I was only exposed to the house of Al-Rehab through a dear friend who gifted me this bottle of Nebras; this was one of my first introductions into oud…and now I am totally hooked! I learned immediately why this company has such a stellar reputation, their oils are incredibly potent…one application was enough to leave me a little dizzy. This thing will singe your nostrils!
Upon first application, I am hit with a blast of citrus, followed by patchouli, orange blossom, rosewood, cedar chips and sandalwood. This is balsamic heaven with heavy incense notes and lots of oriental flowers; initial lemon notes were reminiscent of cleaning products but the floral follows up quite nicely. I don’t get “soapiness” that other reviewers have mentioned, this is pure resinous smoky rose/carnation, totally relaxing and meditative.
Nebras reminds me of that “New Age” shop smell that tend to dominate various parts of San Francisco: warm, comforting, and very cozy. The sillage and longevity are enormous, in fact once in India I witnessed shop owners hanging their clothes on wooden door frames…while burning incense below so it would infuse into the fabric. This is what I feel like is happening when rubbing Nebras into my clothes; it saturates and stays there for weeks!
This is my first experience with the Saudi Arabian fragrance line, and I love it. I can’t believe how potent their perfumes are for such a bargain price, really makes you wonder about all those watered down reformulations from big house names. Overall a real bargain!