Midnight Oud

A mix of sweet charcoal-burning woods; the precession of an Egyptian Coptic mass; the gutted insides of an old church, its last embers and ashes steaming away; A 5-minute downpour on the outskirts of Benin, Africa; spice markets infused with the smoky nighttime air; a non-earthly presence of some powerful spiritual being riding a horse over the moonlit sand... midnight oud... a very crude, basic, and strikingly dark masterpiece... "Midnight Oud" smells more along the lines of smoked hashish in the garden of some old, burnt-down Catholic church. The few trees and bushes that remain are charred and still growing... it's heavy, alluring, sweet, very smoky, and tempting... it's a fragrance unto itself. Men and women can't resist the primitive, captivating darkness of "Midnight Oud"; it's a sexually daring fragrance, very seductive and satanic... The only vegetation to be seen is a lone lemon tree and some oregano seething in the catacomb embers... the waxy incense-like resins and the subtle but noticeable scorched earthiness - I get the skeleton of Frederic Malle's "Scent of a Lady" and DNA of "Black Afgano"... minus the rose and the floral inks..... It then has a whole overlayering arc of churchy smoky woods and herbs. The patchouli and bergamot give a tiny bit of sharpness to cut the transitioning smoky resinous undertones; the middle notes are present from start to finish... a monastery's attic, the smoky tents of Sufi holy men... the earthy darkness of a howling mine... the complete opposite of a bright, fresh fragrance... this is midnight in a bottle. Not gothic, not evil, but old, ancient, and sanctified... a leather tarpit-like darkness, a desert church that's on fire during a soccer game... the scent of smoke from a burning jungle... It remains darkly linear and alluring from start to end; the oud itself is the only brightness one gets... the pimento, which I can't detect much, adds just a bit of spiciness to let the oud lead the orchestra as it makes its dark, sharp, sweet, tar-like presence known... It's not unique, but it's just as good, if not better than most other "Black Afgano-like flankers". To me, it's a much less complicated mix of "Black Afgano" minus the hashish, Frederic Malle's "Portrait of a Lady" minus the roses... "Midnight Oud" embraces the smoky, woody, dark, resinous, churchy frankincense blending resins with leather and hashish, basing it on sweet, smoky amber adds a layer of seduction, barn-like woods, animal fur... it's a bit more unisex-leaning masculine... well worth its price, it smells better than many niche $100 offerings... I like it a lot, and so does everybody else who smelled it... very classy oud fragrance. Sadly, it is a masterfully remixed copy of other fragrances, so I will deduct points for originality. 9.1 out of 10

The definition of a love-it-or-hate-it fragrance, seemingly. I actually started out loving it and ended up really not liking it much at all. Heeding the warnings, I only used three sprays from my 10ml decant, and that was the perfect amount. In the opening, the incense and vanilla notes balance well, with smoke, amber and leather all contributing. The bergamot is barely noticeable to me, the oregano/cumin quite light in the mix. There is a nice sweetness underpinning all of these notes, and an anise biscotti vibe as well. As this dries down, the sweetness recedes significantly and the smoke increases, which flattens the fragrance and diminishes the incense and vanilla notes. I am not the biggest smoke fan, so this was somewhat disappointing to me. By the four hour mark, the incense and vanilla/amber notes are all but gone, and a sweat-like oud accord crawls out to join the oily smoke and slightly-animalic leather. It has a sour aspect that is really quite unpleasant to my nose. I haven't tried the Amouage, but this is similar in style to Lattafa Maahir Black. I prefer the Maahir Black due to the less-intense smoke, the barely perceptible oud, the more dominant sweetness and the lack of stale sweat drydown. I really wanted to love this, to find an amazing, complex, inexpensive version of a famous fragrance from one of my favorite houses. It was not to be.

Absolutely amazing for the low price, in fact, it would still be good if it was 8 or 9 times the price. Defo extremely inspired by Interlude man, but I strangely prefer this. Very well put together with no smell of alcohol at all when you first spray (Maybe 95% the same as Interlude at this point). Strong but Pleasant Spice/incense for the first 2-3 hours on me with great projection for around 2-3 hours. The incense is smoky and sweet with the benzoin giving the feel a catholic church (takes me back to being a kid watching the communion procession at high mass, and the alter boy swinging the incense) But this has a sweet vanillic background. The sweetness gradually swaps places with the incense and after around 3 hours on me, is the most forward scent. This then stays for 8-9 hours, probably a skin scent from around 5 hours but one that still gives good movement, which I keep getting sniffs of as I move my arms/walk. I still get the incense until the end, but it has totally swapped places with the sweet vanillas and is now the background. I love strong sweet fragrance, so this is perfect for me, and the price, ridiculous. Reading some of the other reviews really demonstrates how everybody's nose and preferences are different.

