Ubar

Review of the original release, wedge shape bottle c. 1995, and the rerelease c. 2009 made in the UK with the magnetic cap It’s my birthday. Tradition holds that I allow myself to rummage deep into my collection and wear something very special, something celebratory, something life-affirming in reward for not dying yet again, precious in itself and precious to me. Ubar has done those honors on a handful of occasions. And as it’s my birthday, I’ll play my favorite game: an arm-by-arm comparison. On my left is the original release from 1995, and on my right is the rerelease/reformulation from 2009. Dangerous game this; two arm lengths is but a pin-tip’s distance for Ubar. First, a generalization of the two. A perfume critic we all know reviewed Ubar in a guide published in 2008, a year before the rerelease of Ubar. I scratched my head at the description “Godzilla floral”. We all know that Luca Turin doesn’t smell things the same way as most of us, but I still could not make sense of it. I found there to be nothing reptilian or crude about Ubar; Godzilla’s indifference towards monstrous aggression and destruction wasn’t in Ubar either. Larger than life? Fantastical? Mythical? Otherworldly? Yes, those work. Ubar in both forms has an uncontained and unrestrained euphoric vitality and joie de vivre that is the opposite of Godzilla. That explosive joie de vivre makes it a wonderful companion for my day of days. Now, on to the technical stuff, first noting that my vintage 1995 bottle is 30 years old: it’s not going to be the same now as when it was bottled. But as time travel hasn’t been invented yet, that’s mostly irrelevant; it is what it is. The orange notes at the top are definitely a lot quieter in the vintage, which is not much of a surprise since citruses are usually the first to age out, but the fuel and floral violet leaf note is quite intact in both. After this, some notable differences. The vintage is darker and deeper, with the florals far more indolic and heady, the tuberose seeming to do a lot of heavy lifting, and there’s a big slug of oakmoss in it as well. The florals are a true amalgam, with the indolic jasmine, banana fruity ylang ylang, heady and creamy tuberose, and sweet and unctuous muguet all existing in a seamless and spaceless bouquet. Fans of vintage Lanvin Arpege will find themselves in very familiar territory. The rerelease finds this same amalgam but with clearer resolution to the materials. The jasmine is brighter and more citrusy certainly being helped along by a clearer orange blossom, which is either very quiet, absent, or more indolic so as to be hidden behind the other indole-presenting florals in the vintage. The oakmoss in the rerelease is noticeably quieter, with the perfume opting for more rosewood and balsams instead (no surprise). As they both dry down, the vintage rides a very tight line between chypre and amber, while the rerelease more noticeably leans over the line to the amber territory. This is thanks obviously to the difference in oakmoss, but also to the musks where in the vintage there is more of sweet civet/animal musk of the good ol’ stuff where the rerelease opts for the newer synthetic musks that are convincingly less fecal. The chypre-amber dry down is otherwise virtually the same, save for the real sandalwood in the vintage but the material in the rerelease is exceptional. Labdanum, woody and sticky and slightly vanillic, patchouli, loamy and sweetly earthy, and vetiver, smoothly green and woody, are basically identical. So, yes, there are differences, but both are unequivocally Ubar. Do not ask me if I have a preference because I don’t. Nor does it seem does anyone else who happens to be in my presence when I wear it. Whether vintage or new, I get asked without fail what is that amazing perfume I’m wearing. One of the last times I wore this on a birthday, I was at a restaurant with my partner and no fewer than three people at the nearest tables asked “very sorry to interrupt, but which of you is wearing that gorgeous perfume and what is it?” That’s the other thing about Ubar. I said at the beginning that its vitality and joy is unrestrained, and it is; a perfume like this is meant to fill a space like the life-giving golden hues of the sun, and so it does. You will get noticed. Don’t wear it casually. Don’t be aloof. Be confident, be joyous, project an energy that says you are overjoyed to be alive and that life is a beautiful thing - an otherworldly and mythical experience, just like Ubar.

