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Montale Aoud Lime - My review

post #1 of 51
Thread Starter 
Disclaimer : This review is completely unbiased and is the result of my sampling of Aoud Lime. This is in no way an attempt to bash Montale or Montale fans.


This is my first review, and what a scent I chose to review... Montale's Aoud Lime.. which is considered by a few to be the best from Montale's aoud lineup. I have applied just 2 dabs to my wrist....this is my second time wearing this, reviewing it as I type.

The very first impression I get from Aoud Lime is of spicy Incense sticks that we commonly burn in our "pooja" rooms. Incence sticks that have the black dry incense scrubbed off them and crushed to powder with bare hands.. and the smell of the hand afterwards.. that exact smell. I smell it again after a gap of 2-3 minutes and I start to notice the Saffron in the mix, peeking up from a blanket of spices.. and the vague.. faint traces of the medicinal Oudh that carries it.

The scent gets deeper as time passes and for a moment I pressed my nose to my wrist, inhaling deeply... right then the scent stuck me as the smell of hospital inners.. not the smell of ONLY medicines, but the smell of the phenyle mopped hospital floor AND medicines. I'm guessing that slightly lemony smell is the 'Lime" in Aoud Lime.

10 minutes into application, the Rose has started rearing it's head up from the mix. Once again it's the smell of crushed rose petals, atleast to my nose. very realistic.. and it's blended well into the mix alongwith Saffron and other spices. The scent now has fully bloomed onto my skin, with all its notes harmonizing amongst themselves, not one note overpowering the other.. its perfectly balanced. However, I don't think the scent will have a major development post this.

To conclude my review, I have to say I'm kind of... underwhelmed by Aoud Lime. The scent is luxurious, yes, but I had expected more.. much more. Maybe it's my fault to not fully understand the scent and it's target audience... but i'm amazed by my experience with this frag... amazed that it's a luxury for many, having to pay a hefty amount to be able to indulge in an olfactory experience which I experience almost EVERYDAY.

Hope I did a decent job at reviewing.. putting my own experience forward, let me know yours!
post #2 of 51
My experience is pretty much the same as yours. I've had several decants several months apart to make sure I wasn't just missing something because of how many people seem to be ga-ga over Aoud Lime.
I don't get this one at all.

One that doesn't seem to get talked about much that I'm ga-ga about is Aoud Flowers. I just got back from working out of town today and noticed my Wife was on The Luckyscent website and ordered a 100ml bottle for me for Father's Day.

javagreen - Have you tried Aoud Flowers yet?
post #3 of 51
Thread Starter 
Hi thebeck,

No, haven't tried Aoud Flowers yet. Are you sure it wouldn't be too feminine though?
post #4 of 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by javagreen View Post

Hi thebeck,

No, haven't tried Aoud Flowers yet. Are you sure it wouldn't be too feminine though?

It's not any more feminine than C&S #88. It's got that same rose, geranium combo with the added presence of aoud. My Wife doesn't think it smells any more feminine than Black Aoud.
post #5 of 51
Aoud Flowers isn't particularly feminine. It's really interesting. An unusual combo of flowers, honey and incense. At first the honeyed flowers spring off of the incense and aoud, but eventually it gets a little dry for my taste. As with alot of incense fragrances, it ends up turning to rocky ash. It's the same complaint I have about Gris Clair. I love it on humid days. Very different from the other Montale Aouds I've tried (Black, Red, White, Attar, Roses Musk)

I haven't yet tried Lime Aoud - those of you who aren't impressed, are you fond of Black Aoud, or other Montales, but this one is a disappointment, or are you nonplussed by the line in general?
post #6 of 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR View Post

Aoud Flowers isn't particularly feminine. It's really interesting. An unusual combo of flowers, honey and incense. At first the honeyed flowers spring off of the incense and aoud, but eventually it gets a little dry for my taste. As with alot of incense fragrances, it ends up turning to rocky ash. It's the same complaint I have about Gris Clair. I love it on humid days. Very different from the other Montale Aouds I've tried (Black, Red, White, Attar, Roses Musk)

I haven't yet tried Lime Aoud - those of you who aren't impressed, are you fond of Black Aoud, or other Montales, but this one is a disappointment, or are you nonplussed by the line in general?

I'm crazy about:
Black Aoud
Red Aoud
Aoud Flowers ;
post #7 of 51
Interestingly enough, Oud Lime smells to be more Oud dominated than a lot of the other fragrances from this line. Perhaps Oud isn't your thing?
post #8 of 51
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mudassir View Post

Interestingly enough, Oud Lime smells to be more Oud dominated than a lot of the other fragrances from this line. Perhaps Oud isn't your thing?