Apparently this is a clone of Amoage Interlude Man. However, as I haven't smelled that fragrance, I'm reviewing Midnight Oud on its own merits only. I've tried both the roll-on oil and the spray version of this fragrance. They had the same notes, but some were more prominent in one version and others in the other. It starts with a sweet punch of something like raspberry, but this dies down quickly and remains as a backdrop for other notes. Oregano is also immediately noticeable from the spray version - not so much in the roll-on. The oregano lasts longer than the raspberry, but eventually also fades away. A deep, woody fragrance with a spicy dash of pimento lingers; I'm not sure I love the pimento, but the rest is nice. There's some sweetness, but it's understated and not cloying. A smoky note appears later on. In the end, it's a smoky-pimento-raspberry fragrance, which is unique and actually pretty nice. The projection is surprisingly low, but not nonexistent by any means. The spray projects more than the oil. Both last a very long time - even overnight, and forever on clothing. I like this fragrance, though it took me a few wears to make that decision. Now it's one of my favourites.

Nose Note #86 The only word that comes up relating to this fragrance is "funny". To me it just smells funny. Interesting incense mixture, nothing like I've tried before, but I can't say it's pleasant. Smells very "old man", not in a good way. Has this funny sweetness to it. I haven't tried the OG, but I've used Amouage Epic Man for a long time and I remember it also being just a strange thing. Very strong, very "grown up", sophisticated. 35, maybe even 40+. It's kind of the same with this one. Interesting smell, some of my friends found it OK, but my wife didn't like it. I really wanted to try any clone of Interlude, but I'm disappointed. Interesting smell for sure, but you really have to be either 40+ or a connoisseur to enjoy it. I'm on the verge of liking it, but it just doesn't itch. Price-wise and all that - it's amazing. Definately worth it, but not a blind-buy. Great performer. UPD after a year: I've grown really fond of it. I don't think it's an old-man's scent anymore. It's very mature, but personally I'm now really comfortable with this DNA. It's just so unique and really well done. I'm sad I've ran out. Will be buying other dupes and the OG. 8.5/10, a legend

Slightly smokey, nuanced, woody powder with a niche profile in its gorgeous trail. Interestingly, the sillage is not overpowering (only a stable moderate), and the scent never becomes offensive or suffocating, but people around you will probably want to get more of it - it is a big compliment-getter. I and my husband enjoy wearing it in all 4 seasons, it never really becomes too much (ok, during hot summers, we prefer to rock it at night). It is extravagant with staying beautifully refined. As a queer, I am not big on the gender thing (it would be dull to live without Fahrenheit's gasoline violets), but I suppose here I should mention that this scent might feel a bit off with girls and women who lack all sorts of bold edge, drama, vampiness, you name it - but isn't it true for oriental scents in general? So, I do not think it is really about Midnight Oud being masculine-leaning. This fragrance would also be off on non-edgy and/or non-elegant men, or generally, on anyone, who vibes with something marketed as 'fresh', 'ice', 'sporty', etc. I would leave it as unisex, but not for everyone. And for that non-everyone, it is a safe blind buy.

When I first bought it I sprayed it on my hand, and it smelled like synthetic candy banana or circus peanut smell. I'm not sure what was making it smell like that, but I was afraid it would suck. Luckily after giving it a full wearing today(a couple weeks later) it smells amazing. It's woody, powdery, green, ambery, leathery, maybe smoky, and somewhat sweet. Even though it's called Midnight Oud I'm not really detecting oud(at least not any form of it I know). The woods are rich and excellent though. This stuff is wonderful and addicting. I've been smelling my arms all day. It is definitely at home on the shelf with other 70's and 80's powerhouse masculine fragrances. In fact it kind of reminds me a little bit of Polo, a little bit of Oscar Del La Renta Pour Lui, maybe a tad bit of Quorum, a dash of One Man Show, and the amber reminds me of Drakkar Noir but sweeter. I swear I have something else that smells similar Midnight Oud, but I can't think of what it is. This is the only clone of Interlude Man I have, but I may want to check out Supremacy Incense, or one of the others. Go check it out.

