Raindrops EDP by Ajmal

 

 Finally, I got to write about a budget freindly and softer version of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle EDT. Raidrops by Ajmal was a pretty interesting discovery for me. I have also considered Club de Nuit Woman by Armaf. Hopefully I will get the chance to write about it in the future. 

My interest towards Coco Mademoiselle dupes raised when I realized that my bottle of Coco was getting too old. The juice left inside of the bottle was around 5ml and it had started sounding weird. That's when I realized I would not be paying huge amounts of money to repurchase something of not a huge value to me but kind of a nostalgia for better days. In the beginning I was considering Club de Nuit, I tested it a couple of times at different stores and made sure the dry down still had the same effect as Coco. But then I read a review on Raindrops that was suggesting it was the gentler and softer version and that you got the same dry-down. So I paid less and went for Raindrops by Ajmal.

It has been quite a while since this perfume was launched. It was long ago in 2006 and I cannot believe I had never had the chance to know about it. The notes of the perfume are mentioned as floral, woodsy, fruity and ambergris. Lots and lots of similarity to Coco but once you start using both for comparison, you start noticing the obvious differences indeed. Raindrops has a softness, in the opening it has got some saltiness with apricotty-orangey splash, and the dry down is typical Coco, sweet, warm, chypre. Do I like it? Well considering my history with Coco, I like the softer version more. Do I wear it more? Not really, because every second person out there smells like this, the scent has lost its originality in my eyes. It just soothes my anxious character to know that I still have the nostalgic scent in my collection. 

Now, my history with Coco started in far 2009-2010. I was away from home, struggling with studies, job hunting, new environment, demanding relatives with extreme expectations, responsibilities, making friends, building relationships, feeling safe, lacking security and just coping with life in general. It seemed like things would not get back on tracks for me, but at some point I had started feeling hopeful to break away from all the mentioned. I started making friends, spending more time with them, having more sleepovers with them to be away from what was supposed to be my residence or so-called "home". 

There was a girl in the group of mutual friends whose signature scent was Coco and I used to hate when she would go for her first spray (which reminded me of lots and lots of tobacco leaves in summer mixed with old fruit juice) before we would head out into the unknown on typical Friday nights with our group. And yet, later, the dry down was getting somewhat cozy. Absolutely uneager, I started feeling safe with and even enjoy the dry-down. Some time later, as I finally took a risk and moved on to a new part-time job in the heart of a big city, I got my first bottle of Coco Mademoiselle EDT which would mark my independence as an employed young professional. So, years later, every time I smelt anyone on the tube wearing Coco, the nostalgic memories of early morning weekend shifts would pop into my head. I remember I felt organized and all-grown up doing those shifts, investing all my energy and knowledge to the fullest even if that was just into a customer service and support. I loved greeting people, talking with them, assisting them, advising, I enjoyed when they took an interest to chat a bit with me, tell about their own adventures and compliment me on my perfume. Good old days!

Back to reality - what I have just noticed, is that there are a couple of perfumes in my collection that I hold on to but yet I have never written about them. They envelope personal stories, cherished periods of my life and sometimes, it feels too personal to expose myself like that, putting it all out there for strangers to read. I hope, one day, once I have overcome different emotions, I will be able to talk about them more freely.

Ajmal is a popular Middle Eastern perfume making company which has been in the markets for quite some time, specifically in UAE. Their perfumes range between very affordable to niche class potions. You can explore more through the production they are offering and I am sure there are very interesting scents worth attention. In my case, I was really surprised with their Raindrops and had the honor to test some others too. Nonetheless, if you are in a search for a cheap dupe to Coco Mademoiselle check this one out. I came across Raindrops bottles in Duty Free Shops at international airports as well.