For a while now I have been building up my perfume collection and I thought it would be fun to focus on fragrances from time to time and review them too. For now, my plan is to review perfumes at least once a month but that might change with time, depending if that is something you guys will enjoy to read about. So, if that is something you guys would find interesting, please let me know down in the comments.
I decided to focus my last blog post of 2019 on the Kayali perfume because that is something I asked for to get for Xmas - and as you guessed, that is what I have received. For those that wanted to know, this year for Christmas I got the Kayali Elixir perfume, Thank You, Next perfume, Benefit skincare gift set, Kylie Cosmetics high gloss, pjs and loads of chocolates/sweets.
I had my eye on the Kayali perfumes ever since they came out but I was never sure which one I should go for simply because they are a little bit too expensive for me to get all. Every time I go to Selfridges and Harrods (in London) I make sure to visit the Huda Beauty area and smell each scent to see which one I would like the best. However, this method fails every time because I tend to like all of them more and more! At first, my ultimate favourite was Elixir, but ever since I visited Huda's pop up store and received the Vanilla sample, I fell in love with this scent too. So, when it was time to let my parents know what I wanted for Xmas, I thought it would be best if they picked one for me between Elixir and Vanilla and surprise me at the same time. I also know that Kayali does a gift set which includes all of the 4 perfumes which seems like the perfect solution for me, but they come at 10ml which for me is too small, I would probably use it all up within 1 month.
50ml £67/$88
100ml £84/$123
Kayali means my imagination in Arabic and it was created by both Huda and Mona Kattan, who in fact is known as the Perfume Princess. I honestly think that if we're going to trust anyone when it comes to fragrance, it should be Mona. If you follow her on social media, you must know how big her perfume collection is and also, her perfume knowledge. I knew Kayali would be amazing from the start and it definitely didn't disappoint. Kayali's tagline is every layer of me and it actually focuses on layering fragrances to create your own, personal scent.
Elixir is described as an ultra-addictive scent, which opens with sweet notes of Red Apple and Rose Petal Essence, before revealing a floral heart of Rose Centifolia and uplifting touches of Jasmine Sambac. Adding depth to the romantic fragrance, warm woody notes of Indonesian Patchouli and velvety Amber are enveloped by accents of Vanilla, leaving behind a long-lasting trail. The number next to the perfume name, in this case the number 11 signifies the number of modifications that it took to get the scent right.
As previously mentioned, Elixir was the first one out of the 4 that stole my heart because of its unique scent. The opening gives me a burst of red apple and rose petals and just as it's labelled it is a floral fruity fragrance. In my opinion, this is definitely a heavy fragrance, which comes with no surprise as Huda Beauty/Kayali is a Dubai based company and fragrance is a big part of Arab culture. For those of you who are not used to heavy scents, I still think you would enjoy this just maybe don't put as much of it on. The scent is heavy in a sense that you don't need loads of it to smell it - it is an Eau de Parfum after all. Eau de Parfum has the highest concentration of fragrance - generally having a fragrance concentration of between 15% and 20%. On average, eau de Parfum should last from four to five hours, if not more. This differs from Eau de Toilette which has a fragrance concentration of between 5% and 15%. Eau de Toilette is definitely one of the most popular types of fragrance and it is definitely cheaper than eau de Parfum (in case some of you were wondering why Kayali's price is high) but it will normally only last for two to three hours.
I also have to talk about the bottle of this perfume - it looks so elegant and classy. I love how beautiful the packaging looks and the diamond cap makes it even more unique. On many occasions you get an expensive fragrance in simple packaging but with Kayali you not only get a high quality of fragrance but also a stunning packaging that makes it even more exciting to have. I appreciate the fact that it's possible to get the Kayali testers before actually making a purchase, although not every shop will have them, because that makes it easier for you to find your perfect scent. This is especially important if you cannot afford to buy all 4 and want to ensure you make the right decision. Testers can also help with layering, as it allows you to try different layers and see which scents would work together for you to create your perfect scent. Sadly, I didn't know the Kayali testers were a thing until I visited the Huda Beauty pop up and was gifted one, and when I looked online to see if I could maybe get more, people were selling it for crazy amount of money.
Final Thoughts
I really think Mona and Huda did an amazing job with the launch of their Kayali fragrance brand. I already love and have so much respect for Huda Beauty and the quality that their products always have but when it comes to Kayali, I think the same love and passion that Huda has towards beauty, Mona has towards fragrance, which makes me want to support their brands even more. Personally, as I said, Elixir was the first one I fell in love with when checking the four out in the stores, however after receiving my Vanilla tester I love that one too. It was my parents who picked Elixir out of the two for me and I am not complaining because I love the smell just as much as I love the Vanilla.
