Oud Cuir D'Arabie
by Montale

Continuing my rounds of the Montale Aoud line, I've finally gotten to Oud Cuir d'Arabie, and this, along with Black Aoud, is among my favorites to date.

Oud Cuir d'Arabie launches itself in a spectacular blaze of oud and dark, smoky leather. Utterly intoxicating, if you've got the nerve to wear it. A rich tobacco note (think Cuban cigar) soon joins the fray, and the oud begins to settle down and integrate. As the heart opens up, the rose note so common among the Montale Aoud line members comes into focus, adding yet another dimension, though its sweetness also leads the whole composition in a slightly more conventional direction.

In its early phases, Oud Cuir d'Arabie shares a compellingly rugged, untamed quality with Black Aoud, though it becomes a less jagged scent after the first couple of hours. Oud Cuir d'Arabie also develops along a more conventional timescale than Black Aoud, which is to say you don't have to wait 12 hours before it starts to evolve. On the downside, it doesn't have its cousin's 24 hour-plus lasting power, though it is by no means ephemeral.

OMG! For the first few minutes, this stuff reeks to high heaven in an extremely bad way! However, it eventually develops into an impressive high-quality leather scent.

This is one of the few Montale aouds that I really admire but its moderate sillage and longevity (roughly 4 hours) has left me doubting if this stuff is bottle-worthy. Still, it’s definitely one of the best leather scents I’ve ever had the pleasure of wearing (well, after the top notes subside, that is).

However, I urge you to repeat this mantra:

Try before you buy,
try before you buy,
try before you buy…

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[Original submission date: 10 April 2008]

Yeah, try before you buy. Oud fans would like this. Leather fans would like this. Rose? Yeah, Montale NEVER has a fragrance without a rose. Too dry. Too bitter. Too bleak. Not an enjoyable fragrance. Not because I'm more of a fan of "fresher" scents that make you feel good this is just something to not wear. To me, the overall effect is "rusty old car".

The opening I could skip. This is the kind of frag you spray an hour before you go out so that you could get to the wonderful heart and base notes.

Once you get to the heart notes you discover a wonderfully fresh/light leather fragrance that is by no means weak. It's a rich brown leather that is tempered by the infused floral notes.

After a few hrs of the heart notes, we get to the base of this wonderful scent. It's my favorite part. I enjoy this take on leather because it smells like a person's skin, but better. It doesn't smell like you're wearing a fragrance, it just smells like your skin except better.

I definately recommend this scent, I'm pretty sure I will be getting a full bottle of this.

What a difference a year makes!

Around this time last year I first tried Aoud Cuir D'Arabie and found it a nightmare; something akin to rubbing alcohol but worse. A wrist-scrubber, to be sure.

Last fall I was at the Pefume Shoppe in Vancouver and while trying a variety of fragrances, Nez handed me a strip with something on I didn't recognize, but loved. I asked what it was and it she told me it was Aoud Cuir D'Arabie! What a shock.

While I didn't pick up that one in particular, I did retry this several times and have grown to love it.

It goes on with that boozy, almost winey top note I often experience with oud fragrances, but quickly moves towards something both animalic and slightly petrochemical, albeit not to the degree of fragrances like CdG Tar. I would not be surprised if castoreum played a part in its disinctive leather accord, and I suspect birch tar is here, too. The oud is ever present, of course.

This fragrance smooths out but never mellows or softens. It is stark, dark, dry, smoky and uncompromising and stays that way, start to finish, with no sweetness or modification. Somethng to be commended, really - too many fragrances come on bold and strong and leave softly woody or vanillic. Aoud Cuir D'Arabie will not let you down.

Like most Montales I've tried, the sillage and longevity is excellent.

I want this to be my signature fragrance, but I don't think I'm cool enough, old enough, or butch enough, and this is coming from someone who rejects all those as standards of wearability. I'm just not man enough to pull this off. I would, however, be very attracted to a man who could!

Don't get me wrong with all this man talk, though - this is a perfectly good fragrance for a woman if you happen to be Irina Spalko.

Simpy delicious oily leather scent. Extremely authentic smell of smoked, animalic leather. Raunchy. I enjoy especially those top notes. During the drydown it changes into quite "perfumy", although its everything but unpleasant quality in here. Lasting power is excellent.

This is one unique scent, and its very black and white in character wise. You like it or not, there is not so much space for anything else. The one won`t find it boring, at least.

My favourite pure leather scent ever. An absolute treat to wear especially on warm summer evenings.