Blood of River Nile

A perfume I accidentally discovered when anomalous followed me on Instagram and I saw this perfume, which reminded me of the story of Moses in Islam. And as a Muslim Egyptian I asked him about the perfume and eventually bought it. The striking scent of soft citrus accompanied by deep rich rose carry the scent to the beautiful heart of a slightly civet tone with classic oud in the base creating the ever so striking and soothing scent. It’s beautiful and you can imagine the concept while smelling it. Absolute love and great performance

As an oud-rose head, it's hard for me to judge this scent objectively. But one thing's for sure — it's the best release from the brand in my opinion, and it was also my first blind buy! Totally worth it. It proudly stands on my podium next to EO Ensar Rose.Very wearable scent for any occasion. Longevity 12h + (on clother i can detect after days)

This smells so good! Good for cold weather. Great value for money and must have in collection fragrance.

Absolute masterpiece. Shout out zak! I cannot fault this fragrance and it is absolutely stunning.

I am disappointed in this fragrance. But maybe that's my fault. Let me get this straight: this is by no means a bad fragrance, in fact I'd go as far as saying it's excellent, but I had built up an expectation of it in my head and now after having worn it a few times, I realise that the expectations I had were misled. I was expecting an oud-heavy scent with animalic accents from the castoreum and civet. On top of that, with a name like "Blood of River Nile" I was expecting something in the realm of those classic arabic ouds that hang heavy in the air and tickle your nostrils. Naturally, I knew that the rose would be a big part of this smell, but I just didn't expect it to be the MVP. Expectations aside, let me talk about what this fragrance is and is not. It is a beautiful, succulent rose that I just can't stop sniffing. The rose jumps out at your face immediately and lingers there, strong and everpresent from the moment you spray it to the moment it dries away. At the top notes, it is adorned by beautiful white florals and a tart orange zest. To my nose, a lot of the spiciness of this fragrance comes from the white florals, especially the jasmine, which is reminiscient of that dry smell that you get in an old woman's home (I mean this in a good way). These florals rest on a warm, woody base. I'm looking at the listed base notes and to be honest, I can't really pick out many of these in particular. Maybe a more trained nose could. To me, all these notes really just fade into the background, which is dissapointing, but they do sit beautifully. A prominent player here is the myrrh and amber which really just contribute to the warmth, but barely stand out. The oud is definitely there, but really only gives a vague woodiness that's hard to even pinpoint. To be honest, I can't even smell the animalics or the other base notes at all. But clearly something was done right here because I can't stop sniffing. All in all, don't get this fragrance if you're looking for oud. That's simply not what this it trying to be. It's heavy on the rose, heavy on the florals, but still retains a rich and masculine elegance from the base. Absolutely would recommend getting your nose on this juice.

The metallic sharpness can throw people off. Mixing floral notes with citrus and oud creates a super strong edge that can push the line of smelling like pennies. This is a metallic citrus/rose with warmth in the base. It has a soapy facet which makes it smell clean, like a hotel lobby. I find it very pleasant, and actually quite wearable for warm weather. I will say, I imagined this a lot warmer and spicier. The citruses and rose are far more dominant than expected, with little oud or animalics.

Okay it came a couple hours ago and here is my review. Despite the listed notes, blood of river Nile is a relatively basic oud rose and white floral perfume. That does not mean it’s bad, but I was expecting a much more unique scent profile based on the civet, castoreum, and Indian oud. In this perfume. The rose is smooth and jammy, but the jasmine and oud is sharp... very similar to a lot of montale/mancera ouds. If someone gave me a tester strip and told me it was a montale, I would not doubt that for even a second. It smells very montale-esque. The animalics are not there to my nose... not even at all. The oud is very western style—strong and sweet, with a little bit of a burnt edge. I’m currently not getting a lot of the other listed notes, but this is a first impression. I will be back and give a more in detail review after a couple full wearings. INITIAL IMPRESSION SUMMARY— basic scent profile despite unique listed notes. Very montale-esque with the sharp medicinal oud, jammy rose, sharp but not indolic jasmine, no animalics. 15 hours longevity, large projection. 8.2/10 (INITIAL) Update #1: This is gorgeous in the air. I’m talking a sweet rose jam, sugary and woody, and an ENOURMOUS scent trail. Up close it’s still a bit metallic/medicinal, but this is also me digging my nose into my arm which is not really what you’re supposed to do. I heard someone say “let the perfume come to you” and that’s exactly how blood of river Nile should be worn. Up close, it’s a bit sharp, in the air and when it comes to you, it’s gorgeous Update #2: I’m having trouble getting through the metallic oud stage of this perfumes life span... but I think it’s there for a reason. This perfume symbolizes a place... well an event really, and a traumatic one at that, and the oud fits so well into this description. This perfume isn’t meant to be warn to get respect from others or impress people, it’s a story being told through layers of scent and centuries of history. The perfume belongs to a place from the Past, where desperation, fear, blood, and anger all ruled, and blood of river Nile excels at telling that story. It’s not meant to be polished and smooth. It’s not meant for the wearer to have it all figured out. When you wear this perfume, you’re teleporting back to ancient Egypt where the pharaoh rules over the land and demands the death of the Hebrews. You feel both his fear of the uncertain future, and the people’s fear of being killed, enslaved, and tortured. I now understand this perfume, and although I have trouble getting through the metallic oud stage, that’s exactly why it’s there.

