Amber Oud

I blind bought this one because I'm a fan of vintage Kilian and I was blown away at first sniff. This is actually one of the best fragrances from the house. It's extremely hard to find and expensive, which is why you don't hear about it. But trust me, this would be super popular if it was released today, in 2024. Unlike some some of the Arabian Nights collection, this one is completely wearable by westerners. Kilian Hennessy said he wanted to make this an oud fragrance that would have the animalic and controversial properties removed, and replaced with Madagascar Vanilla and benzoin tears.The vanilla smells like it's been has been barrel aged. In addition to the aged vanilla, you get some slightly smokey oud but it's not strong or skank like pearl oud. The best way I can describe the drydown is to imagine an expensive creamy sassafras (root beer). This is one of the best vanilla fragrances I've ever smelled in my life. Thankfully the person I bought this vintage bottle from is a collector, so the bottle and liquid are in perfect condition. This one truly is a "hidden gem". It took me 3+ years of waiting patiently to find a good price, and it was worth the wait. -------------------------------------------- Scent 10/10 Performance 6.5/10

For the first time I have finally made my first Kilian purchase and bought this fragrance. I was shocked at the price tag, 410CHF (Swiss francs) for a 50ML bottle ?! That is quiet insane and my most expensive perfume in my collection. However, the SA was so convincing. She said it was her favourite perfume and that it was incredibly long lasting. The beautiful box with the key that came with it also grabbed my attention. So I went for it ! Firstly, the fragrance itself is absolutely gorgeous, which is why I fell in love at the store when the SA introduced me to it. It is perfect for the colder weather. A very distinctive amber and oud. It is sweet like vanilla but not cloying. It is earthy to give it the warm touch. It is a very complex amber, which was initially exactly what I was looking for. Very sensual and dark. BUT my disappointment lays with what many have already mentioned, the longevity and projection is incredibly poor... I can't get over how short it stays on me when I paid that much money. Do all the Kilian perfumes have the same short longevity? After literally only 30 minutes I only get a faint amber on my skin. If it is the same with other fragrances I will not be looking into Kilian anymore unfortunately...

I like Amber Oud in spite of myself. Easy to dismiss as rote and familiar and readily substituted for a considerably lower price elsewhere, Amber Oud nevertheless works because it's so well-rounded. The notes may be few, but they blend in a seemingly organic fashion such that the whole is undoubtedly greater than the sum of its parts.The cedar smells authentic, the amber is soft but not powdery, the bay proprotioned judiciously and, best of all, the vanilla is used as a means to imbibe a natural sweetness instead of it being forcibly tagged on to make it gourmand - as tends to be the case in many amber-based perfumes. Oh, and the oud is barely present, though I can't say it really bothered me in this instance. I appreciate the subdued nature of it all, too, purring away as it sits above the skin. It's meant to be a 'private' fragrance, I think, something to while away the evening hours with in the company of a loved one or a few long-time friends, the mood both contemplative and nostalgic. Amber Oud: toasty, cosy and comfy. Lovely.

After much consideration I finally decided to look passed the high price of this perfume and today it arrived. While unwrapping, I felt so classy because of its fine crafted box. So much love for detail and luxury. But now back to the scent. to make it plain and simple, I am absolutely mesmerized! At first a honey sweet cloud with hints of bay leaf and spices opens up the bouquet. Almost shy but within minutes the actual stars of the composition unveil themself. Amber and Oud! But not the animalic kind. Somehow it reminds me of bee wax. The drydown is spectacular as benzion and vanilla emerge, giving this perfume its sensual and alluring heart without being intrusive or too sweet. The base of precious Cedarwood completes the balsamic formula. This is true art. this is alchemy! Never have I smelled anything so complex, rich and well balanced. Its seduction in a bottle and I highly recommend this perfume to all Amber lovers out there. Kilian, I admire your work!

