Oud for Greatness Neo

I don't know what it is about Initio, but I just really enjoy the way they do fragrance and I've always felt a degree of redamancy from their fragrances in return. I get them and they get me. If you're reading this you know that Oud For Greatness went from a slightly different direction off branch from their main lineups to then lowkey become one of the finest and most wearable daily ouds ever made. It is probably *THE* western interpretation, western style iteration of this central accord in perfumery. I've always thought the OFG was so different to their Carnal Blends, Magnetics and Hedonists that if it wasn't produced in that iconic bottle, you'd struggle to think they came from the same house. Upon closer inspection though, you can see the characteristic spiciness and superlative blending on show. So it is with Oud For Greatness Neo which is an adjacent reimagining of the OFG original but with a greener, slightly fresher and more herbal vibe. A lot of reviews suggest it is more wearable than the original OFG but I find them about the same in that regard. Interestingly, I prefer the original on my skin because I love its rich, indulgent sweeter core, but the feedback from my friends and family is that OFG Neo is a nicer experience for those around me and that they prefer it on me. Certainly I've had more compliments from OFG Neo than from OFG, and I've gone through two testers of the original in the last year or so. Neither are unisex but OFG is closer to it than OFG Neo is. The opening of OFG Neo is green and herbal. There is fir and I think some balsam and cypriol in it and it reminds me a lot, oddly, not of Haltane which is the Parfums de Marly that everyone thinks is closest to this (and it is, in fairness), but of Layton Exclusif which always seemed a bit greener, spicier and with more camphoraceous things going on in that vibe than its original. Layton Exclusif is a very rich, very finely blended woody, incredibly wearable oud with a fruity top and a spicy and lavender middle that lasts 10 hours on the skin and is a compliment magnet. So it isn't that far from OFG Neo, even if it is a much more complex animal and has all that gorgeous cinnamon, coffee, amber, patchouli, woods and vanilla running through it that OFG Neo doesnt have. OFG Neo is a much more stripped back, much more linear, very oud-centric effort that is surprisingly fresh on the skin for an oud fragrance. It has a distinctly European forest vibe for me that the original was never close to to my nose. As with all Initios, conversations about what it smells like tend to take a back seat to discussions about how you wear it and when. It is funny that, isnt it? Well, OFG Neo is, perhaps unsurprisingly because of what I've just said, a reach very much in the ballpark of Layton Exclusif for me and the two are pretty much interchangeable for me which might sound surprising to some. Both are amongst the most wearable non-freshies I own and both are a hugely satisfying spray that have always given me great enjoyment to wear and will no doubt continue to do so. Both are reaches that I go for when I want projection and performance but something mass appealing that everyone around me will enjoy. All the other Initios I own (Mystic Experience, Blessed Baraka, Side Effect, Atomic Rose and Can't Get Enough, with the new Wild Rush on order and Paragon a likely arrival before the summer if I can't find it for a sensible price) are supposed to be evening wears and are a bit more challenging to carry off during the day. It lacks the drama and suspense of some of the Carnal Blends I own and it doesn't have the hedonism and pulse-racing frisson of wayward disobedience either. Weirdly, OFG Neo is probably more versatile than all of these, does benefit from a bit of daylight apricity in the winter months and is ideal for a daily wearer, especially to the office. If there is such a thing as a safe, mass appealing, non-challenging oud daily wearer, OFG Neo and the wonderful new Oud Liasons by Ormonde Jayne are definitive examples of it. Three Word Summary: Green Forest Walk Scent - 7/10 Sillage - 8/10 Drydown - 7/10 Bottle/performance - 7/10 Performance - 8/10 37/50

