I.Utopia

I was lucky to be given a sample and two generous sprays of this on my left wrist, when we were perfume shopping with my husband. Actually now that I think about it, the two sprays were a lot more than enough, they burned my nostrils with an enormous medicinal oud- patsuli compo and for awhile I couldn't smell anything else. About 20 minutes later I started smelling something horrible, like a bug spray and I felt desperate to wash it off. I wasn't near any water though, so I just waited, hoping that it would change. And guess what? it did. It transformed into a warm woody, slightly spicy beautiful rose perfume. The more time passed, the more beautiful it became, but kind of masculine. Two hours later it started changing again, some sweetness came through, as did more flowers and as this, I liked it better. I decided to give it another try, so the next day I sprayed only once and from some distance. This time I skipped the first two hours from the previous evening and went straight to the nice part. I.Utopia is very well done, truly unisex perfume, chooses femininity or masculinity accordingly, like flipping a coin. Long lasting, with moderate to loud silage, this is something I smelled before, but upgraded. I don't think I will buy a bottle for now, but I will wear my sample with pleasure.

I'm not a fan of oud, nor rose for that matter, but this is simply exceptional. If you're looking for barnyard oud, or a more daring, dirtier, fermented-smelling oud look elsewhere. This is the kind of oud I enjoy -- refined, clean, and elegant. It shares the same character traits as Zegna’s Indonesian Oud (edt), which makes Utopia cleaner, smoother, airier, and not as jammy as those typical run of the mill oud/rose combos. This might be the best rose fragrance I've tried, and this is coming from a person who dislikes rose. To me, this would be perfect for formal settings, or when being intimate with a loved one. It also has bits of Lumiere, with subtle hints of leather, and smoke. I like it a lot.

I don't get the comparison with Rose d'Arabie but of course, I-Utopia shares many notes with the masterpiece that is Rose d'Arabie. I-Utopia is very rose-dominant and goes down the route of the cheaper oud-rose combos that you can find in the Middle East, the problem is that they do it so much better. It does get better as it progresses as the previous reviewer stated but brings nothing new to the table with the plethora of Oud-Rose fragrances out there.