Gentle and smooth this one... Incredibly nice. I realized a while ago that gender categorization for perfume is pointless and largely redundant. I would really not erge anyone to agree or take my opinion on board because its just that...an opinion. I can't help applying the old paradigm of Homme/femme. It's totally unisex and I would wear this in a heartbeat it's a wonderful fragrance I can't fault it. Just in terms of this Arabian nights collection I'd categorize Amber Oud as leaning slightly more toward the feminine. It has a more gentle approach more ambery and is softened by the presence of vanilla. I only mention it because personally I don't know any women who would wear a strong woody or oud fragrance anyway. So when there's a range of unisex fragrances I naturally feel the lighter of the bunch to be more suited to the ladies. If it was cheaper I'd certainly consider adding it to the collection as a good amber scent.

As someone who is NOT a huge fan of oud, I really liked this fragrance. I tried Musk Oud and Incense Oud as well, and they were a bit too overpowering on the oud for me. With Amber Oud, I can definitely smell the oud in the beginning. But it slowly fades after about 30 minutes and you are left with the lovely warm amber-vanilla. I do believe the oud is acting as a fixative to make this fragrance deeper and longer-lasting, however. I have a 7.5 ml of this and a 5 ml of Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan. Both are lovely fragrances. With Ambre Sultan, the amber is the star from start to finish. With Amber Oud, the amber doesn't come out strongly until after the oud "chills out" a bit. But I will say that while Lutens' creation is long-lasting, Kilian's is VERY long-lasting. On my skin, the dry-down of both fragrances is very similar as well. All in all, it's a lovely amber fragrance with a little bit of oud in the beginning phases.

One of the more popular named oud fragrances done By Kilian, Amber Oud is a creamy, sweet, resinous delight that is an excellent scent. It's not an overwhelming powerhouse but rather it's properly dense, a decent mix of amber, benzoin, and vanilla. I suppose the "bay" note adds some oud or spiciness, but I'm not familiar with this. Amber Oud is surely far more amber than oud, far more a sweet gourmand than a bitter oud. It's an enjoyable, easy wear, and I'd be curious to compare it to Acqua di Parma's Colonia Ambra, which is a vanilla/amber mix mixed with some of the Colonia DNA. Performance is somewhat lacking for a fragrance priced at $395 for 50ml, so it's difficult to stomach buying this unless it's an absolute favorite, which it is not. Still, the scent is really superb, one of the best amber/oud interpretations, and a recommended try, particularly if it's one you would actually buy. 8 out of 10

This is one of the most wonderful perfumes I've ever had the chance to try. What a masterpiece... Incredibly beautiful, fragile and strong at the same time, ethereal and haunting. It's so perfectly executed, every note blending so seamlessly with the others, and yet leaving its own imprint. The amber is sweet and intoxicating, the vanilla of the best quality possible, the benzoin so alluring and sensational, the west indian bay leaf so determinate and different from what I was expecting, the cedar so earthy, warm and inviting. Calice Becker created a phenomenal perfume. A true work of art. Thumbs up, Ms. Becker! I adore this! I want it in my life.

Summary - An amazing soft woody amber fragrance, very light and easy to wear. Reasonable performance (4-5hrs), good silage. Barely detect Oud in this (Oud is not mentioned in the notes either), very slight animalic note in the background. Despite all the good things I don't think this one is worth the price. This is versatile for an amber fragrance, it is also very linear not changing much after the initial opening. What I really like is how transparent this is, you can pick out each note if you look for it. Overall this is a love for me, a 9/10 would be perfect if it was priced better.

It is a very nice classy night out event fragrance. I sometimes use it for business meetings at exclusive restaurants and had many people ask me what fragrance i wear. You wear a dark color suit, clean shave etc and put this fragrance on, you will be noticed and receive many compliments. Is it worth the price? I do not think so. I have just half bottle left but i would not pay high $$$ for this again since there are cheaper alternatives that does the same job. Worth a try though if you can get a half bottle on ebay or something.

Un'ambra legnosa molto asciutta, austera, elegante. Molto bella e molto costosa. Nella mia ricerca personale, ho trovato il profumo uguale identico (anche in sillage e persistenza...Entrambi dopo un'ora si dissolvono...) : Amber Wood Monotheme Black Label, prezzo piccolissimo e stesse prestazioni, un bel profumo. Anche se per me le "ambre" più emozionanti restano Ambre Loup Rania J (stupenda) e L'ambre des Merveilles Hermes, dove la nota dolce vanigliata si fonde meravigliosamente ad ambra e patchouli.

