Aoud Velvet
by Montale

Wow! The opening blast is truly amazing!

Comparisons to Chinatown were completely spot on – the peach blossom, ylang-ylang and tiare all present themselves almost at once (along with a strong but not too harsh oud note). It stays this way for several minutes before the vanilla rears its head. At this point, Velvet Aoud is extremely intoxicating and creamy, and a definite contender.

And then it all goes horribly wrong…

This once e sexy scent mutates into something very powdery and old-fashioned. It smells somewhat Dior-ish at this point but it’s also at this point when my heart sinks and I give up on it. By the time I’ve decided to sniff it again, faint traces of the previous notes linger against a sandalwood drydown. But the sandalwood is more of the dry variety than the creamy sandalwood I usually adore.

What was very promising, at the beginning, has now become somewhat of a disappointment.

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[Original submission date: 25 May 2008]

A fruity peachiness dominates the opening, which surprises and delights me even though I usually do not care for peachy notes. I am delighted by the fact that the auod is very restrained in this aoud scent, and it doesn’t explode into my nose and consciousness as it usually does, wiping out the presence of all the other notes. Also, I think I can enjoy the peach note because there is a wonderful floral, vanilla, and sandalwood combination that unites with the peach to create a warm, almost gourmand lusciousness on my skin—very appealing, very appetizing. This strikes me as though it might have been a blatant, rude, and gluttonous kind of accord, but it isn’t—it is warm and inviting and civilized and it keeps drawing me back into its ambiance. This is a smooooooth scent—smooth, warm, appetizing. The aoud is very shy and demure, but the sandalwood holds its own in the long lasting drydown, although I wouldn’t label it a woody drydown, because the vanilla and tonka are very well represented. This is a totally adorable scent - perhaps a bit too feminine for me but then again, possibly not.