I actually visited Selfridges yesterday and as always, I went to see the Kayali/Huda Beauty area. This time I sprayed all of them again and I started liking Citrus and Musk too, so honestly I wish I could have all of them in my collection soon. But because of their price, I think I will have to wait for bigger occasions like my birthday etc. to either get them or ask for them, but hopefully at least I get Vanilla next because I think layering Elixir with Vanilla would be amazing. I did consider getting the gift set of the 4 for myself for my birthday which is very soon, but the bottles are only 10ml and I would prefer to get something that lasts me longer. What I am happy the most about is that Kayali came out with 4 different unique scents that everyone can pick their favourite from and we also have the ability to layer them together to create personal scents. Additionally, this is the first time I have ever been this excited over fragrances and usually when I get perfumes, I don't think about checking out the brand for their other scents but in this case I definitely love the entire collection and would love to support the brand and get all of them. Definitely this is something I would recommend all of you to check out in either Sephora, Selfridges or Harrods and getting because the perfume itself is very long lasting and their unique scents are something I think everyone will fall in love with.
I would love to know if you have tried the Kayali fragrance and if so, comment down below which scent out of the 4 is your favourite. As mentioned, I would love to get Vanilla next, but I truly like all 4 and it would be hard to say in which order I like them - I think all 4 can be used for different occasions or mixed together for the perfect combo. I hope you guys enjoyed my first ever fragrance review! I am definitely looking forward to do one at least once a month for 2020.
Also, a little update for what's coming in 2020!
There will be a new blog post every WEDNESDAY & SUNDAY and if you don't want to miss out make sure to sign up for email subscription to get email notification of new blog posts - you can find it on the side of my blog or by clicking HERE.
I also have to talk about the bottle of this perfume - it looks so elegant and classy. I love how beautiful the packaging looks and the diamond cap makes it even more unique. On many occasions you get an expensive fragrance in simple packaging but with Kayali you not only get a high quality of fragrance but also a stunning packaging that makes it even more exciting to have. I appreciate the fact that it's possible to get the Kayali testers before actually making a purchase, although not every shop will have them, because that makes it easier for you to find your perfect scent. This is especially important if you cannot afford to buy all 4 and want to ensure you make the right decision. Testers can also help with layering, as it allows you to try different layers and see which scents would work together for you to create your perfect scent. Sadly, I didn't know the Kayali testers were a thing until I visited the Huda Beauty pop up and was gifted one, and when I looked online to see if I could maybe get more, people were selling it for crazy amount of money.
Final Thoughts
I really think Mona and Huda did an amazing job with the launch of their Kayali fragrance brand. I already love and have so much respect for Huda Beauty and the quality that their products always have but when it comes to Kayali, I think the same love and passion that Huda has towards beauty, Mona has towards fragrance, which makes me want to support their brands even more. Personally, as I said, Elixir was the first one I fell in love with when checking the four out in the stores, however after receiving my Vanilla tester I love that one too. It was my parents who picked Elixir out of the two for me and I am not complaining because I love the smell just as much as I love the Vanilla.
I actually visited Selfridges yesterday and as always, I went to see the Kayali/Huda Beauty area. This time I sprayed all of them again and I started liking Citrus and Musk too, so honestly I wish I could have all of them in my collection soon. But because of their price, I think I will have to wait for bigger occasions like my birthday etc. to either get them or ask for them, but hopefully at least I get Vanilla next because I think layering Elixir with Vanilla would be amazing. I did consider getting the gift set of the 4 for myself for my birthday which is very soon, but the bottles are only 10ml and I would prefer to get something that lasts me longer. What I am happy the most about is that Kayali came out with 4 different unique scents that everyone can pick their favourite from and we also have the ability to layer them together to create personal scents. Additionally, this is the first time I have ever been this excited over fragrances and usually when I get perfumes, I don't think about checking out the brand for their other scents but in this case I definitely love the entire collection and would love to support the brand and get all of them. Definitely this is something I would recommend all of you to check out in either Sephora, Selfridges or Harrods and getting because the perfume itself is very long lasting and their unique scents are something I think everyone will fall in love with.
I would love to know if you have tried the Kayali fragrance and if so, comment down below which scent out of the 4 is your favourite. As mentioned, I would love to get Vanilla next, but I truly like all 4 and it would be hard to say in which order I like them - I think all 4 can be used for different occasions or mixed together for the perfect combo. I hope you guys enjoyed my first ever fragrance review! I am definitely looking forward to do one at least once a month for 2020.
Also, a little update for what's coming in 2020!
There will be a new blog post every WEDNESDAY & SUNDAY and if you don't want to miss out make sure to sign up for email subscription to get email notification of new blog posts - you can find it on the side of my blog or by clicking HERE.
There will also be a section coming to my blog where you can find my current favourites and easy navigation for you to go and check the products out. This way I can easily update you guys on my favourites while focusing my blog posts on product reviews.
Once again thank you everyone for the constant support, we're ending 2019 with 500 followers and 10K views a month which is just crazy! I am also so thankful to Coloured Raine for putting me on their PR list - my first ever PR! I can't wait to see what 2020 brings for my blog and I wish you all a Happy New Year! Stay safe everyone! ♥
Love, Olivia xo