EDIT: I received my bottle and as much as I still love it, I have to say that I regret purchasing it. Unfortunately, the sillage of this beauty is very minimal and it stays so close to my skin that I can barely detect it. The longevity is also very limited. Weird though... I didn't get the same impression from the sample I had, bought straight from the kilian site... Don't get me wrong... The quality is still exceptional and I love it to bits, I just cannot justify the 295 euro price tag...

I can chime in and agree that the oud is barely there. But what is there is wonderful. I think of this as a delicious, comforting amber scent. Nothing sourish, just sublime cashmere-smooth amber held steady by a suggestion of bay and vanilla with benzoin weaving in and out. It lasted 9 hours with me yesterday and I only used a few drops. I caught gentle waves of it all day, and every time it put me in a good mood. Yesterday was a better day because of Amber Oud. It just fits.

I feel honored to receive a free sample before it is released in the market on coming March. It's warm amber ,sweet vanilla and benzoin. It's spicy (Bay leaf) and oriental ,a touch of animalic oud wood ,not too much in the composition which makes feel very good about it. It's a very good amber fragrance.I will look for a bottle of this!Thank you Mr.Kilian.This is an excellent fragrance!

Warm vanilla and amber with a hint of contrasting aromatics from the bay leaf. No oud or anything animalic that would make it challenging. Very much like snuggling in a warm cashmere scarf. Autumn and winter, sits just at arms' length on me.

If you like this you’ll definitely like Umbra d’Orient by Kaisar Parfums, wouldn’t say they’re the exact same scent but they both give off the same vibes and they do share a few similarities, rich Arab humble prince vibes, highly recommend.

Why, why would they discontinue this beautiful, spicy scent?? Please bring it back, Kilian!! My husband loves this and he rarely comments on perfume!! Does anyone have a close dupe for this? Thank You!!

I got the sample frmo Kilian, thanks a lot! It is just beautiful! Warm and spicy but not the usual way. Delicious,amber-gold fume. It's mystherious and kind. All in one:-) A must have!!!!

There is indeed a slight resemblance to Cologne pour le Soir, this one leans more gourmand though. Drydown is pure vanilla amber on me. Nice. Good lasting power and sillage.

Warm golden amber, cosy cashmere, soft faded velvet, perhaps just a hint of salt, and the scent you get kicking through autumn leaves. Fabulous. Perfectly unisex

The Unisex Love Potion! Absolutely enchanted me. Really seductive and mysterious. I want it. :)

OMG the best of the best from by kilian so upper scale so smooth so high class long lasting

A misleading name? Ya I can see that, but for what its worth I enjoy the smell quite a bit and its one of the better kilians for me. Obviously like many others main things I get out of this, are amber, vanilla, benzoin. As for a woody or oud note, very little. Perhaps just there adding a bit of smokeyness, or another dimension to the fragrance. But certainly looking at the name if you are expecting a fragrance with a lot of oud or even woody note what so ever this probably isnt for you. That being said though, lets be honest I think in terms of general population most people dont care about oud if you are going for general compliments. And I myself dont care a lot about oud either. It doesnt do much for me, so it doesnt bother me to much. I dont know what west indian bay smells like, but certainly there is a little bit of a green, herb sorta note that is present. For what its worth, sadly although I myself like the smell, the price is pretty bonkers for this. Also in the little I have tried this I didnt get any real positive feed back. Certainly compliments are random, sometimes you go out and get stopped a few times, and others not at all. Maybe just bad luck when ive gone out trying this, but man when you look at the price tag of this id think either you have to absolutely love this, or hope that the smell is irresistible and people cant keep their hands off you, ya know? Anyway as for performance it was good on me. 12+ hours for sure, projection is hard to judge since because of how expensive this is, im easy on my sample. But it was alright. Anyway I enjoy the smell I really do, but man for the price its pretty silly.

