Ombre Nomade
Louis Vuitton (2018)

The smell of enigma and the velvety elusiveness of the secret rooms. En "in chiaro-scuro" (like a sort of suedish-oudish Bruno Acampora Nero or a silkier and less green Royal Night by The Woods Collection) temperamental accord of bright dusty saffron, fluffy suede, fluidy-spicy ambergris (amberwood) and fresh kind of liquid/airy resins (a fresh liquid frankincense/aerial agarwood resin-combo). LV Ombre Nomad is a Jacques Cavallier's luxurious creation exploring the enigma-territories and the secret lobbies of forbidden sensualism with its smell of precious furs, super silky suede, stale air, mould, naphthalene and old-style suedish-chypré mossiness a la Fendi by Fendi. Classic and modern perfecly match in a quite lusty accord. The suedish/saffrony raspberry-driven opening is the key accord imo, something mysterious, masculine and velvety exalting the suede-accord like in a sort of high class club privé equipped with velvet violet sofas, gorgeous abat-jour and ceiling lights. There is an atmosphere of sin and lasciviousness all around. The general ambiece is freshly oudish/saffrony, amberwood provides depth but it is the red berrish leather-accord the element mostly providing mystery and velvet. The rose/geranium's floral sparks are soapy, vaguely leafy, stiff and assertive (kind of secret floral whispers) and instill (on a bed of suedish resins and enigmatic woods) a quite mysterious alternance of shadows and velvety darkness. An high class erotic fragrance for dark rooms, nocturnal explorations and swinger's rendez-vous.

Oh dear, Jacques Cavallier sure outdid himself in this leathery oud stonker. Just one spray and its just too much for me to take. He's done some spectacular work with Opium Pour Homme, Noir de Noir, Eau Parfumee Eau The Noir, but this is just oppressive.

Saffron, raspberry-leather a la Tuscan Leather, rose, and synth-oud cranked up to 11. No thanks.

Ombre Nomade by Louis Vuitton (2018) was forbidden fruit for a number of years to anyone outside the flagship Paris boutique or Dubai, where it was officially slated for; but LV has since softened and allows people in any of their boutiques order it, with a spray tester usually hidden in the back for sampling upon request. Nouveau Monde by Louis Vuitton (2018) is the other synth-oud from the house, and presents a bit more nostril-tinge, with a leathery and slightly more-barnyard note similar to Dior Leather Oud (2012) or Le Labo Oud 27 (2009), although it quiets down more than them. In comparison, Ombre Nomad is darker, oilier, more like the Dubai sense of luxury synth oud patchouli birch tar incense shenanigans that a bunch of cheaper houses from the region deliver. Difference here being Ombre Nomad is executed by Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud at a much higher level than the usual souk-sourced Lattafa and Rasasi fare. Is it truly higher quality than those $60-$120 Middle East synth ouds? Probably not, as you're getting the equivalent of a Gibson versus Epiphone match-up, with differences only a consummate enthusiast might notice between them.

The opening is rose and raspberry oud drenched in wafts of incense and smoky birch. Saffron smooths and benzoin builds out this accord, while if you close your eyes, you can almost imagine you're smelling actual oud oil... almost. The harsh reality of the rather strident artifice on display here comes in the later stages, so I suggest actually under-spraying here to maintain the effect, since all the benzoin and saffron in the world can't derail this woody-amber freight train. The more-herbal accents of the mostly geraniol-derived rose note also start fading into view as the smoothness recedes, bringing Ombre Nomad closer to The Voice of the Snake by Gucci (2019) composed a year later. Ultimately, the Gucci is far smokier, while the Vuitton lives more in its oud molecule, so it's a bit of Mounds vs Almond Joy at that point, with prices being within $50 of each other between them. Still, this kind of smoky/fruity oud with no animal growl is not one of my favorites, so I'd take Nouveau Monde first. If you're prepared to spend, I'd go with the take the LV over the Gucci myself; but if you're not prepared, then just get something from Montale done better for less. Performance is utterly nuclear.

About Montale for that matter, good ol' Pierre has been doing these kind of fragrances for the better part of 2 decades now, so I'd much rather say go check out one of his many synth rose oud options found mostly within the Montale range, although also creeping into the Mancera range as well. You'll get similar bombastic performance, perhaps a little less complexity on some (greater on others), and will by and large be skipping the "status tax" of Louis Vuitton to smell the same dynamic of French artificial interpretations of Middle Eastern perfumery. I mean, that's the only reason anyone from Dubai would want this right? To see how them Frenchies handle their preference for miasmic synth oud patchouli smoke bombs right? If the relatively new-ish "raspberry oud" is your thing and you want it smoother, a host of other Western brands also have you covered for much less, including Versace, Gucci, and a few oddball smell-alike houses such as Alexandria. I really like Ombre Nomad, but the LV stamp is the only reason to pay nearly $400 for this. Hitting the lotto or finding a rich friend is the only way I'm getting this. Neutral

It is indeed the smell of Dubai. The pinnacle of synth-oud-oriental-masstige, as one would expect from LVMH. With too much of everything, except for genuine luxury, it has all the beauty and subtlety of a Bentley SUV. God, I hate Dubai.

This, is the smell of Dubai.

To me, the best all round balanced oud, even if Western.

Lush, delightful, scrumptious, et al

Ombre Nomade is a charismatic smokey incense oud fragrance with a strong juicy rose/raspberry tone that dominates in the opening. I could never wear this every day or as a signature, it is just too big a fragrance, but for special occasions this is a wonderful perfume. The interplay of just a few rich elements (raspberry, oud, incense, benzoin tears) used boldly and in harmony creates a unique and warm smokey oud. If you place benzoin resin tears on a hot charcoal you get this smokey sweet incense cloud that is reproduced so well in Ombre Nomade. This fragrance is intense and it must be applied lightly so it can be discovered - rather than broadcasting its presence. When used this way I give it a rating of 9 / 10 stars. A masterful incense.