From wikipedia:
In chemistry, isomers are compounds with the same molecular formula but different structural formulae[1] Isomers do not necessarily share similar properties unless they also have the same functional groups.
Basically two compounds with the same basic ingredients looking similar but different based on their final assembly.
Black Aoud: Oud, rose, musk, patchouli
VdR: Rose, musk, patchouli
My decant of Black Aoud came in from perfumedcourt today. Checked the mail, took a shower, sprayed it on. This is going to sound a little weird but the oud opening was the best part for me! I loved the raw, medicinal smell, very earthy. This might just be me but I smelled something a little like honey in the opening, started having Serge Lutens flashbacks. However the exotic opening fades to a soft rose and dusty patchouli on my skin. The rose is neither masculine nor feminine and the patchouli isn't a warm, golden type, it's more thin and dry if this makes any sense. There is an 'expensive soap' vibe to the drydown that I'm not really taking a liking to.
I know there is alot of talk about BA, Rose 31, and No 88 and their similarities and differences. But I never see any talk of the relation to VdR. They don't smell alike, but their drydowns have the exact same notes: Rose and patchouli. It's very interesting to me how two well made scents with the exact same notes smell so radically different.
I must say after all the hype I am slightly let down. I expected more of a dark, woody, musky drydown with BA, some sensual brute ravishing my nose. Don't get me wrong, I love the rose smell but I'm left asking, is this all to it? On my skin it doesn't seem like there is any masculine note balancing the rose, it's still very wearable but I can't really see myself wearing this anywhere but around the house or for short errands. I would never, ever wear this to work. Maybe a formal dinner, but I'm not sure. The longevity is fantastic, my skin normally destroys rose notes and it's going strong about 7 hours later.
I guess my next question is this: I love the opening, which Montale just punches you in the face with oud and keeps the smell well into the drydown?
In chemistry, isomers are compounds with the same molecular formula but different structural formulae[1] Isomers do not necessarily share similar properties unless they also have the same functional groups.
Basically two compounds with the same basic ingredients looking similar but different based on their final assembly.
Black Aoud: Oud, rose, musk, patchouli
VdR: Rose, musk, patchouli
My decant of Black Aoud came in from perfumedcourt today. Checked the mail, took a shower, sprayed it on. This is going to sound a little weird but the oud opening was the best part for me! I loved the raw, medicinal smell, very earthy. This might just be me but I smelled something a little like honey in the opening, started having Serge Lutens flashbacks. However the exotic opening fades to a soft rose and dusty patchouli on my skin. The rose is neither masculine nor feminine and the patchouli isn't a warm, golden type, it's more thin and dry if this makes any sense. There is an 'expensive soap' vibe to the drydown that I'm not really taking a liking to.
I know there is alot of talk about BA, Rose 31, and No 88 and their similarities and differences. But I never see any talk of the relation to VdR. They don't smell alike, but their drydowns have the exact same notes: Rose and patchouli. It's very interesting to me how two well made scents with the exact same notes smell so radically different.
I must say after all the hype I am slightly let down. I expected more of a dark, woody, musky drydown with BA, some sensual brute ravishing my nose. Don't get me wrong, I love the rose smell but I'm left asking, is this all to it? On my skin it doesn't seem like there is any masculine note balancing the rose, it's still very wearable but I can't really see myself wearing this anywhere but around the house or for short errands. I would never, ever wear this to work. Maybe a formal dinner, but I'm not sure. The longevity is fantastic, my skin normally destroys rose notes and it's going strong about 7 hours later.
I guess my next question is this: I love the opening, which Montale just punches you in the face with oud and keeps the smell well into the drydown?
What type of these ingredients, in how much, and is there an emphasis placed on these notes? Not all times will perfumers reveal ALL of their ingredients -- only the main ones. Underlying spices and florals, for example, may add a little oomph to the notes (while not being detectable by the nose); but they are not always listed. Sauvignonne, by Ginestet, is one of those scents which you can pick up the top notes easily, but some of the "behind-the-curtains" magic is more mysterious, while on the other hand, a scent like Antidote, by V&R, whose ingredients are listed plain-as-daylight, is one you would've sworn to never have picked out so many notes in. So, while the ingredients are listed as the same, the scent may not be. I've smelled and reviewed both Black Aoud and VdR as well, and they were not quite the same to me.
