Al Oudh (2009)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

The initial spray gives you a blast of oud with a touch of civet. That is shortly lived by a nice touch of incense and light rose. Al Ouhd is an introduction to oud fragrances. That's one of things I like about this one. I'm not a big oud fan, and this is calmer than a lot of those strong skanky ouds. I will be purchasing a bottle of this gem in the near future.

10th January, 2014

In the top notes I get cardamom, cinnamon and some neroli; a delightful triumvirate of richness with a touch of freshness. A civet-mush notes arrives in the drydown with a very nice dark rose, and now the oud, initially very faint in the background, is more evident. This is a restrained oud, a scent that - like quite a few nowadays - has oud prominently displayed in the name but uses is as a background more than a centrepiece - but a delightful backgound nonetheless. Cedar, myrrh and patchouli witha white-peppery hint of incense spiciness arrive in the base, and towards the end a non-heavy tonka is added. A substantial oud-oriental but of divinely floating lightness nonetheless - this is the oriental for those who do not like orientals for they generally are too heavy and brooding for them. Great in autumn. Great silage and projection with a magnificent longevity of eleven hours on my skin. One of Artisan's finest - short of Timbuktu genius but a damn fine scent.

09 January, 2014

The bees knees! Nice, warm, woody, eastern and slightly 'sweaty'.

22 December, 2013

I like it and dislike it. Adore every thing about this fragrance but the civet kills it for me. The combination of dates, Oud and civet exudes this body sweat smell that the only reason I tolerate it is that it smells like my pants do after I run a few miles. I tolerate it because it's my own body but doubt someone else can. If it toned down the civet which has nothing yo do with Arab fragrances I would buy this one in a flash.

16 December, 2013

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