Amber Oud

Unfortunately, I cannot say I like Al Haramain Amber Oud. And to be clear, it's just Amber Oud in this case, the namesake of the entire Amber Oud line. I happen to be on my third bottle of Amber Oud Tobacco Edition - I love it! Had I bought Amber Oud first, I don't know that I would have continued exploring this line. My issue is that Amber Oud smells, to me, weird. Not weird in a fun way, but weird as in, “Just what am I smelling?” Am I alone in thinking it smells a bit like burnt Barbie-doll hair? Just what is that weird, slightly plastic underside to this fragrance? I get that sweet note, and what may be a resinous scent, but then it just melts and isn't altogether pleasant on my skin. But long lasting? Definitely. It hangs around forever. Al Haramain can make a quality fragrance, no doubt - I'm just not sure what they were going for here and I'm not the target audience for it. I don't hate Amber Oud, but I don't enjoy it. Hopefully I can find a good home for it! UPDATE: I put Amber Oud on the shelf for four months and left it there. It's now June and I've worn it a handful of times. It's not as weirdly off-putting to me now - I do get an aromatic, sort of herbal-woody scent that's not as sweet as I remember from January. There's still a bit of a resinous note, but I'm not detecting plastic anymore, which is a good thing! I don't dislike it and could see myself wearing it more often throughout the summer. Maybe the heat and humidity help, or maybe this was a case where maceration was a factor. In any case, it just goes to show that sometimes it pays to revisit a fragrance.

This review is for Amber Oud Rouge (gold plate front, red bottle, red and gold box). I am very curious why this specific perfume is excluded from Fragrantica when many sites are offering it for sale. Disclaimer: I have never smelled Baccarat Rouge 540 by MFK. I several "dupes" or "clones" of BR 540, including Burberry Her, Burberry Her Intense, Ariana Grande Cloud, and now Amber Oud Rouge by Al Haramain. Amber Oud Rouge is amazing. By itself, I could see it being a lot like Cloud by AG. But side by side, I'm definitely smelling more of a saffron, woody note in the Al Haramain perfume, while AG Cloud smells more sweet and girly. But if they weren't side by side, I might not be able to tell them apart. If I could imagine what BR 540 smells like based on its descriptions and supposed "dupes" or "clones", this would be pretty close. If not, this fragrance can definitely stand on its own. I was instantly pleased, and it's quite delicious. Scent: 5/5 Originality: 4/5 Sillage/Projection: 4/5 Longevity: 4/5 Season: Year-round Flavor: Sweet, woody Impression: 5/5 Purchased 2 oz from Fragrancex.com for 43.35 after discount in July 2020

Sweet & Smoky Forest Amber... I came back to this one after awhile, and the amber-resin notes are now amplified and sweetened up. imagine the crackle of a bonfire, while wood smoke and the scent of sweet, melted tree resin billow into the night sky surrounded by a forest cathedral. If you sat by a bonfire all night in a damp forest, the next day your clothes would have a certain smell - this is the scent I get in the top notes. Underneath there's a sweeter amber-resin that holds everything together with reminders for me of Ambre Sultan Serge Lutens. Overall: beast mode performance and a bold sweet & smoky amber scent profile. it's a love for me. Enjoy! p.s. This review is for Amber Oud - the original one (sometimes the boxes get mixed up, but this one should not have any black lettering on the front - Amber Oud Tobacco Ed. should have Tobacco written in small black letters on the front).

To my understanding Al Haramain is an Emirati brand that offers both high quality frags with high quality ingredients (neroli portfolio for example) but then also has a lower end offering many of which are inspired by other popular fragrances. In all honesty I don’t think this brand focuses solely on western fragrances as it’s inspiration. One of the most successful fragrances in the Middle East in the last 10 years has been Arabian Oud Kalamat and my nose just seems inspired by that much more expensive fragrance from Saudi Arabia.

Fragantica need to add "Amber Oud Rouge" as a listed perfume on their website, nevertheless, here's my review for that particular perfume: Stunning! This is a duplicate for Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait - It smells identical. The duplicate for Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau De Parfum (EDP) is "Manege Rouge" by Al Haramain. Does anyone know any other duplicate perfumes done by Al Haramain?