Al Oudh (2009)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

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

This is simply intoxicating...my favorite fragrance to wear. Such a masterful blend of elements! While I do enjoy a dose of cumin in a fragrance, and find its suggestions of sweat and sex and carnality to be a huge turn-on, this fragrance certainly does not assault me with cumin. It is subtly blended with a host of other spices, oud, leather, rose, civet and the other ingredients listed above. There is such a warm radiance to this fragrance--I feel wrapped in a sensual blanket of exoticism, and don't want to leave!

01st December, 2012

Al oudh has got all the notes I love, cumin, spyce, wood, incense, balm, oriental. It is dense and round as I want a parfume to be. It is created by my beloved Bedù (Bertrand Douchafour). Yet it is not my piece of cake. Why, why?

28 November, 2012

Act 1
Oh. My. Goodness. This is exceptionally well done.
As the cumin rose from my skin while trying this on, I felt ready to give up before it had had its proper spin. But there are rewards, at times, for not being hasty. In the next few minutes the cumin settled into the composition and became just a twinkle among the more carnal notes.
For something this spicy and sharp, Al Oudh has a remarkable sparkle and buoyancy, almost as if it had been lifted by aldehydes. This is the smell of the dream lover’s bed but it’s also a leaping buck on the horizon.
There is so much going on here: a wonderful attar-like elixir tucked deep in its core – smoky, sweet oud and rose united with the dust and tang of myriad spices; then an entire arsenal of propulsive, sharp and warm notes – cedar, incense, myrrh, with just a stroke of sandal; and then that extra something that can only be called French magic, a refining, lightening touch that sets the entire thing afloat and shimmering.
I find spicy orientals a challenge; this is one, and yet that is not all it is. It’s like being kissed simultaneously by someone who wants to yank off your smalls and do the dirty and an angel who wants to bathe your soul in light: one feels twice rewarded, twice blessed. Thank you, Duchaufour.
Act 2
About 4-5 hours later, the base scent disappoints. The mystery of the attar and the oud has faded, the sweatiness gains the upper hand and the whole sinks somewhat into stale spicy oriental shorthand mode. Of course the volume has also ebbed making it less noticeable, but at this stage Al Oudh is not something I would choose to wear. The magic is played out.

22 August, 2012