Velvet Desert Oud

I had heard many great stories about this fragrance and decided to try it in the store. The first impression was so enchanting that it stayed on my mind. Later, at Milan airport, I noticed it again, and with a discount of 65 euros, I couldn’t resist finally adding it to my collection. This is a rich, opulent fragrance that embodies the allure of the mysterious Middle East. It's an intense and captivating scent that feels both luxurious and timeless. The opening greets you with a wave of smoky and resinous notes, immediately evoking the warmth and mystique of desert nights. The heart unfolds a stunning harmony of oud and amber, creating a deep, velvety richness that lingers beautifully. These are balanced with soft, floral whispers that add subtle complexity and elegance to the fragrance. The base notes ground the composition with a warm, sensual embrace, leaving an unforgettable impression. What makes Velvet Desert Oud so special is its bold presence and versatility. It is perfect for evening wear, special occasions, or moments when you want to make a statement. Its impressive longevity and sillage ensure that it leaves a lasting mark wherever you go. It is more than just a fragrance, it's an experience that envelops you in mystery and sophistication. A true masterpiece for lovers of oud-based scents and those seeking a luxurious, captivating aroma.

I would only like to comment on this fragrance, I am not going to compare it with tuscan leather. This is not a very complex fragrance, it's simple and very linear. In start it is like a sweet incense and it settle down to powdery vibe in heart notes. The oud is not load in it; even mysterious oud in my opinion is try to find oud if you can in it. If you want to experience oud try Tom Ford oud wood or boss collection damask oud. You will know what actually oud smells like. Another thing is that Oud is very strong note, it can very easily dominated on other notes. And oud has a quality it gets stronger as times goes on. So it is used very carefully in fragrance and in velvet desert oud, oud note is either very faint and difficult to detect. The musk is also not animalic and very soft musky notes you find in heart and Base notes. In my opinion it is more towards feminine side. Performance on skin is very average and it is very much close to your skin. Not project loud in my case. It performs better on clothing as compared to on skin. I can't find it very niche quality except bottle looks gorgeous. Only name of brand justify it's price not perfume in a bottle itself. I highly recommend first test it on your skin before purchasing a full bottle. Peace!

Usually, anything containing Oud triggers extreme caution and/or outright dismissal from me due to past experiences. I recently received D&G's Velvet Desert Oud samples along with another order. I immediately came to Fragrantica for more info, before taking even a whiff. The notes seemed unusually minimal, yet intriguing. I cautiously opened a vial prepared to be assaulted with agressively musky, dirty aromas. Boy, was I surprised! VDO is all about elegance and restraint. It opens with clean, deep, warm and alluring aromas. I breathed deeply at my wrist to see if I could identify any particular note. Right off, I understand the comparisons to TF's Tuscan Leather, as there's something in VDO resembling the hay note in TL. Amber adds warmth, while the musk is clean and refined. Whatever type of oud that VDO contains, it's used with remarkable restraint. It only plays peek-a-boo and remains well behaved, through out. The incense, however, is front and center with subtle, aromatic smokiness. Elegant. Refined. Clean. Classy. Projection is about arm's length (with a light dabbing.) I'll have to give this a few good wears before commenting on longevity. But, first impression says it's FBW.

Another blind buy based on Fragrantica's (and its members') review. Another big big deal! ...mmm... well not exactly a deal, and not so sure that the 50ml is worth all that money (250€ for 50 ml is almost a robbery) I am absolutely sure this is a Mister Perfume! Tuned with the balsamic main accord, there's an escalation of smells during it's evolution in the day. At least 6-8 hours lasting, notes of pepper, but fresh. Wood and tobacco. Not cigarettes' or cigars' tobacco but...when freshly harvested tobacco leaves are strung with string, left in the sun to dry and then placed in a hot room for the last drying...when you open the door and enter that room: that tobacco! Incense is the fil rouge. I could compare this with Salvatore Ferragamo Incese Suede, for the quality, for the incense,for they are all except flat perfumes, but next time the price will make me chose for SF. EDIT: after 24 hours keeps smelling well on skin vote 9/10 (not 10 /10 just becuase it smells the same way you can smell it after 5 minutes, just a bit softer, now on winter. In my impression during hot seasons lasts shorter and mutates with hours) On clothes it persists for days

Not for children. Just received a new 5oz bottle and wow, not like anything in my collection (I'm a basic b.) It's really a masterpiece, different than other masterpieces with depth and layers and chapters. Closing my eyes it brings me somewhere, I'm not sure, the desert perhaps (no sign of Johnny here.) The incense are beautiful the oud sneaks behind ever so slightly, then leather and smoke, then incense, a sweetness, back to leather, amber amber amber, leather. Musc. *writing this while I smell my arm like a maniac. **About 5 hours in and I love it. In this moment it smells like embers from a smoldering desert camp fire, with a splash of vanilla rum , super light smoky sexy. Incense are still there as well but faintly. A good 5 hours of a beautiful sweet burning incense and leather and now softly transitioning into a smoke show. I know my collection isn't very niche (at all) but this fragrance is really well rounded.