A mission impossible completed. 💛 Discontinued Amouage Ubar is finally in my hands. (Creations Aromatiques 1995) This is very unisex. So beautiful vintage style white floral. Nothing like white florals nowadays. Very sensual. Intoxicating. Elegant. Very oriental with balsamic and ambery base. All those flowers are dipped in them. As glorious as I was thinking it is. ✨✨✨ Thank you @profumeriezanon in Udine, Italy making one of my dreams come true. They had amazing collection of Clive Christians btw. Top: lemon, bergamot, lily of the valley, tangerine, orange, litsea cubeba and violet leaf Heart: jasmine, damascene rose, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, tuberose, freesia, and palisander rosewood Base: civet, vanilla, sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver, copahu balm and black amber In-depth review later. 06/24 Unfortunately I haven't smelled the original perfume, which was released in 1995 and discontinued later. It has been described to be even richer and woodier than the version which was released in the new bottle in 2009. Mine is the new version which has a magnetic cap and therefore it differs the most from the original being anyway more floral and having less incense in it like non magnetic cap version as well (what I have red). Ubar is an amazing beautiful vintage style white floral. It's nothing like white florals are nowadays and it can't be compared with them at all. I do see the point why it was discontinued since it's challenging, it's not crowd pleasing at all and it smells a bit outdated even if it was reformulated already into easier version. But for me all that complexity makes it so special. It's so multi layered, it's so amazingly blended and every time I wear it I can find new things, small little nuances, different kind of emotions. I love the fact that I can't separate first that overpowering Tuberose which has been made in the same kind of ways in too many perfumes and that heady Jasmine which has nothing new to offer. This is like a time machine to the past. It's very sensual. Intoxicating. Elegant. It's passionate and somehow sinfully lustfull. It's deep and it's strong like many perfumes before mid 90s and it's even a little bit more of everything. The scent is very oriental with balsamic and ambery base. All those flowers seem to be dipped and soaked in them, for a long time. Uber is as glorious as I was thinking it is but I can't stop thinking about the non magnetic cap version, or even the original one. Regardless, I will enjoy my journey with this one since it's stupendous. I just have to be careful with it, no over spraying like with most of my perfumes. Some day when I'm in the right kind of mood with her, I will analyse more the scent itself. She deserves all my attention. Thank you for reading, I hope my review was helpful. I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG and/or YouTube (English subtitles): @ninamariahperfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗

OK, so I should probably start by mentioning that this review is based on a sample I got recently, from Notino. As there have been some concerns over the authenticity of their perfumes, lately. Hopefully it's authentic - it's certainly powerful in the opening, lasts a few hours and smells of real ingredients. So, without further ado: On first spray, it's simultaneously unusual and yet, strangely familiar. Boyfriend said he had smelt something similar before, too (as a child). It goes on super-rich, strong, oily (leaves a visible shimmer on the skin and a slightly sticky feel), with intense amber, tangerine/orange, jasmine and spice notes. It smells like something someone would wear in one of the hareems featured in old films. Laurence of Arabia type of thing. After a while, the ylang ylang becomes more noticable, but the top notes still seem to remain in play until, or even into, the drydown. Which probably begins about 3 hours in, on me. The other notes are all there, too - it's just that the aforementioned ones are, by far, the most intense. Exotic is the word I would use to describe this perfume. I think, if the tuberose was more powerful, it would be even more amazing. It would appear I'm a big fan of tuberose and it is a little underwhelming, in this. As it is, though, it's still very nice. It was, perhaps, a little too woody in the beginning of the drydown, on me. It seemed to go through an almost totally woody (rather masculine) stage, for some reason, before the vanilla and fairly vague vestiges of the other main notes, fortunately, kicked back in. That stage was certainly not ideal. ...and in fact, that probably sums up the whole thing - very nice overall, but maybe not quite ideal, for me. So, I probably won't be purchasing a big bottle. I don't know what the other Amouage fragrances are like, but I will be trying a couple more samples over the next couple of days. I'm hoping for a bit more tuberose... Even though this probably wasn't quite right for me, it's still really nice to smell something you can tell is made from truly real ingredients, for a change.

