Gladiator Oud

Having been obsessed with gladiators since I was a kid, I jumped at the chance of trying a perfume (another obsession of mine) based on “warrior theater” when I saw Gladiator Oud hit the scene. When I first sprayed the fragrance on my skin it was a chilly day and I’d gotten out of a warm shower about 30 mins prior. The first spray garnered an almost immediate worry for me because the first thing I smelled was a very dense, sweaty cumin. Ever since trying Amouage’s Fate Man, the cumin note has been terrifying for me because I ended up smelling like curry for a solid 2 days - could not scrub it off. The hay note was also very prominent, but it wasn’t unpleasant. It added a very earthy element to the scent. I also noticed the saffron, which is one of my favorite perfume notes, and that helped me cope with the strong cumin note. I decided to stay the course and let the perfume unfold. About 30 minutes in, I realized that Gladiator Oud is a piece of art. I was working and, every time I moved my arm, this absolutely divine scent would waft up to my nose. It was earthy, sensual, complex and rich. I couldn’t stop smelling my wrists all day. It became sweeter as time passed, but maintained that earthy smell from the vetiver and immortelle. The Oud is beautiful, but very dry and a tad medicinal. I feel like the geranium and honey pull this away from becoming a heavier scent. I love the Patchouli in this as well, especially since Patchouli was a staple in Ancient Rome because it was everywhere and it covered the smells of daily life. Gladiator Oud definitely doesn’t smell like anything I’ve tried before. I ended up imagining that this is what hunky gladiators in TV shows and movies smell like when they’ve finished a fight. I also kept in mind that people of Ancient Rome treated the more successful gladiators of the arenas as rock stars. Women would pay to own their preferred, popular gladiator’s actual post-battle sweat so they could use it as an aphrodisiac. There’s an undertone of sweat/musk here in Gladiator Oud, but the rest of the notes keep it from being funky or offensive. I love how there’s history in this bottle. This scent will fill a room, for quite a while. Performance is impressive! People will smell it on you as you pass by them. I wouldn’t label this as a crowd pleaser or a safe blind buy, but if you want to stand out and if you feel like being unique and mysterious, wear this one.

I disagree with the review below me....I don't get a lot of oud I get more cedar and very high quality cedar at that. That Atlas cedar note is great and this smells like a very classy refined cedar high class man's fragrance. I was not expecting it to be this fresh and its actually very fresh although I would not wear this in high heat. It's a great mans fragrance and I am completely surprised because it's so good. I'm just smelling my arm over and over again lol. Initios Oud for Greatness and Thameen Carved Oud has alot more oud in it in my opinion. There is some slight oud but that cedar note with the spicy green freshness is blended so darn well. I really like this one. I got a bunch of samples from Habibi ny but this is a top contender with better performance in my opinion. So to conclude this is more smooth cedar and fresh that can be worn during the day. This is blended so extremely well so no stinking from any potential heavy oud smell. Try this is more fresh than you would think. Gladiator Oud. 8.7/10 Edit - the same aroma chemical that is in polo green I believe is in this as well. That bite in the opening is there of pure pine tree can be smelt but it's smooths out after initial spray. The ingredients though are in fact high quality. I'm voting that this "smells like" polo green because to me it shares many similarities.

Given my experience with the cumin in Vanilla Edesia, I was a little concerned about applying the Gladiator Oud sample, particularly since immortelle is also in the mix, which when not constructed well, can also come across a little sweaty. However, I can confidently say that, for me, the cumin and immortelle combination absolutely works here. Those notes compliment the other notes in this fragrance very well, and the rest of the composition keeps the cumin and immortelle out of the "funky pit" lane. I'd honestly take this over Overture Man by Amouage precisely because the cumin here isn't nearly as in your face. I wanted to love Overture Man, but the cumin in that edged into "funky" territory in the fragrance, at least to my nose. For me, this is full-bottle worthy (loving the saffron, the woody/herbal base, and even that cumin/immortelle combination), but this fragrance is NOT blind buy safe. Then again, you really shouldn't be blind buying anything, but if you are the type who likes to spin the wheel and hope you get lucky, this is definitely one of those you REALLY need to try before you buy.

This is obviously going to be divisive. Cumin and oud are two notes that can turn off a lot of people. Personally, I quite like this but wouldn’t splurge for a full bottle maybe due to the cumin overdose which limits this to quite cold weather. Also, I feel prefer many other ouds out there. Oud seven by matiere I feel is quite similar without the cumin. This is decant worthy IMO. I’ve seen some electimus bottles go for as low as $55-60 at that price this is a no brainer. However at $230 which is the lowest I’ve seen I’d rather something else.

The review above (he reposted it) had me curious so I checked the offical site. They offer a note list. LMR Oud oil contains real Oud. Mystery solved. Everyone is an expert on the internet! TOP Saffron accord Cumin seed Oil HEART Honey accord Geranium oil Egypt FOR LIFE LMR Hay Abs LMR* Immortelle Abs Balkan LMR BASE Oud Oil LMR* Patchouli Oil Indonesia FOR LIFE LMR* Ambregris accord Cedarwood Oil Atlas Vetiver Haiti For Life LMR* *LMR ingredients are the highest quality natural perfume ingredients, see below for more details.