Lattafa Perfumes in Pakistan: Four Fragrances Compared

Lattafa has become the default answer to wanting a long-lasting fragrance without paying designer prices in Pakistan. The problem is that the range is large and the bottles all look expensive, so it is hard to tell which one you actually want.

Four are stocked here, all 100ml, from ₨ 2,827 to ₨ 3,845. They are genuinely different from one another, so the choice is not about which is best.

Lattafa Qaa'ed — warm and spicy

Opens on amber, musk, ginger and cinnamon. The heart brings vanilla and herbal notes, and it settles into a woody base.

This is the most assertive of the four and the most seasonal. Spice and amber carry in cool air and can feel heavy in a Karachi summer afternoon, so it suits evenings and winter. Unisex in the real sense rather than the marketing sense — the spice keeps it from reading as either masculine or feminine.

At ₨ 3,845 it is the most expensive here, and the one to pick if you want to be noticed.

Lattafa Mahasin Crystal — fruity and floral

Bergamot, black currant, tangerine and apple to open. A floral heart of jasmine, freesia, gardenia and lily-of-the-valley. A base of musk, vanilla, amber and sandalwood.

The most conventionally feminine of the four and the easiest to wear. Bright at the top, soft underneath, nothing in it likely to bother anyone in an office or a classroom.

At ₨ 2,827 it is also the cheapest here, which makes it the sensible first Lattafa if you have not tried the brand.

Lattafa Musk Mood — clean and soft

Citrus and fruit at the opening, then florals with white musk and vanilla, finishing on white musk and sandalwood.

The quietest of the four. White musk sits close to the skin rather than filling a room, which makes this the one for daily wear, work, and anywhere a strong fragrance would be the wrong choice. If you find most oriental perfumes too much, start here.

₨ 3,299.

Lattafa Lail Maleki — rich and layered

Fruity and citrus notes with warm spices at the opening, a heart of jasmine, gardenia, orchid and honey, and a deep woody base.

The most complex of the four, and the one that changes most between the first ten minutes and the second hour. Honey and orchid give it a sweetness that Qaa'ed does not have, while the woody base keeps it from turning sugary. Unisex, and better in the evening than at a desk.

₨ 3,300.

Which one

• First Lattafa, unsure what you like — Mahasin Crystal. Cheapest, easiest, hardest to get wrong.
• Daily wear, office, subtle — Musk Mood.
• Evenings, winter, want to be noticed — Qaa'ed.
• Something more interesting, unisex — Lail Maleki.

A note on longevity

All four are eau de parfum concentration, which is why they last longer than most of what you find at this price. Spray on skin rather than clothes, and on pulse points that stay warm. Perfume also fades faster in heat and humidity, so a scent that lasts all day in Islamabad in January will not do the same in Karachi in June — that is the fragrance behaving normally, not a fake.

All four are 100ml, ship across Pakistan with cash on delivery, and deliver free over ₨ 5,000.