Aquilaria Blossom

This fragrance opens up with an exotic, fresh, punchy, but most of all otherworldly burst that smells like nothing I have experienced before. I have 80+ inch fragrances and none open like this. The bergamot, mandarine leaf, yuzu and ambergris create the impression of an entire flower in bloom in some exotic jungle, but can in no way be described as 'tropical'. This persists for several hours and gradually fades into something more resinous and slightly smokey, but still fresh from the opening. I get the impression that the mandarine leaf is the dominant uplifting note here, because it somewhat green and sharply citric. As it dries down it becomes more resinous, but never loses the exotic touch. It is a very rare and otherworldly summer freshie that is for sure. The only thing I can compare it to was drinking the 1995 Leroy Romanee St. Vivant Burgundy grand cru (1000 USD back in 1999), which smelled similarly fresh but as though it came from another dimension. The coupling of a fresh exotic note over a resinous oriental base has been done before as in Fragrance du Bois' Oud Blu Intense, which has a beautiful 'blue' cardamom and orange opening (which gives the impression of a sparkling fountain) but when it dries down it becomes sticky and pasty and kind of boring. In this case the opening is more original and exotic and the transition to the base more seamless, and the fragrance never becomes sticky, pasty, or dull. If you are looking for something truly different for the springing summer and are sick of the usual rehashing of the same thing (Atelier Des Ors Riviera Collection, I am looking at you) give this a try. If you want Russian Oud or Siberian Musk, then you might be disappointed, but then again, maybe not if you open your eyes and see how great a work of art this is and how versatile and unique it is for the warmer weather. I'd like to thank YouTuber Ramsey and blogger Kafkaesque for their reviews, which encouraged me to blind buy it, and what a lovely bottle!

I had to wait for a while before posting this review, because of the complexity of this perfume and it took me while to truly understand this perfume. First and foremost this an absolutely pinnacle when it comes to natural perfumery this is how natural perfumes smell like that raw ingredient smell, that unpolished a little rough on the edges perfume. This is a marvellous creation by the house of Areej le dore and the colab with Taha Syed. About the perfume - Imagine yourself near a full grown orange tree and the tree has ripe oranges / mandarin and you are sitting under the tree while burning some oud chips and a fresh green mandarin leaf falls on the burning oud. This perfume has many transitions, initially you will smell that orange & mandarin note and that top note will linger around for a while and after a few hours it changes into that touch of oud and you can smell that quality oud, after another few more hours the base of the notes are slightly visible, but that combination of top notes of the orange and mandarin will disappear, and you get a wonderful combination of oud, resins and floral notes. This is an extrait concentration, and it lasts for a very long time, I applied it on the day and I could easily smell it till the next day. This is an absolute hidden treasure & I am glad I bought this, because it will cherish this for a very long time.

A love for me. This opens with a wonderful citrus accord. The orange and yuzu smell so gorgeous and a really well blended neroli note whips throughout the opening not overly dominating the composition. As it dries down the florals and oud becomes more prominent. The juxtaposition between fresh citrus and dark notes really play a unique roll in making this not only wearable, but super unique. I can totally close my eyes and envision the smell of a oud blossom as the perfumers intended with white florals and a very minty oud turning into a more subtle oud background note behind the flowers. In my opion this has Manly vibes without the oakmoss and smoke and slight grandenia notes without the florals dominating the composition. Very well blended and one of the few Areejs I'd wear to work and not be sent home for being to powerful and funky. Nothing but magic from Russian Adam and Taha Syed. Keep up the amazing work!