I'm not getting as much Aoud as much as saffron and spices from Aoud Lime. It left me very very disappointed ..... 1 out of 5 stars.
post #9 of 51
For me, Aoud Lime is perfection. I get more compliments on it that just about anything else. My mom can't stand it though. It makes her sneeze.

I now want to try Aoud Flowers as I love geranium!
post #10 of 51
Thread Starter 
All this Aoud Flowers talk is making me want to try it... hope it turns out to be something that works for me.
post #11 of 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by javagreen View Post

I'm not getting as much Aoud as much as saffron and spices from Aoud Lime. It left me very very disappointed ..... 1 out of 5 stars.

javagreen, I love Aoud Lime but there's nothing wrong with your disappointment - we're all different at the end of the day. IMHO, I think your disappointment is a cultural one - youve made an association (regardless of whether its positive or negative) with something youre exposed to in everyday life. In this case, its an association you do not want to be reminded of when wearing a fragrance.

I had a similar experience with Red Aoud after attending a Christmas lunch, at a Brazilian restaurant, I noticed that the air freshener used in the gents smelt exactly like Red Aoud! Since then, Ive been unable to shake off this association. Its interesting how differently we all, through our own unique set of experiences and social conditioning, react to a particular thing.

Btw, how much experience have you had with oudh in general?

Quote:
Originally Posted by mudassir View Post

Interestingly enough, Oud Lime smells to be more Oud dominated than a lot of the other fragrances from this line. Perhaps Oud isn't your thing?

I would have to agree its the closest one to fully satisfying me, when wearing a Montale aoud. If youre looking for something close to real oudh, in the Montale aoud line, this comes the closest.

Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

I'm crazy about:
Black Aoud
Red Aoud
Aoud Flowers ;

LOL! Thebeck, I love the frankness in your posts we need more Basenoters like you! Your top three is very similar to mine, although instead of Red Aoud I would replace it with Aoud Lime. Anyway, its great to see someone else enjoying Aoud Flowers. Ive been loving this one since November, last year.
post #12 of 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR View Post

As with alot of incense fragrances, it ends up turning to rocky ash. It's the same complaint I have about Gris Clair. I love it on humid days. Very different from the other Montale Aouds I've tried (Black, Red, White, Attar, Roses Musk)

I'll have to test Aoud Flowers on a very hot day! Its uniqueness amongst the aoud line is one of the reasons why I love it - it's not yet another variation of Black Aoud.

Maybe you've already tried but Gris Clair should only be worn on warm days - if not, it'll smell ashy and like (as Dante once said) 'burning electrical wires'.
post #13 of 51
Yikes - Red Aoud air freshener?! Are you sure it wasn't just the food they were cooking? To me Red Aoud is a cross between dessert and supper, and evokes cooked food.

Yeah Gris Clair is better on a humid day too, but it's also good on other days, but like you say that ashy rock is prominent at the end. Lutens fragrances drive me crazy that way. So many of them are pure genius 5 star fragrances, but once you get to the end, they get anemic or even a little ugly!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Trebor View Post

I'll have to test Aoud Flowers on a very hot day! Its uniqueness amongst the aoud line is one of the reasons why I love it - it's not yet another variation of Black Aoud.

Maybe you've already tried but Gris Clair should only be worn on warm days - if not, it'll smell ashy and like (as Dante once said) 'burning electrical wires'.
post #14 of 51
GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR, it wasn't until my third visit to the gents that I realised where the scent was coming from. Up until this point, I was curious as to who was wearing it (I wasn't wearing it that day) but I only smelt it in the gents!
post #15 of 51
Aoud Lime is phenomenal stuff.....I am wearing it virtually everyday in the peak of North Indian summer and am loving it....Its potency is unbelievable but then all Montales are extremely potent....I recall that I used to wear it with just as much enthusiasm in winters too....

I can't think of anything else that smells anything close to Aoud Lime....I don't really identify it with the 'incense' association.....All I know is that this is one Montale I dont ever want to be without.....I had a backup bottle which I thought would not be required but seeing my tilt towards this one, I'd keep it......as of now....

Being a basenoter, you just never know when you change sides....

gupts
post #16 of 51
Thread Starter 
Well Trebor, despite my experience with Ouds being somewhat limited, I can identify them in fragrances and like I said... I get very little Oud and a LOT of saffron + spices in Aoud Lime.