I have had my sample for a long while & have used it on/off for sometime. So now that I am wearing it to bed, I decided to write a review. Kilian tires to create a nice Amber/Oud concoction since it seems as if the rest of the fragrance world is going into that direction. I find that Amber Oud is made with good ingredients, & the presentation is nice as well. As far as the liquid is concerned, upon first spray I get this nasty cedar/oud combination with the slightest touch of Amber. I realized long ago that alot of Cedar can ruin a fragrance for me. Here it is no exception. However, after about 5 minutes, the cedar calms down somewhat, & out comes the synthetic oud with amber. It appears that the oud & cedar are going head to head with the cedar dominating this show with the amber lurking in the background keeping the game somewhat sweet. I find that this composition could have done very well WITHOUT cedar since it is one of my least favorite notes. The silage is modest & longevity on me is roughly 8 hours. I would not spend the asking price for this fragrance because I feel there are so many fragrances that do this type of thing better. On the flip side of things, it does have this classy vibe about it & I can see how many will find this appealing. If it was given to me, I'd wear it every now & a blue moon with a suit or dress like attire.

Very strong note of bay leaf on my skin overpowering ALL the other notes! And it has been this way for 30 minutes already. I feel like my nose is stuck in the bay leaf spice jar. :( This fragrance will clearly need a few more tests to see if it's a chemistry issue, or a weather issue. 3 hours later: Still almost all bay leaf on me, and a touch of benzoin. Update/retest: okay, testing this now, a year and a half later, I am really understanding how much pregnancy hormones affect one's personal chemistry. With my chemistry back to normal, this scent smells completely different on me now. Yes, I detect the bay leaf, but as a supporting note. The amber and benzoin are perfect partners in creating a warm, woody, resinous base. I don't detect any Oud. Overall, it feels a bit on the masculine side of unisex. I like it a lot!!

This is really unique and expensive smelling, the amber threw me off at first but took a little while to appreciate this one. What first got to me was the opening, the oud is most raw at the start and in a few minutes quickly becomes bathed in amber; I didn’t expect this to be what amber and oud would suppose to smell like but I agree that it does have a vague root beer smell, but overall is a crazy beautiful and unique fragrance if you can find it and if you can appreciate it: the dry down especially is gorgeous and is a royal smell- thankfully lasting 6-8 hours not sure how noticeable it is but would be good with layering imo. Coming back to this it reminds me a lot of Guerlain Lui super classy benzoin and vanilla + Animalic amber these old Killians were absolute gold

Amber Oud definitely deserves a sideways thumb. First, as other reviewers pointed out, the oud is barely detectable and doesn’t even show up until at least 30 minutes into the drydown and even then, the castrated oud meekly waves a hand in protest of the giant benzoin troll dominating the party. Finally, pleasant boozy amber takes over after the troll stops farting and a hint of bay leaf darts in and out. Overall, AO is a high quality fragrance, although I wouldn’t say that it is worth the ridiculous price, especially considering that AO seems slightly generic. If you enjoy heavy duty benzoin bombs (for example, Chergui) then this will probably be your cup of tea. If you like your oud prominent and challenging, then look elsewhere. 3/5

This is a nice, sweet scent that develops well on the skin and is akin to wearing a toasty warm flannel shirt whilst sitting in a room with a cedar floor with your feet up next to the fire. Or at least that's what the poet in me thinks. It actually smells to me like a marshmallow toasted on a cedar stick. I don't smell a bit of oud in this one. Maybe it's there, but if it is its muted way down behind all the sweet richness. It's...ok I guess. It lasts long for a kilian creation and when it's fresh, it can be smelled from about 4 feet away. Another one that I'm glad I only have a 7.5 mil bottle and didn't spend any money on. Scent 7/10 Projection 6/10 Fortitude 7/10

By Kilian Amber Oud'' Bu bir Amber parfümüdür.. Uzun zamandır buraya gelmemiş gibi hissediyorum. Bu parfüm benim ile alakası hiç olmayan bir koku olduğu için kısa keseceğim. Benim için bir hikayesi olmayan , düz ve sıradan olmayan, yaşlı ağır bir koku. West Indian Bay '' çok yerinde kullanılmış. yerinde bir yeşil akoru veriyor ve bu bitki ile ile oud ağacı ortaya çıkıyor. kırçıllı yaşlı bir insan kokusu. Bu yaşlı adam nasıl bir şekilde parfüm kullanacağını bilmediği için 4 mevsim bu parfümü sıkacaktır kesinlikle. çok hafifte bir tatlılık var sanki . kurumaya başladıkça koku gençleşiyor. 30 yaş üstü kullanabilir.