Ubar is Amouage at its best - a huge, opulent floriental, old-style and made from the highest quality ingredients. Beautifully composed, Ubar is a complex-yet-cohesive beast that smells of vintage glamour while staying true to the Middle Eastern heritage of the house of Amouage. Luxuriously elegant and richly textured throughout, Ubar is near-perfect. I am reviewing a sample of the 2009 reissue. Ubar opens with orange notes - my favourite citrus - complemented beautifully by a softly spicy undertone. I get a brief hint of violet in there too. Before it can become potpourri-like, the rich white florals that form the heart of Ubar emerge. Heady, creamy, realistic and sweet, they form an opulent and addictive bouquet. Clean jasmine and bold tuberose lead the way, but remarkably, neither overwhelm the other notes. Ylang ylang adds honeyed sweetness, while orange blossom makes for a natural progression from the citrus opening to the floral heart. Green and woody in places, it is absolutely beautiful. The smooth, rich sandalwood note comes to the fore as it develops, grounding the florals to perfection. The balsamic amber accord in the base is sublime. Initially sweet, helped by the smooth vanilla note, it makes for the perfect counterpoint to the celestial bouquet. The vanilla also adds sweetness to the fading florals at the drydown stage. The amber accord becomes more animalic as it dries down further. Resinous and salty in its later stages, it puts Ubar up there with vintage greats such as Shalimar or Opium. A hint of patchouli adds earthiness as it fades, becoming a musky amber skin scent. Sillage is strong and longevity is day-long. Best worn during autumn/winter evenings/special occasions. Richly feminine, opulent and regal, Ubar is one of my favourite Amouages. It is better even than some vintage oriental classics. To discontinue this masterpiece would be madness - I hope the rumours aren't true. Utterly beautiful. 5/5.

bright monday morning streaming through the windows, threw a load of laundry into the machine, left breakfast for the jackdaws on the terrace, read emails, and it's not even 7:30, listening to a symphony by bomtempo from 1809. a couple of hours ago, when i got up, i decided to try my original bottle of ubar. somehow the floral bomb works. while i own 9 different bottles of amouage, this is my only "woman." big and blousy. i am not sure everyone would find this comfortable due to the overwhelming overload of flowers. however, for me the flowers are well grounded in the resinous old school base. boudoir cum hothouse. creeping nostalgia for a world i never knew of the parisian demimonde, champagne in private dining rooms, pate, oysters, lobster thermidor, flambe dishes, silk, perfume, huge piles of sweet desserts, candied violets, monumental vases with dozens of odiferous flowers and lots of "forbidden" sex. hmmm, monday morning reverie. 29 JUL 20: hot day, heavy flowers of ubar are a hyponotizing knock out.during the day this comes off massively clean as a highly perfumed soap. the fragrance stomps on one's nostrils, croce e delizia from traviata. so heavy and good it hurts, but hurts with the delicious force of unrelentlng flowers. whap, whap, whap. 9 DEC 20 baby it's cold outside, temps have been playing tag with 0. gray skies. and ubar comes through with a flourish of flowers. decidedly one of the few floral florals that i like and enjoy wearing. it is a huge bouquet in a marble foyer of a palace, even though lots of flowers, it is stately. i am not sure whether the new bottles have a different formula, but, for me, there is nothing cloying sweet or "cheap." the rich floral is reminiscent of great old french houses, base notes are sensual and bring a sexy side to the poem of scents. if you know zeffirelli's "la traviata," you have seen the gorgeous luxe and melancholia that distinguishes ubar.