I first tested this one alongside Tom Ford's Sahara Noir, which I also love, but the dry down on this is much less men's cologne to me. It drys down much the same as the wet but with a smokey almost piney sweetness. This is worth the money, absolutely. It's a perfectly blended, gorgeous, intense, full bodied Oud. Just glorious. One spritz lasts 12 or more hours on me, with not a whole lot of morphing. I tested a whole boat load of Oud or the like before settling on this one. Gorgeous. Also, good for layering, I have put roses or other florals, sweet vanillas (I especially like it with Le Labos Labdanum 18), fruity things, it blends very nicely. A tiny pouf goes a long way. Totally unisex, but not for the faint of heart. This is the stronges one in this line.

Wanted to bump this. HowStrangeInnocence 03/02/18 17:51 Yes, the oud is subtle, but it is expertly blended with amber and incense. Yes, it is a linear fragrance, but its one-note is a near perfect conceptual success. Velvet Desert Oud isn’t about shouting or shape-shifting, but it does successfully create an aura of pure class + a little intrigue – it’s what The World’s Most Interesting Man would wear to a black-tie fundraiser (before he dons a mask and heads to the Eyes Wide Shut sex party). Longevity is excellent - 12+ on my skin and days on clothing.

Ok I think I’m starting to understand what the fragrance is aiming towards. It definitely has bad projection 100%, being a skin scent within less than 30 minutes, but the longevity isn’t that bad if you smell it close to the skin. Perhaps it’s meant to be an intimate style of scent for those who enjoy that? Since it definitely sat on my skin 6-7 hours no problem with 5-10cm of projection. Though definitely don’t get it at that 400$ for 100ml price point. Only reason I got it cause I found a 100ml tester at a discounter for 155$.

My #1. When you smell something and immediately the stars align. This is that fragrance for me. I smelt it at an airport in Bahrain and couldn't stop thinking about it. One of the only fragrances I've emptied. Sure, longevity isn't the best, and it doesn't have powerhouse projection, but the scent alone is worth it. It smells like money without punching you in the face, delicate but deep, the touch of oud and perfect mix of subtle amber really go well, will always remind me of the luxury of travelling in the middle east.

للوهلة الاولى وعند رش العطر وقبل مشاهدة نوتات العطر قلت بالتاكيد فيه جلود ولكن المفاجاة انها ليست مذكورة في الملاحظات ولم استغرب عندما شاهدت ان الكثير يشبه العطر ل تاسكن ليذر عرفت انني لم اكن مخطأ ابدا عطر سيفاجئك ليس كعطور العود الاخرى لا اعتقد انهم استخدموا العود بصورته الطبيعية ابدا هناك رائحة جلدية بخورية الى حد ما مع غلاف حلو مزيج رائع بالنهاية وعطر ستسأل عنه بالتاكيد اذا استخدمته في امسية باردة على معطف من الجوخ اتمنى ان يكون الاداء بالشكل المطلوب لان الرائحة جميلة جداا تحياتي لمن يتكلمون العربية علاء الدين الضميري

Yes, the oud is subtle, but it is expertly blended with amber and incense. Yes, it is a linear fragrance, but its one-note is a near perfect conceptual success. Velvet Desert Oud isn’t about shouting or shape-shifting, but it does successfully create an aura of pure class + a little intrigue – it’s what The World’s Most Interesting Man would wear to a black-tie fundraiser (before he dons a mask and heads to the Eyes Wide Shut sex party). Longevity is excellent - 12+ on my skin and days on clothing.

This is a beautiful fragrance. However upon first sniff, I smelled a subtle dry dusty leather. Dry leather is one of my loves, so this was love at first sniff. The more I wore it, the more I smelled the oud (and it is there), but it is a soft tame oud with a slight sweetness that smells like a smattering of amber. The longer I wear this, the more the amber is noticeable. But it never gets too sweet. So, Velvet Desert Oud, has become one of my fav leather scents. Go figure.

"Velvet Desert Oud wafts like a breeze through the dunes of a desert." That sums this fragrance up perfectly for me. It conjures up images of a sultans harem. Beautiful, scantily clad women with heavily mascaraed eyes peeping over their wispy veils. A desert camp of Bedouin tents at sunset with the flickering flames of torches at each entrance. I don't think it smells anything like Tuscan Leather. This perfume, to my nose anyway, is exquisite perfection.

