Maison Alhambra Barakkat Rouge 54 | Eau de Parfum 1ml | By Fragrance World, 1

Product Information

Upon first spray my wife and I looked blankly at eachother, neither one of us wanting to be the one who could disagree with such a popular fragrance. I gave it a second chance the next day - nope, burn it off. Her friends came over the next day before a concert and I wouldn't let them try it. I insisted it would ruin their night, and anybody sitting near them. I'm guessing a lot of people may not want to find similarities in a cheap celebrity fragrance and their expensive niche work of art. I understand that very well. It's not as much fun when you've found something that you absolutely love, that costs a lot and makes you feel special, only for it to become copied and mass produced and overly popular. It is so smooth. It doesn't have any off-putting notes (the Dua one has this weird smell). The quality is insane. It is like a magical journey. From the initial spray, I felt really bad about never trying this one before... The hype is so real. Likely due to the stellar price, younger folk aren’t going around wearing this. As such, the only times I’ve smelled it have been on older women. I strongly don’t believe the scent itself is dated, but due to being a younger guy who only smells this on 35+ yo, I just naturally associate this dna with older groups. That isn’t a negative remark, but rather an observation. I did share my decant with people of various ages, and the results were very interesting. It was too ‘old and stuffy’ for the girls my age (22), but on anyone with a little more years, their eyes would open wide, and go “what is that!??” in a very good way. I also might note that I haven’t smelled any cheap clones of this that did enough justice to this Extrait. If you love it, just save up and buy the real deal.

However, it's worth noting that the perfume's aromatic richness doesn't translate as well in the great outdoors, where its potent, caramelized sugar note can feel overpoweringly greasy.

With this "Rouge 540", I learned how a name that would fit very well with a model of any Ferrari car, plus the extra load given by the title "Extrait", raises the expectations of any perfume. After so many comments from my "perfume friends", I decided to give it a go with a test. Of course, each nose is different and all that, but I still stand firmly behind my opinion in this debate. But for those who happen to either really like it or just love it but it's not IT (by that I mean it's not THE fragrance that makes your heart sing in a very special way even if you love it) then you may want to consider Cloud. I fall into the category of love it but not-my-fragrance-soulmate-love-it so I was on the fence. And for now I've decided that Cloud is enough for me. That may change but for now I'm happy.

Baccarat Rouge, like so many people say, smells of nothing. Nothing that you know. Or at least that you know from nature, that is close and familiar. It is a scent of the the post apocalyptic future that many of us already live in, a heart of a big conglomerate like London or New York. It encapsulates the feel, the aspiration and the belly of the beast. It tries to warm you up and give you some comfort with a bit of fancy pastry but you are still standing in the doorway of some big, multi-storey, closed-system-air-conditioned building. You end up on the top floor, open the window and get hit by the heat and a brown noise of the streets below. And then you see him. A a dying, beautiful android that has seen unbelievable things and lived hundreds of lives. Its batteries are overheating, he is reaching the end of his life. Tears lost in the rain. The flying dove. You can smell it all. In terms of uniqueness as of now, of course it depends where you live, but chances are that not many people are familiar with or own BR540. Most people have 2 perfumes at best. Also, wearing Cloud or anything as such, really isn't the same. It's like comparing a stunning designer dress with its dupe from Wish - might be similar, but the quality isn't the same. But to be honest, I personally am a bit disappointed. The extrait is in many ways similar to its EDP sister. As for the longevity of this creation, it is undeniably remarkable. Indoors, this scent clings to the skin with determination, accompanying one faithfully from dawn till dusk. In terms of performance, it doesn't disappoint. Some people label it as weak, but don't be mistaken. This is not a heavy oud fragrance, this is airy and light while keeping its depth. This fragrance is loud even when you forget it's there. I was in a friend's kitchen when her roommate came in and exclaimed "Baccarat Rouge?!". That was at least 5-6h after applying, and at that point I went noseblind to it, but it easily filled up the whole kitchen while I was there for 15 minutes. This has happened on multiple occasions, so for me, these experiences speak for themselves.Intrigued by the hype and impressed by the numerous copies this fragrance has inspired, yesterday I sprayed the EDP on one wrist and the Extrait on the other. FILLING potential. You’d nauseate yourself, if you sprayed more than a couple sprays. HOW?! And I mean!? HOW, can this possibly be sold, under the same label… I still have a little of my samples l bought, I haven’t gone nose blind…. One spray of those, and BOOM! Scent cloud, compliments at every corner, days of wear, THIS, is what I was trying to buy a bottle of. WHAT A disgrace to the company. They created a masterpiece, and just butchered it into nothing. I stand corrected with my first sentiment of my original post, PLEASE!?! Who can sell me a bottle of WHAT THIS FRAGRANCE WAS?!! AND WHY, does this have to keep happening over and over, and over, from every fragrance house that created a beautiful work of art. Jesus!! IS ANYTHING left from ANY FRAGRANCE house, that once stole our hearts?!! I have NOTHING to wear anymore that is remotely special, every fragrance house has slaughtered their creations. Something about some oversight fragrance board, but wow!? This severe!? The LUXURY, THE INTOXICATION, It’s not existent… Sad Sad Face! It can be considered a masterpiece for having one of the best amber, saffron and ambergris notes I have ever experienced.