Al Oudh (2009)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Not for the faint of heart.

I can't get enough of this stuff. It was love at first smell. I get an initial blast of bold masculine rose and then lots and lots of musk. Very little oud but I'm ok with that. There is a very animalistic, just had sex super skank vibe to this. Definitely not for everyone. My coworkers are of the opinion that it smells like BO.

If you like Bertrand Duchafour, and you're ok with rose musky scents try and get a sample of this. Probably NSFW and maybe not the best choice on a really hot day, but there is no other fragrance that makes me want to constantly sniff my wrists during the day.

Pros: The nastiest addictive scent I want to wear all the time.
Cons: Can be a little skanky. Some people think it smells like BO. "

18 September, 2013

To oudh or not to oudh.

I was expecting oudh and there is a sort-of oudh-like background reference in this fragrance, but oudh is very limited in the complex scheme of Al Oudh. With an ever-present, thin, oudh-like background, I get some pepper, a lot of cumin, a hint of cedar and/or sandalwood, thankfully little castoreum, not nearly enough civet, and maybe some myrrh. It’s a pleasant enough fragrance… Very well put together... Quite pleasing. I would even say it has several excellent things going on in it: a charming transparency, a relatively clean spiciness, and that suggestion of (my semi-educated-concept of) oudh. Al Oudh is high-quality and creative in a typical L’Artisan sort of way, and I’m not sure I could handle a full-on assault from a true oudh fragrance… but I’d like to try. With this one I certainly won’t have the opportunity to find out…

Pros: Well-made, intersting, desirable fragrance
Cons: Not much oudh in Oudh."

14 August, 2013

Very complex scent.

So many different reviews on this one. I have to say I like it, though if you're really looking for an oud fragrance, this may not be for you. Yes, it opens with a good whiff of oud, but that is about that last time I smell it. For a bit it bounces back and forth from a dirty oud to a barbershop freshness, which is what ends up prevailing after everything is done morphing. I have to say I like it, even though the straight barbershop isn't my favorite, but this one is one I would wear again. The dirtiness at the beginning makes it especially appealing.

03 August, 2013

I hate to have to give this one a thumbs down, but one cannot call themselves Al Oudh and then smell like something else entirely.

What I get out of it is cumin all the way..not just the first whiffs, this allegedly 'oud' scent is dominated by cumin for hours and hours, until the very end when this fades into a very very bland sweetness.

Now, I personally dont find cumin unpleasant nor I think that it evokes anything offensive, however the extent to which it is used, or rather abused, in this fragrance is questionable to say the least.

Misleading.

13 April, 2013

This smells like straight ball sweat. Nothing more, nothing less. WTF? I have plenty of samples from Agar Aura of pure oud oil and this has absolutely NOTHING to do with oud. I feel terrible for anyone who is subjected to this scent. Utterly disgusting.

13 February, 2013

Cumin, Coriander, Cardamom, Castoreum, Cedar, Civet.
The Oud is very light, more of an implication than a truth.
I really like this fragrance. It is delicious, and enchanting.
I like it so much, that I wish other people could smell it!!!
I wish that there were an option to buy it concentrated.
An "extreme" version of this would be much appreciated.
Thankfully, it is not overpriced like other supposed Ouds.
As a scent, I really like it, but I just wish it were stronger.

13 February, 2013