Chinese Oud II

one of the safest, yet a pleasant release from ALD. lovely sweet, sparkling opening, slightly boozy and fresh. the hainan oud comes out awhile after the opening; woody, slightly dry but smooth and a very soft incensy/smoky aroma to it as well, very minimal and pleasant. paired with amazing florals, mainly gardenia and jasmine, helps give it that green-airy profile to it. dries down creamy, earthy and woody. great performance too for something so natural!

This is growing on me. The dry-down is the best I've experienced. It is an oak mossy vanilla. The vanilla is great, and the oak moss is strong, lts like the legendary Tom Ford Moss Breaches. Overall it reminds of of an oudy Guerlain Shalimar.

very nice smoky oud with a slight floral touch very VERY good for the price

The Hainan Oud is very prominent in the opening, very Oudy, a bit of aged cheese and a hint of barn, and also a bit of medicinal undertone, there's nothing fecal or skanky, and the cheese/barn note subsided in about 5 to 10min on me, it still could be a challenge to those who aren't used to this type of Ouds. I'm getting a fizzy orange candied sweetness and aldehyde right off the bat as well, not at the citrusy level as SM3, but it's a nice refreshing touch. There's a vintage feel to the floral accord during the mid drydown, nothing specific that I could identify, it's quite gentle and unisex, not at all flowery. The vanilla and Mysore Sandalwood are pronounced throughout the wearing, lending to a layer of thick and creamy texture, plus a touch of earthy, herbal, and hay-like undertone from the Patchouli. The woody base is very persistent and continues as a skin scent into the far dry down, I'm talking about 24-hour type longevity, it survived through shower till the next day. CO2 is another Oud Soliflore similar to RO2, simplistic by design, therefore it is not a very complex scent profile. The main theme is pretty much an orange creamsicle with the cheesy Hainan Oud backed by a heavy dose of Mysore Sandalwood. Projection is soft but good enough, it isn't an obnoxious scent so I can't imagine it would offend anybody with just 1 to 2 sprays. I have never tried the OG so I can't compare, but if you enjoy a simplistic scent profile like RO2, then you would most likely enjoy CO2 just as much. Something like this is a nice change of pace whenever I need to take a break from anything complex like Walimah, both CO2 and RO2 are what I would consider the chill scent, a no-nonsense straight shooter that you just spray and enjoy, don't have to put too much attention or thoughts into.

Chinese Oud-Part II from Niche/Indie Haute Luxury Fragrance House Areej Le Doré based in the UK is an Oriental Extract De Parfum 'Oud Amber Floral Woody Shared. This fragrance was launched in 2023 and is part of the 'Classic Collection'. The perfumer who signs this fragrance is Russian Adam. The 'oud is the central focus here! A dark woody 'oud, a light barn and smoky but also leathery. At first you can expect a juicy orange similar to the Amouage King Blue or something already done by Bortnikoff before, but it is not what happens. The oranges here are soaked in an unusual metallic alcoholic juice quite exotic. And the flowers give a dampened in this dark green 'oud. I perceive them more as narcotic jasmin and a rose water with creamy gardenia. This triad forms a peculiar floriental cooling for some time the aged 'Oud Hainan. That soon takes up the role but without muffling or subjugate the precious co-helpers. The perfume will unfold and evolve in a cohesive and balanced way, has no loose ends or something unsettling. Beautiful work of Russian Adam. Wonderful fragrance! With the creaminess of vanilla blending with orange, and adding a chocolate-flavored patchouli earthy refers me to an orange and dark chocolate dessert in the best sense of the word. Does that make it a gourmand fragrance? No; not at all. But it’s a delight! Gradually the sandalwood gets highlighted and the perfume becomes more milky and warm, almost like a balm. For the notes I would have bet on a chipré, but I do not feel much vibration in that direction. Still it is great! The wood of moss arrives adding a slight aspect of damp wood that merges with the 'oud leaving the perfume with a "'dirty'" and Earthy Brown. The quality of the ingredients and naturalness of the notes and chords impresses! Counting on a great performance. Chinese Oud II is a true jewel of the traditional oriental oud perfumery. Top Notes: Boozy Aldehyde, Sweet Orange, Bergamot. Middle Notes: 'Oud Wild Hainan 2004(China), Chinese Rose, Chinese Gardenia, Chinese Jasmine. Base Notes: Vintage Mysore Sandalwood(India), Indonesian Vanilla, Oak Moss, Patchouli.

Personally, I can't say that I find this version of Chinese Oud that similar to the first. It does have the exact same structure, and it eventually evolves into an almost identical scent, however, the Oud used here feels completely different to my nose in terms of profile, quality, and especially texture. My skin also amplifies woody notes, and maybe that makes it pop even more, hence, making the differences more notable. In the first version, the oud's profile is smooth as silk, mostly coming across as a brown, suede leather accord, working along the other notes. In part 2, the oud is sour, smoky, very textured, like a bumpy wood surface, and much drier. To me, this profile is very apparent and it stays like that, quite noticeable for some good hours before it finally recedes and becomes something closer to the first version. I still love this version, as it provides a nice variation of the same theme, but if I were to choose between the two, I'd go for the first one.

Appart of slightly more rough start that lasts about 2 minutes - it is the same beautiful CO as before. Citrucy, powdery oudy beauty of the highest order.

One of the best ALD together with Antiquity

Anyone got a bottle.. want to buy it!