It also could be a skin chemistry thing... I applied and waited and waited to be wowed by it, but nothing happened. The "incense stick" aroma continued to be present amid the spices and saffron.
post #17 of 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by paintrman View Post

For me, Aoud Lime is perfection. I get more compliments on it that just about anything else. My mom can't stand it though. It makes her sneeze.

I now want to try Aoud Flowers as I love geranium!

I really never thought of myself as a geranium fan, but I begiining to realize that my favorites have some geranium. I seem to like rose and geranium combo. If you love geranium as I've discovered I must or I wouldn't be in love with so many frags with geranium. I think you should check out Puro Lino

C&S #88 - rose& geranium
Aoud Flowers - rose and geranium
Puro Lino - geranium and jasmine
post #18 of 51
I have a sample of Aoud Lime. I like it...but my wife _hates_ it. Most negative reaction to any scent I've tried other than Miel de Bois.
post #19 of 51
well there was an interesting post on Oudh's here on BN which had so many good notes...

well to begin with Oudh's origin is Middle east and India. even in india its prominently used my Muslims (oudhs, attars etal.). now, based on the post earlier what i learnt was- montale himself was based in Middle east, learnt the art and was quite sucessful at that. he decided to take this art form to the west and changed the appraoch a bit to suit the Europeans or Americans taste...i mean it's only natural for people in india and middle east to say it smells very familiar...but, for the westerners, its somethin really new, somethin which doesnt smell like a Boss or a creed or a Bond or a penhaligon or what have you.

personally, my only exposure to Oudh has been thru M7, and i hated it...i just cudnt understand, but hey, i didnt do full justice by makin that comment as it was based on just one spritz on my wrist that i had back in a mall along with other samples.....maybe i need to get used to this smell, just like i did with Francesco Smalto..i just hated it before!

Aoud lime specifically has a huge following here, and some people who swear by it have a pretty good choice and collection...maybe a 10 ml sample would change your mind...or maybe if its Incense based, you just dont like Incense.
post #20 of 51
The saffron note in Aoud Lime is what ruined it for me...it's so grating. I loved the lime accord that LA has, but not enough to put up the with the saffron/aoud combination.
post #21 of 51
Thread Starter 
I gave it three full wearings, but it smelled of spicy incense sticks with roses and saffron. Like I said in my original review, the entire olfactory experience is something I encounter everyday in my own home.
post #22 of 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

The saffron note in Aoud Lime is what ruined it for me...it's so grating. I loved the lime accord that LA has, but not enough to put up the with the saffron/aoud combination.


Yes to your assessment. Have you tried Aromatic Lime? It's got a better lime and a nice woody drydown.
post #23 of 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebeck View Post

Yes to your assessment. Have you tried Aromatic Lime? It's got a better lime and a nice woody drydown.

I think I have a sample of it at home - thanks for the reminder...gonna check tonight.
post #24 of 51
It's been discussed before that there's no lime in Aoud Lime - just a lime mirage from other things. Aromatic Lime is exquisite!
post #25 of 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by gupts View Post

Aoud Lime is phenomenal stuff.....I am wearing it virtually everyday in the peak of North Indian summer and am loving it....Its potency is unbelievable but then all Montales are extremely potent....I recall that I used to wear it with just as much enthusiasm in winters too....

I can't think of anything else that smells anything close to Aoud Lime....I don't really identify it with the 'incense' association.....All I know is that this is one Montale I dont ever want to be without.....I had a backup bottle which I thought would not be required but seeing my tilt towards this one, I'd keep it......as of now....

Being a basenoter, you just never know when you change sides....

gupts

I share your enthusiasm for Aoud Lime. I lost interest in the Montale line--most of them are not for me, but fortunately I did find Aoud Lime, and it's magical. I don't wear it often, this is one is save for special occasions, though I do like to sniff it around the house on occasion. It's so dark, mysterious, exotic and sharp-- I love the sharpness, like the bite of a fine French cheese, and it's balanced by the rosey, red wine-like aspects of this fragrance.
post #26 of 51
Thread Starter 
I wish I could share you guys' enthusiasm about Aoud based Montales. Black Aoud, too, left me similarly disappointed...... primarily because these smells are NOT new or unique for me and not because these fragrances themselves are bad.

