Gucci Oud

After having lived in the middle east and exploring many fragrances around the world in my military travels and have been exposed to Oud plenty of times. I agree with many that Gucci jumped on the bandwagon of the newest gimmick of including Oud in fragrances. I've smelled many different varieties of Oud mixed in many combinations. Westerners don't know this so of course its new and new can always be priced at a premium. I was very intrigued by this perfume and bottle and the fact that this one is labeled unisex because I really loved this bottle also so I went and got it. So far very hard to find as i'm typing this up. It was delivered to me and very excited to spray it and at first I was moved, WOW this is an amazing smell , very beautiful, but wait a minute. Why does this smell familiar? I realize looking over at the many different middle eastern oils I have of musks and oud , this perfume by Gucci isn't something new, its just repackaged. One can say all combinations of fragrances have been found and honestly todays "new" fragrances are just repackaged fragrances. The oils I bought in the middle east are cheap. They are pure perfume grade and if packaged to look expensive they would be, but they don't bullshit you. What you have here is just repackaged scent. I love it but the arabs have had these oud fragrances for the longest times and the idea of the european companies to try to get in the arab market is silly, because arabs are laughing at us for spending so much on these "oud wannabes" as I like to call them. overall I love the smell, but I had to call it out on the bullshit. Also I am a male, and I'll say not every guy will be able to pull this scent off.

I will precede this review by stating that I love Gucci by Gucci EDP. I found it unique, modern in a way and very classic in another. Since Gucci by Gucci is now harder to come by, I am nose-shopping around for other perfumes I like that fill the same spot,preparing myself for yet another of my perfumes to become elusive. I tried Oud yesterday. I like Oud perfumes, though a lot of them tend to be too dry. I found the oud scent to come through loud and clear as a top note, though its dryness was cut down with a sweetness that reminded me a lot of the way Gucci by Gucci cuts its very masculine flavours with honey. As time went, it reminded me more and more of Gucci by Gucci. When I got home, I looked it up and recognized the saffron from its description on the Gucci site. All in all, I liked it very much, though I wouldn't own both this one AND Gucci by Gucci due to their similarity. I think I will go back to test it with one arm wearing Gucci by Gucci so I can compare them side by side and see which one I prefer.

Not at all creative nor innovative for a perfume, but let me tell you something. Next to Gucci PH II, it's the only Gucci that smells natural, without, more or less pronounced, synthetic accord. The rose here is really beautiful. Until I've sniffed this fragrance, I thought the best rose in the mainstream genre is Cartier Declaration d'Un Soir. But the thing with d'Un Soir is that rose presented there is kinda' to jammy for my taste. This smells like plenty, thousands, millions of rose petals cascading from the air. And I mean it. Ok, we have a jammy moment here - right after it's sprayed on the skin, you can feel the jammy raspberry. But after 15 minutes it's gone.Luckilly, it's not too oudy when it dries down, the oud here is like a woody backbone to the whole fragrance. Longevity is solid, over 10 hours on my skin, projection is rather moderate. It should be cheaper though, it doesn't deserve the niche pricing.

I am a serious perfume collector. I just began a few years ago (after I quit smoking cigarettes) as my reward for quitting. I started out loving all things citrus and neroli. Then it evolved to fresh/clean scents. Then my taste became richer and darker. I have been looking for the perfect oud for a year. I have bought many high-dollar ouds that were highly recommended. Most smell great but I just got this one today and it is THE ONE I have been searching for all along! It is a WONDERFUL combination of fruit and oud. sweet and oud with rose. NOTHING beats this so far. I have paid up to 400 for designer niche oud perfumes and they don't even come close to this in my opinion! Best blind buy ever! By the way, most all of my selections have been blind buys. I live in the mountains of WV where there is little to no good shopping alternatives. Also, I am always looking online for the best deal.

Phenomenal scent. Starts off with a strong , fruity raspberry which is a bit tangy. Soon the rose , pear and some spices come through. The rose is prominent , the pear and saffron are supporting and adding nuance and detail they’re not in the front of the fragrance and are not necessarily standing out to me. A bit later you start to get the very natural but also very polite and quiet Oud. It’s definetly there and it’s one of the star ingredients of the fragrance but it doesn’t take the “main stage”. It adds this oriental and mysterious facet to the fragrance. Together with the amber and musk this has a heavy, more masculine base that contrasts with the strong more feminine and sweet top notes. Very very good and signature scent worth. Fall winter basically exclusively. Too heavy for any heat unless you want to be smelled in the next block.