A restrained, stately and sophisticated amber. Very pleasant and calming albeit linear. Part the last dying ember glow of a bedouin campfire, part luxury car dealership showroom from the crushed velvet and suede leather feel. A muted tuscan leather minus the rough saddle-like edges is a fine comparison. Unfortunately the longevity, projection and sillage leave a lot to be desired at this price point.

First time I perceive it, I got 3 more. Ended up giving two out because it was scarce so I panic purchased and ended up realizing that with 3 puffs, it would cover my outfit for 3 days. Funny enough, I’ve barely used 20ml out of it for over 3 months because it’s very active yet moderate. I don’t think there are enough words to praise its smell so try it out for yourself and see

I received a sample of this and fell in love. It's seedy and sultry and dark. Picture Arabian Nights (Aladdin) being sung for adults only..slowed tempo and the most mesmerizing voice..that's VDO. I see reviews that it doesn't last on skin. Even after a shower it was still projecting off of me. If anyone is looking to sell, let me know, as I have not been able to purchase.

It's not close to TFTL at all.....no sweetness no raspberry, nothing fruity there. It's actually very similar to my Gucci midnight stroll clone from Maison Alhambra so it's a more wearable version of it. Velvet Desert Oud is an incense dominant frag supported by the Oud and then goes ambery musky. Some of these reviewers are just clueless

A beautiful fragrance that is perfect for any occasion on a chilly day, but is best worn at night, though you can wear it to casual occasions. Initial smell it very insency and a little woody, but later dries to a nice smooth and almost fruity smell that will impress anyone that gets to smell this.

This one takes me back to my desert trips while I was living in Saudi Arabia. The blend of smokey, smooth leathery oud whith a light smell of sweet amber and deep, black, quite animalic musk makes this blend to one of my absolute favourites. Verry high standard of ingridients.

Such an amazing perfume. It's obviously a worthy blind buying. If you hate or could not stand the typical Oud scent this perfume is for you. It'll change you perception about Oud and perfumes in general. Love it and I believe it deserves 10 out of 10

Undoubtedly a magical, mystical, sensual fragrance that leaves you enchanted and hypnotized. A refined blend of Amber and Oud with hints of incense. Unfortunately on my skin it has a mild resistance but that doesn't mean I underestimate its value

Loved this, I discovered this at a Lisa's cosmetics sale (Toronto) and I fell in love, balsamic, very masculine and lasts on my skin 24+ hours with very strong projection, and most of all a very high quality scent trail

This scent is truly captivating! It's warm and inviting, with a lovely blend of oud and amber that feels both luxurious and comforting. The smoky notes add a touch of intrigue, making it perfect for evenings out.

Absolutely in love with this perfume. Mysterious and sexy. I’ve noticed that a lot of reviews say it is more male but I am a girly girl and love wearing this perfume!

At the beginning Oud wood by Tom ford At the end Black saffron by byredo That's it & that's all By the way Black saffron is a soft version of Tuscan leather Yours

OMG! I found the best fragrance in my life. Think exotic middle eastern men and Women with striking eyes, long lashes in velvet apparel. Truely incomparable.

النوتة الجلدية واضحة في العطر رغم عدم وجوده في المكونات، عطر رسمي وعلى خلاف عطور العود العطر هادئ وغير مزعج ودافئ مناسب للاغلب الاجواء ما عدى الاجواء الحارة

Unisex smoky oud fragrance, has a very light sweetness to it like a date note. Great projection and longevity, definitely worth owning. 4.5/5

عطر راقي جداً بخوري مسكي عود فخم وجماله بعد بدايته المسكية الحادة قليلاً Stately and beautiful & muck incens Oud,sharp a bit after beginning

Elegance and understated class in a bottle. Sophisticated scent profile. Above average performance and decent projection. Shukran Habibi!

@Hifza There is an accurate clone for it by FA Paris (fragrance world), called Pure Desert Oud. I’ve had both and can confirm

This a nice dry oud perfume. It is luxurious and very long-lasting. It’s also great for layering perfumes.

Gorgeous incense scent, ridiculous longevity 😒 . Need to reapply ever hour

I love it, but sadly it barely lasts for more than 3 hours!