I would enjoy non-aoud Montales I guess. I do know it's not the aoud that's ruining it for me as I've smelled other fragrances that contain aoud and I like them...Black Tourmaline, for instance.
post #27 of 51
Like most of the aouds, they have a unique bite or sharpness (indie_guy nailed it), that's like no other. My favs are BA, Attar, Damascus, then the Lime, which I can wear in in FL during the day, except for the BA.
post #28 of 51
Yeah, people from the east tend to be less impressed with the Aoud Montales and I often hear that they're just variations, or copies of the sorts of things you can find readily in the market.

For me and for other people in the west though it's a huge discovery! Though I must say that for me Black Aoud far outshines any of the other Aoud montales, even if I like the others. Haven't yet tried Aoud Lime though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by javagreen View Post

I wish I could share you guys' enthusiasm about Aoud based Montales. Black Aoud, too, left me similarly disappointed...... primarily because these smells are NOT new or unique for me and not because these fragrances themselves are bad.

I would enjoy non-aoud Montales I guess. I do know it's not the aoud that's ruining it for me as I've smelled other fragrances that contain aoud and I like them...Black Tourmaline, for instance.
post #29 of 51
I just want to commend the insightfullness within this thread.. Trebor and others. A Montale has been on my agenda for some time. Thanks.
post #30 of 51
I'm a gay male..every time I wear this....WOMEN ATTACK ME..even my dentist the other day couldn't figure out why I LOOKED so attractive to her (I don't think I'll be going back) she looked as if she was going to devour me. Straight men take note...THIS SCENT WILL GET U PLENTY PLAY.
post #31 of 51
Holy Hoo-Haws Batman! That goes on my wishlist! I need to snag me a dentist so she can support me!
post #32 of 51
This is the one Montale Oudh that I really enjoyed and I miss owning it. If anyone has a small size of this they want to swap or sell let me know. I'm with you in that most of the Montale Oudhs seem uninspired to me. They all seem to be centered on a common oudh note with a few other notes. They aren't bad smelling but just don't seem to be very creative to me.
post #33 of 51
Thread Starter 
Rats! I probably need to make myself like it and get PLENTY of um.. action
post #34 of 51
Oud is a scent that needs to settle for a while until it gradually becomes sweeter. It comes mostly from the forests of Asia, some of it from India. Maybe its as one of my friends said, an acquired taste. The smell of oud varies alot depending on the source and grade. Some have a much sweeter and softer scent while others are more strong and woody.

Because I'm a fan of oud and love it, I'd like to try this line. But it takes alot of skill to blend oud into limes and fruity scents. Do any of you guys know where I can find samples?
post #35 of 51
I haven't tried Aoud Lime yet, but I have been sampling a fair number of Montales (thanks again Sloan, the reviews *are* coming, I'm just trying to be fair to them) and generally find that the Montales are not dynamic on my skin. They feel like they are just sitting on my skin, not interacting with it and becoming a part of me. They are very strong, but strength is not equivalent to quality in my eyes, and contrasting the Montales against something like AdP Colonia, Dunhill '34 or Ungaro II leaves me wondering how so many think Montale is such a luxurious and great house.

I guess they are just not for me. I'm still willing to give them another chance though, and will be going through all my samples of theirs again.
post #36 of 51
javagreen, thanks for your sharing your insights. Whilst this is such a subjective (and maybe cultural) thing I enjoy reading an honest, down to earth and dare I say unpretentious review. As for women going crazy over Oudh... I wouldn't bet on that one :-)

Cheers, Jim
post #37 of 51
thanks for the review javagreen ...my personal favorites in the montale range are steam aoud, black aoud and auod lime...and roses and musk is also a very strong perfume which i find also amazing...cant believe its listed as feminine though
post #38 of 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by javagreen View Post

To conclude my review, I have to say I'm kind of... underwhelmed by Aoud Lime. The scent is luxurious, yes, but I had expected more.. much more. Maybe it's my fault to not fully understand the scent and it's target audience... but i'm amazed by my experience with this frag... amazed that it's a luxury for many, having to pay a hefty amount to be able to indulge in an olfactory experience which I experience almost EVERYDAY.

I envy you for this EVERYDAY experience . You are simply blessed with a different climate and fauna. To me it is the most tropical perfume of the Montale's. And as concerns the oudh - it's truly different, and your detailing the medicinal associations seems so exact!