This fragrance smells very unique to me - I've never smelled anything like it before. I initially blind bought it because I was - and still into - incense and smoke scents, and it was dirt cheap. People are saying how this is a dupe for Amouage Interlude. I don't care for it, as it's not available nor it is affordable for me. So, AAZ Midnight Oud is good enough. This is very long-lasting. I spray it on in the morning before work, and by 5 pm, I can still smell it on me. The dry-down goes on strong! It turns out that there are many dupes of Amouage Interlude out there. There's Afnan Incense and Khalis Interlude. I've bought those and they're pretty identical, but I always go for this because it's the cheapest dupes and everywhere here. I can't help but buy back-ups whenever I see one, because the price lets me, and it's everywhere! And another plus is not everyone likes to smell like this, so I don't have to worry finding someone who smells like me, and I am happy to have found my signature scent. I usually wear this for all occasions, except for sports.

What an amazing fragrance! this is the type of juice that made me stop buying from Niche and designer houses. Yes to some this may sound like crazyness but to me it is not, why do i want to spend 300 dollars on a fragrance when i can spend 30 and smell 95% the same? i don't care about the name of the house i wear the juice in the bottle and i enjoy the scent. This fragrance is simply amazing but like all fragrances some people will love it ot hate it and it's fine we like what we like and nobody is right or wrong is all personal taste and opinion. This juice is bold,manly and unapologetic it is not mass appealing now that doesn't mean it is not attractive to me it is but i a dark misterious way. The price point on this juice is so ridiculous that you can just blind but it with little to loose and much to gain. That is what happened to me and man I'm so glad i did, i wear it at night time when i go out with the boys or my wife and it is a statement maker for sure!

The chokehold this perfume has on me is crazy. I will admit, the burst of opening confuses me, because the Oud is nowhere to be found. It's all Oregano and even though I'm fond of it, I don't want Italians grandmas called me oregano pasta on legs. I gave some times for the perfume to sit on my skin, and 3 minutes later I'm in love. The Oud, though it starts as very light, it grows and keeps growing on me. This is what mature men smell like; rough, smoky, warm and sexy. Such a head-turner. I decide to sleep with this perfume and at dawn, it smells even better. I don't think there's a specific season to wear this, it's just almost perfect, for men as a whole, on every occasion. To market this as an unisex perfume, I will never agree with this statement. If a woman wants to wear something similar to this, I'll suggest Oud Ispahan from Dior. Both of them have great similarities on the dry down. This and Oud Ispahan, perfect couple signatures perfume indeed.

Midnight Oud by Ard Al Zaafaran was my first encounter with this type of fragrance, and it was a true revelation. At first it took me some time to understand and fully appreciate it, but eventually this scent profile became part of my identity—my signature scent. It feels like stepping into a luxurious oriental bakery, with rich smoky incense and sweet resinous notes unlike anything I had experienced before. A very good dupe of Amouage Interlude Man, it offers niche quality and a sense of luxury at an unbelievable price. For me, it’s a genuine masterpiece. I find the perfume oil version even more captivating. Scent: 5/5 Longevity & Projection: 1/1 Presentation: 0.5/0 Quality/Price Ratio: 2/2 Compliment Factor: 0/1 Uniqueness: 1/1 Overall: 9.5/10 Office-friendly: No Blind buy: No (only if you enjoy rich oriental incense scents) Recommended age: 25+ Occasion: Formal evenings, special occasions, night out Season: Fall, Winter, cool Spring evenings

I wish there were other 25€ fragrances that drowned me in sweet goopy resins like this does. Edit after sampling Interlude, black iris and the extrait: i never knew how good this is until i smelled the originals. I thought i would find something diametrically different but the truth is, after hundreds of fragrances later, is that this gives you the same experience. OBJECTIVELY. Of course the extrait burns for hours and hours off of ANY surface. Its half OIL. But compared to the og and black iris, there really isnt much OBJECTIVE difference. I think its one of those situations where if you want to BE GRATEFUL to the house for such an impactful GRANDIOSE invention as Interlude, and you have the coin: go ahead. I will definitely do the same if i ever reach the status. But if youre just a humble fragrance journeyer, please don’t be fooled into thinking youre not living it THE EFF UP with Midnight Oud. 💙

