Al Haramain - Twin Flower

I absolutely love this one - with the promise of aldehydes, florals and outstanding longevity, of course it was going to be love at first sniff.

As much as I enjoy Al Haramain as a fragrance company, they seem to be non-communicative (or online they are at least, I’ve tried many times), making me feel disconnected to the brand. But I’ll sing their phrases anyway, as ‘Twin Flower’ is a magnificent gem in their range. Once you make it to one of their stores (the Middle East, Morocco, Bangladesh or London), the staff are brilliant - just don’t try to reach-out online as you’ll feel invisible.

Al Haramain describes it as; “Double the fragrance and twice as much the zeal, Al Haramain's 'Twin Flower' delivers a double blow with its conflicting aroma. The initial whiff titillates your external force and then almost immediately, as an afterthought, it submits to your inner peace. An excellent rollercoaster concoction that changes the mood even as it's introducing itself. Two is definitely better than one, more so when together they pack a punch!”

And pack a punch it DOES! The longevity is superb, which is what I absolutely 100% demand in a fragrance. There’s no point spending hundreds on a beautiful scent which doesn’t last - but if a scent lasts 12+ hours (or more), then it’s worth hundreds. Luckily, this one only costs £12 for a powerful 15ml attar bottle - winning!

One of the many pulse points that dab this oil onto, is the back of my neck. At night this goes against my pillow and I can still smell this days later. On fabric it doesn’t quit projecting its upbeat and vibrant scent.
So what does it smell like? Soaring white florals, with a touch of sour green, that’s laced with juicy sweet strawberries (that turn the entire thing light pink) and grounded by ice cubes of clean white musk and woods, that all the time bubble and pop with tonic-like aldehydes. It’s kinda like ‘Cabotine’ by Gres but with summer strawberries and white musk on a woody base. And whatever ‘pink jasmine’ is, I like it, and I want it in my sparkling, long summer drink. If ‘Cabotine’ were pink in colour, this is what it would smell like.

It’s feminine but not girly, not too sweet, no obvious vanilla (thank God)
and definitely NOT vintage. ‘Twin Flower’ is fresh, clean, womanly and smells like sparkling pink gin with a strawberry in the glass. The more I wear it, the more I love it. It’s definitely going to be a staple in my scent wardrobe, plus it would be a fun base for layering. I’m getting the wicked idea of layering ‘Twin Flower’ with ‘No.22’ - I’ll update when I’ve committed the gloriously blasphemous act.

Worth more that it’s super-cheap price and one of my very favourite Arabian oils.

TOP - White flowers, Italian Bergamot, Red Plum

MIDDLE - Wild Strawberry, Pink Jasmine, Sweet

BASE - Vanilla, Sweet, Sugary, White Musk, Woody