I have to start by saying that Ubar is the most expensive fragrance I own. After draining a couple of large decants I knew I had to have it. The thing is I can barely detect the notes. It's so well blended and crafted that it just smells... amazing! I get a lemony feel which I'm guessing is the bergamot and Lilly of the valley, followed by rose. This I most definitely get! Big, bold, beefy and jammy like no other rose I've smelt before even though it's not listed! It just takes my breath away. The skankyness I get it's probably due to the indoles in jasmine, or maybe civet. It's not listed, but it's animalic growl is unmistakeable and I'm pretty sure it's in the basenotes. Ubar evokes places, far away exotic lands, where kings and queens live in the most extravagant luxury. It smells rich but not in the sense of money. It's the richness of using the best ingredients to create a piece of art. It smells vintage in the best possible way. Nothing sugary or fruity here thank god! Too bad they don't make 'em like this anymore. It could have been created in the 20s as far as I can tell and it wouldn't feel out of place. I don't find it particularly unisex, though skin chemistry is a weird little thing! I'm guessing that the rich floral and musky woody base would work amazingly on the right guy as long as he doesn't assign labels to perfume. I know I don't. Ubar is one of the richest floral fragrances I own but at the same time is not heavy. Sillage is massive but airy, like a fluffy cloud surrounding you without screaming. Real ladies don't shout! Longevity around forever on my skin. Bottom line, I love it. I get the deepest, richest rose, an animalic growl on a bed of sweet sandalwood, and the best sillage in town. What more can I ask?! One of the best fragrances from Amouage and one of the finest I own. Recommended to all!

Big white opulent oriental floral! Like they don’t make ‘em anymore. Like even Amouage doesn’t make ‘em anymore with their new direction. 2009 edp review. Non magnetic cap. Ubar, just like the lost city, it’s a lost jewel. I have no idea if they’re still making it and if they do, if someone is buying it. But Ubar is a wonderful big perfume in the opulent style of Boucheron, Ysatis, Gala... Dramatic white florals that merge in a spicy base rich in resins and incense, with just a whiff of yellow florals that add a naughtiness to the scent. There’s a slightly acidic touch of civet, that keeps getting bigger as the scent wears, and only adds more dimension to the rich jasmine, ylang, tuberose and orange blossom, making them even more narcotic. So rich and buttery that they become unctuous. The merging or spices, resins, incense tears and sandalwood brings it on par with vintage gems, and although not a chypre, it smells very similar to Patou’s magnificent 1000. This could be its Arabian sibling, dousing 1000’s chypre beauty with lashings of smoke and secrets. A tale of two cities, a tale of 1001 nights. Ubar is stunning! It smells rich in a way others don’t. It stands out from Amouage’s lineup, and feels absolutely cut from the same cloth that the original Jubilation 25 and Gold are. It has that same opulence, that same potency and sillage that never winds down, but adds a more discernible animalic base that brings it just a tad close to making the above 2 blush. It skips the fresh top notes, (other that brief lemony glimpses of the litsea cubeba) and brings it right on. You really should be into big and bold dramatic 80’s stunners to fully enjoy it. It’s got an old money feel to it, and it kicks the new nouveau riche lines out of the water without dropping a sweat. And I love it all the more for it!

Deep, everlasting and timelessly intoxicating. Ths is a sumptuous, complex delight. If you thought Lyric Woman or Epic Woman were classy and rich, this goes several steps further. Its quality is unmistakeable. We're so used to light soliflores or chemical soups these days, that the wonder of Ubar won't make sense immediately. Give it time ... I have a deep burgundy Moroccan maxi-dress in soft cotton that feels like a second skin. Ubar merges with it in its earthy, natural elegance. I get swooningly rich and plush floral absolutes, smooth Egyptian musk and resins from Ubar. It's very grounded, I don't find the tangerine lifts it hugely, rather it adds oddness or an extra dimension, but ultimately this perfume makes sense to me in dry down. There's somethng almost cinammon-like alongside the other notes, that makes this shimmer despite its weight and heft. It's a major cliche I know, but in dry down I feel I'm wearing something Cleopatra might have worn when meeting Caesar. You know that well-known tale of how she met Caesar on the Nile, floating to her destination in a golden barge with sails perfumed in her favourite scent, it might well have been something very like Ubar. It's not flirty or typically sexy, though it is sensual, even earthy. Perhaps 'sensual, womanly queen' is the vibe, if worn by a woman. If worn by a man, the mood is quite noble, but again - very grounded. It takes time, and a few wears, to get to know it, but what I love about Ubar is this: After I've sniffed any number of the latest expensive, niche or designer perfumes featuring ISO E, ambroxan or whatever, smelling Ubar is like deep, soft velvet after nylon. It's such a relief! Love.

