Ajmal Amber Zest Eau de Parfum

See, this is why I forbid myself from blind buying anymore because blind buys usually end with blowing up in my face. For the majority of the time, Ajmal’s scent pyramids are fairly vague, but they do give you a general idea of what to expect. With Amber Zest I was unaware that there would be a healthy dose of oak moss and musk. Why Ajmal?! This should’ve been listed. Unfortunately and what could’ve been a stellar composition, Ajmal thought it would be cute to add in potent unlisted musk and oakmoss which I’d normally be fine with, but here, these two notes push Amber Zest immediately into old lady perfume territory and dominate the entire scene. I picked out these two notes from the first spray. After a couple of wearings I’ve come to the conclusion that Amber Zest ends on a strong dirty accord. The opening and heart notes are great, as soon as the dry down kicks in though from the second hour onwards expect a dirty and filthy odor to follow you wherever you go. Amber Zest is a carbon copy of Parfums de Marley Haltane which I have not smelled so I cannot compare the two. But Amber Zest contains no amber so the name is confusing. And also, Amber Zest is really deceiving in its delivery. It appears as wispy and transparent but the outcome is incredibly cloying and strong, especially in warmer weather where all the wearer is going to notice is a very strong musky oakmoss that leads one right into old lady perfume territory. This perfume is suffocating. What a bust Amber Zest was! I really dislike this perfume immensely. Sorry Ajmal but this stuff is a hard pass because in the end Amber Zest is a stinker. 1 star.