I just received my generous 3 ml sample decant from Musk Fragrances. They have great glass with good spray atomizers. This is a great citrus fragrance for frag heads. The yuzu is a sharp, bitter citrus. Then you get some nice licorice like bitter myrrh and some unusual notes like propolis. The synthetic propolis is strange but interesting. The propolis is both nutty and medicinal, and fresh in a way. It's a bit over priced. It was a collaboration with Russian Adam. I 💬 he does better when he composes on his own. I could see this growing in favor for me. I may come to like the propolis more. PS: I'm trying this in early October after hearing Russian Adam talk about it with Ramsey. It's aged well. It's stunning in a fresh way. The woodiness is fantastic. The oud is fruity. Amazing accords. More enjoyable than when I first reviewed. Rating: 8.75/10 God bless. John 3:16

Masterpiece! This has a beautiful citrusy opening. A particularly well-balanced neroli note whirls throughout the beginning without overpowering the composition, and the orange and yuzu smell just gorgeous. The roses and oud become more noticeable as it dries down. This has, in my opinion, a manly tone sans the oakmoss and smoke and hints of grandiose without the florals taking over the song. One of the few Areejs I could wear to work without getting sent home for being too strong and funky was really well blended. Taha Syed and Russian Adam are pure magic.

My first Areej Le Dore perfume to the collection. Well done Adam and Taha. Rate 10/10

Myrrh, oud, propolis are three notes I could say for sure that existed in this concoction. Nice and a bit medicinal.

one of this years hype in the artisanal perfumery regime. A rather fictitious interpretation of an agarwood flower that lies in a hypothetical, imaginary olfactory space. Below are my personal ideas, which are a direct result of a week of intensive testing/studying. MY TAKE: It opens up with a huge blast of citruses(mix between yuzu and mandarine), and resinous, almost honey-like amalgamate, which gives off a cola-like bubblegum top. The more volatile citrus top fades away quite quickly, enveloping a waxy, practically frankincense-like tone with the warm resinous undertone, all woven around an enclosed yellow floral heart acting as a brilliant transition smoothner. With time a labdanum-vanilla coupling pair starts to show up, superimposing over the pre-existing waxy, incensy slight herbaceous floral tone giving off the imaginary representation of bees pollinating different floral botanicals. This all takes place in about 5minute; the initial transitions are vivid and ostensibly sparkling, to say the least(which follows the perfumer's imagination well). *Then the Oud shows up, a slight barn with alot of that typical Hindi oud facets blooming around(leather), which plays beautiful harmony with the sweeter, warmer accords giving it a dense and regal sheen. Almost feels as if the Aqualaria flowers procreated a new life, a life of complexity and imperfections, hinting to glazed agarwood fractiles(not blossoms). As it reaches its final transition (> 15 minutes), the heavier resinous materials take centre stage, where the Oud acts as a supporting player. At this stage, the Oud here hints at Hindi oud oils with a leathery overtone; below resides an almost Cambodian-Thai resinous sweetness, which is amplified by the individual vanilla resinoid warmer materials utilized in the structure. If you're looking for an Oud fragrance that lies in the upper quartile of "The Oud Hierarchy", then look elsewhere. This is for someone looking for a blend of different materials where the Oud acts as a supporting element in the background. The far dry-down falls in the typical Middle Eastern mukhallat territory, giving me hints of numerous other amber-oud fragrances, which I did not expect from such artists. The first transition portrays the imaginary scent of an Aquilaria Blossom, as opposed to when the olfactory profile of the Aquilaria malaccensis oil-vanilla crumbles the dream. Dimitry Bortnikoff's Oud Sinharaja feels more like Aquilaria Blossom to me than what ALD and Taha portray here. Nevertheless, without the naming ambiguity, the appreciative factor might stop; or even startle people looking to venture into Mukhallats; however, the price-to-composition ratio pokes obscurity. The stickier, warmer tones should not have been the core of a perfume that solely tried to represent the flowers of agarwood. Rather a better floral heart, less myrhh-vanilla, and a better quality oud would've made it a much more appropriate composition to my nose. The individual and aggregate scores are listed below; the net performance was also considered(though I don't care about performance as long as it's competently crafted). Scores for the numerical people: Uniqueness in profile- 6.5/10 Quality-8/10 Blending-6.5/10 Pricing-6/10 (6.75) ___________________________________ Longevity-9/10 Projection- 7/10 ΣPerformance: 8/10 (7.5) ___________________________________ Σscore= 7.4/10 Instagram: _wasif_reza_

