Perfume Reviews by Redfish365

Chypre Azural by Les Indémodables

Not sure why they names this Chypre Azural, not at all. There's nothing very chypre about this and it's definitely not an aquatic fragrance. It is a orange, a very orange and very fresh concoction.

It opens with a juicy Sicilian Tarocco orange which remarkably remains for much of the duration. It's accented with a cooling tarragon and a hint of rose. Not just any rose but Egyptian Centrifolia rose sbsolute grand Cru. They mustn't have used a lot though as the rose is barely there but can be found upon searching. Same with the ambergris tincture which lends a bit of a salty gravitas to the whole affair but otherwise isn't especially noticable. Support from the base comes from patchouli. It's not the foundation of a classical chypre but it serves the purpose I suppose. Ultimately, this seems like Eau d'Orange Verte on steroids and without the mossy, woody base. This would really shine with a moss component but the big brains of IFRA have taken that option off the table.

Still, it outlasts the Hermes by a good while but at several times the price. At $248/50ml for Chypre Azural i personally will opt for a vintage bottle of the Hermes and have money left over.

Ambra Aurea by Profumum

Rather linear, syrupy, vanilla-y, brown sugary, resinous. Rich and thick.
It opens a bit medicinal but that burns off and a almost smoky incensey smell takes over. Frankincense and myrrh are definitely present with ambergris. There's a very interesting mineral-like thing just below the surface that I like but the overall, long-lasting vibe is a slightly sweet, almost gourmand blanket, warm and probably cozy for those who like such things.
There is nothing citrusey anywhere nor floral, this is all about amber. Makes me think of an ancient Egyptian embalming fluid. Also of French Toast. Performance is outstanding and were I a bigger fan of ambers, this would definitely be in my collection.

Amber Cologne by Bortnikoff

This is a very floral fragrance with frangipani leading the charge followed closely by jasmine. It gets a bit dirty with a dot of oud, ambergris and that jasmine being rather indolic. Mandarin, lemon, bergamot and grapefruit add their citric touches, especially right at the open but also showing themselves into the heart along with the multifaceted frangipani. The base is salty and animalic down mostly to the ambergris with oud primarily adding a bit of heft.
I find this to lean feminine and I wouldn't be comfortable wearing it. But for the right person it is a nice tropical floral fragrance with a bit, just a bit, of skank. Longevity is not great.

Valhalla by Paradis Des Sens

Opens with mandarin, bergamot and mango. The mango hangs out almost the entire distance and is joined by Jasmine in the heart. It's monstrously sweet and fruity to my nose and leans feminine. It's also quite synthetic with a lot of ambroxan ..or Ambrostar® here. The base is sweet, woody/ambery with, I guess, cedar, Cashmeran and something called Amberwood combining forces in a synthy sandalwoodish thing with vanilla. The fragrance is rather short lived though the sillage is
noticable until it fades to nothingness in a couple hours.
This is far from my cuppa but I'm sure there are plenty of folks who'll differ.
And that's what makes the world go around...

Sasora by Di Ser

After an initial blast of juicy yuzu comes a rather unappealing, sour, oniony, funky and almost rotten smell. Not really fecal but not pleasant. This stench soon morphs into something far less unappetizing and smelling more like varnish. This becomes the smell of fine oud with a little cooling, menthol-like camphor and fresh, juicy yuzu plus a lush green spikenard. This beautiful oud and yuzu comprises the majority of the wear and really is nice. It's just a matter of that gnarly first few moments that is hard to bear.

Personally, I'd probably ante up the extra $150 and buy Di Ser's fantastic Kyara for $1150/33ml.
With Sasora selling at $1000/33ml I don't think I'd want to have to deal with an opening that I can't stand. After that opening though, Sasora is every bit Kyara's equal.
Thumbs up because the beautiful kyara grade oud that comprises the majority of the wear more than makes up for that gnarly bit at the beginning. Still, for an extra $150 you can buy their Kyara and dispense with any unpleasantness.

Meander by Amouage

Opens with a lemony olibanum but is quickly overtaken by sandalwood. Orris butter, carrot seed, pink and black pepper also add body. Starts to lean feminine largely down to the iris but jonquil I think also assists. I'm not taken by this and it's a departure for Amouage. The olibanum takes a back seat to what starts feeling like a synthetic sandalwood along with vetiver and a bit of cypriol. Yeah, no thanks.

