Which Arabiyat Prestige to try first

1. Pick a direction

This guide sorts the 99 scents that come with a note list into nine families, using the notes themselves. For each family, three scents to start with:

• Fresh and citrus: start with Aristo, Asha'a Neroli and Asha'a Oud Noir.
• Fruity: start with Bahiya Garnet, Bahiya Ruby and Blueberry Musk.
• Floral: start with Asha'a Amethyst, Asha'a Mauve and Bedour Extrait.
• Spicy and aromatic: start with Al Noor, Asha'a Blanc and Hamdan The Hero.
• Woody and green: start with Al Shujae, Fahad Regal and Ishatar Amber Vanilla.
• Amber, oud and incense: start with Hamdan The Sheikh, Hypnotic Amber and La Di Da for Her.
• Sweet and gourmand: start with Aariz Intense, Aariz L'Absolu and Attar Al Youm Black.
• Musky and powdery: start with Aariz, Yumun and Bedour Extrait.
• Leather and tobacco: start with Nayel Queen and Nashwa Smoke.

2. Or start from a note

If you already know which notes you like, the notes page lists every note of the range, and 66 notes have a page of their own with all the scents that contain them. The notes that most scents list: musk, amber, vanilla, bergamot, patchouli, jasmine, cedarwood, rose, sandalwood, mandarin.

3. Or start from a name

Many Arabiyat Prestige names come in lines that share a word, and the lines are an easy way to move around the range. Each link opens the list of all perfumes, filtered by the word:

Ramad (4)Swar (4)Nashwa (4)Nayel (4)Lutfah (5)Asha'A (5)Raees (4)Hamdan (3)Ishatar (3)Portrait (3)Hypnotic (3)Aariz (3)Nyla (3)Kohl (3)Musk (3)

4. Who is it listed for?

The listings name an audience for most scents: 15 are listed for men, 18 for women and 68 as unisex. On the list of all perfumes you can filter by that. It is a category, not a rule: a scent listed for men is not off limits to anyone else.

5. Seasons

Where the shop gives seasons, it tags 4 scents for spring and summer only and 13 for autumn and winter only. The scent pages show these tags under key facts, attributed to the shop. Treat all of it as a suggestion.

6. Mind the size

Most scents come in 100 ml. The extraits of Marwa and Mahd Al Dhahab are 60 ml, and some lines have their own size: Nayel 70 ml, Hamdan 75 ml, Lutfah, Nyla and Portrait 80 ml, Asha'a and Ishatar 110 ml, Raees 180 ml. Each scent page gives the size.

7. Closest within Arabiyat Prestige

Once you have a scent you like, open its page: the section on its closest siblings names the Arabiyat Prestige scents that share most of its notes and says what is different. The key facts also give a one-line style in this guide's own words.

8. Scents without a note list

For these neither the brand nor the shop names notes, so there is nothing to compare by note: Aristo Onyx, Bamboo Reflection, Lutfah Beyond Forever and Mahd Al Dhahab Extrait. Their pages show the size, the audience where it is stated and the other scents that share a word in the name.

You cannot smell it first

A note list tells you what a perfume is built from, not how it will smell on your skin. Read the shop's returns policy before you order.

Shop Arabiyat Prestige at FragranceGemsNo prices or stock on this site. The shop shows both.