I have already written an overly long and detailed review. Pretty much, I don’t like the metallic/sharpness of the oud, but everything else is soooo gorgeous. If there was no metallic oud, I would probably buy a backup bottle, but the sharpness is so dominant to my nose. However, under that metallic sheet, there is a gorgeous powdery rose, sweet resin, and mouthwatering jam-like texture. Nice dry and chalky orris, and good scent trail in the air. I can’t give this past a 4/5 just because of that sharpness, but the rest of the perfume is right down my alley!

After the opening settles for a minute I get a mixture of old bandages (maybe In relation to mummies in ancient Egypt?) , animals, and a tiny bit of wood. Despite this, it’s almost a nostalgic smell. After 10 minutes I can smell a tiny bit more of oud and rose but the civet and beaver a55 notes are definitely still overpowering. I wouldn’t even know what occasion to wear this to (perhaps a heavy metal concert but I don’t listen to that stuff.) Not for me, but I understand niche houses doesn’t focus on wearability. 5/10

Just blind bought it because it was one of the two available ones from the house. I don’t know when it will get here because I live in the US, but I’m very excited for this. I’ll update when it comes

Update: sold it. Overpriced mancera rebottled.

⚜️A fragrance sculpted from light and shadow — a sensory journey between the Orient and the Mediterranean. It opens in a radiant glow, where Indian saffron, the golden spice of the East, melts into the juicy sweetness of mandarin and orange, illuminated by the pure brightness of orange blossom and the green zest of Litsea Cubeba. It is the fleeting moment of dawn, when the air itself seems to shimmer with promise. ⚜️At its heart lies an opulent floral symphony: Bulgarian rose and Turkish rose intertwine in regal harmony, embraced by the sensual depth of Egyptian jasmine and the luminous grace of Jasmine Sambac. A whisper of civet and the honeyed fruitiness of Chinese osmanthus add intrigue and warmth — like a silken touch upon bare skin. ⚜️The base unfolds with noble gravity. Cambodian and Indian oud exude a dark, resinous richness, softened by the creamy smoothness of Indian and Australian sandalwood. Myrrh, amber, and castoreum lend a balsamic warmth, while musk, iris, and Indonesian patchouli leaf linger as an intimate, hypnotic veil — elegant, enduring, unforgettable. A fragrance not merely worn, but lived — a delicate alchemy of strength and refinement, of flesh and spirit, of the ephemeral and the eternal.

A manlier and more natural version of LV’s Ombre Nomade. I know the comparison may be overused as the latter is not THE oud rose in the perfume world, but I did it, sue me. This is a quarter of the price, and while I’m still forming a full opinion on it, it’s a big YES. Very well done fragrance. This, for me, is only for cool days and nights. Won’t work in the heat, it will get BO-ish. It needs cool air to breathe. I’m glad I blind bought this, fantastic scent. The way it develops is out of this world.

Complexity with the notes and the quality zakariya puts in to his creations, props to him such a great perfumer, can’t wait to write the review on “Standing on a mango field” this is a summer blockbuster😍🥭

I found this scent very similar to Bond No. 9 NY Oud; the oud and rose ingredients used are very similar. I don't like Western oud; it's plasticky and synthetic

Just received my bottle what a masterpiece 🙌🏻👏🏻👏🏻