Black IV
Widian

Maybe one deserves a medal for persisting with the ‘why bother?' AJ Arabia/Widian line. Because so far it has revealed mostly budget buy juices in the ponciest of trappings. The first thing to note about IV is that it has that ubiquitous cotton candy base that plumps out zillions of fruity florals. You can get perfumes with this stuff in the starring role for 10 bucks and this is not particularly a cut above. Beyond that there are smoothied florals and a hint of something refreshingly citric at the start but which soon fades. It's not a write off, as the overall feel is easy to wear particularly when a lactonic vanilla peeks through the mix, but I'm sure those more in the know could recommend a dozen thriftier offerings that smell pretty similar for a fraction of the price.

This is the fruity-floral in the line, it seems (there's always one, right?). It relies on a similar honey base to the others in the line, but plonks a trashy, sugared osmanthus-esque note over the top. It's your standard floriental – a thick, sweet base with a bunch of anonymous “flowers” draped on top. An inelegant scent that goes for volume more than any kind of nuance. Somewhere between trashy fun and gauche.