Nabeel
Nabeel
222 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The initial blast feels almost herbal-medicinal, with cardamom and saffron sparking sharply against bergamot's citric brightness, whilst cinnamon and bitter almond add an almost candied spice. Pine wood and cypress arrive almost simultaneously, establishing a woody scaffolding that prevents this from dissolving into pure aromatics.
Tobacco smoke begins curling through the composition as frankincense and balsamic notes emerge, grounding the spice whilst cedarwood and cashmeran create a soft, suede-like texture. The geranium and jasmine provide delicate floral counterpoints, though they're largely peripheral to the leather and oud beginning their ascent.
Leather dominates now, smoke-tinged and aged, whilst oud, patchouli, and sandalwood create a dense, resinous base enriched by amber and labdanum's syrupy warmth. Vanilla and tonka bean add subtle gourmand sweetness to the drydown, though the fragrance has become decidedly interior—intimate rather than projecting, a skin scent of substantial depth that lingers for hours despite its paper-thin sillage.
Dubai - Meydan Nabeel is a fragrance that wears its leather and oud heritage with aristocratic confidence, though its projection suggests this is a scent meant for intimate proximity rather than proclamation. The opening assault is genuinely baroque—cardamom and saffron collide with bitter almond and cinnamon, creating a spiced, almost medicinal intensity that feels simultaneously warm and austere. This isn't the soft spice of a winter dessert; it's the aggressive cardamom of classical Arabian oud fragrances, the kind that announces itself without apology.
What makes this composition compelling is how Asghar Adam Ali anchors this spice-forward top with substantial woody underpinnings: cypress and pine wood arrive early, preventing the opening from becoming purely aromatic perfumery. The tobacco and frankincense in the heart suggest a smoker's lounge in some Gulf emirate—leather-upholstered chairs, incense curling through the air, the ambery-balsamic notes creating a lived-in warmth that feels distinctly masculine despite its unisex classification.
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4.3/5 (118)