Alya

Alya is my favourite in Al Wataniah’s range. The bottle feels good to hold, with its heavy, ergonomic, blood-red glass design. Even at this early stage before spraying, the bottle looks and feels high-end and well made.

“Soar the heavens and feel on top of the world with this elegant blend of floral and chypre smells.”

The oil content is high, as I can see an oily film on my skin where it’s sprayed – already a VERY good sign. Alya is extremely delicious and exciting with an intoxicating mix of fruits, fizzy florals (lily, freesia, rose and magnolia) but grounded in the base from being too sickly-sweet and feminine with dark chocolate, patchouli, sandalwood and ambrette.

The more I wear it, the more I absolutely love it. It’s perfectly unisex (as it’s equally as woody as it is fruity and floral), it’s warm but not too sweet (has zero vanilla – yay!) and is unique and exciting enough to hold my interest. It really reminds me of Arabian Oud’s ‘Majestic’ which I used to love, but dare I say, this is better and much, much cheaper. There’s a mouth-watering zesty note which I also find in Armani Prive’s ‘Rose D’Arabie’ which is tangy, dark and seductive, it must be the cassis.

This has been my Christmas day scent and I’m rocking it all winter. It’s like a scarf of sassy security and comfort around me. I can’t believe just how good it is - I wonder how it performs in warmer weather? I’ll certainly update you once I know.

Alya is only £19.99 for a 100ml EDP which has good longevity. It powerfully projects its enticing scent for the first few hours, then calms down, but just when you think it’s gone, you find it gently remains on your clothes and bedsheets days later. Highly recommended by me as a niche gem at a cheap price. Amazing, affordable and lasting, EVERYTHING I require in a top scent.

All Al Wataniah fragrances can be bought from www.tawakkalperfumes.co.uk their official distributor. Get £5 off when you spend £50 or more with the code: TP5 OFF, or get £10 off when you spend £100 or more with the code: TP10 OFF

TOP – Litchi, Strawberry, Mandarin, Orange, Cassis

MIDDLE – Rose, Magnolia, Peach, Freesia, Casablanca Lily

BASE – Dark Chocolate, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Ambrette (Musk Mallow)