A baroque feast of white flowers. Ubar is delicious and filling, sweet with honey. It smells like Emanuel Ungaro Diva. Ubar has a complex floral fragrance, lily of the valley cleans like soap, neroli oil is poured on top of mature and rich jasmine, and rose, tuberose and ylang-ylang play gorgeous music. Ubar had a huge lineup, giant group of white flowers, who were noisy at first and refused to be quiet. The honor guard formed by them, when Tuberose gave the order, the flowers immediately returned to their respective positions, neat and uniform. Jasmine is like a rainbow, giant white flower military exercise! I guess fresh jasmine essential oil was added. The plump Ubar spreads its soft, silky white floral notes over a wide area, with ambergris extending a wonderful length. Ubar has undergone recipe changes, and I have the original version, luxurious! Too luxurious, this is not a perfume designed for mortals! High purity jasmine and amber...how lucky to smell Ubar! I admired from the bottom of my heart. For example, the white flowers on the surface are like mousse on a cake. Ubar still smells of aldehydes, and the essential indole of jasmine, but it never bothered me. I was amazed, unable to stop. Resin, oh, it's filled with vanilla, amber, sandalwood, patchouli, you bite into it, and the three flavors are intertwined... A layer cake with floral, woody, musk aromas at the same time. How brilliant was Jean Paton Joy back then! The memory flashed in my mind. A bottle of sweet nectar, a completely old-fashioned type of perfume.

Ubar 3.4oz tester bottle 2014 formulation (notino) The opening is true to the posted fragrantica notes. The citrus mingled with the violet leaf which gives it a sunny metallic smelling, green and aqueous note that could give an illusion of a rose. Ive smelled enough violet leaf in different compositions so its very strong in the opening on my skin. The salty ambergris mixes with the violet leaf and you get a swirling mix of jasmine, orange, violet leaf, ambergris (which to some can produce a bitter celery type of impression) which to me, is more the inner part of the rind of a tangerine. Interesting to note about this fragrance is, if your thinking about a note mentioned by previous reviewers, you do tend to smell it. Just like I could see how others picked up a rose scent. In all great fragrances, its more about the illusion of what is there than what is really in it. A mirage if you will... A beautiful rosewood surfaces next with a jasmine-vanilla. LOV, ylang and sandalwood melange together into its core identity. The construction is unique with a base note here and there seeping into the heart. Obviously well done. I was expecting a powerhouse animal because I do love animalic driven scents, and got a great black marine tinged ambergris-woody rose-jasmine type scent. Ubar isnt bombastic,or over the top but a sophisticated lady.A true classic that will never be out of style. Drydown: Perfection. Rivals the great vintage Opiums Its just a beguiling scent in the fall. Note: 2012 version much better than the 2014.

Today I needed this masterpiece! UBAR is a beautiful sensually Oriental Floral, with powdery nuances and animalic notes expressed in a very bright way! The fragrance opens luminously with sweet, juicy hesperides, with slightly green and fresh nuances combined with delicious litsea cubeba very noticeable from the beginning, entering an aura of happiness and quickly harmonizing in a great opulence of flowers, between light and opulent (jasmine , lily of the valley, tuberose, Ylang-ylang) being the protagonists, creating a powerful, sweet, absolutely intoxicating perfume with intense femininity. In the base, Ubar deepens with ambergris in slightly animalic balsamic accords with salty nuances. Woody and earthy patchouli resting on soft and creamy woods, sweetened with exquisite vanilla. All beautifully balanced and elegantly presented. It's definitely glorious! A feminine, warm, seductive perfume with an aura of mystery. It's strong when it opens, then when it dries down it becomes heavenly. It is ideal for any time of the year, but I prefer it in spring-summer since in warm climates UBAR shines even brighter! The substantivity on my skin reaches 10/12 hours with moderate diffusion. UBAR is Retro and timeless. Definitely luxury and elegance in a bottle. (Sadly discontinued).

