Sadeen Blend
Abdul Samad Al Qurashi

Anyone that owns this fragrance, or has sampled it, knows this is not a EdT or EdP. It does not contain any alcohol, rather is an attar (perfumed oil). When I wear it I it is often complimented (especially by friends and associates that are from or have traveled to the East.

It IS the definitive essence of perfectly balanced oud and rose.

If you appreciate Eastern / Middle-eastern fragrances and do not mind a fragrance that is a pure oil this is a must have (if you can find it).

Reformulation alert! Well after reading all the excellent opinions from respected reviewers on several sources, I ordered a bottle and all I can say is I am royally confused because what I am smelling is NOTHING like what previous reviewers have noted. This review is from July 2018 and I ordered directly from the Abdul Samad Al Qurashi website, so I am assuming it is current stock. You may have better luck with other distributors who will have older stock. The good news is that the bottle itself is gorgeous black glass with a beautiful top and glass dipstick nestled inside a quality, but somewhat over-packaged presentation.

There is absolutely no smoke, no incense and no darkness at all. Just a fresh, lemony, powdery but admittedly lovely-quality rose with some questionable oud undertones. Whatever musky, spicy, amber or incense base notes might be present are not really a factor and if musk is used it is synthetic. Everything is light, soapy, fresh and it stays that way before becoming a skin scent after about 4 hours. No longevity, no layers that reveal themselves with any interest. My daughter said I smelled like soap. All I can assume is that after Abdul Samad Al Qurashi lowered the quantity from 18 ml.to 12 ml. they subsequently (though according to Exotic Scents not immediately) changed the formula. It is a very nice rose however, just not fully supported with any quality interest.

This is sad news indeed, and simply another reason to avoid large commercial houses if you are looking for quality attars. If a Middle Eastern house wishes to sell in Europe they have to abide by IRFA regulations, so expect synthetics. What is even sadder is that it is possible they are tailoring their compositions to a Western palate, or their perception of what the Western market is looking for. Just as Amouage has devolved into a commercialized, synthetic mess, I cannot say this example of a Middle Eastern house's offering is what it once seems to have been.

If you can find older stock through a distributor who has had some in stock for (who knows) perhaps a year, then you might experience what previous reviewers have raved about. You will not get that glorious experience now, unfortunately.

The most authentic exotic eastern perfume in the commercial market. A musty amber laden soapy green Taif rose, heavy musk and spicy saffron giving a sophisticated and rich Pan Masala smell. The Oud is sweet and gentle without any hint if barn. Even though its quite powerful and intoxicating it never comes across as cloying. Unisex leaning a bit towards Masculine. Performance is superb. Sillage is perfect. With oils you can adjust these parameters according to need. Its truly outstanding. Beats all Amouage attars by miles. The only ASQ which feels premium at a decent price and an collector s bottle. Top marks. Easy 9/10.

It smells like a combination of Goloka® Nag Champa Incense, the one that comes in the yellow box, big, fat, juicy and fully bloomed dark red Ta`if Roses, a velvety smooth and aged properly Oud that's just a smidgen medicinal and smoky, very deep in feel with a subtle Leather nuance from Saffron, and I must say that this is `the` best blend that I've experienced to date! The notes are perfectly balanced, and considering that this is a very simple blend, the depth of this juice is something else... insanely expensive with a stunningly handsome presentation, I'll gladly save for this, and by the way, this juice does NOT smell like your typical Rose/Oud combo, it is a perfect balance between very warm and smoky Incense and spice(s), huge Roses, and just the right amount of medicinal, leathery Oud with a hint of animalic Musk buried deep within, and lemme tell you that wearing this stuff makes you feel royal to the max, it truly does feel, wear and smell like the $579.00 that it is, because ultimately this perfume is incredibly complex with the highest quality ingredients, so it demands a big presence due to smelling ridiculously awesome, and also, that 1.5 tola of precious juice should last you for a ridiculously long time, like years, because just a drop of this stuff creates mass amounts of sillage, and the longevity is well into the next day with endless development. Worth every penny in my humble opinion, and also, I find this blend so overtly intoxicating that I crave it, and I'm finding myself sneaking dabs left and right... this juice is ROYAL!

One of the best. Sadeen Blend strikes soon for its initial more than faint resemblence with the great Al Medina Al Mounawara (laundry-soapy and rosey old school neo-chypre) but while the latter becomes gradually musky and balmy ambery-honeyed (more traditionally rosey-chypre) this fragrance turns slowly towards a more properly resinous accord of agarwood resins, fir resins and mystic olibanum (which appears supported by balsamic spices- saffron, may be kurcuma ??). The note of rose (Taif rose I suppose and the Perris Montecarlo Rose de Taif's approach jumps soon on mind) is in here more stout and hesperidic (absolutely powderful) and doesn't tend to appear musky or kind of waxy (holding on indeed kind of botanical and oily vegetal, really neutral and "gray"). The rose becomes gradually more heady, Victorian, sinister, dark, resinous, moody (as an abandoned english yard, a northern graveyard, a nobiliar decrepit building) and yes, uncompromisingly decadent. While Montale Black Aoud or for instance Terenzi Gold Rose Oudh smell finally more "musky-white" (more amber-honey-woody influenced) this rose holds on oily, royal, antique, herbal, therapeutic, shadowy and sticky. The incense presence is never "incensey" (never properly liturgical), just vaguely mouldy, solitary, greenish, humid, woody, hesperidic, vaguely camphoraceous. You figure yourself back in the childhood standing moody in a grey garden beside an ancient sacristy (under a gray afternoon sky). Longevity and projection at top on my skin. Extreme rosey nobiliar decadence and greenish oily Victorian articulation at its best.
P.S= over a couple of hours the developing note incense becomes sweeter and vaguely more ambery. This feel reduces slightly the "rosey vegetal and angular neutrality" providing a typically incensey-resinous silkier level of mildness. In this phase the aroma becomes more wearable (approachable and probably appealing) still remaining anyway rosey and decadent.

Oils such as Sadeen Blend make me understand the reasons why I very very very rarely appreciate the rose-oud iterations proposed by the majority of the western brands. This is by all means a pretty traditional pairing but ASAQ's iteration of the rose-oud combo is so dark that I can't resist it. I'm won over.

Probably not the most hardcore oud-based blend around but boy it's so dark and decadent. Yes, pitch black but not scary. Instead this has a calming effect, almost meditative and, as opposed to several other *more difficult* blends by Abdul Samad Al Qurashi, it doesn't take the usual couple of hours for the fragrance to settle down and become *wearable*. An initial blast of cheesy oud melts pretty soon with the darkest of the roses to give birth to an endless and hyper-deep woody-rose drown. The oud is smooth and not too challenging while the rose is anything but pretty'n'clean. Simple and extremely satisfying which is one of the hardest tasks in my book. Just tremendous.

If you're a fan of Montale's Black Oud, Czech & Speake Dark Rose or By Kilian Rose Oud, you have to check this out and I promise you'll never go back.

Massive projection and lasting power.