Kalemat Black

Arabian Oud Kalemat Black (aka Seher Al Kalemat) is a masterpiece IMO. Moreover, it is one of my most complimented fragrances and one of only two scents that is regularly complemented by men and women alike. Besides this fragrance smelling absolutely fan-tas-tic, it's a great performer (fills a room) that lasts a solid 18-24 hours on my skin without fail. Of course, a few fragrances snobs (I call 'em noobs and boobs) will say crap like, "it's a decent fragrance but not made of high-quality ingredients" merely because the label it doesn't say Tom Ford or Creed and come with a $300 price-tag. LOL! IMO Kalemat Black is quite possibly the best Oriental Oud fragrance I have ever put my nose on. Simply a brilliant fragrance that uses superior ingredients whether this scent agrees with you or not. Black smells similar to Kalemat when first sprayed, but within a few seconds it quickly turns into an incense-herbal scent on my skin; largely frankincense and basil, but I also detected a faint smokey-incense vibe along with a dark-woods accord...something like guaiac or blackwood if I were to venture a guess. It is very interesting and provocative. There is also a spiced-sweetness vibe happening in the background which was intriguing, and intoxicating, although I did not love it at first because there was something a bit unfamiliar about it. An initial blast of Kalemat followed by an hour of a lightly spicy-sweet incense and dry ash is what I initially get out this fragrance, and I cannot resist sniffing my wrist with every wearing. Over the next hours, Kalemat Black transitions into a wonderful vanilla-amber-oud scent on my skin, which is slightly creamy and not too sweet. Moreover, the oud is sweetened so some folks may not notice it since it blends well with the vanilla and amber. To me, this is a delicious vanilla-amber scent that's not too gourmand. Moreover, from time-to-time I even detect a faint whisper of cinnamon well into the drydown. This phase of the fragrance fools me into thinking that it sits moderately on my skin (olfactory overload?)...yet, the oud is pushing-out the scent because folks in the room will smell you without effort. So go light on the triggers, if necessary. Longevity is clearly 24+ hours on my skin...however, unlike the original Kalemat, projection is more difficult to judge with this Black flanker. However, I've worn it enough to confidently say that it projects heavily, but not quite beast mode IMO. Overall, I love this fragrance! I've wore Kalemat Black in 80-85 degree heat and, surprisingly, it wasn't the least bit cloying. Nice! While I also love the original Kalemat, I feel it is better suited for the ladies while the darker/more interesting Kalemat Black, is the perfect gentleman's fragrance for the Fall and Winter months. Moreover, while I receive plenty of compliments while wearing Kalemat, the compliments are off-the-chain when wearing Kalemat Black. For example, just the other night my gal tells me how I great I smell, the male clerk at the 7-11 tells me how great I smell, then the hostess at the restaurant tells me how great I smell, and finally our waitress tells me how great I smell. But wait!...while standing at the bar waiting for my gal to use the ladies room, a woman sitting at the bar tells me how great I smell. It's insane! I receive complements all the time while wearing my Aventus, The One, etc. but, as I mentioned, the compliment factor is off the charts. Magic of Words indeed!!!

Blind bought. I knew I was in for a treat, but nevertheless I was not prepared when the package arrived. I've had other favorite fragrances where I just indulge myself in the scent upon first sniff, but this was different. Upon taking off the cap I could smell it strongly, and at that moment all my thoughts ceased. All I could muster was a simple "wow." I was mesmerized by the beauty and quality. Unquestionably niche. There is no alcohol blast in this. The frankincense smells nothing like that dirty or ashtray kind you'd expect in most designer fragrances. This one is smoky but crisp and clean. The entire composition is so inoffensive, elegant, and delicious. It smells like a very slightly toasted and mildly sweetened wheat-based pastry from a high end bakery sprinkled with a little bit of powder and caramelized brown sugar on top. Despite being a sweet gourmand fragrance, this is completely non-cloying and wearable in the summer. Everybody around me loves it. Huge compliment-getter with extremely high projection and longevity. 2-3 sprays is probably ideal since it's so soft and airy. I bought a 250ml bottle for $140 which equates to $56/100ml, and I have no idea how they can afford to ship such high quality ingredients for such a cheap price. The only downsides this fragrance has is that it has high olfactory fatigue and is less than perfect but still not bad in high heat. Because I'm a practical man and not a collector, I both love and hate this scent as it has instantly made most of my entire fragrance collection obsolete. The versatility, quality, affordability, performance, and likability of this fragrance has me hard-pressed to find situations where this one is not ideal. I'm seriously selling and giving away most of my collection because of this. Instant new signature scent for life.

