Oud Prive

Oud Privé is a sweet, caramel-like, light, smooth oud with gourmand leanings, set on soft resins and musk. Starts out with citruses for a brief moment, and it's also a little incensey. Even on the packaging, it includes 'spiced caramel', and that's more or less how it feels from here: the caramel doesn't go into sticky cotton-candy sweetness, but more toward warm sauce with cinema popcorn. The woody resins darken it a bit. There's not much progression, maybe later it becomes a little spicier. Projection is okay, and longevity is very good. As for what it resembles, you can see that yourself in the above section — I added all of them there, and probably not much will change because of how unpopular they are. You'll get the idea. Overall, this is a pleasant, mainstream oud with Arabic touches, aka 'oud in its name only'. I also have the impression that this was an attempt to clone something specific, but I can't point to what. A bit like Enrico Gi wanted to create a clone house long before clone houses became a thing. Why was it added 14 years after its release while being completely forgotten? I have no idea. And next to that, the Fragrantica moderators, as usual, showed off their job skills, so here's the correct notes pyramid from the box: Top: pink pepper, labdanum, jasmine, geranium Heart: cumin, cinnamon, caramel, opoponax Base: oud, patchouli, tonka bean, amber, sandalwood, guaiac wood I also love how someone immediately had to downvote my suggestions in the 'reminds me of' section. Opening note: 7- Sillage/Projection: 7 Drydown: 7+ Longevity: 8+ Blend/Composition: 7+ Versatility: 8- Uniqueness: 8- Value for money: 7 Bottle design/Aesthetics: 5- Overall experience: 7+ Blind-buy rating: 6+

I accidentally bought this fragrance a few years ago when experimenting with oud. Boy, I am glad I did. I think it is sensational. Slight sweetness, a little spice, something oudy. Not loud, but lasts a while. Whoever created this was onto something great. My bottle will last forever, but I am glad I purchased this hidden gem. I highly recommend it if you're looking for an easy going comforting "western oud" type fragrance.