Musk Cologne by Bortnikoff

The citrus opening is really noteworthy. It's quite natural smelling and for me is dominated by a delicious tangerine. Soon the florals join with magnolia, ylang ylang, tuberose and muget. The green tea also presents itself a bit later.
The musk is really rather mild, only slightly animalic but creates a warm depth that is pretty special. The base is sandalwood and guiac plus the musk and is well done. The blending overall is quite nice and ultimately this is a inoffensive, rather quiet after it settles and comforting fragrance. I don't love it but I appreciate it and do give it a thumbs up.

Sayat Nova by Bortnikoff

Opens with apricot and a dry vanilla in a syrupy and thick but not overly sweet blend. Initially I don't get much rum which I had feared would ruin this for me. I'm not a huge fan of boozy notes in fragrance.

Curiously, for a fragrance containing 3 different ouds it isn't especially oudy. The oud bringing a definite woodiness but not much "oudiness." There is a tobacco vibe but no tobacco listed. Perhaps the narcissus contributes here along with the oud and vanilla?

The booziness does increase in the heart and the overall vibe becomes boozy and sweetish with an earthiness running through. Oakmoss is present in the base along with a woodiness from the ouds. I'd say this is quite masculine but who knows anymore?

The juice is very dark and would stain lighter colored clothing. I like it but it does smell like something else though I can't put my finger on what. Probably another Bortnikoff.

Hana Matsuri by Di Ser

Hana Matsuri opens with an almost minty Todomatsu Fir, Japanese tangerine (Tankan) and tart yuzu. Fresh, cool and exhilarating.
Cherry blossom (Sakura) and Kobushi magnolia joins in the heart combining beautifully with the piney fir and citrus plus a bit of Sansho pepper, jasmine and violet leaves creating a floral green dampness which smells like spring.
The base is almost perfect with oakmoss, patchouli, vetiver and Kyara agarwood. I say almost perfect because like just about everything, a little more moss wouldn't be a bad thing
Performance is excellent for an all natural composition and once again Di Ser has knocked it out of the park.
This fragrance is inspired by the cherry blossom and the April 8 Hanamatsuri Festival commemorating the birth of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama.
For me,this fragrance does cause me to contemplate renewal and rebirth and the cyclical nature of all things. Your mileage may vary.

Lavande 44 by Rania J

This is definitely an interesting take on lavender.
For a brief flash upon first application I got a whiff of dryer sheet but that was gone almost immediately. It's then a fresh and green lavender with tonka and labdanum. After a few minutes the patchouli comes to dominate with a tiny dot of a musky oud and some woodiness from cedar and vetiver. It's a departure from some more traditional lavenders. I suppose it's unisex but it definitely leans masculine.

Peau d'Espagne / Spanish Leather by Santa Maria Novella

Santa Maria Novella's Peau d'Espagne opens strongly phenolic, oily, mentholated, almost gasoline-like and somewhat camphoraceously herbal. Linaloe berry apparently contributes a dry, bitter herbal note. Musk, amber and civet soften the effect. Overall it's a slightly animalic and herbal, smoky, birch tar-like leather and quite realistically leather smelling. The leather becomes more and more dry as it progresses. Ultimately the leather fades away, think 5 hours or so, and what remains to end is a serious, stark, aromatic herbal presence. Brooding and dark. A really great leather and definitely one of my favorites of the genre.

Boris Bidjan Saberi by Boris Bidjan Saberi

Initial smell is a mild, faint aroma of Band-Aids and glue. Something petroleum-like flits in an out. Very synthetic. I never do get leather. Ends up a cedar and pseudo-vetiver with iso-e super. I want to underline how synthetic and "industrial" this is and that that seems to be exactly what this team was shooting for. So for that I guess it's mission accomplished. But for me, I'd never wear it again. It's off-putting and weird, but not "good weird." Capische?

Risk by Azman

First off let it be known that I've never been blown away by a Antonio Gardoni fragrance. I know he's got his legion of fans but I've never much loved his work at Bogue.
Here, his work with oud, is more interesting to me than anything he's done previously. However all this talk of an "oud matrix" created with six different ouds and a "floral matrix" of tuberose and iris is overblown PR. I'm also curious about the listed ambergris - some specificity would be great because I'm wondering if any natural ambergris is present and how much synthetic ambergris-like aromachems have been added?
There are some twists and turns here to be sure. From a juicy yuzu and bergamot to a fleeting civet, ambergris and a Tonkin musk but mainly it's oud. And you do get various aspects of oud from slightly barnyard to Bandaid and medicinal to smoky and turpentine-like. The ouds are definitely in motion, morphing and contorting in a dance with the musky florals, citrus fruits, animalics and benzoin.
While it's actually a fairly safe oud and not likely to blow away aficionados looking for the most fecal oud out there I do think it's interesting enough to satisfy people who like oud and are ready to go past the pseudo-ouds of the designer fragrances.
At $350/30ml it's about fairly priced for something that does contain natural ouds and performance shouldn't let anyone down. A dab will do ya and it lasts a good, long while.