(from a sample) Agree with Heverton. No oud, though oud is in the name. It's all amber-patch-vanilla-smoke; lovely but soooo done by soooo many lines, both designer and niche. In fact,I'm a bit insulted that BK would charge this amount of money for a fragrance that has no oud in it at all and isn't so far off from Prada's amber family. Shouldn't the price tag be commensurate with the raw materials? But, what do I know...I'm not a perfumer...just the consumer with the wallet. Not FB-worthy for me.

This is the most delicate from Kilian's oud range. In fact oud is not even present here. What you get is a buttery, vanillic benzoin that recalls the smell of church incense. It's warm and atmospheric, with a golden hue. Similar to "Akkad" by Lubin only richer and creamier. "Incense Oud" and "Musk Oud" are both darker, sexier iterations, "Amber Oud" is like their chaste, shy sister, and "Rose Oud"...well she's just crazy.

I am comparing this to the Oud Velvet Mood which I was wearing yesterday and found to be incompatible with my body's chemistry. The Kilian's creation is different: the amber notes, which I happen to like are soothing the oud note and there is a mix of honey-animalic undertones which I sense on the dry-down. Overall, interesting, intense and extrovert fragrance. Very long-wearing: I kept smelling it on me all day today.

Once again the Amber Gods have answered my prayers. The only problem is the Amber Gods have answered my prayers several times already for a lot less money. I wouldn't normally complain about a price of a fragrance I like such as this one, however this juice is almost twice the price of other Amber Fragrances of the same caliber. 7.5/10

Amber ouddy as the name suggests BUT the problem is that it’s not ouddy enough, and so before long the amber simply drowned everything else. On skin what was left after four hours was simply amber. The clothing sample after the same period was ambery bay leaves. The whole concoction left a lot to be desired.

A soft oud, not so rough or dark like Pure Oud; at the first smell is a little bit rough, but then you'll discover the warmth of the amber, but especially the vanillic notes; it could be a very good unisex fragrance.....suitable above all in winter time

i love the by kilian house but this didn't do it for me at all even tho it had a nice smell eventually it just got to heady for me with very minimal sprays worth a try if you can sample it :) on to the next

I finally got my nose in this....after incense oud which is my top 5 all time favorite scents ever, I thought this was going to be better going off two notes I absolutely love. I thought this was going to be a silage and projection monster with BEASTMODE longevity like incense oud but I'm totally let down and shocked with how "soft" and weak this scent it. Incense oud is the best bar none out of the whole Arabian collection. It's good quality and blend but the aroma is not for me and again, this is so soft and subtle from beginning to end.

I agree with other reviewers, the oud in this is barely detectable. This is primarily a vanillic, amber and benzoin perfume. Its very soft, and on my skin is surprisingly fleeting. Nice but I'm not in love. I wish it was more complex or at least had more oud. Unfortunately, I can't recommend it due to the price to value ratio.

A faint, nothingy fragrance for me. The company gifted me a 10ml sample but I am unimpressed. Just a faint amber, no oud at all - could I be anosmic to this? My 'normal' amber is Ambre Sultan, which I love to bits, but this really does nothing for me.

On me this is awful, just awful. I smell like some kind of sweet baked product: buttery, foody - just a horrible note. This is the most expensive scrubber I have yet to try on my arm! I can't smell any oud, either.

Sweet like candy. I find it feminine. Where's the oudh? Not a scrubber, but I won't be trying this again.