Interesting, interesting, interesting...... At first I was a little confused but was really liking this smell journey, very complex smell but I ended up really, really liking this one, my surprise came when my wife even told me she loved it, and I totally didn't see that coming!!! I also got complimented by strangers with this one. Its a super strange scent, but not out of my ball park because I love Encre Noire. Men listen up, if this one works with your body chemistry, its definitely a keeper. I have the Maison Alhambra version, and this one doesn't smell too different from it. I would be wearing this in the winter, I would say its definitely date night appropriate, or dressy event, and let me tell you out of everything I have this one is a monster with projection, sillage and lasting power so go easy, you don't want to choke everyone out plus yourself. 20/10 on this one, highly recommend

Harsh opening, always always makes me sneeze whenever i apply this on. Nevertheless, this clones the interlude dna very very well. I would say it is 75% similar. Give it time to dry down and it comes alive quite decently. Main strongpoint of this clone is the performance and longevity. I get easily over 12hours on clothes any day of the week. Overall a solid starting point in getting into the Interlude DNA or if you want a cheap alternative to your interlude bottle so that you can spray without worrying about finishing the bottle. Its worth blind buying simply because of the insanely cheap price. I bought my bottle for £11 for a 100ml which is outstanding. Take the risk if you are intrigued about the interlude DNA and want to test it out yourself.

I have never smelled Amouge Interlude Man but I wanted to jump into the niche world of fragrances. Interlude was one of the most praised so I looked for an alternative or clone. This was one of the most compared fragrances so I ordered the roll-on version. The fragrance is amazing! It definitely gives off a heavy incense note but also contains the right amount of intoxicating sweetness to balance with the smokiness. It’s not a compliment magnet but the compliments I do receive are those of absolute infatuation. My girlfriend adores this on me. I usually wear it evenings/nights out and I wake up with it still strong. It performs like a beast! Definitely recommended, regardless if it smells similar to the original fragrance or not.

This is simply Interlude for 12 euros. Compared my Omani batch side by side with this. Interlude is a tad bit stronger and has more of a "kick" to it in the opening. But after about 15 minutes, no one will tell the difference in the air. It doesn't smell cheap at all, i prefer this to Interlude because this is not so overpowering while still being beast mode. Lasts and projects the whole day. This is the best clone of any fragrance that i ever came across ( and probably the cheapest). This fragrance pretty much sums up how expensive scents are absurdly overpriced. If you are buying Interlude instead of this,you are literally throwing your money away. 10/10 in every aspect, even the sprayer and the bottle is good.

My friend sent this to me and said "I don't like it at all but I think you might like it." lol She was wrong.... I LOVE it! The opening is a bit weird but it quickly becomes sweet smoly woody scent. I really enjoy it and cannot stop smelling myself. The dry down is beautiful vanlla-amber scent. I'm surprise that vanilla is not in the note list. Huge sillage and insane longevity. Stays on skin even after shower. Really, really adore this. The only thing I hate about it is the tacky cap. I got one with the crown and black frill. The crown is fine. it's heavy and solid but I cannot stand the frill. It gives me eyesore so I have to keep it in the box.

Definitely inspired from Interlude. The fragrance seems a bit sweeter - kinda more balsamic. What it lacks of in comparison with the original is the depth, that feeling of being encompased with the fragrance...feeling the smokiness and the herbal notes flowing in the air... getting to the balsamic, ashy depth of the fragrance and then resurfacing back to the spicy notes. For the price it is perfect however. A rounded, kinda sweeter, rounded scent with less "pointy" notes. It might lack depth and multidimensionality, however that makes the scent a safer everyday option. It does what it promises.

Wow. Some of the reviews here are really on point with the vibe. I get the smoky incense, the leather, the woody base. It's warm, smoky, mystical and arcane. This is what you smell when you enter the wizard's library. There are many old leatherbound books on the shelves, last night's incense is still smoldering. It's mostly dim but some sunlight enters though windows high above. You can see the sun rays cut through the air. Personally I love it, but I can see this being divisive. It takes a certain kind of mysterious person who's interested in the occult to pull this off, I think.

This is SCARY GOOD and I swear it aint funny anymore. Full disclosure, I have never smelt Interlude man but call me crazy this one reminds me of TF oud wood. Super strong, crazy low price, crazy high quality. I dont feel much smokyness. Not for everyone but if you love super strong scents (and i mean STRONG, my head starts to hurt after wearing this) this is the one. This puts some of my 100-200 euros frags to shame. Also, I dont understand why this is considered so masculine, chicks can def rock this juice. But be aware, you will be considered a certified bad B.