Not everybody knows this, but what you detected as slightly lemony (and I and some otheres perceive as a full blast of lime) is based on a trick of nature, which Montale have used. Rose in this particular combination is generally perceived as the smell of limes. There is no lime or citrus used in this perfume. It's just an illusion! However there are always people whose noses won't be 'cheated'. They get rose instead and then, of course, feel mislead by the name of this perfume. You seem to get that after the first ten minutes. I smell lime even the next day. It's about time I bought a bottle. But there is always one perfume I want to buy more urgently.
(If you are interested, AL has been discussed more than once in the period of May - Sep 2006.)
post #39 of 51
Thread Starter 
Thanks guys!.... I'm glad you guys found the review useful

@SculptureOfSoul : It's not dynamic on my skin either. My way of thinking is that the Aoud line is not structured to be dynamic but rather a somewhat linear but immersive experience, and it does deliver on that. To enjoy that experience or not would be down to personal preference, however

@narcus: I know what you mean by that and I would have to agree that I was expecting the citrus/lime to be detectable to my nose for a longer duration.
post #40 of 51
The mid to basenotes of Aoud Lime is one of the best that i have experienced so far in my journey of finding "the" scent....the sillage of oudh is so pronounced that it feels like im in middle of woods...every whiff is intoxicating and every whiff is unique coz of the way it warms up on skin in different conditions. I usually spray a shot to chest and half on torso and it keeps me beautifully dated till i drop asleep. the only downside of Black Oudh and Oudh Lime would be its opening notes. it's chaotic and to an extent repelling...but once i tasted wht it had ot offer on the other end...i simply grew into it and accepted it for what it is. I have a 10ml decant of AL and a bottle of BA coming in..i cudnt be more happier.

of the niche/desginer domain, no other frgrance house can match the intensity, Quality and feel That AL & BA Exude. a true masterpiece from the house of Montale.
post #41 of 51
I have purchassed this after thinking about it for over a year and find it a bit of a challenge, as usual for many from this house, bjt absolutely wonderful. Need to do a review soon.
post #42 of 51
One of my favorite Montales and glad I own it.
post #43 of 51
This may be my favorite from the Montale line, but I honestly find it more contemplative than accessible. I will not forget wearing it in the presence of a colleague who was convinced someone had sprayed insecticide in the room.
post #44 of 51
Montale's I either love them or hate them. Dark Aoud is my favoite, then Louban, Cuir d'Arabie, Black Aoud and Incense. But I have tried some that I absolutely hate. Like Bond no. 9, they are so strong and project, that they are loved or hated. I've never tried Aoud Lime, but I tried one called Aoud Leather Lime, and it was horrible. Smelled like bandaid brand bandages. Awful.
post #45 of 51
I also just tried a sample of this. Nothing "lime" about this one to me. Nothing but roses, which is not at all what I want to smell. In my opinion, this a a much more feminine fragrance.
post #46 of 51
I tried it and I don't think that Lime and Oud go together well. The notes just clash to my nose. I prefer oud with saffron, rose, musc and amber.
post #47 of 51
Montale Aoud Lime - work of art. Intoxicating, gorgeous, mind blowing, bigger then life. Opium of Aouds.
post #48 of 51

my first encounter with oud smell was via Midnight oud by Juliette has a Gun, and i went absolutely crazy about that medicinal , bitter, antiseptic smell......

 

oudh has no gender....and this here is pure oud smell.....this lime spicy note i think is just one quality of oudh oil, and have never heard beeing mentioned before ....but that lime note i find in homage too...this must be some oudh oil quality...rather then citruses.

 

Aoud Lime i have extra version and its so clean, so distinctive oudhy smell...its not woody, as woody notes point to lower quality,

 

real quality oud oil is resinous more then woody, very distinctive and spicy , longlasting and should not chnage over time much...exactly what one gets here :)

 

its addictive...

 

i do smell some roses later....and some patchouly...but the oudh note is so overwhelming here in a positive way...one need 1 day to get used to it, then its pure addiction

post #49 of 51
This one don't shine until after the 4 hr mark, then it become the best fragrance out there.
post #50 of 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by cmax View Post

This one don't shine until after the 4 hr mark, then it become the best fragrance out there.

 

Interesting, I will have to give my sample another chance then. I never thought much of this one, but perphaps I need to be more patient.

post #51 of 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by Surfacing View Post

Interesting, I will have to give my sample another chance then. I never thought much of this one, but perphaps I need to be more patient.
It's true I receive more compliments the longer I wear it. It just take forever for the sharp medicine note to die. Wear it next time you plan on doing something that make try sweat, you will see I promise.
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