I think I become addicted to Amouage. Which is a very very bad financial idea. I am not impressed by their pastel line as I call it, I think they call it the Garden Collection, but their main collection is a wonder. I went through Lyric (most impressive and unique fragrance in a long while, the dark green rose incense accord is a masterpiece), Fate (I can indulge forever into that one) and Jubilation 25 (serious high octane oriental chypre - although technically it should be either one or another, to me it’s the fragrance that manages to marry both). And now Ubar. The most hard to grasp amongst them. It’s pitch dark, dry like the dessert but intriguing and distant like a queen entering the ball. I think it is as much a white floral (as it is described) as a Tim Burton is a normal cartoon. There are white flowers, of course, but they are white flowers that faded away into the animalic flesh-like decay and hot humid jasmine crushed on a mountain of sandalwood and amber. I also seem to smell some vanilla but very hidden under the blast of dusty sandalwood that comes after the decaying flowers. Beautiful and distant.

Omg. How am I only just stumbling across this now that it’s almost impossible to find? I was initially underwhelmed. I’d been sent a very old vintage decant to try and, after reading all the reviews, my expectations were sky high. “Okay... a little floral. Maybe some aldehydes? Could just as easily be lily of the valley. Cool”. Went about my day. But, holy crap! Fast forward 30 minutes and what is this? Now you have my full attention. Jasmine that’s borderline indolic, soft creamy tuberose... but oh my word the real star is this incredible slug of ambergris wrapping everything up in a big warm hug. It sinks right down to the base and it just sings! The melody, the harmonies, even going full soprano for a moment before being joined for the chorus by a great whack of sandalwood that I’m almost certain is Mysore. The final composition brings everything together on a repeat to fade loop that goes on and on until finally surrendering to skin with some bitterness from either oakmoss or very well handled vetiver. This is just divine. I want it. I need it. I do not want to spend another day without it in my life.

Soooo very alluring, is my Amouage Ubar. I find it seductive, even mysterious....the stranger in the elevator you think about all day, despite your best efforts to remain unfazed by the encounter. Ubar feels (and smells) like something powerful is happening to you. Something inevitable. I wish I could put my finger on it. There's so much going on with the notes here, yet it is the FEEL of the fragrance not so much the individual notes pushing all my olfactory buttons. --Black Amber/Ambergris is most prominent. I don't ever think I've experience it so elegantly presented. It's responsible for Ubar's warm, slightly dated, sweet, animalic (with a dash of civet) appeal. --Sandalwood also presents strongly and earlier than I would have expected to my nose. It's its wonderfully woody self. --Floral combo. Unlike most of the voters, I can't say it's jasmine I detect most prominitely. For me, it's a combination of a variety of thoroughly blended, feminine and very sophisticated florals. I think I'll spray Ubar again, head for the elevator...and wait for the inevitable :)

Amouage's' 'Ubar' is the scent that my aura has synergised with. I hope it latches onto my soul when my spirit vacates. To describe it crudely; Imagine a cauldron of Clinique's 'Aromatics Elixir' (I said it was crude, but bear with me) which a Bedouin wizard has mixed in the essence of his lost city mistique, along with the ripest oranges just throbbing seductively in the sun. Don't get me wrong, this is no way a fruity fragrance, but interestingly, no particular note stands out alone. This is perfume wizardry at its best. Luckily there is no obvious vanilla (as I detest vanilla), it just balances a perfect blend of aromatic nuances. Although I have owned various Amouages in the past, I could never quite get on with Amouage 'Gold' woman as I always had connotations with Chanel No.5 (another fragrance I've loved but have long moved on from) or the same with Amouage 'Dia' woman as that too reminded me of Hermes 'Caleche Soie' EDP - but Ubar remains completely unique. There is nothing quite so perfect as Ubar. Ubar has become me.

