Khair Eau de Parfum 100ml

Davana in the opening is the sign that somebody was paying attention, and it makes Paris Corner Khair Eau de Parfum 100ml more interesting than most bottles at this money.

Davana is a herb and it smells like fruit, jammy and boozy with a bitter green edge underneath, and no two people describe it the same way. Bergamot brightens it and pink pepper gives a dry crackle over the top, but the davana is what you remember from the first spray. It is the material that will decide whether you like this or not.

The middle is where the cost went. Oud is medicinal and dark, handled cleanly rather than as anything barnyard, amber sits under it warm and resinous, and rosemary is the odd choice, dry and faintly piney, cutting a herbal line through the sweetness and keeping the middle from going soft. It should not work next to oud and it does. Rosemary and oud is not a pairing you find on expensive bottles, which makes this worth smelling even if you own better.

What is left after two hours is dry and quite serious. Leather is smooth and understated, vetiver adds rooty earth beside it, and musk softens the pair into the skin. The finish is close rather than loud and it goes on for a very long time, longer than most bottles at this price manage. Cold weather, evenings, and a wearer who wants something with a bit of edge without spending designer money. It is marketed to men. Two sprays is the right dose and three is too many.

Paris Corner owns everything it sells. Pendora, Emir, North Stag, the Magic Oud range and Ministry of Oud are all one Middle Eastern company, trading without a single licensed designer name between them, and this bottle wears the parent's.