I haven’t decided yet)… VERDICT: this perfume is not a chick magnet, unless you’re in Iran or the girl works in a botanica, or umbanda macumbera or she’s the crazy incense-stick lady. PS: I will update and edit if the situation warrants it in the future.

Without a doubt, a great alternative for autumn and winter: a cosy, enveloping and very comforting fragrance. It reminds me of Khamrah, but with a different twist, as if it had an unlisted cherry touch. Maybe that feeling comes from the apple shisha accord in the opening, which is intense, sharp and energetic, with a slightly boozy air, but in the best way. In the heart appear tobacco, cinnamon and dates — notes it shares with Khamrah — which bring that dark and enigmatic character that makes it so special. In the base, you can sense a softly smoky oud, very well balanced. It is not overwhelming, because caramel gives it a perfect sweetness along with vanilla, while patchouli adds a herbal touch that rounds out the whole composition. Overall, it is a beautiful, deep fragrance with a lot of personality. I consider it totally unisex, but if you are a woman, I would not recommend it as a blind buy: it moves away from florals and what is typically associated with feminine perfumery. It is for those who want to stand out from the ordinary and make a statement.

I have to admit that when I first sprayed it I felt the same sensation I had with the famous black beast Club de Nuit Intense, a synthetic hit. However, after a few days that opening got better. The fragrance is exquisite, sweet, smoky, somewhat boozy, it is dark, seductive, sensual, addictive. I see it as ideal for night-time outings, going to a bar for a few drinks, that smoky touch is perfect for places like pubs, clubs, the fact that it is not such a well-known DNA will give you that exclusivity you look for when wearing this type of fragrance. Longevity: 7 hours +. Projection: 3 hours. The packaging is full of details, heavy and quite elegant bottle. If you are looking for a dupe of Smoking Hot by Kilian you can go for this Mashrabya or for Veneno by FA, although Veneno is a bit pricier and for me unisex leaning feminine. For the price and quality, Mashrabya by Lattafa 100% recommended, you will not regret it, and be careful not to judge by the first spray.

One of the best tobacco fragrances I have in my collection. Tobacco, cinnamon and apple dominate with a sweet base of dates, caramel and vanilla. It projects and lasts really well. I dare to call it a beast-mode fragrance. Excellent buy.

Starting from the fact that I normally do not like sweet or vanilla fragrances and I usually avoid them, I have to say I bought this blindly based on some recommendations from YouTubers talking about its extreme longevity and sillage and assuming it might not suit me but that the low price made up for the risk, and worst case my son could use it later (a teenager and he’s a fan of those scents). The impression after the first application on the first day when it arrived was that I did not like it at all. But I am giving it more chances, we are in January in Spain, with a lot of cold and this is the ideal time for this fragrance, so if I do not do it now, I will not do it later in spring/summer. It still does not excite me but it no longer seems horrible to me, let me explain, what I perceive at the start is an apple shisha opening with a spicy touch (I guess from the pepper) that is not to my liking, but then, after 10 minutes it moves towards the heart notes (where I perceive the listed ones, except tobacco) and I also notice caramel at full blast and a bit of vanilla, this phase bothers me less but still seems too sweet to me (which is not my style), and finally the final dry down (the base notes remain) which is my favourite part and perhaps where I see it as more masculine, although I consider it quite unisex all the time. This is when I finally notice the smoke. As for longevity and projection. Phase 1: short about 10-15 minutes (beastly projection) Phase 2: a good 6-8 hours (beastly projection) Phase 3: from the end of phase 2 until eternity (closer projection) I do not know how some people can say it is flat, since there are definitely differences in each phase, it is just that the most noticeable is phase 2 and it stays very stable for many hours. In terms of projection-longevity it is the most beastly thing I have tried so far. I wish I liked it more, but well, I am slowly getting into it. It is not for every day and it is not for going unnoticed, that is for sure.

I’ve been using it for the last 2 months, which is why I’m re-editing my review after wearing it more in this Mediterranean cold that suits its notes better: It could easily pass as a niche perfume for its originality and longevity (I doubt it for the quality of its ingredients). Scent not so smoky, sweet without being cloying or heavy. Very linear from start to finish, where that combo of apple, cinnamon and dates stands out, which blended together can subjectively give that black liquorice feeling (by the way, the best liquorice I’ve ever smelt was Mon premier parfum by Lolita Lempicka). Good sillage and longevity. I don’t see it as a wardrobe staple or for everyday wear although I find it quite elegant and nocturnal. More wearable in autumn and winter. It is valued and enjoyed when you have a trained nose (or as others call it, an acquired taste) or when you appreciate that this type of scent stands apart from any current market offerings, more mass-market or mainstream or unoriginal. Its versatility in terms of wear occasions and age range (more mature) is very limited. A 10 for its originality and olfactory experience, you have to like it yourself (I don’t think it will get compliments); for all these reasons, although this is my subjective opinion, I don’t see it as a blind buy despite all the hype and I wouldn’t buy it again with a world of endless possibilities out there to explore. Re-edition of my review from 28/03/2025

Mixed opinions and doubts on first reaction. It really smells identical to a shisha, especially in the opening. It’s a rich, sweet and smoky smell, the problem is I doubt I want to go through life smelling like that. I bought it blind because of the hype and now I have doubts. I still need to test it and see how it evolves on skin. But for now I think it’s too realistic a shisha smell and that can be very good or just so-so, we’ll see…

One of those perfumes you surrender to without resistance. Pure addiction, you just want to keep smelling it constantly. The smoky touch makes it a dark, sweet, mysterious perfume.