Oscent Black

Initially I got a strong taste of anise, ginger and an incense vibe that slowly subsides during the first 15-minutes. I do love ginger in my fragrances (Creed Tabarome tobacco-ginger is quite nice) and it is somewhat masked by the frankincense (olibanum), which gives it a nice desert-spiciness. Although a different type of a tobacco fragrance, there is a desert-sand spiciness from top-to-bottom of reminds me of the Mancera Sand Aoud dry-down. I'll have to go back and try that one again. The anise is noticeable during the opening but not too loud; it's quite pleasant actually. I really appreciated how anise is used in Oscent Black since I am generally put-off by scents having a loud licorice or anise vibe --such as Lolita Lempicka Au Masculin and Mancera Aoud Black Candy-- which can be unsettling to my scent pallet. Anyway, 20-minutes in and this fragrance has transitioned to a spicy-wood/amber-incense scent with only occasional whispers of fading anise every now and again. It remains fairly linear during the dry-down with hints of vanilla, a light woodiness and perhaps even some musk becoming more prevalent. Olibanum and labdanum take a step to the rear. Meanwhile, I am loving how the ginger continues to add a flavorful spicy kick. This fragrance lasts 10-hours, projects for a good 4-5 hours on my skin (which is great), and pushes-out to within an arms length. There is a lot happening and a lot to like about this one. However, I detect no cedar and it feels as though something is missing. Is it oud or patchouli? Forget the patchouli...it needs some oud. Oscent Black is a very nice fragrance and I do enjoy it. Perhaps I am missing something, but right now I am inclined to believe this fragrance is missing something. I like this fragrance..but I'll keep sniffing and, who knows, perhaps in the fall I'll love it. Update: I have fallen in love with this fragrance and have reached for it several times this Fall. Moreover, the presentation is quite nice; beautiful bottle.

I fell in love at first sniff, not even smelling the actual scent but the sprayer. Or perhaps at first sight, before even smelling it? The bottle is simply amazing, and the scent is worthy of it. Very balsamic, woody and smoky, I love these three qualities by themselves, but here they meet and interact, joined by tobacco and sweetness, to drive me to olfactory heaven, and extremely well blended, like a warm hazy thick dark grey cloud of pleasures. I couldn't name any similar fragrance, although it evokes me a similar feeling as Habanita and Perris Monte Carlo Oud Imperial. It smells luxurious, elegant and wild. Like James Bond wearing an impeccable dark grey suit, dapper and refined, but also capable of making use of that license to kill at any moment. Enjoying life while being the best we can be at what we do. I will never forget when I smelled this for the first time... and every single time I smell it again is special.

Oscent opens as a dark smoky scent with a hint of sweetness buried underneath. I do get the Laudano Nero and Black Afgano references in the opening. An hour in the smoke begins to clear a bit, but is still present. A tobacco / woody scent with a touch of ginger emerges. As the scent moves into dry down the smoke fully dissipates, leaving behind a slightly sweet and powdery wood scent. This is a great scent to try if you are a clean / fresh fragrance lover that has often wondered what it would be like to venture into the darker / heavier side of fragrances. I get good projection and longevity on my skin. I can wear this in formal or casual attire. Although this is marketed to men, I think it would smell fantastic on a woman. Bottom line: This one is worth trying a sample.

Now this is my idea of a dark, smoky "black" scent! I mean, dark, SMOLDERING black! This is so good! I'm actual surprised at the comparisons to Nasomatto Black Afgano. I had a sample of Black Afgano about 6 years ago, and I didn't care for it, I gave it away. I thought the Canabis note in Black Afgano just loomed over the fragrance which would have otherwise been good without it. Personally, I find this more similar to Bentley for Men Intense (but drier and less sweet - like if Bentley made a 'Parfum Intense' flanker). Prices are amazing on this right now too. $49 on Jomashop, $55 on Walmart and $65 at FragranceNet, along with other deals sprinkled around. This scent used to cost over $100, and I think it would've been worth that, to the right person.

Ok i got this today at a really good price because i'm a sucker for tobacco and smokiness and let me say this did not disappoint. This is a heavier version of Tom Ford's Extreme if that makes sense. i mean this juice projects like no other so please be careful on spraying! The tobacco and balsamic starts it off first then comes the smokiness and about 13min. later the amber and woodiness blends it all together. Oh this is good and i mean real good and don't worry about owning both Tom Ford and this. Tom Ford has like the Raspberry type note and this has the Amber note working but this is a really good scent for the winter and fall! Oh and how can I forget the Bottle...man this is a gorgeous looking bottle and its very heavy!!