Much like Oud For Happiness, this is another Initio fragrance that I really didn't have any interest in picking up. However, like OFH I was able to score a sample for under $5; so I figured I would go ahead and give it a review just for the sake of it. When I reviewed the OG Oud For Greatness it was a pleasant scent, but nothing earth-shattering to me. Maybe OFG Neo will improve upon it. Let's get into it; Scent: The opening is woody, spicy, and aromatic. The primary notes I get are oud, saffron, lavender, and fir. The strongest of the notes are the oud and fir. Front and center is the same intense and softly animalic oud note that's found in Initio's other "Oud For" fragrances. Playing off the oud is the fir note; also woody but with a sharp green spiciness. Think "Christmas tree" but dialed down. This is followed by the saffron and lavender. The saffron, a familiar bedfellow with oud, helps to balance out the intense woodiness with a warm, spicy, earthiness nuanced by bittersweet and powdery accords. Lastly, the lavender rounds out the opening with its signature aromatic spiciness tinged with licorice. The dry down is still woody, spicy, and aromatic. The primary notes I get are still oud, saffron, lavender, and fir. The strongest of the notes are still the oud and fir, followed by the saffron and lavender. The dry down is largely the same as the opening, with the primary differences being that the fir note is stronger and the lavender is dialed back. The oud and fir notes really dominate the dry down, with the saffron and lavender wisping about in the background. Performance: Initial projection is strong and can fill a small room. Sillage is strong as well with an easily noticeable scent trail. After a few hours the projection and scent trail were unchanged, both still holding strong. At the 7-8 hour mark the projection was outside arms length and the scent trail was still noticeable. The fragrance became a skin scent around the 10 hour mark. When to wear: This is a fall/winter fragrance most suited for evening wear. Much like Oud For Greatness and Oud For Happiness, this is not a casual wearing scent and is best reserved for special occasions like dates or formal settings. For the same reasons, I would not wear this to the office. Blind buy: If you like Oud For Greatness this is a pretty safe blind buy. It doesn't deviate too far from the DNA of the OG, and the changes it does make are not drastic. If you're not familiar with OFG or natural oud scents in general, get your nose on this one before buying it. Final verdict: All things considered, I think this is a better fragrance than the original Oud For Greatness. The green spiciness from the fir really helps to set the fragrance off and melds very well with the oud note. The performance, from what I can tell, is comparable to OFG. However, when it comes to versatility and mass-appeal I feel that OFG Neo takes the cake thanks to that fir note. Maybe I'm just jaded when it comes to oud/saffron scents; I've tried a lot of them and OFG doesn't stray to far from the norm for that scent profile. But OFG Neo dares to try something new, and I find that refreshing and enjoyable. Scent: 9/10 Longevity: 8/10 Sillage: 10/10

What a big surprise this was. I've had samples of both OFG and OFG Neo for a few months but the OFG/Haltane DNA didn't really capture me off first impressions so I didn't think of trying either until today. I remembered liking Neo considerably more than the original OFG, so I went with Neo and what a pleasant surprise it was. OFG Neo is an amazing aromatic and green oud fragrance with slight citrus and spicy touches that's very well done. The oud here is a very approachable Western oud, nothing animalic or robust like the average Middle Eastern oud fragrance. I'm sensitive to whatever musk this uses, which is the same musk in Baccarat Rouge and Town & Country, but what really surprised me was how perfectly it blended with the aromatic and citrus notes, as well as the fact that it doesn't drown out the rest of the formulation like it does (to my nose) in the MFK and Clive Christian. Another point in its favor is its versatility, being wearable for the majority of the year, you might even be able to get away with this during the summer if sprayed very carefully. I do have to recognize I'd most likely get bored of this after a few wears so I'm glad to have a 5 ml sample, that'll be more than enough juice for me. I'll be giving the original OFG a wear tomorrow to compare. Performance was great overall. Strong projection with a dense sillage for a few hours, I could smell myself a lot all day. Longevity is an effortless 8+ hours. The only downside is I can almost guarantee you'll go nose blind to this extremely quickly, so I wouldn't be surprised if I find OFG to perform poorly when I wear that tomorrow.

I really like this fragrance, I think compared to the original this has pros and cons. Pros: -Fresher, although still not suitable for warm weather. It's fresh in the way TF Oud Wood is fresh. -Less divisive, my guess is women will like this more than the original. -Evolves more than the original, if you like fragrances that evolve then this is great. Cons: -Performance is great, but not quite as good as the original on my skin. -Price, this is not worth the high cost in my opinion. Oud for Greatness Neo starts off as a woody green fragrance with a bit of freshness, then over time slowly becomes a softer version of the original. It's not as sharp and in your face. I would definitely not consider this unisex, it is very masculine to me. Women in my experience love men's fragrances with a certain combination of fresh and spicy, and this does that very well. It is very masculine and clean at the same time, not as animalic as the original. Definitely a better date scent. Overall I'd give it an 8/10 (I'd give the original a 9/10). I think if you're debating between this and the original, go for the original. It's more niche, daring, and luxurious smelling to me. If however you're going fragrance shopping with a significant other, have them smell this on you too, they might love it even more.

Holy crap. I had to create an account just to review this. I tested it at Saks this past weekend and was blown away. It's like the OG OFG but sweeter and slightly nuttier. I took a testing strip home and placed it on my dresser on the other side of my bedroom and didn't think anything else of it. Two days later I kept smelling this amazing smell in my room, I thought it might be something from my wife but then she went out of town. The next day, now day three, I'M STILL SMELLING IT. Like, it woke me up in the middle of the night. I started sniffing around the room and was led to the testing strip. This is an unbelievably intoxicating scent and isn't showing any signs of slowing down. It's now been 6 days and I'm still. Smelling. It. It's pricey, for sure. Is it worth it? I dunno. Is GREATNESS worth it? You betcha. Buying this as soon as I take out a mortgage on my house. Update 8/2024: After months of obsessing over it, I finally bought a full bottle. I don't regret it. My mood is instantly made better by this, I just got a promotion at work, my wife started talking to me again, and I found a $100 bill on the sidewalk. Things are looking up. Maybe we are indeed in a simulation, but with NEO we have a way out.