THIS IS A COMPLIMENTS GETTER it just wooow

#589 in my "Tour de Fragrance" This is a sample vial I got from Twisted Lily I think. There are so many ambery-oudy-leathery scents out there they can all sort for run together, and this one is very nice, mildly sweet, I like it very much, but nothing out of the ordinary here. Projection on this one is about arm's length. At two hours and the skin scent is still there, but it's beginning to fade fast. So I doubt it makes it to lunch for everyone. It's a really nice, simple scent, best for evening date wear when a couple of hours of longevity gets you over the hurdle or it's not going to matter. The new Dunhill Signature line scents like "Arabian Desert", "Indian Sandalwood", "Moroccan Amber", "British Leather", "Egyptian Smoke", all smell great for at least as long if not longer than this scent, cost far less, have more complex notes, and fill this scent category nicely. They run about $55. So for me $220 seems a lot to pay for a comparatively simple scent that in composition and performance give us no good reason to pay that differential, except a nicer than typical bottle for D&G. Not sure who was first to think they could move up market just by producing classier bottles, Dolce & Gabbana or Bvlgari, but for me a plain, rectangular glass bottle in a simple cardboard box will do. I'm buying fragrance, not a piece of art for display. Bottom line for me is I like this a lot, but I also like Afnan "Rare Carbon" a lot at it's under $30. I like Dunhill "Arabian Desert" a lot and its $55. I like Ard Al Zafaran's Midnight Oud a lot and its $18. But I don't like this at $220 and up. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

Yes, this does smell like Tuscan Leather. Forget the notes for a minute, Desert Oud is a soft leather fragrance a clean & soapy musky background. It smells a lot like Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather but drier & woodier. It is a really nice woody spicy scent. Not very oudy, though, despite the name, just like its brother Velvet Tender Oud. Very likeable but extremely minimal oud here, if any, which is disappointing. D&G copied Tuscan Leather & released the clone as part of their "private" collection. The private collection is supposed to be the luxurious supercar of the house that shows their prowess & sophistication. Not here though. Not hating on Desert Oud. It is a beautiful smell but for me personally it is disappointing. I expected originality & oud. Not a altered clone, even if it is a good one. "Like"

A promising opening of smokey leather with minimal sweetness that will instantly remind you of the Tuscan/ombré leather types. Unfortunately it’s not long until this just seems to lose its body and fall flat on my skin in the dry down, turning into a typical dry non-animalic woody oud. I’ve sampled this sporadically over the past few years and I always remember it being better than it actually is. All in all it’s fine, but I’d pull for the aforementioned TF’s every day of the week

Longevity was okay for me, around 7-8 hours. It is very similar to Tuscan Leather but without the rough edges of TL, a more gentle and smoky feel. The problem is that Desert Oud never changes from start to finish. Another downside is the RRP of £200 for 50ml, seriously D&G? The plus-side is that you can get 150ml for £150 on the grey market. However, there are so many better options with the same scent profile, that I probably would not bother.

It starts of as a dusty, fruity, polished leather. Yes, it did remind me a bit of Tuscan Leather. The blend seems simple, there is not much else going on and it's a pleasant smell. After a couple of hours I am starting to smell a very tame and polite oud note, without changing the smell path it's on. Nice smell overall, but not the highest level of blend/ingredients as the line implies. 7/10

Dry thatch of leather hanging over sweet oud firewood. Very smoky and leathery on my skin, but there's a palatable sweetness that keeps me sniffing my skin. Lasts a little over 6 hrs on my skin, doesn't project loudly at all and becomes a skin scent quickly. A pity because at the given price, it should last all day and then some. Cool/cold weather only.

Can get it why some people think this is similar to Tuscan Leather. But to me they fall different categories and provide different effects. This on me has that fruity bubble gum vibe with some kind of artificial sweetener. It’s very pleasant though. Just nothing unique and lack of depth.

Nice. Really does smell like the desert. Dry, amber incense. Warm and comforting but also mysterious. Moderate projection. Lasts 8 hours. Pretty good. Don't know why I'm not super exited about it, might be because it's one-dimensional.

I cant trust fragrantica when it comes to gender, this mostly rated as male and im actually gettimg a very sharp women style scent opening that are found in almost most women fragrances :(

This is a light/airy oud with some rose/floral notes in the opening. Thankfully, the florals die down after an hour or so and this dries down to a pleasant unisex woody frag.

Monster projection on me in fall winter. I’ve been stoped and asked about it multiple times, all by men only, even after 8-9th hour of application of good 8 to 10 sprays

It’s just smoky incense (bit like bukhoor) with smooth somewhat synthetic oud and warm ambery base, not much musk but you can tell it’s “rounding” the edges

Really enjoy this and found it surprisingly mild and soft given the type of scent. I'd say unisex and easy to wear most places. Sweet but not sappy.

My friend was sitting next to me at a concert wearing this. Very harsh, extremely smoky, with some minimal underlying Amber notes. LOUD

I love how this smells but longevity is terrible. It’s a shame - it’s gorgeous.