This is a quick late night review just to get my thoughts out there, but this is a perfect fragrance, and I was so stricken that I felt compelled to type this. You know a fragrance is a masterpiece when you can't think of a single aspect to change. At first sniff Ubar immediately reminds me of Paloma Picasso, or maybe Coty's Truly Lace. To me this smells like the idealized 90's perfume. Like if you were to design a tribute to the era and weren't limited by price or sales numbers. It's warm, it's maternal, it's regal, it hits me with a wave of nostalgia. I really like how all of the notes seem to meld together to create an all new scent, yet you can sense how the ambergris and copahu balsam make this so special. I'll parrot some of the previous reviewers and recommend that you don't seek out samples because you won't want to be without this once you fall on love. And I'll add, even if you do have the disposable income, you'll be hard pressed to find someone willing to part with their bottle.

I have been eagerly awaiting my first encounter with Ubar for some time. This perfume goes beyond your typical floral bouquet, capturing the space between something freshly washed, and freshly intimate; a charged anticipation. A scent proposing such a polite invitation to intimacy, it will surely not let you end the night alone. The white floral aspect initially greets you like a hotel room on the first night: crisp white sheets, conditioned air and a sense of calm, however rapidly accelerates into something far more alluding. Clean, pressed linen positively strewn across the floor as two warm bodies begin to become acquainted. It’s not quite filthy, but that’s only because it captures a building of foreplay. The silky, almost melted white petals pull back on the reigns; keeping it from becoming too suggestive. And yet, a whisper survives through the soapiness - a dense, creamy amber hints at desire. The discontinuation of such a creation is criminal.

Hot desert sand. Hot desert sand with a breeze of heady, natural, slightly indolic white flowers and a bit of animalic musky ambergris skank. It settles down to an extremely sexy musk that reminds me a bit of Narciso Rodriguez for her edt. The opening can be a bit harsh and animalic (no problems for me there anyway) but just wait. One of the sexiest and most addictive fragrances I have ever encountered. Well worth the price, which seems exorbitant, but not for this. A bomb of a perfume too, the sillage and longevity are out of this world. More than a small spray or two is overkill, so you get what you pay for and then some. Guerlain could learn a thing or two. This is like a throwback to old school perfumes in that regard. Want to smell like a desert Goddess? Forget Tauer, try Ubar. It's not gaudy, it's not trying too hard to be an eccentric niche, it is unique, sexalicious and classy all at the same time. A perfect perfume.

Ubar is a stunning, confident woman in a floor length golden gown, entering the room with grace and dignity, just as the elegant bottle suggests. With juicy soft orange and the senusality and glamor of jasmine, the opening is supported by pithy lemon notes of litsea cubeba and scant dark green violet leaf. The heart introduces indoles of jasmine and some dirty amber(gris) that give Ubar its classic allure. Secondary floral notes of ylang-ylang and lily of the valley are gentle and warm. Tuberose adds a little "come-hither" while wisps of freesia offer a playful tease. Classic wood notes in the drydown of sandalwood and vetiver give the Ubar woman her confident stride with a touch of patchouli as she brushes knowingly past her admirers. Remarkably elegant and masterfully blended, Ubar stands among the classics with dauntless beauty. * Note: There is no civet note according to the Amouage website at the time of this writing.

Yes, I know, I get it, this is a heavy jasmine perfume, but what I smell is rose. An evolution through three different roses, in succession, and then lily of the valley and jasmine, and much later in the dry down I get that honey/civet wire crossing in my head that makes rauchy notes in perfumes smell irrestable to me. Except that the next time I tried it, I smelled jasmine with a bit of orange and a funky unclean but not sweaty smell that I thought, from the description, might be black amber, since it's a whale-gut product. Later it was a massive powder, animalic, with a touch of beeswax; except for that other time I tried it an found the dry down to be herbal with vanilla. I wore Ubar for a week and never got the same perfume twice. Certanly all the Ubars shared characteristics, most notably being enormous florals, but the thing that really makes Ubar interesting is its chameleon nature.