Shaikah
Al Rehab

Shaikah is my pick from Al Rehab for a perfume oil that gives you the thrill of the East for pennies. Although clearly not made from any real rose or oud oils, Shaikah briefly pulls off such a convincing impression of an authentic rose-oud that I recommend it specifically to beginners who want to see a trailer of the genre before deciding to sit through the movie. (Note: Shaikah is not a replacement for better quality oils, of course. But it gives you a pencil sketch of the real thing and is therefore invaluable to people who want a taste of the East without committing too much time and money.)

The opening of Shaikah is sharply antiseptic, sour, and although not overly animalic or dirty, may prove a little offensive to noses not used to the smell of oud. The oud note is plonked down rather unceremoniously beside the rose and left alone to do their own thing, uncushioned by the usual Western airbags of vanilla or sugar. The rose is green, cutting, and bloodily metallic; the oud note chemical, medicinal, and austere. It is a fight to the death and both are wearing knuckle-dusters.

The sparring notes eventually pull themselves into a shape that works, the ancient pairing of rose and oud proving once again to be the most logical combination in perfumery. It is not sweet or creamy, but in its bluntness, achieves an authentically loud exoticism that one can well imagine billowing out from under the robes of men and women all across the Middle East.

In bottle; dry Indian incense like Song of India with a twist of sweet (oversweet) attar rose. On skin; Very like MajMua with stronger oudy woody notes and some nice underlying rose notes. I don’t smell any coffee or cardamom, but some hint of woody spices like barks. Nice but too powerful for me.

Potent nitro muskI picked up a little 6ml roll on of Shaikah at my local Halal shop, along with a handful of other al Rehabs. Initially, this was my least favorite. It opens with a powerfully gasolinic nitro musk/oud note that doesn't settle down for hours. Animalic, skanky, and l-o-u-d! Shaikah is about as far from my taste as a perfume can get, but it does have my grudging respect. Anyone who can pull off Fahrenheit or an authentic Middle Eastern oud would probably enjoy this. Personally, I prefer Mukhallat al Rehab (a rose-oud combo), Choco-Musk, and Mokhalat Dubai from the al Rehab line.Pros: authentically ArabianCons: a bit strong for most western tastes"

They must've changed the formula as I detect nothing like the previous ones. No oud, no animalic notes not too much amber and where is the musk? Peachy but ok.

For 6 dollars, this is a total deal! It smells like Tom Ford's Oud, but more complex . The top notes smell like Indian rice pudding , known as Kheer, a warm saffron and milky scent. It then evolves into a freshy amber musk with animalic notes and lasts for 8-9 hours on my skin . I bought some at a Pakistani restaurant. I will be getting more for sure!

Strong, pungent, highly animalic, unique, extraordinarily and unashamedly sexual. It has a passing similarity to Roja Dove's 'Number 7' which costs £1,000 a bottle. I have found bottles of Shaikhah for just £1!! Worth every penny.. and then some. One of my favourite scents, especially when I want to feel very sexy in a matter of seconds! Fairly linear, hard to determine individual notes but seems to contain some nitro musks. Al Rehab scents are hit-and-miss but this one is a resounding hit for me, though perhaps an aquired taste. A little goes a long way and is best used in moderation as too much changes it's feel entirely. The edp pocket spray is much dryer and less sensual than the perfume oil which is where the fun is to be had.