Dream by Bortnikoff

Bortnikoff's Dream is not a pleasant dream to me. Dream is fruity and sweet with a green hue and syrupy resins that at times smells like a birthday cake. It opens for me with vanilla and champaca and pistachio or lentisque and is alternately green and balsamic and sweetly candy or cake like. Sometimes smelling of the aforementioned birthday cake and other times like Bubble Yum bubblegum. A nicely tart blackcurrent becomes a factor in the heart and washes away any remaining greenness. The champaca becomes a bigger player here too and an incense vibe can be detected. The base is a powdery sandalwood and sweet vanilla and benzoin. Not my favorite ending. Ultimately I'd call this a gourmand and I really "don't do" gourmands if I can help it. This smells like the aftermath of a 5 year old's birthday party - a sticky, sweet mess.Scrub a dub-dub.

Oud de Grasse by Solafa Scents

Opens with a super lifelike, peppery grapefruit and juniper. Geranium dominates the heart with patchouli, Tonka and cedar supporting. Supporting globally are the Burmese and Thai ouds which never jump out and merely beef up the concoction. Oakmoss and a dot of civet along with sandalwood and amber complete the base.
Lasts a long time but as a bland, slightly sweet, boring thing.

Marrakesh by Bortnikoff

A tobacco fragrance pure and simple but for one fact - no tobacco is listed.
I can't believe there's no tobacco here! Instead we get a note listing of Tunisian orange blossom, black pepper and nutmeg in the top. Heart notes of nectarine, jasmine, hedione and elemi. And base notes of vanilla absolute, benzoin and oud.
There's some alchemical magic at play here!
I get a very brief nectarine blast upon first application but that fades instantly.
A clear tobacco soon dominates and it does have a faint vanilla edge to it. I detect a bit of nutmeg and black pepper and there's a dried fruit thing happening as well. I don't get a lot of florals but perhaps it's the orange blossom, hedione and jasmine in combination with the resins and the dot of Indonesian (Kalimantan) oud which create the illusion of tobacco?
In the late life of the scent the florals seem to become a bit more prominent as does that pesky vanilla. The oud is barely there but the dry tobacco lingers.
Performance is moderate. The scent doesn't push out far and it'll last 6 hours or so largely as a skin scent.

Sahraa Oud by Fragrance Du Bois

A very expensive amber with some legit oud that is not prominent. Sells for $975/100ml...a joke. Opens with a blast of grapefruit. Ultimately it's a amber with jasmine, rose and saffron. The oud is mild and safe. The rose is boosted by geranium. Oud adds a smoky facet. The amber builds and eventually overrides all with sandalwood and patchouli also present. The ingredients are undoubtedly top quality but for this price I was expecting a much greater oud presence.

Blu by Agar Aura

Essentially another rose-oud but not like most rose-ouds I've encountered. It's not super loud and the rose is barely there. It is quite fresh and clean and not dark or heavy.

It opens with a touch of white rose, an absinthe accord and papyrus. None of these overwhelm and are from the get go surrounded by the ouds. A blend of Malaysian and Thai ouds which impart a woodiness that is clearly oud but tamer than most. It doesn't smell synthetic by any means but is a clean, almost sanitized, oud. The absinthe adds a fresh coolness and every so often the rose peeks it's head out.
Both oakmoss and vetiver are listed in the base and they do provide the ouds a cushy throne from which to hold court. The ouds are front and center - it is their show!

I believe this beautiful fragrance has been discontinued.and it's a shame if it has. There's room out there for a fresh oud like this.
Blu was priced at $395/25ml when available.
Performance is excellent both in terms of longevity and sillage.

From the few I've tried (Blu, Oud Fougere, Agar Attar) from the house of Agar Aura it's clear to me that they really know their oud and they only release top notch perfumes. Everything I've tried from them is never short of outstanding.

Mythique by Elixir Attar

Opulent, rich, chocolatey tobacco, coffee, saffron and rum. Three different tobacco extracts are used. An Indian Oud adds heft. Real deer musk macerated in sandalwood and a brown ambergris round out the base. Top quality ingredients at a top shelf price of $250/15ml.
This is a gourmand tobacco and as a tobacco it's quite unique. I tend to dislike gourmand fragrances and notes like chocolate, coffee, vanilla and alcoholic beverage notes like rum, cognac and whiskey (all of which are listed for Mythique), tend to put me off. Here though it's a killer combination and some masterful blending. That price though...