I was pleasantly surprised with this one, for me it has a similar feel to MFK’s Grand Soir but with more depth and richness. The presentation is on point as always with Russian Adam classy touches adding to overall feel. My only concern is, and it may not be valid at all, is the price point. Both of these perfumers are known for using rare and expensive materials which is often clear in the final product. And whilst this is far from a synthetic mess I’m not sure $8.33 per ml is a true representation of the juice you are getting. Of course profit margins are a large part of making these creations and I hope they make a good living from it. However I just hope that the level of trust that loyal collectors show for blind buying these pieces of art, is taken for granted and utilized unwarranted to make extra money. As I said I maybe completely wrong here it is just my honest opinion. The Fragrance is one I will keep which hasn’t been the case of some previous release’s so I’m happy with my purchase. Maybe I am just yearning for less mass appealing things like war and peace or Antiquity. I’m be in the que as always for the next one anyway. 👌🏽

Opens fruity spicy amber, with a whiff of creaminess coming in and out, plus a good chunk of fermented oud. The creaminess mixing with that spiced amber almost makes you think you are smelling something with traditional sandalwood oil in it at first but that dissipates as you go into the mid and dry down. The mid to drydown is where this starts to get a bit less enjoyable for me. The florals start to push through more as does the castoreum quite a bit so you start to get a "dirty floral" vibe from it, not earthy which would be quite good, but unwashed. The petitgrain, magnolia, oud and castoreum are what pushes most for me here with a sweet tone alongside, and it pretty much keeps going linear with this for quite a long time, you'll smell it next day. I suppose you could argue a "dirty floral" is what the creative brief could fit, but atm I'm feeling that this is below what these two perfumers are capable of. I feel like they could have made this pull out the more meditative aspects of oud to make it a bit more imaginative than aim for the animalic personally.

Interesting take on fecal oud. It’s just that; a mix of zesty and natural citrus elements, stale wood, olibanum, spices, damp patchouli and ambergris. Eventually, you get a relay of floral elements which is refreshing and a hoorah moment. 💐💩🐳 There’s a definite balance in play here, but harmony...ehhhh. Unisex insofar as it’s barely wearable by either sex, or any of the ancillary sexes. 🤔 No doubt quality elements, so I’m neutral...But this isn’t something I want to smell like or I even would like to smell, except on rare occasion, like when I’m tripping on mushrooms in a Thai forest. 🌳

Starts off a little bitter with lots of petitgrain. Then that will become more sweet & floral. This will then mix with a yellow vanilla custard accord and some chalkiness. There is also something my nose perceives as metallic that runs through the whole development. I was hoping for more forals. I don't hate the fragrance as I think its quite wearable. But I do not love it either, as I dont think its actually a very unique fragrance. Overall, in my humble opinion, this doesn't smell like a collaboration that lasted 2 years. Taha is capable of so much better than this, and so is Adam.

Opens up with a blast of yuzu and bergamot. 15-20 minutes later, you will be hit by whiffs of hindi oud (fecal oud) and hints of the initial top notes. In its drydown, it's more myrrh and vanilla plus the hindi oud. Nothing like Chinese oud (does not have that touch of hindi oud and yuzu). Whether it's a hit or miss, that's subjective. But the standard of this release was underwhelming considering it was a collaboration between Taha and Adam.

The last few releases have been just OK! This fragrance is just not for me.The 3D cap on this fragrance came apart from the inner shell.

Top : spicy, citrus Middle : sweet, woody Base : Korean traditional lacquer furniture

Reminds me of my first experiments with blending fragrances from essential oils. Starts sharp bitter green citric with an animalic note that is more reminiscent of oud tincture than white ambergris. Can also be the promised "Touch of Oud". The next phase is dominated by metallic rubbery motor oil tonka and cedar, rather ending in boring myrrh and vanilla. To me it's ridicules and absurd to smell like essential oils at this pricepoint.

