Midnight Special

Going to be forward here, this is one of my favorite scents, but I'll try to be nuanced (Update: I failed and started glazing). I have smelled Armani's Rose d' arabie, its beautiful, but I've smelled better. My brother has MFKs Oud Satin Mood, its lovely, but I've smelled better. And the reason I've smelled better is because I smelled this. This is a scent that sort of ruined Rose-ouds because it really set the bar (this and Ombre Nomad). It is so sensual, and each element of this plays its part really well. The blending is really good, and this wears so smooth. The grapefruit is tart, and mixes well without making this too fruity. The cinnamon floats around and brings a bit of spice here and there and that might be the X factor here. This scent elevates your mood in a deep way that is difficult to describe. Its a romantic burgundy haze. It will make you feel like a hopeful protagonist in an Italian Noir film - A person with deep responsibility, who is determined despite the compromised world they trudge through. If you're a serial asshole, this scent might heal you and turn you into Mr.Right. If you have smelled Oud Satin Mood, Midnight Special is pretty close, and I wouldn't be surprised if OSM was the basis for what Midnight Special was supposed to be. To me OSM is the lazy, sedated version of Midnight Special. Midnight Special is much more sure of itself, and flexes a lot more, all while never ever trying to impress you (but you will be impressed). It has great projection and fills a room. It will project for 7+ hrs. Skin scent for 14+hrs. This scent gets added to the list of those very special fragrances that are dark, sensual, timeless, beautifully bold, and gorgeously masculine. It stands with Tuscan Leather, Ombre Nomad, and Noir de Noir. If all of those scents had spectacularly lavish, towering mansions on one block, Midnight Special would be the 4th house up from the cul-de-sac. A home not as lavish as the others, but properly groomed, and humbly designed. All of the other houses would come to Midnight Special for advice regarding their problems. Midnight special is modest and considerate with accomplishments that could justify being as pompous as the others, but MS chooses to stay grounded. If you are not a fan of those dark scents, then I don't know that you could appreciate this scent, and that's the fragrance world for all of us. And if you love this scent then prepare to have your wallet spanked by both retailers and discounters as pricing is crazy. I apologize for just talking about feelings, but scents that are the best of the best will always skip your nose and move right to your heart. They make you blab about feelings when you try to talk objectively.

On the initial spray of Midnight Special you get a blend of Roses that smell very authentic. Also, within the scent profiles of those Rose notes you get nuances of a dark berry jam, as well as bright Citruses. Blended within that Rose combo you get subtle hints of Black Pepper, Cinnamon, & Saffron. The spices are not very loud but you can still smell them, with Saffron being the dominant spice.. The fragrance quickly begins to sweeten up with Vanilla. But not to a point where it becomes a Rose Gourmand like MFK Oud Satin Mood Extrait. Midnight Special remains Rosey & moderately sweet from Vanilla, while lending subtle earthy green nuances from Patchouli on top of a soft almost Sandalwood/Cedar-like Agarwood base. As the fragrance goes deeper into its base you're left with a beautiful skin scent that smells of a sweet dark fruit jam-like rose, & Saffron. The Saffron at this stage smells mildly Leathery. And that combination of Jammy Rose & Leathery Saffron smells like Prunes with a very subtle spice from Cinnamon. This fragrance is VERY sexy. Its a dark & mysterious fragrance suitable of its name. It smells like luxury. Its the second highest complimented fragrance in my entire collection, with Roja Parfums Amber Aoud being the first. When I wear Midnight Special I almost always receive compliments, or I'm followed & flirted with. Fellas, if you're secure enough in your masculinity to wear Rose Based fragrances this is the one. But be warned. Your wife or girlfriend isn't going to allow you to wear this one out alone lol.

The oud/rose combo has been done a million times, I myself have 8 bottles from different designers, but this one I admit is "special". Maybe its the addition of grapefruit, but this one is cold and aloof. Rose and oud usually conjures up feelings of warmth and intimacy, but here it is coated in a clear hard glossy veneer. There a metallic sheen to this that makes this feel impersonal, professional and distant. The overall effect, is stunning and unlike any oud/rose scent I've experienced (and I've tried a lot). I describe this is classic and extraordinarily chic, just don't get too attached or emotional about this one, It's just not that kind of scent. It possesses a beauty that meant to be appreciated from a distance.

Arabic Rose Syrup. Sweet, syrupy rose. Orientalized with warm saffron and a touch of oudy incensy woodiness. Warm, sweet, rosey, Arabic, oudy, incensy. It really smells very luxurious! This a wonderful Arabic scent. Smells like a middle aged Arabic princess on Eid..or so I would imagine. It reminds me a lot of Aramni's Prive icon Rose d'Arabie: sweet Arabic rosey scent. I find Midnight Special to remain sweeter while RdA's sweetness dials down rather fast without disappearing completely. This make Midnight Special the more feminine of the 2 but still unisex. This was not on to-test list but it goes straight to my want list. A mature cool weather wear, unisex but leans feminine with it's sweet rose. "Love".

Super interesting woody Oriental which is a modern update of the traditional Rose Oud. The perfume opens with aromatic notes of cinnamon, pepper, saffron and grapefruit before slowly revealing the rose heart. The perfume dries into a powdery bed of Hindi (non skanky) Oud surrounded by patchouli and vanilla. The unisex perfume is earthy, sensual and modern and has very good projection and longevity. Absolutely not unique, but there is something sexy, sleek and adventurous about this offering that makes it easy to love and reach for. Enjoy!