Santal Noble (new) by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier

Opens with a somewhat smoky incense and spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper along with (ugh) a sippa' coffee. Actually the coffee note isn't super pronounced and isn't as bad as I feared. A pretty darned nice sandalwood enters soon after, creamy and a tiny bit tangy. I also noticed vanilla which here again isn't too pronounced or terrible. Just lending a creaminess to the sandalwood.
Vetiver and patchouli add a green component and support well the wood. In the base a real, honest to goodness ambergris note adds a salty, slightly animalic facet and along with castoreum further supports the sandalwood. It must be said that this sandalwood, obviously not Mysore, is exquisite. The supporting cast does excellent work in gussying up what it probably red Australian sandalwood and an African hardwood known as camwood.
Ultimately this is a smooth and high quality sandalwood in this era of almost non-existent Mysore and seems to come pretty close to that real McCoy. It isn't loud or abrasive and performance is so-so.

Les Humeurs : Lacrima by Les Liquides Imaginaires

A rather interesting incense fragrance and notable for smelling of mostly frankincense and yet containing, apparently, none.
The note listing here is deficient. The brand itself says: Top notes - Pink Pepper, Elemi.
Heart notes - Smoked Wood, Benzoin. Base Notes - Castoreum, Moss.
Others also list Palisander Rosewood, Aldehydes and Labdanum.
Ultimately, to me this is almost exclusively a rather lifelike olibanum or frankincense all the way through. There aren't a lot of changes to be had. I really don't detect much castoreum besides the faintest little leather thing happening in the drydown. Likely more the labdanum than castoreum.
I get a slight mossiness now and then and a very light smoke but mostly it's elemi and benzoin and presumably the rosewood and aldehydes combining to create the illusion of olibanum. It doesn't have the linen smell of real olibanum or the olibanum of, say, Cardinal by Heeley and there is a touch of vanilla from the benzoin but it's olibanum that predominates.
Performance is adequate. 6 hours or so of maybe arms length projection.

Opus XIII : Silver Oud by Amouage

From Amouage:

"A protruding depth of Patchouli (molecular distillation) and smoky Cypriol (essence) confuses the senses. Instead of a top note, a wide variety of woods appear, foreboding a deep evolution. An exquisitely rich Oud Assam (essence) dances in unison with a leathery Madagascar Vanilla (absolute), while Ambrarome, birch, castoreum and Guiac Wood leave dark sillage imprints on the skin, blending in an endless finale."

To me its a nice smelling thing that's somewhat addicting. The opening is a bit harsh but only for a minute. Otherwise its a scratchy patchouli with smoky Cypriol. Soon an almost rubbery oud note appears which is sweetened ever so slightly by an unlisted berry-like note. Raspberry?
Vanilla comes to play but it isn't overbearing and blends well with the overall vibe. The patchouli is at times chocolatey but this is no gourmand.
Performance is dynamite in the longevity department and just fine sillage-wise.
This is top tier Amouage.

Cuir Cuba Intense by Nicolaï

Initially I get something gnarly, stale, wrong. This atop an overdose of licorice and star anise and mint. Occasionally lapses into a smell similar to Cutter insect repellent. Stale thing does dissipate. Too minty though. Leather nonexistent. Tobacco maybe if you squint .Is spicy, esp. cumin, coriander. I wouldn't buy. Good performance though and the fragrance does improve somewhat as it dries down.

Oud Assam by Rania J

Having encountered such widely disparate reviews of this fragrance I'm left to wonder if there was a reformulation somewhere along the way or if batch variations account for such a love/hate dichotomy. Or is it an individual's taste, bias and preferences? Or it could be genetic. Apparently genetics plays a role in whether cilantro tastes citrusy or soapy. Or whether asparagus makes one's urine smell foul or not. So genetics could account for the different experiences with oud and specifically with the oud at hand. The oud contained in Rania J's Oud Assam.

To me, Oud Assam is a pleasant and clean oud. At times almost soapy. I don't get any of the deeply barnyard, fecal or cheesy aspects that many others report. I do get a very brief blast of orange before settling into a varnish-like wood - the oud. As time goes on the oudiness remains but is accompanied more and more by smoky olibanum, vetiver, coumarin and a musk.

The fragrance lasts all day and ultimately becomes a completely benign woody, creamy, smoky and musky melange. It's wholly inoffensive but I don't love it.

I compared it, side by side, to Rogue Perfumery's A'Oud Ancienne which also uses an Assam oud but is a rather different fragrance and found the Rogue product way more animalic and ultimately more to my taste. That said though, Oud Assam is - to me - a safe, tame and clean oud that I would think would be fine to wear out in public.