Fragrance Review For Amber Oud By Kilian Notes: Virginia Cedar Wood Amber Benzoin Vanilla West India Bay Leaf I've been wearing so many ouds this year so I'm already classifying this fragrance as an amber Oriental, not an oud scent. This has wood in the form of cedar, but it's a smaller scale wooden base. It has a hot amber that really stands out and mixed with the more aromatic and creamed benzoin incense it becomes a softer oud-incense scent. This is very easy to wear, subtle, soft and even sweet. It has a vanilla that smells sweet as well as a bay leaf. It smells like a little Hindu pavilion with a statuette of Ganesha the elephant. It's not child like as it does have an aromatic potency but it's mostly amber and incense. It's unisex and really more feminine than masculine. If there had been more oud it would have become masculine. Not too many people respond well to strong oud unless you smell it all the time in a Middle Eastern country but ouds are gorgeous when paired up with the right scents like taif rose, amber, sandalwood, patchouli and vetiver. This is a sweet and very delicate wood scent that has an amber heart. If you like amber perfumes you should sample this fragrance. Then price is rather high and there are better Kilian fragrances but this is really quite nice. It's a great introduction to Kilian fragrances and to amber perfume, but not oud. For beginner's oud check out Les Notes De Lanvin Oud & Rose by Lanvin. This is just a very lovely amber. It has great sillage and longevity. It's great to wear on religious holidays like Ramadan - when you don't want to smell of incense and prefer an amber aroma.

Mais uma bela obra de arte da by Kilian para o mundo da perfumaria. Olhar para os lançamentos de Kilian é remeter o pensamento à requinte, luxo e quase certeza de acerto no que criaram! Amber Oud, tem seu lugar na bela coleção "Arabian Nights", junto às suas primas de sangue (Oud), Incense, Pure e Rose se destaca também pela simplicidade na combinação das notas que lhe compõe e no resultado surpreendente em sua evolução. Sim, são apenas 5 notas que dão existência a esta preciosidade, são elas Cedro da Virgínia, Âmbar, Benjoin, Baunilha e Louro da Índia do Oeste. Na minha percepção, só não consigo distinguir o tal Louro das Índias, porque as demais notas são super proeminentes na evolução, que em nenhum momento tornam a fragrância indecisa do que realmente pretende ser. Sua abertura são raspas de Cedros molhados por Âmbar concentrado que a deixa séria e formal. Logo, vc percebe um Benjoim bisonho dizendo: "eis-em aqui!", querendo união com uma Baunilha adulta e muito suculenta que me remeteu às baunilhas da La Maison de la Vanille, apetrecho de primeiríssima. Isso tudo que percebi, se unem num toque sutil e de muito respeito, permitindo que cada nota, simultaneamente, apareça e juntas formem de Amber Oud By Kilian a fragrância que é. Fixação ótima e projeção bastante rente a pele, porém vez ou outra vai onde vc nem menos imagina! Não me canso de dizer: suponho que meu sobrenome deveria ser Oud!

I had the opportunity to meet Amber Oud through a sample, which I got from a friend who lives in Argentina. It is a very well made perfume, which shows a new facet at every moment, evolving on the skin minute by minute. I only felt it “stabilizing” after about two hours of application. As soon as it is sprayed and, during its initial 20 minutes, it is very strong (and attractive). This is due to the amber and Agarwood notes on the output. I must confess that I was a little afraid because my experiences with oud have not been very good until then. But not here! Here everything is very well balanced. At the same time it presses, it also retracts. Amber Oud is strange and, as I said, attractive. After this phase, the fragrance enters a more feminine evolution (which luckily for me, did not stay on the skin for a long time). For about ten minutes I started to find it more floral, with a scent that I could name as Rose Oud, for example. If I was told that this creation had notes of roses in the composition, I would believe it! I decided to let the fragrance "grow" on the skin and enjoy the perfume that enveloped me. When I realized, it was PERFECT, in the right way for a perfume that refers to class, elegance and is very comfortable. Vanilla and Indian bay leaf notes only appear at this stage of evolution. Beautiful perfume by By Kilian!

I love sweets, but there are times I would trade one of those stylized, mouthwatering desserts made from the kitchen full of component parts for a perfect croissant. Plug-in whatever other $300+ perfume for the dessert, Amber Oud is the croissant. Forget that it costs the price of a ticket to Paris to get said ideal croissant, Amber Oud is the perfect combination, the ideal calibration of amber and oud (big amber, little oud) that makes me want to sniff myself all day. A croissant is the product of superb quality simple ingredients, understanding of the role of the ingredients and skill. All the bad croissants in the world tell you that simple doesn't mean easy. Ditto for AO. The problem is the price and my lust for more perfume. If I could afford Amber Oud I first have to make the Odyssey across the following dessert courses: Histoires de Parfum: 1804, Petroleum and Noir Patchouli Parfumerie Generale: Cuir d’Iris, Felania and Tubereuse Couture Andy Tauer: Loretta, Carillon pour un Ange and l’Air du Désert Marocain The entire line of les Nereides None of these choices is slumming it. It's not as though I'd be taking a loaf of Wonder Bread instead of the croissant. Set against this competition AO wouldn't stand a chance.