Wow is my first reaction to this, WOW! I hadn't even heard about this company until I saw a store in Istanbul. I sampled some while there and eventually bought it for dirt cheap in Saudi Arabia ($60). On initial spray you get the frankincense and basil which is OK and lasts for about 10 minutes or so, and the the middle/base notes kick in. Vanilla, Amber, and OUD! These are huge in this fragrance and you'll be smelling these notes for hours and hours. I absolutely love the blend they have of those 3 notes. Very well made fragrance. To those that say longevity and projection are just OK, you have got to be kidding me or maybe you have the wrong fragrance. I am a big fan of Dior Homme Intense which is BEAST MODE in projection/longevity. Kalemat Black has more projection and wayyy more longevity than DHI imo. This scent lasts over 24 hours on skin. I can even smell it on me after taking a shower. I sprays some on my arm which got onto my jacket sleeve and I can still smell it on the jacket after a week! I don't think this is an offensive fragrance and it is a huge compliment magnet. I don't dare to press all the way down on the sprayer, just a very light spray on the wrist and neck is all I need. The scent is listed as unisex but I personally think it's more of a masculine scent. Definitely worth buying and now is one of my favorites. Male, age 29, 10/10

I have had this for almost a month now. I must say its one of my most complimented fragrances. During this short period, the hot summer here in Bahrain, and considering the number of fragrances that I am using per week, Kalemat has given me compliments almost every-time that I have worn it. Although it would shine in cold weather but the smell is so addicting and I think it comes alive on me in the heat. This fragrance is made to perfection. The amber and incense heavy vanilla are the most prominent notes while note being too sweet or cloying . The oud also acts strongly here and the other mentioned notes are for support and adding more mystery to the composition. I have bought it on 50% discount (120 $ before discount) which Arabian Oud usually does every year for very limited time. Its a solid release which projects greatly and last for days and days. However the projection is usually around me in 2-5 feet bubble. It projects heavy within the first 4 hours and then stays for days on your cloth with mild projection. The only downside to this fragrance is the atomizer. It’s literally the worst in my whole collection. You have to press many times in order to have something out of it. Aside from that its 10/10 fragrance.

I do not yet own this. I want to! Probably one of the nicest fragrances I've ever smelled! I got an Uber one day and immediately noticed the driver's cologne. He was Arab and said he loved oud.:). He told me about Kalemat. Showed me a photo of it on his phone and let me snap a photo of it. I was mesmerized by this scent! I imagine it could be worn any time, however winter would be best. After all, it is oud! But worn lightly in warm weather, I think this could be nice. I don't know anything else that smells quite like this. Projection is amazing. I can't speak to odor life as I don't own a bottle yet. I hope to get this soon and it might end up pinned to my Signature Scent box. RATINGS: Art/Design 8/10 Cost/Quality 10/10 Sillage 10/10 Odor Life - unknown Buy again? - I don't own it yet Recommend: 10//10 Overall Love/Like/Dislike? 10/10* FINAL SCORE: 9.6 = A = Highly Distinct! ----- Rating Scale: A = High Distinction! = 9.5-10 A- = Distinct! = 9-9.4 B+ = Very Superior = 8-8.9 B = Moderately Superior = 7-7.9 B- = Superior = 6-6.9 C+ = High Average = 5-5.9 C = Average = 4-4.9 C- = Low Average = 3-3.9 D+ = Poor = 2-2.9 D = Very Poor = 1-1.9 F = Fail! = 0-1.9 * Love = 10 <--> Dislike = 0