Orient Extreme
by Montale

I once saw a T-shirt during Martha Stewart's heyday that said, "I want to be Martha. The bitch can do anything!"

Well, here's the familiar Montale house oud accord in the context of a fruity, classical, chypre-like fragrance, and I'll be darned if doesn't work just fine. The bitch can do anything! Unfortunately, the oud here is only a top note, so the opportunity to enjoy the unusual mix is limited.

The heart is reminiscent of perfumey fragrances of the classical era, but I find it quite a bit more masculine than those archetypes and quite wearable by a man. I am not generally a fan of this type of fragrance, but I like Orient Extreme. It's thinner, less assertive, and lighter than its models; fruity, spicy, and labdanous all at once without being sweet or cloying. An homage and not an emulation.

At the same time, it's lacking a certain velvety dimensionality. Fans of full-bodied Guerlain-type fragrances will find this something of a pale shadow. I also got only a few hours of longevity out of my sample, although the strong initial blast of oud may have caused me to underapply. I will certainly try this one again.

22nd March, 2010.

Mhhhmmmmm, I dont know how people can be so sure about the rose and sandalwood right away.
My first impression were Aldehydes, big time. Yeah theres (sandal)wood, alright there are spices however I rather thought of patchouly (or even a bit of Iris).
maybe I'm yet to train my nose about certain rose accords which I didnt pick up right away as of this first wearing.
It overall reminds me of a typical female chypre, the 30-40 description is spot on and is another hint towards aldehydes in my opinion.

A good, sweet scent, leaning towards the feminine side but I'l wear it every once and again.

11th March, 2010.

I really wish I could pick out the various notes of this one but I can't. It goes on strong and brash (I love it). Slightly spicy, but not sweetly so, more cumin? than cinnamon (thank god!). I detect some rose and good sandalwood. Lasts on fabric for days, and good lasting power on skin. While this isn't flagrantly feminine, I think the right woman could wear this well. Not for anyone under 35 or 40 I wouldn't think. Very retro and if someone had told me this was a formulation from the 30's or 40's I wouldn't have been surprised. This isn't a scent that sets out to "win you over", it's in your face, knows what it is and doesn't care if you like it or not. Very, very good and not deserving of so many unappreciative reviews in my opinion. Needs time to be appreciated. Also too, not like any of the other Montale offerings ( I have at least 35 samples). Really love this one, it never bores me. As a basis of comparison, it joins Aoud Queen Roses, Ta'if Rose, Oriental Flowers, Patchouli Leaves, Aromatic Lime, Red Vetyver, Vetiver des Sables, Fougeres Marine and Chypre Fruites on my dresser, dying to dry Oud Cuir Arabie, rather hard to find. So far, Montale is my favorite house, hands down! Ten thumbs way up!

2nd June, 2009. (Last Edited: 28th July, 2009.)

Like others have said, this is a chypre rather than an oriental. If I were to guess at ingredients, I'd guess at loads and loads of oakmoss, but since oakmoss isn't listed among the notes I suppose it might be an illusion created by some dry, acrid, almost medicinal, resin note. I agree it smells quite "raw" and/or "unfinished" - almost like some single note oil. It also has a sharp soapiness to it I associate with chypres from, say, the 60s or 70s, rather than the real chypre classics from older eras. I'd classify it as "interesting", but not very pleasant or wearable.

3rd May, 2009.

I was horribly mistaken... I thought this would be a sweeter, more extreme version of Sweet Oriental Dream - I should have read these reviews first (of course it's just a decant I bought, no harm done). Instead of an oriental, this should be in the Montale Chypre series (Chypre Vanille and Chypre Fruite)... this should be Chypre Aoud or something. I get a touch of oud at the beginning - or perhaps it's something similar to Aoud. There is the slightest touch of sweetness, perhaps rose, that appears along with this oud note. The fragrance that changes again to become what I can best describe as a 'rosey chypre'.... oakmoss may or may not be present, but it comes off to my nose as a traditional chypre base, not dissimilar from Givenchy III or Pour Monsieur, but with a touch of rose and sandalwood. The base is also similar to Montale's Chypre Vanille, replacing vanilla with sandalwood.

I agree with the reviewers who say that something seems to be missing - it's a base without a top or heart. One of the few Montales I'm not overjoyed with.

27th December, 2008.

Orient Extreme is a feminine chypre, with rose and sandal wood playing major roles in this perfumes progression. I tested this side by side with Serge Luten's Chypre Rouge and they are very similar; with the SL offering being creamier, richer and an all round better fragrance. Not that Orient Extreme is bad, it is a well composed perfume that has good longevity and sillage. This just isn't for me.

2nd October, 2008.