I tried my sample yesterday and have to admit this is a beautiful and well-crafted scent - I do get the smokiness and amber to start up which fades down and allows the vanilla to shine through. It's a very nice scent but I have to agree with Passionate re the silage! 2 hours and even though it wasn't gone ... it wasn't really there any longer - sitting far too close to my skin! To my mind far too expensive for the longevity! I think I am going to recreate this myself with Amber Fetiche and Vanilla Exquise by Annick Goutal so I think paying out a ludicrous amount of money for something very similar to what I already have is simply a waste. However, if you like this and you have nothing similar then I would definitely buy it if I was you and blow the expense cos By Kilian is the perfumer of the moment currently! Besides that when a non-perfumee friend asks you what it is you can get into a great conversation about his name ... By Kilian ... who's Kilian ... no, it's By Kilian .. you know by By Kilian - bye bye Kilian? ..... (cue exit!).

Without a doubt, the least "oud-y" fragrance with oud in the name that I have ever tried. There is nothing about this that resembles oud or even the general style of an oud based fragrance. I get pretty much mostly Madagascar vanilla with some amber. If you like that type of fragrance it is well done here. Very light, really after a half hour this is a whisper of a scent. It isn't overly sweet, not THAT kind of vanilla. More boozy than sweet. This isn't "girly" by any means, it is straight down the middle unisex but if I had to choose I would say it leans more toward masculine. I find Amber Oud (while pleasant) to be unremarkable. Of the 3 I have tried from the Arabian Nights oud collection, this is my least favorite. But if I was looking for a vanilla amber scent instead of oud I would probably be very pleased. Amber Oud is pleasant enough but not anything I would consider purchasing even 50% off. It never grabs my attention at any point. And for $400 a bottle my Scooby ears need to be prominently launched.

Amber oud starts of with a prominent benzoin note, a sweet one given the presence of vanilla mixed with a rich aspect of amber giving some depth to this particular fragrance. Through time the benzoin decays a little bit leaving space to the amber/vanilla accord, a very warm combination if I may say. The problem is: where's oud in this one? Where's the animalic quality that Kilian mentioned in the description of this fragrance? It is just not here, the mimetic effect they tried to create in this fragrance combining different ingredients to simulate the oud smell just does not work, but hey, this isn't bad at all! I, myself find this a good point since I'm not a oud fan but for those who pick up this particular fragrance just by the name may be disappointed. Anyway, a very good smelling fragrance that stays close to the skin. Sadly it is too pricey for what it delivers.

The huge issue with this again is the opening. 1st spray, lasting into 30 minutes I get amber and maybe a hint of cashmere/cedarwood in the background but all of this lacks sweetness. The vanilla is not prominent from the start - why parfumiers either go full whack on a sun-tan vanilla or go all medicinal-oud or flat rubber-tyre pungent leather or non-sweet woods/resins at the Start of their creations is beyond me. Where is the balance? Only a few, like Roja's Enigma have managed it but why stop when it has proved to be so popular?? Totally ruins what I know will dry down into a majestic, rich cloak of warmness and luxury; I want my Topnotes!! -,- My rating: 4/10

On my skin, Amber Oud basically smells of bay leaf, a little bit more bay leaf, and a subtle benzoin-based amber accord. The oud is undetectable to my nose and, fortunately, the loud and off-putting synthetic core of many other fragrances by Kilian is undetectable too. I appreciate its "Jovoy" style and uniqueness, i.e. a dry, aromatic, and lightly woody approach to an amber scent, but (on me) the bay note is the main player for a bit too long, and after about 4h all I get is a very soft yet long-lasting, sweaty amber base. It's nice and elegant, but I wouldn't personally wear it.