From this I mainly take propolis which I do not liketogether with honeyed citrus fruits, flowers, castoreum, myrrh and medicinal oud. Warm amber and soft but makes my nose tired. The chewy side is prominent in the drydown. step.

I collect Areej Le Dore fragrances and i have quite a few that I really love, except for this one. I blind bought this one and now regret it . It starts out beautiful but the dry down is unbearable to me . I don’t know if it’s the Oud he used or what note, but I had to scrub it off . I have a brand new full prez bottle for sale. Message me if interested.

Smells Like some blew a bubble gum cola vape right in my face mixed in with a round of bad breath. Total cowboy job this fragrance, didnt meet the brief or expectations once again mediocrity sold due to Fomo marketing style and no option to sample prior to avoid the up coming disappointment

#sotd Aquilaria Blossom by Areej Le Dore and Agar Aura Yes, I finally received my bottle and got the chance to wear it. Yes, this one got mixed reviews from people and am not amazed because it's not what people are used to, specially from @russianadam However, all the fragrances are not necessarily be loud or bold. This one is a fictional smell of oud flower and when two people came together, discussed and worked on it; they thought its the best way to present it and no complaints. It's a beautiful fragrance, sits close to skin throughout and might not garnish compliments (unless you over spray including your clothes) but if you in this hobby just to smell good and yes, a bit different from masses then it's for you. With the first spray I got hit by cumin like smell (probably saltiness of ambergris?) coz i am the only one who is perceiving this note before the citrusy juice started flowing for good one hour or so. After an hour, magnolia and Oud took center stage and kept on knocking my nostrils and I was thrilled to the core. This is not the oud, I personally like but hey, what's the point of having same kind of perfumes. It's clean oud, which shines with time and come out beautifully wrapped with some amazing florals to keep you intrested and guessing what next. The dry down, dry down is creamy (almost like green matcha tea) which again perceived by me and I guess it's solely because of humidity in Atlanta-GA these days. I loved every part of it and I believe it's myrrh, vanilla and saffron playing with me and giving some false interpretation but who knows how it works in spring or winters. I would keep this fragrance, purely because it's different and unique. Thanks for working together on this @russianadam @areejledoreperfume @agaraura

Aquilaria Blossom opens with a candied albeit bitter citrus opening. It’s more so the smell of citrus leaves themselves than the actual fruit. There’s a brief pop of gorgeous Orange Blossoms before the citrus fades away and you’re left with candied orange cream notes which gently segue into a muted, brown woodsy heart. The heart displays a somewhat leathery Hindi Oud note mixing with Cedar and myrrh. The results are somewhat bitter, leathery resins which can read as rubber at times. Depending on how familiar you are with Oud will depend on wether your nose can pick up on the oils used in this but they are there. They are present. They form a large aspect of the heart and drydown. Castoreum and vanilla mix to create a semi-sweet leathery rubbery drydown where not much seems to unfold after the first 30 minutes. It’s pretty linear from then on with each material overtaking the other at times. Overall this wasn’t my cup of tea. I was hoping for less Oud and more florals. More complexity and depth. Fans of Chinese Oud will love this as it’s a wearable, simplified and an almost analog version of the now cult classic that’s LONG sold out and impossible to find aftermarket.

Unlike the reviewer under me that said the mid to dry down was the last favorite part, it is by far my favorite part. The oud in the opening is a little funky and eastern. May play well in the middle east but is unwearable, unless you want to get stared at in America. Lucky for me I don't care if people look at me funny ha. I like the funkyness as much as the more tame notes. The dry down turns amber for me. Prob a mix of the castorum and myrrh. It's obviously masterfully distilled per usual by Adam. Lasts forever, skin scent on me after 2hrs