Blu

(Review of the attar) Opens up liqueur-like, absolutely smooth, sweet, herbal. Amaros, or amari, italian for bitters, are a large subsection of liqueurs made by the maceration of herbs, spices, roots, bark, flowers and citrus in alcohol, to which Absinthe belongs. It’s my favorite type of alcoholic beverage, something I got into before I began my perfume journey, and looking back it’s funny the similarities between the two. It’s just one you wear, the other you drink. But both you imbibe. I think the absinthe is utilized wonderfully here, mostly in the feel and texture, it’s anise and mentholated facets being used to help create the initial “coolness” of the blend. The papyrus and rose here are also expertly used, their slight powdery sides synergizing, the former’s dry earthy and smokiness amplified by vetiver, the latter’s delicate citric aromas and petal-like softness lasting well into the heart. Lastly, the oakmoss and oud—the main events... The oakmoss, similar to in Agar Parisien, stands out a lovely seafoam green in both texture and color. It is the forest at the water’s edge, the mossy woodlands surrounding the crystal lake, the ‘green’ in a green & blue marble representing the earth. Despite it’s higher concentration in AP, I feel it plays the main foil here as well, or the main yang to the oud’s yin. And that leaves... the oud. Clean, clear, yet yet also damp, woody, earthy, ancient... Slightly fruity, smoky, leathery. Liquid. The textures of each ingredient are rendered wonderfully in this perfume, and the oud is no exception. Despite not having any real ‘marine’ quality—though perhaps a slight mineralic one—there is something, more than the description, that conjures both crystal clear and deep blue waters. An ocean, it’s lapping waves scintillating in the sunshine. The crystal clear glacier waters of Alaska. I wasn’t getting the “ice capped mountains and ozone” until the drydown, but now I can see it. I can see it all... I find myself seriously asking... does this smell like Gatorade’s Glacier Freeze or Cool Blue? Because I genuinely feel like there might be some common ground. I also find myself wanting to describe it as “terpenic,” and, “somehow tinged with lemon and pine.” It is also, in a similar vein, akin to what I’d consider an idyllic cannabis profile. I’ve said before of my favorite perfumes that I’d imbibe them in every way possible if I could, be that smoke, drink, bathe—all that can be done to ‘become’ their scents as much as possible... It’s incredible the way we can sympathize with perfumes. I guess it really is because scent’s so closely associated with memory. I wonder if it’s for that reason every perfume seems to have it’s own “personality,” which is what I’d claim we strive to “become one with” when we wear them, and what we “sympathize” with in particular, and which are often composites of ingredients with their own simpler personalities. But like in real life, it’s the robust, the eccentric, the seemingly “beyond” personalities that attract us the most. Or at least those of us with a neverending thirst for novelty. Oh yee, my brethren and sistren of unrelenting curiosity! May we find peace before our final breaths. Anyway where the hell was I. Yeah, so this shit slaps brother. Truly astounding. I consider it the crown jewel in my collection, which isn’t the shabbiest. I’m honestly not sure why I find it so mesmerizing. I’d probably describe it more as “blue-green” than just blue, the loamy oakmoss working with the foresty oud to create beautiful fougère nuances. But there’s also such a “clarity” here that I have trouble articulating... maybe I’ll come back if something new comes to me. Lastly, I’m having the thought that the ‘terpenic’ sense I get could also be considered ‘sour.’ I also love sour tastes and scents. Sillage rather intimate, longevity superb. For just $180 for a full 3g, I consider it among the best deals available in the world of attars. Bravo, good sir!!!!!

I've had a sample of this for over a year now, and I just have NOT gotten around to trialling it out (okay, I forgot I even had it), and once it went on, I found myself actually captivated by it. It's entirely oud centric, but it's nowhere near as bombastic and heavy as ouds can be. This one has been tamed and worked in such a way where it comes off a woody-resinous scent (which is what oud is), and as such, I'm COMPLETELY spellbound! I once received an oud from Taha which really REALLY spoke to me, and whilst this one does not necessarily smell like that, it is a lot more bearable than most ouds I've tried. This starts off with the terpenic yumness we all know and love with ouds, however, this one has a floral background, and just the *slightest* amount of booze, and to finish off the profile there is some dry-earthy-vegetal elements, which I assume is the vetiver. This is quite a pleasant oud perfume, but not enough for me to take this any further. I have a few pure ouds, I have a few oud perfumes, and, well, there's a time and a place for them. Definitely worth trying this one out, mostly because it's not anywhere near as bombastic as other oud scents can be...

An interesting take on the Rose Oud this is a more earthy and boozy variant of it. The scent opens with notes of delicate rose, papyrus and absinth and then starts immediately transitioning to a base of vetiver, oakmoss and dense real agarwood (a combination of Thai and Malaysian types). The masculine leaning scent has moderate to strong sillage and very good longevity. A sufficiently unique, refreshing and nicely blended airier variant of the Oud perfume that can be worn in more settings than traditional heavy Oud scents. Enjoy!

Review on OG-Version with the white-red-cap & light brown juice : Oh how much I love this Agar Aura as well. Maybe one of the brightest, unusual & likeable ouds that are out there ? Minty, bright, herbal & blue with a slight sweetness. Like those blue ice candys ! That’s how this oud smells. Also mineralic & bright green tones, like breathing the fresh air under a waterfall, the ground full of ambergris stones, soft green & leathery mosses sticking on top of them. The moss in combination with the freshness also gives this a fougère-touch, which makes this oud perfume even more special. Clean & wearable oud of the highest quality, that’s what this perfume & Agar Aura stand for ! New silver cap version with dark green juice : A bit darker & greener, more jungle-like, probably because of higher moss dosage & different oud ? Less blue & bright. The ice bonbon/candy vibe is gone. The attar version comes closer to the OG formula !