FAAN Amjad Honour vs FAAN Amjad Mystery: which FAAN perfume should you buy?

Amjad Honour vs Amjad Mystery: the verdict in short

• Amjad Honour for a big, resinous evening scent that people notice.
• Amjad Mystery for a warm, sweet-nutty scent that people lean in to catch.
• Both work in autumn and winter. Neither is a summer bottle.

Notes side by side

Shared: frankincense (top in both), rose and saffron (heart in both), vanilla and ambergris (base in both). Only Honour: elemi, cardamom, lemon, Sichuan pepper, patchouli, orange blossom, geranium, amber, oud and benzoin. Only Mystery: pear, hazelnut, sambac jasmine, osmanthus, sandalwood and akigalawood.

Notice the pattern in what each one does not have. Mystery has no oud and no pepper, so it avoids the sharp edge. Honour has no nut and no sambac jasmine, so it avoids the creamy sweetness.

First hour and dry-down

Mystery opens with juicy pear and hazelnut over a veil of frankincense. It is the friendlier start. The heart is where the shared notes meet: rose and saffron, but here with jasmine and osmanthus, which smell creamy and slightly like apricot and leather. The base is sandalwood and vanilla, a soft blanket.

Honour starts with lemon, Sichuan pepper and cardamom, then rose and saffron with patchouli, then amber and oud. The same rose and saffron, but on a darker bed. After three hours Mystery has become close and creamy, while Honour is still throwing resin.

Strength and staying power

Honour: 4/5 projection, 5/5 longevity. Mystery: 3/5 and 4/5. Honour projects further and lasts a good deal longer. That does not make Mystery weak. It means a Mystery wearer will be smelled by someone sitting next to them, and a Honour wearer by the whole table. If you share small rooms, Mystery is the polite one.

Season, occasion, audience and price

Both are listed for autumn and winter and as unisex, both are Extrait de Parfum in 200 ml, and Honour costs €44.99 (about 22.5 cents per ml) while Mystery costs €54.99 (about 27.5 cents per ml). Honour is listed for evenings and special occasions, Mystery for date nights and special occasions. So the listings agree: Mystery is the one made for being close to someone.

Who should pick which

Choose Honour if you like smoke, spice and depth, if you want the longer-lasting of the two and if you wear a coat more often than a jacket.

Choose Mystery if you like sweet and nutty, if you want something warmer and rounder, or if you are buying for a partner. It also suits a person new to resinous scents, because it never bites.

If you love saffron, the saffron guide shows where it sits in each bottle. For other choices, the guide to choosing a FAAN perfume and all FAAN perfumes are the next stops.

Five situations, one pick each

Neither is a bad pick in any of these. The table only shows which one has the easier job.

FAQ

Which is stronger, Honour or Mystery?

Honour, with 4/5 for projection and 5/5 for longevity against 3/5 and 4/5.

Which one is sweeter?

Mystery, thanks to hazelnut, vanilla and sandalwood.

Can I wear them together?

You can, but start with a test on a card. Our suggestions for layering are in the Honour and Coral article.

Related reading

• FAAN Amjad Honour review: notes, strength and when to wear it
• Saffron in perfume and the FAAN bottles that use it
• Which FAAN perfume to choose: a simple guide