Sans Fleurs

Yep, this perfume didn't come to fuck around. It's an assault in the opening, and as others have said it smells like a peaty Islay scotch, but this quickly calms down and makes way for a very dry, dark, serious oud with woody, incensey vibes rather than barnyard funk. Having read the other reviews here I was expecting too much vanilla, but I can't say it's giving me that. On card I smell the vanilla more and it reminds me of Fall Into Stars, but on skin it's totally different. It's very complex, every sniff gives me something different, and the oud is strong and real. Indeed, I find myself thinking 6 sniffs out of 10 that it smells like pure oud oil, but then I get a waft of booze and/or vanilla and some swirling amber (albeit still bone dry). It's a love, but it definitely won't be a perfume for nonchalant daily spritzing. Update: I'm way into the drydown now and it's very addictive. I can understand the negative comments and see why people wouldn't like this, expecially if they're into the frilly, sparkly ouds from this brand, which I also love, but this scratches some sort of specific itch for me, that desire for the darkest, most oudiest oud, well this is it. If you get fed up with being told, "yeah this is oud, but don't worry because it's really accessible and blah blah blah" THIS is the oud for you. This is an oud which will burn the hairs out of your nostrils and smoulder away in your thoughts after you have worn it, but without being brash, offensive or synthetic. It's a class act, but one with a bold presence. It's not leathery but I can imagine it will appeal to those who love really strong, noble, leathery scents.

An extremely boozy vanillac opening. Not a beginner fragrance and must love oud to enjoy this one. I appreciate most of Bortinkoffs oud fragrances as it feels like they use real oud and can tell from the fragrance itself. As it dries down, the rum becomes less prevalent and it starts to bloom into a very nice oud/vanilla fragrance. My favorite combination. 9/10

I've given myself some time with this one, and I'm glad I stuck with it. When I first tried Sans Fleurs I was very underwhelmed. Pungent vanilla and rum and not much else going on. Kinda bland, and frankly a little unpleasant in the opening. But I tell you - wear this a few times till the drydown - oh the drydown. The woods and ambergris come through and the whole composition comes together in an utterly delightful melange. The bitter, but beautiful Vietnamese oud finally comes out to play giving balance to the sugary sweetness of the vanilla. Yes, the herbal fennel note is there for support, but only come through in peeks. If you've tried this and not liked it, I'd say give it another chance and wait for that magical woody drydown.

I feel the Sayat Nova DNA in this one, and if I'm being honest, I think I might be feeling this one a bit more. I once bought a Brunei oud in Kota Kinabalu and that's what I'm getting in this one right here. The booze-oud accord is also in Sayat, this one is just lacking the fruit. Very intriguing and definitely something I'm gonna try again... ***EDIT*** OMG about 5 or 6 hours in and I'm getting flashbacks of wearing this Brunei oud in early 2014. Standing in front of the blackboard, wearing my peacoat and hands chalky and icky. I have the USB handwarmer in the jacket pocket and I'm teaching LA to form 1 or 2. Scent and memory...

Smells astonishingly like a smoky and peaty scotch whiskey, except honeyed, sweet and viscous which suggests an old fashioned. Super boozy from the opening with vanilla sweetness and an undercurrent of plum (at times, overripe apricots). The fennel/anise adds to the illusion of whiskey by complimenting the peat with a mild medicinal odour. Gradually loses the vanilla and booziness in the drydown, retaining a dark smoky, woody sweetness that suggests an amber rather than oud. At times, I was surprised that the scent was coming from me. Absolutely like no other oud I have smelled before. Performance is excellent, easily stretches past the 8 hour mark whilst still projecting well. I can imagine reaching for the scent in colder weather as a comforting scent. However, I am still on the fence with this one. I bought this to experience real ambergris and artisanal oud, but it didn't deliver the complexity or depth I was expecting. Furthermore I am no closer to understanding what oud smells like (edit: I have smelled this oud in other scents now, such as Silver Oud, Oud Ulya, Espirit de Oud so it has been educational).

Was hoping for something a little more intense and instead it’s slightly flat bottom heavy oud without much lift. The oud is not barnyard, but it does have a musty cardboard element to it that dominates, the boozy aspects are secondary. Vanilla is not overly sweet. Lasts but sits close to the skin. Heavy on the naturals which is great if you prefer that, but I think it contributes to the bottom heaviness. Wondering if my decant was a little bit old and lost some of its top end, maybe batch variation, but even so this is not what I am looking for in a natural oud scent at this price point. It’s just ok.

A gallant but unsuccessful attempt from this perfumer to make a scent devoid of any floral notes. The perfumer uses many of the same notes used in his earlier creation and adds fennel and amyris to give a different feel. The result is a scent that smells pretty much like the older scent and not particularly appealing . The amyris and fennel give the scent a slight additional herbal touch. The unisex scent has moderate sillage and projection and good longevity. All in all a pretty uninspired and largely redundant offering. A very rare misfire from this talented perfumer.

Sans fleurs gets a lot of dislike. It's opening is pungent, only comparable to lao oud. I love it, my brother had to roll down his sleeve. A persevering 'yellow' vanilla is preventing this from being too astringent. The guiac wood and oud continue revealing. I personally think this is sophisticated, daring and unique. Most Hate the opening/early mid. Most love the late mid to base. One of my favorite Bortnikoffs. An upgraded version of Sayat Nova (too cloying) for the more seasoned nose.

Thought I might just add my 2c worth on Sans Fleurs.Can`t lie,the opening was downright off putting! Really boozy blast at the start (rum) and not in a good way BUT giving it a few minutes,settles down and then reminds me of Lucky Oud.... I really don`t see any comparison to Sayat Nova at all and the Vietnamese Oud becomes really prominent as it drys down.I have to say I keep coming back to this one so could well be a real winner!

If anyone hates this and is stuck with a bottle, sell it to me! :) One of the best scents Bortnikoff has ever released imo. Reminds me of the smell of an old viking ship in a museum. The depth due to the oud is astonishing If you expect tons of citrus, ambroxan and johnny depp looking like a dried up heroin addict trying to pose with a bottle for a 3million paycheck, this is most likely going to disgust you.

@simriser1 your in luck :) I have a bottle that I am about to put up for sale only problem is I’m only shipping in my country, message me if you are interested

i am looking for a johnny depp looking like a dried up heroin addict trying to pose with a bottle for a 3million paycheck

Opens very similar to nasomatto duro, dry down is less sweet comparing to duro. It’s more boozy and oudy