Love by Kilian Rose and Oud

This is a Gulf exclusive but you can find it on major department stores’ websites. Talking to a Kilian rep, this 2019 Special Blend has the same base as ‘Love’ but introduces oud and rose as top/heart notes. Having smelled both this and the original, I would agree with this assessment. The oud is certainly not in the base here. It’s less sweet in its opening and has a focus on the oud/rose punch as opposed to the candy orange blossom note of the original. I find this similar to MFK’s Oud Satin Mood but this one is less powdery. Both are extremely long lasting although this one doesn’t project as much as Oud Satin Mood, however they performance is extremely good. Overall, this is an incredible fragrance as far as I am concerned. Even though fragrance has no gender, I find this more masculine than the original and therefore, for me, easier to wear.

My second love from Kilian. My first is Black Phantom. It’s definitely softer than Black Phantom. It sits closer to skin but last pretty long 8+ hours. I use it on a very casual occasion like running errands. I got compliments from people stand closer to me when I wore it like my hairstylist. It’s a compliment getter.

The first time I sprayed By Kilian Love by Kilian Rose and Oud, I knew it was special. The combination of rich rose and deep oud is powerful but refined. It’s an unforgettable scent that makes a statement but never feels too heavy.

This review is based off of a sample purchased on fragrancesline so can't tell you what year bottle the decant came from... I read several reviews online (nordstorm as I originally was reading reviews for Black Phantom) that this scent smelled like something a "teen" would wear because it is SO sweet. It is a sweet scent, but hear me out, it's also kind of dark? The rose is definitely there so it gives it this grown woman flair to it and never had a fragrance with agarwood in it so prior to reading this I thought the soft musky afternote was sandalwood! And it definitely smells of marshmallows. BUT.... It doesn't smell like marshmallows at the same time. To me blended together and on my skin the final result was cotton candy and wood. Kind of reminded me of eating cotton candy at a fair in the evening by a forested area. That dies down after 2 to 3 hours and it becomes more rosy and woody. Something I discovered accidentally was if you mix this scent with Byredo's Gypsy Water, not only does it heighten the marshmallow but it brings out the vanilla in the Byredo more and turns the scent cakelike and this ends up lasting for several hours (about 8 for me) before turning more woody and rosy. This is supposed to be a unisex scent but that cotton candy makes it smell more feminine. Perhaps on a males skin the musky woody tones will pop out more.

I was hoping this would be similar to the discontinued Kilian Rose Oud, but doesn't seem to be any resemblance from what I hear. Gosh, I miss that one...